nctuation. Two things,
however, must be borne in mind: _first_, the use of punctuation marks in
writing and in printing is always more or less an arbitrary matter,
scarcely any two authors agreeing in their employment of them; and
therefore the reader's own good sense must be to him his principal
authority as to the closeness with which he follows them: and _second_,
pauses are to an auditor what punctuation marks are intended to be to a
reader; but, whereas the eye may constantly keep within its vision the
relation of each word uttered, both to those which preceded it and to
those which are to follow, the ear hears the words that are read only
_ictus_ by _ictus_, stroke by stroke, and therefore can not aid the mind
to grasp this relation--the memory alone helping to do that; and hence,
in reading, pauses should be more frequent, and perhaps more prolonged,
than the punctuation marks might seem to necessitate. The reader should
also bear in mind that even the plainest and simplest diction, or that
requiring the most rapid utterance, may be so marked by appropriate
pauses that those stoppages of the voice necessarily required for
inspiration, shall never occur except when they assist to interpret the
sense,--they must not interrupt it.

As interpretative of emotion pauses do not necessarily correspond to
grammatical structure; but, as with all the modes of expression
previously considered, their frequency and length--their only
modifications--must harmonize with the feeling which they are to assist
in interpreting. In length, for example, they should correspond with the
movement of which they may be said to form a part; when the movement is
slow, as in the expression of awe, reverence, and the like, they are
naturally long; in the brisk movement required to interpret the livelier
emotions, they should be short. As a mode of emphasis pause serves to
fix the attention of the hearer,--either _backward_ upon a word or
phrase, that the mind may dwell upon it, or _forward_ to awaken
curiosity and expectation: it is evident then that a frequent use of it
for this purpose would destroy its value.

_Pauses may be used in reading to simulate an appropriate labor of
utterance_, as when the mind is supposed to be overcome by sorrow, or
disturbed by anger. At such times also, they serve as fit rests for the
voice in its efforts to express the disturbed condition of the mind, and
as appropriate avenues for the escape of emotion other