Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-06-06

III. Levings. now resident there. /
have known him from boyhood, and
have no hesitation in vouching for
him as "star" stammerer. 10 con-
versation he works everything about
his fac but his voice, and does every
thing 1T talk. He has a wonderful
facility of distorting his features
while wrestling with words, and is
perfect success as what the theatre
people call a "muggist." He looks
mad when stammering, but he is not.
1t is his way. Mr.. Henry X. White
was also very competentand steady
stammerer. He put less emotion in
to the business than the others, but
he was moro even and reliable, and
could always be depended on TO work
very hard in order to say very lit
tie. These were all men of high
character Qike myself but the other
one, Nat. Hammer, was careless,
jolly, irreverent and unregenerate
youth. He was..a plasterer by trade,
and his highest ambition was to make
his mortar stick as well as his tongue.
But Nat, with good many of the
symptoms of a vagabond, developed
nobly afterwards when the war broke
out, and showed that, like Jim Bud
so, he had heroic qualities in him.
Many amusing incidents occurred
among US, but will relate but one.
In 1859 Mr.. Levings was director
of the school district and / was clerk.
One day in the early Autumn, when
| was particularly busy in my office,
a young man named George w.
Witherell came to me and wished to
engage to teach the school during
the coming Winter. l did not like
his appearance and had no idea of
hiring him, and so told him he had
better sec the director. He asked
me to accompany him, but l excused
myself on account of my urgent bust
ness. He PERSISTED in his request,
until | was fairly obliged to comply,
and in no very good humor, | started
with him for Mr.. Levings' house,
about one third of mile distant. |
had been showing him some of my
best specimens of stammering, and
when near the house | remarked
that he might have observed that |
had hesitation in my speech. He
said he had observed it. | told him
| was afflicted that way, but Mr.. Lew
ings was very rapid talker and be-
tween us we averaged good time.
We found him painting his house
he came down the ladder, and intro
duced him, making fearful work of
the job.
"Mr. lie LIE Levings, l-let me ac-ac-
ac-let me ac-quaint you with Mr..
W-Wi-With-with Mr.. Witty With
Witheral." Levings looked at him
then looked at me, and began:
"Wh-wh-wh ,Chat-na-a>a-ame did
you sa-a-a-y?"
He wrestled fearfully with the
first word "what." The contortions
of his face were frightful to Wither-
ell and amusing to me. Mr.. Wither-
ell did not get the school. | think
he was resigned / don't think he
wanted it very much after we had
stopped talking to him, but l had my
revenge on him for taking me from
my work.
So much about stammerring now
a few words about how it may DO
cured.
In the winter of 1854, a man
came through the town of Madrid,
st. Lawrence county, New York,
where | was then living, and adver-
tised TO cure stammering. | called
upon him and paid him $4,000 Gall
the money had to cure me, and
gave him my note, (Which has never
been presented for payment,) for
$4,000 more. His remedy was purely
mental. 1t consisted in simply tell
ing me two words:
keep time"
The remedy is a certain one, and
although not entirely successful in
my case, yet the fault is probably
my own, and | have realized much
benefit from it, For the sake of some
who may read this and be benefited
by it, | will illustrate more fully.
No Stdmmering person erer found
any difficulty in singing The reason
of this is, that by observing the
measure of the music-by keeping
time the organs of speech are kept
in such position that enunciation is
easy. Apply the same rule to read
ing or speech and the same result
will follow. Let the stammerer take q
sentence, say this one, "Leander
swan theHellespont." and pronounce
it by syllables, scan it, keeping time
with his finger if necessary, letting
each syllable occupy the same time,
thus, Le-an-der-sw
Hel--les-pont,and he will not STAN
mer. Let him pronounce slowly at
first, then faster, but still keeping
the time; let him take paragraph,
then page keeping time with
words instead of syllables, and he
will be surprised to find that by very
little practice he will read without
stammering, and nearly as rapidly as
persons ordinarily talk or read
Then practice this in both reading
and conversation until the habit is
broken up. Perseverance and atten-
ton are all that is necessary to per-
} form perfect cure.
. | have given this information to
many persons who have been great
~ benefited by it. | will relate but
two instances, the first and the last
In the autumn of 1855, while pass
ing through the town of Stockhol m
10 st. Lawrence county, N. Y,
made an inquiry of a boy about six
teen years of age. He stammerec
. very badly in reply. Having an
&. hour to spare, asked him if he would
. like to be cured. He was elated by
: the thought. l went into the house
Q told his parents what L proposed t,
9 do; went into the parlor with him
S made him practice for about an hour
i went back to the room where hi
j. parents were, and be read the XIXtl
:. Psalm, without hesitatipc on n word