Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-07-11
Vocal Culture.
The wdUk of building up the voice

adult voice in a hundred is in
its normal condition. AIis-educa-
ton, disease, misuse and abuse, have
fastened on its impure tones, breaks,
weakness or harshness, from the
thraldom of which it needs deliver
ance. We seek to bring such voice
back to its original self; then it will
be natural, and thus we dispose of
all objections from affectation. True
vocal culture is no more chargeable
with this and kindred evils, than
Christianity is cLarseable with the
evils it seeks to care. Instances of
pedantry have sometimes occurred,
suggesting the proverb, The ass
that knows Greek is the greatest ass
of ALL, but do we therefore eschew
classical learning? The use of learn
ing is quite different thing from it's
abuse. Conceit sometimes attends a
title knowledge, but modesty is the
badge CT wisdom.
u, Development. Both reform
and development imply some stand
ard or condition to which reform
must lead, and at which develop
ment may begin. The one single
word which expresses the condition
back to which we must reform and
up from which we are to develop,
is the word " Nature"-a broad
term indeed and needing many
limitations. just now, however, af-
ter summing up q little, we shall
pause in these articles on the voice;
we want to know if the readers of
this paper have any interest in the
subject, and also, we want little
time thoroughly to test an entirely
new reformatory practice which has
Just come to hand. Certain breaks,
weaknesses and lack of compass in
our own voice, in spite of life
time of training annoy us. We ex-
pect complete emancipation.
Our summary includes the follow
ing five points:
1st, Distinctness Of Lhterance.
This should be emphasized still more
strongly. What right has any per-
son (not deaf mute) to appear in
society and stammer forth his vocal
bieroslyphics, requiring his friends to
give attention and strain their ears
to understand his half-pfonounced
jargon? Every day, and every hour
of the day, we are called upon to
converse; now if it is understood
that Of all the means used to learn
to read and speak correctly, common
conversation, is among the most i'm
portant and available, then nay be
seen the importance of doing it
we'll, and not with slovenly careless
ness. Few speakers within the last
IS years have made deeper impress
sion on tho public mind than John
B. Cough, the celebrated lecturer
on temperance. We heard many of
his earlier efforts, and from the first
he gave evidence of mastery skill in
his line. Many times he used to
tell (unwisely, we thought of his
very limited education. From
whence, then, came his marvellous
witchery over his congregation? He
was the tolher, the story-teller and
song-singer Of the social circle and
bar-room. 1t is true conversation
does not educate the eye to the
forms of words and sentences, but it
does educate the voice and ear, and
these are prime factors in reading
and public speech.
I'd, LING Exercise. We have
tested all forms of lung exercises
and expansion, walking uphill,
dumb-bells, the saddle, the axe and
buck-saw. the inhaling-tube and vo-
cal gymnastics, and we have used
them to advantage. A lease of life
from 1889 to 1879, is the result of
persistent lung exercise, and if we
could control the training of all the
narrow-chested boys and girls of the
country, we should expect to add
ten years to their average life.
Sd, Breathing through the nos
trits instead of the mouth. The re-.
lation OF correct breathing to the