A Discourse Being Introductory to his Course of Lectures on Elocution and the English Language (1759)Sheridan, Thomas
History
A Discourse Being Introductory to his Course of Lectures on Elocution and the English Language (1759)
Sheridan, Thomas
Elocution -- Study and teaching -- Early works to 1800
If any doubt remains about pre-eminence with regard to these two, the
dispute may, at once, be settled in the same way that Cicero determined
the controversy between oratory and philosophy; "Sin quærimus quid unum
excellat ex omnibus, docto oratori palma danda est: quem si patiuntur
eundem esse philosophum, sublata controversia est. Sin eos disjungent,
hoc erunt inferiores, quod in oratore perfecto, inest omnis illorum
scientia, in philosophorum autem cognitione, non continuo est
eloquentia." In like manner it may be said, in this case, that he who is
master of speaking cannot, on that account, be retarded, though he may
be much advanced thereby in knowlege of written language; whereas he who
is master of the written language only, is by no means advanced thereby
in the art of speaking. Indeed, the one should be considered only as an
handmaid to the other, and employed chiefly in such offices as she
cannot do in her own person.
But should any nation be so unfortunately circumstanced, as from habit,
or institution, to bestow all their labour and pains upon cultivating
the artificial language, the invention of man, to the utter neglect of
that which is natural, and the gift of God, it must be allowed, that
they are in a wrong course; and that they must necessarily lose some of
the greatest blessings that can be enjoyed by rational, social beings,
and which can flow from no other source but that of cultivated speech.
Whether this be not our case, is well worth considering; and the point
may be settled by the establishment of a few facts. In order to this,
let us take a view of the perfections, and imperfections, of each kind
of language; see in which of them we take most pains to attain the one,
and avoid the other; and, in consequence of such pains, which of them is
at this day in the best state amongst us.
The chief object of both, is the communication of ideas and emotions
from mind to mind, but they use different mediums for this purpose.
Speech makes use of sound, and reaches the mind through the ear: writing
makes use of characters, and conveys knowlege through the eye. The ideas
that rise in the mind of the speaker, together with the operations,
affections, and energies, of the mind itself, are manifested and
communicated in speech, by articulate sounds, combined, or separated in
various proportions; by rests of the voice in certain places; by
accents, emphases, and tones. The same is attempted in writing, by
different combinations of letters, according to stated rules, and by
certain points, stops, and lines. But that it cannot be done with equal
success in the latter case, is clear from this, that sound contains in
itself a natural power over the human frame, in rousing the faculties of
man, and exciting the affections, as is clearly proved by the force of
music.
By the loud trumpet, which our courage aids,
We learn that sound, as well as sense, persuades.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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