The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1870-01-05
Voices.

Far before the eyes or the mouth or the
habitual gesture, as revelation of charac-
ter, is the quality of the voice and the man
ner of using it. 1t is the first thing that
strikes US in a new acquaintance, and it is
one of the most unerring tests of breeding
and education. There are voices which
have a certain truthful ring about them-a
certain something, enforced and spontane-
Gus, that no training can give. Training
can do much in the way of making a voice.
but it can never compass more than bad
imitation of this quality; for the very fact
of its being an imitation, however accurate,
betrays itself likerouge on woman's cheeks,
or wig, or dyed hair. On the other hand,
there are voices which have the jar of false
hood in every tone, and that are as full of
warning as the croak of the raven or the hiss
of the serpent. There are in general the
naturally hard voices which make themselves
caressing, thinking by that to appear sym
pathetic; but the fundamental quality
strikes through the overlay, and person
must be very dull indeed who cannot detect
the pretence in that slow, drawing, would
be afectionate voice, with its harsh under
tone and sharp accent whenever it forgets
itself. But, without being false or hypocrit-
ical, there are voices which puzzle as we'll
as disappoint us, because so entirely inhar-
monious with the appearance of the speak
er. For instance, there is that thin treble
squeak we sometimes hear from the mouth
of well-grown portly man, when we ex-
pected fine rolling utterance which would
have been in unison with his outward seem
ing; and, on the other side of the scale,
where we looked for shrill head voice or a
tender musical cadence, we get that hoarse
chest voice with which young and pretty
girls sometimes startle US. In fact, it is one
of the characteristics of the modern girl of
a certain type; just as the habitual use of
slang is characteristic of her, or that pecu-
liar rounding of the elbows and turning out
of the wrists, which are gestures that, like
the chest voice, instinctly belonging to men
only, and have to be learnt and practised by
women.
Though one of the essentials of good
voice is its clearness, there are certain lisps
and catches which are very pretty, though
never dignifed; but most of them are ex-
ceedingly painful to the ear. It's the same
with accents. A dash of brogue, the faint
est suspicion of the Scotch twang, even
very little American accent-but very little,
like red pepper to be sparingly used, as in
deed we may say with the others-gives
certain piquancy to the voice. So does a
Continental accent generally, few of US be-
ing able to distinguish the French accent
from the German, the Polish from the italian,
or the Russian from the Spanish, but lump
ing them all together as "a foreign accent
broadly. Of all the European voices the
French is perhaps the most unpleasant in its
quality, and the Italian the most delightful.
The Italian voice is song in itself, not the
sing-song voice of an English parish school
boy, but an unnoted bit of harmony. The
French voice is thin, apt to become wiry
and metallic; a head voice for the most
part, and eminently unsympathetic; ner-
vous, irritable voice, that seems more fit for
complaint than for loye-making; and yet
how laughing, how bewitching it can make
itself!-never with the Italian roundness, but
claimant in its own half pettish way, provok-
ing, enticing, arousing. There are some
voices that send you to sleep, and others
that stir you up; and the French voice is of
the latter kind when setting itself to do mis-