The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-12-13

and more so after excessive labor.
Hence the Importance, first, OF know
ing hO10 to use the organs; and, sec
ond, how to take care of the health.
The custom, by ladies especially. of
sitting In O room-the singing class
and laboring hard-ginging with
much vigor and enthusiasm, often
getting quite excited, almost forget
ting self. being SO deeply engaged and
interested in the pleasant work, and /
then passing out into the open night
air. and not unfTequently when 1t is
cold, damp, and stormy, without be- |
ing protected by an additional guam
tity Of clothing, Is simply reckless. /
Such cases are not isolated and rare, I
but of frequent occurrence. And what /
is the result? 4 cold and sore throat of
course. not unfrequently headache and |
loss of voice. The cause? Some will say. |
''Ob, l Tor you) have sung too much! |
Singing SO much will ruin your |
health" But Iremark that the ply |
steal laws have been violated, and |
you must suffer the penalty. Singing
/ SO much was not the cause, but ne
elect in protecting the body after vigoi-
Gus exercise. And again, now | am
speaking upon the pointo Of injury to the
vocal organs, | am Of the opinion that
much injury results to the mucous
| membrane of the throat. often eZ-
tending to the vocal chords, bronehl
and lungs. from dyspepsia, or from q
! debilitated condition Of the stomach
and system. And when the throat
is In this diseased condition it cannot
endure so much fatigue, and the
| mem brane, which is a very essential
part, and perhaps the most essential
of the vocal mechanism, In producing
purity Of tone, is very susceptible OF
sudden and extreme changes IN the
temperature. Before one can take
care Of self these few facts must be
understood. And this leads me to
repeat en- 41dssant that anything which
Weakens or debilitates, such as tight
dressing. (aud cursed be the inyen.
ton of corsetsl 1t is not necessary to
pronounce a curse upon those who
wear them, for they are already
cursed and suffer beyond measure,
though they are not the only ones
who suffer from such physical abuse
, and slow suieide). wearing too light
, soled cloth boots in the wet and
cold, eating at irregular intervals and
especially taking too late suppers,
(Whether at festivals, parties or the
J saloon,) and abusing the digestive
{ organs and burning the stomach with
other ediblcs, (pois0ns, l should say,
vulgarly called food highly seasoned
with condiments of various kinds,
ETC., etc. Dissipation of every kind
should be avoided. l speak thus
under the head of Music Teaching"
because health lies at the very found
| IL I,H Il Al Il. I
or mental. A weak, lettering frame
work cannot support heavy machin-
cry. The fine mechanism of the
watch may be obstructed by hair
or speck of dirt. The opinion of a
Scotch traveller is, That the pecu-
, liar paleness of the American girl
! connects itself with too much meta
physic, hot bread and piel" and he
might have added tight dressing
; and too little proper physical
? exercise. The writer can testify to
, the healthfulness Of vocal practice
upon the throat and respiratory or
gans, During the Winters of 1854
and 1858, and at other intervals prior
! to the latter date, though not as
severe, my throat and lungs were so
seriously affected that l had a violent
, cough, expectorated like ono in the
first stages of consumption, and could
not lie in bt nights without being
bolstered up to an angle of forty-fve
degrees. The feeling of semi sufoca-
ton is terrible to endure. Up to '61
at which time l commenced this kind
of work In good earnest, | did not
fully appreciate the value of physical
exercise for the chest and lungs, and
could not endure moee than one-half
of the labor and fatigue of singing
and using the voice that [ can at the
present time. This system of train
ing. as taught by DIR. Guillmette, of
Boston. l must heartily recommend
to the attention of every person.
The following, from Horace Wal
pole, [ desire to add" Had [ chill
dlen, my utmast endeavors would be
to make them musicians. Consider
ing have no ear, nor even thought
Of music, the preference seems odd,
and yet it is embraced on frequent re-
Election. In short, as my aim would
be to make them happy, | think it
the most profitable method. 1t is
resource that will last them their lives,
until they grow deaf. Of all fashion
able pleasures it is the cheapest, and
unlike other morbid passions, is sure
of being gratifed.in Heaven"
III. S. PERKINS.