rarely listened to with pleasure who has a rough, harsh voice, a squeaking one, or a nasal twang; or who speaks upon a key raised to vociferation, or sunk to feeble indistinctness. Whoever, in his utterance, has any one of these defects, should make unceasing efforts to cure himself of it for this he can do, in almost every instance, by care and proper culture. Some, it is true, have the power to awaken, and to chain attention, in spite of such defects but that is no reason why youth should carry them into mature years. One thing is very certain : however much the head may be affected, the heart is seldom reached but through a different medium.

6. How often it happens that a young lady by her beauty wins the admiration of all beholders, but to lose it, the instant she opens her mouth! And how often it is, that a lady whose face and figure are any thing but attractive, almost imperceptibly takes the heart captive by the clear sweet tones of her voice, and the charms of her conversation!

7. IMPORTANT HINTS.-Never venture to relate an incident, or tell a story with which you are not well acquainted; nor tire the patience of your auditors with little trifling details; nor keep them upon the torture, after raising expectation of something thrilling, by withholding it to the very last words. Go straight forward with whatever you have to communicate without repetition state the principal points with clearness and precision; and, unless the matter itself is void of interest, you will be heard with pleasure. And, if there should happen to be any thing diverting, or witty in what you say, let the laughing be for others: for, in

general, the less of it you do yourself, the better you

will appear.

8. Some dash off rapidly upon a thought; and if a new one happen to strike them, away they go in a parenthesis-resume-go on-and when all is told, repeat once or twice, to make all clear. Such heedlessness and waste of words may be cured by the practice of a little deliberation and reflection.

9. Avoid all hackneyed expressions, and frequent

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repetitions of " says he" and says she"; and, what is far worse, "I said, said I," "he said, said he"; or beginning a phrase with "well"; as, "well, I think so," or, "well, I must go"; or, "well, to make a long story short"; or repeatedly following a phrase with, "you know"; as, "I love children, you know," "I was very tired, you know" to which it might be replied, "no, Sir, I knew neither till you told me"; and “ you see is often used very nearly in the same way. Avoid also the use of "as" for "that," particularly after, "I do not know"; as, "I do not know as I shall go" for "that I shall"; I guess" for "I think, I suppose, I presume"; "ugly" for " rude," and for "vicious"; "right away" for "directly," "aways" for "a distance"; "I can't" for "I cannot," "I wasn't" for "I was not," "I don't know" for "I do not know," "I hain't" for "I have not," "it aint" and "taint" for "it is not," we ar'n't" and "aint for are not." Some say, 66 Do tell!""I want to know!" as a wonderment in reply to what has just been related: "I didn't hear nothing about it "-"I expect he arrived yesterday "a great big house a monstrous little house "- "a

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dreadful sight of peaches." Some, from the force of early habit, say "them boys, them girls," "this here, that there," or rather "this ere, that air." All such improprieties in language, if early attention is called to them, can be corrected by a little care: but, if suffered to go into maturity, are generally fixed for life.

10. Timothy Craft of London, from the lowest condition of life, rose, by his industry, prudence and skill in business, to great wealth, and finally to be Lord Mayor of the city but with all his riches and honors, there still clung to him his early vernacular: and among other vulgarities, the habit of saying "this here" and that are." After his death a proud monument, with a beautiful inscription, was erected to his memory. A wag, having read the epitaph, wrote under it,

"Here lies Tim Craft, our late Lord Mayor:

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He's left this here world here, and gone to that are world there."

11. Some are never listened to with pleasure from a habit they have of affixing, to many words, a sort of inarticulate echo; as, "and-ah" for "and," "but-ah" for "but," ""he-ah" for "he," "the-ah" for "the," "of-ah" for "of," "a-ah" for "a." They hang upon these echoes till they think of the word which they want. Nobody is ever conscious that he makes them, and few, I presume, notice them in others; though they are common in conversation, and even in public addresses.

12. Never suffer your mind to be absent in company. Command and direct your attention to present objects; see and hear all that is going on, without appearing to scrutinize particularly any thing.

13. Never whisper in company, nor talk while another is talking: conversation is common stock, and all present have a right to claim their share: however, in a large company, many separate groups may have this interchange going on at the same time.

14. Always listen when you are spoken to; and never interrupt a speaker, nor supply him with words, if he happen to hesitate: give a direct answer to a direct question, and avoid all circumlocution and indirectness as artful and rude. Be frank and ingenuous, and always look a person modestly in the face, when you speak to him.

15. Be not forward in leading the conversation: this generally belongs to the oldest persons in company. If you have learning, display it only on occasions when you can do it without ostentation: and on all occasions avoid speaking of yourself, if possible. Nothing which we can say ourselves will varnish our defects, or add lustre to our virtues; but will often, on the contrary, make the former more glaring, and the latter obscure. However, among very intimate friends, a strict observance of this rule would sometimes make us appear fastidious.

16. Good breeding does not consist in formal ceremony; but in an easy, civil and respectful behavior. A well-bred man is polite to every person, but particularly to strangers. In mixed companies, every person who is admitted, is supposed to be on a footing of equality with the rest, and consequently claims very justly every mark of civility. It is wise to avoid remarks condemnatory of classes and professions, doctors, lawyers, or clergymen : and it is prudent to learn enough of the immediate connections of those present to avoid giving pain.

17. Frequent and loud laughter is the characteristic of folly and bad manners: it is the way in which silly people express their joy at silly things. A wise man may be often seen to smile; but he is not so often heard to laugh.

18. Humming a tune to yourself, whistling, drumming with your fingers, making a noise with your feet, and all such habits are breaches of good manners: and, from those who know better, indicate indifference, or contempt for the persons present.

19. Mimicry is a common and favorite amusement of low minds, but is carefully avoided by all great ones. We should neither practise it ourselves, nor encourage it in others. It is always an insult to the individual so imitated.

20. Avoid the habit of punning. Though it may often serve to amuse, and may show some wit; yet it is of a low order, and should rarely be resorted to by one who has the talent for something higher: be cautious also in playful jesting: it is pleasing, but is liable to be misapprehended by stupid people, and so may get you into difficulty.

21. Modesty is often confounded with bashfulness ; but there is a marked difference between them. Modesty is the characteristic of an amiable mind; bashfulness is rather the want of a becoming self-respect. Nothing tends to sink, or to drive a young man into low company more than bashfulness: to get rid of this painful weakness, he will find nothing more effectual than a persevering determination to improve all occasions to visit that which is good-the company he most dreads to