The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-12-20
TENTRII0QUISM.
REAL SECRET OF THE ART or
THROWING THE VOICE"

Which ANY One Can Follow.
Ventriloquial sounds are produced by
means Of the vocal organs alone The ex-
preston, talking down the throat, Is some
times used when abiding 70 the subject Of
yentriloquisn, as well as talking n the
stomach Neither conveys 2 proper idea
Of the art the first being only partly true,
and the latter having no claim whatever to
our attention Sometimes It may be found
necessary TO coufne the sounds 70 the
region Of the larnyx in order 20 produce
certain effects; the little service the stomach,
or more properly the abdomen, is called
upon 70 perform is IN aiding the lungs by
muscular action.
The art is divided into two parts-ven-
trilOquisTn proper and PolyphOnisn- The
former comprises those limitations IN which
an illusion as 20 renoteness Is intended a;
whereas, the latter means limitations Of
voices IA different persons close at hand,
cries Of animals, etc. Most modern ven
triioquists belong 70 that class The ear Is
easily deceived with regard 70 the sources
of sound Such noises are often heard as
the beating Of q drum, ringing Of bell,
rumbIing Of a carriage, etc, and the list
ener Is uncertain at first as 70 their true
direction But after while, when the ear
becomes familiarized with a particular
bDuUus Inc lJ-dbAD4 - bd5A4J A0g-A l4AA4AS .
and il is not again readily cheated by the
same sound under similar circumstances
30 it is with ventrilOgUism. The performer
changes the tone Of his voice, Disgusting il
in many ways, and Offering many obstacles
20 its free egTess by the tongue, teeth and
lips, as the aforesaid sounds are Obstructed
IA their passage by'TOws Of buildings, etc,
causing them 70 bound from object TO OBJ
ject until, when they reach the ear Of the
listener, they seem TO come from any direc-
lion but the true one.
TO PRODUCE ASTONISHING EFFECTS
Much stress has been laid by some ven
triloquists upon the fact that IL is possible
70 face an audience during their perform
ances, and without betraying any percepti-
BILE movement Of the lips or muscles Of the
face Such performances greatly detract
from the success Of their intended vocal
illusions by thus directing the attention Of
the audience not 70 the supposed sources Of
the sound, but to the real source, the ven
triloquist himself II is simply challenge
TO the audience 70 detect, if they can,
whether the performer really does talk with
out moving his lips Some VentrIlOq uists
claim TO be superior 20 others upon the
ground that they always face sIuarely to
the front but while this is an easy matter,
other and far more skilled performers fire.
quently turn their backs TO the audience,
and very seldom present more than a pro
file view Of their faces. In order to pro
duce astonishing effects, it is sometimes
found necessary for even the most prof
Gent VentriIoquist TO conceal himself alto
Rether from tho view Of the audience. In
every case where the ventrilo Iuist faces
the audience they will discover that his lips
do move, all assertions TO the contrary not
withstand 1t should at all times be the
aim Of the yentriloquist to divert the atten-
tion Of the audience from himself entirely.
OF late years a large number Of ventrtlo-
quists have come to the front, each one be-
ing in most respects an Imitator of his
predecessor, and their exhibitions consist
ing generally of dialogue between two or
more puppets and the performer himself.
Such performances are within the power OF
any person who has talent for mimicry,
reasonably good voice, and the courage to
face an audience. Practice will do IL all in
q short time. Not so, however, with true
ventriloquism, for no one can become pro
ficient in this art without devoting to it
much study and years Of practice. 1t Is
essential that the student should have an
ear so we'll attuned as TO readily distinguish
the different qualities OF sound; he should
also possess a voice Of great fexibility,
ranging in compass from the deepest bass
to faIsetto, and his bump OF imitation
should be largely developed. All this does
not imply that there should be any peculiar
construction of the vocal organs, and any
who assert that ventriloquists necessarily
differ in this respect from other individuals
either do so for a purpose or thereby
pose their ignorance of the subject
REAL SECRET OF THE ART.
The real secret OF ventriloquism can be
very briefly explained, viz: Nentriloquism
is the imitation of sounds so that they seem
to come from distance from the person
speaking; or, the imitation of sounds as they
are heard on coming from a distance. This
is the whole secret of the art, and the &C
complishmeDt depends upon practice and
dexterity. HSSssB
Amy person possessing a good voice,
sound lungs and a moderate amount of
mimetic talent, may, with perseverance,
acquire more or less proficiency in the ven
tri.Oquial art, according to the time devoted
70 its study The student should always
copy after nature, either familiar human
voices or cries Of animals Always talk
during expiration instead of inspiration, as
some endeavor TO do. Stand or sit erect,
expand the chest and initiate the lungs before
talking in the ventriloquial voice. Select
snort sentences and control the air in the
lungs so as to have sufficient 10 finish each
one before taking another breath. Take
ample time between each question and ans
wer for breathing purposes, and let che
questions given in the natural voice be of
sufficient length to allow time to fully over
come the fatigue which necessarily follows
this manner of speaking. The student Is
advised in all cases relating to distant
sounds to let the ear be his guide as to tone
pitch, loudness, etc., for he can not be gov
erened correctly by any fixed rules in such
matters The practice of listening To vari-
Gus sounds in the open air, and noting at
tentiveIy their peculiarities, will in a short
time enable the ear to determine with CON
siderable accuracy all that is essential for
the study of ventriloquism y great variety
of sounds may be produced with but slight
changes Of the tongue and lips and their
action upon the teeth. A little pr'.ctics
will, however do more in this respect than
long explanations or rules The professional
ventriloquist requires great confidence and
self-possession, with a ready flow of small
talk TO keep up the interest
1t will probably appear strange to the
uninitiated when they are informed that
the voice from above, the voice below and
the voice at distance and a line from
the performer are produced precisely in the
same manner The ventriloquist IN either
case simply directs the attention of his
hearers TO the supposed source of the sound.
For such voices the vocal chords are con
t-acted and fine. clear tone produced, in
loudness representing the distance. Any
further written explanations would be of no
practical value in the study of ventrilO-
quism. Experience has demonstrated that
the art can be successfully taught, though
the belief has generally been TO the con-
trary.-San Francisco Call
The lilac season has been an unusually
Successful one in New York this year.
Cattlemen in western Texas have organ
lied an association for the sinking Of an
extensive sNAtaIll OF r-aIIs for tLn $780,