Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1885-05-23
Learn to Talk.

In fashionable circles in the large cities, al
present, more attention is being paid to the
art of conversation than has been for some
years. This is happy move There is
something appalling in the thought of being
obliged to sit for whole evening and
make TALK out of your own head. Fol
that reason, dancing and games have beer
invented to fill the horrible void occasioned
by the stupidity and mental emptiness Of
people.
Ladies are ambitious to become brilliant
and entertaining in conversation. How the
sparkling talker lights up whole room with
her radiance, and draws host of people
about her wherever she appears. Not she
who talks of dress, servants and contempti
BILE or spiteful personal matters. The bril-
liant talker is she whose mind is stored with
knowledge of mankind, of books and things
and whose soul is gentle and sweet tempered.
Numerous Indies have formed converse,
ton clubs. Some are newspaper classes.
These read the dispatches and current new;
every day and discuss them at their meet
ings There are literary clubs where the
members study and talk books. Then again
there are debating classes, where women &c,
upon their feet and tell, extempore, the rea.
sons why they take this or that side of o
question. These are perhaps the best of all.
Parlor speaking, forcibie, eloquent and nat
ural is pleasing beyond most kinds of talk.
Then, again, there are parlor clubs, where
men and women talk the mind cure, the
faith cure, spiritualism, mesmerism, occult
ism and all the new-fangled witchcraft OF
the hour. But all will tend to the same end
to lift fashionable society out of empty
trivialities, and cause women to know some
thing, to think something, and to be able te
tell it without awkwardness or scare.
There are some physical points that it is
well to remember in training ones self tc
talk. Learn to form words and sounds with
the tip of the tongue, the front teeth and
the lips Do not make the sounds away back
in your mouth-in your throat That is the
great American fault. By that means the
tones are gobbled and INSTRUCTED, particu-
larly the nasal sounds 1t is this that makes
the ''nosey" American voice that foreigners
observe and comment on so unpleasantly.
Worst OF all, they are right about it. Our
throaty, obscure national voice is the reverse
of the clear struck, ringing tones of which
the vocal organs are capable. An Eng
lshman says that he has never vet
seen an average American who could say
'I" They all speak it "aiy,n back
in the throat and through the nose. A
little observation will convince anybody that
this is true. Attention is not given in the
United States generally to the culture of a
pure, sweet speaking voice. tsuch voice
any woman can develop for herself. The
main thing is to observe the simple rule
above mentioned-to make the sounds at the
front of the mouth, and not back in the
throat. Then learn to pronounce correctly.
You can do this by observing the pronuncia-
ticn of cultivated people. Enlarge your
vocabulary by reading, by talking of the
best things you know, and by knowing the
best that goes on in the world of books, men
and things Consult your dictionary for
very word you don't know the meaning of
\ natural desire to please and make those
appy around you will do the rest. With all
rise you will in time become brilliant
'lker