features just at the moment when that same thought is receiving
articulate birth on the tongue. Its purpose is to make the words
grow large, as it were; to expand and emphasise their meaning;
hence the wisdom of the advice--"Suit the action to the word, the
word to the action." If the action distract the listeners'
attention from the word its purpose is defeated.

Now that we have an idea of what elocution is, and analysed the
wisest set of rules ever framed for its government, we turn to
the mechanical agencies by which it is produced--breathing,
resonance, inflection.

[Side note: How to inhale]

When a person draws in the air through the mouth, the cold,
unpurified stream strikes directly on the back of the roof,
causing dryness and irritation. To avoid this the preacher,
except when actually engaged in speaking, should inhale through
the nose. The advantages of so doing are considerable. The air
inhaled through the nasal organs is drawn over the roof of the
mouth and soft palate, and thus warmed by contact with the
blood-vessels; so that it is rendered innoxious by the time it
reaches the throat. Again, any particles of dust or other
impurities it might contain are caught by the filterers or hairs
situated in the nasal cavities for that purpose. Thus it reaches
the tender vocal chords both warmed and purified. To these may be
added another advantage: it is more becoming to inhale with
closed lips--the picture of a speaker gasping open-mouthed is not
a graceful one.