The American Common-school Reader and Speaker: Being a Selection of Pieces in Prose and Verse, with Rules for Reading and SpeakingJohn M. Whittemore & Company, 1844 - 428 pages |
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Common terms and phrases
Aurelian beauty blessing blood breath character circumflex cloud dark dead death deep earth elocution Emphasis emphatic series England eternal Example exercise expression falling inflection fear Feeb feeling fire flowers force Freedom calls gaze genius give glorious glory grave hand happiness hath hear heart heaven hills honor hope hour human JARED SPARKS king labor land LESSON liberty light live look loud marked mighty mind moderate modula moral mountain nations nature never night o'er passions peace proud reading Rebec Rhetorical Pauses rising inflection rocks rocks crumble Rome round RULE Scrooge shout silent Sittingbourn sleep slide slow smile solemn soul sound speak spirit storm sublime sweet swell tempest temple thee things thou thought throne thundering bands tion tone truth utterance virtue voice waves wild word
Popular passages
Page 39 - Holds such an enmity with blood of man, That, swift as quicksilver, it courses through The natural gates and alleys of the body ; And, with a sudden vigour, it doth posset And curd, like eager droppings into milk, The thin and wholesome blood...
Page 16 - No sooner had the Almighty ceased, but all The multitude of angels, with a shout Loud as from numbers without number, sweet As from blest voices, uttering joy...
Page 75 - And now I stand, and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers; unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come; for which hope's sake, King Agrippa I am accused of the Jews.
Page 364 - Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest; there is no retreat but in submission and slavery. Our chains- are forged ; their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston; the war is inevitable, and let it come; I repeat it, sir, — let it come! It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry peace, peace!
Page 76 - And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee...
Page 377 - And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you. I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts. I am no orator, as Brutus is, But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man, That love my friend; and that they know full well That gave me public leave to speak of him.
Page 363 - They tell us, sir, that we are weak — unable to cope with so formidable an adversary; but when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house ! Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction?
Page 69 - By heaven, methinks it were an easy leap, To pluck bright honour from the pale-faced moon, Or dive into the bottom of the deep, Where fathom-line could never touch the ground, And pluck up drowned honour by the locks ; So he that doth redeem her thence might wear Without corrival all her dignities : But out upon this half-faced fellowship ! Wor.
Page 377 - I am no orator, as Brutus is; But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man, That love my friend; and that they know full well That gave me public leave to speak of him: For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth, Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech, To stir men's blood: I only speak right on; I tell you that which you yourselves do know...
Page 197 - Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream! — For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem. Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul.