The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1886-07-08
PEOPLE WHO STAMMER.
A Painful Habit That May Be Easily
Overcome.

a. - De f4dsDg
Overcome.
a richly furnished suite of apart
ments on one of the thorpughfares of
the city is devoted to a peculiar pur-
pose, says the New York Mail and En-
press. A gilded plate of modest dimen-
sIons, on which name, and nothing
more, is inscribed. is among the tiaunt-
ing signs by the main entrance to the
building. Ascending one flight of stairs
the visitors attention will be attracted
by the marked care with which the
doors leading to the front apartments
are curtained. He will understand at
once that it is not private establish
ment for the name which appears on
the plate below is again inscribed on
one of the doors. a reporter was ushered
into small private apartment, where
tall and handsome gentleman in a fash
ionable spring suit waited on him. In
a large parlor connected with the ante
room by glass door a conversation
was going on. 1t ran in this wise:
Try once again, please"
'Th-th-the th-thr-thrush th-th-things
th-th-thweetly in th-th-the th-th-thpwing
of th-th-the year"
A young lady was endeavoring to
state in plain English that the thrush
sings sweetly in the spring of the year.
The place proved to be private
school for teaching persons who lisp,
stammer, and stutter to articulate their
words distinctly. The instructor con-
sented to explain the secrets of his in
teresting business. He said that not
one in twenty of those who lisp and
stammer have any organic or natural
defect, and in proof of this assertion he
cited the fact that few children COM
mence TO stammer before the ages of 5
or years.
Various causes can be assigned for
suffering, lisping, and stammering,"
he proceeded. Fright often causes
this result, and sickness which does not
at all affect the vocal organs produces
the same effect through the nervous
action. Stammering, too, is conta-
gious, and child whose speech is per-
fectly distinct will almost certainly be-
come a stammerer if permitted to play
and associate with stammerers. The
habit is acquired by sympathy"
"Can persons whose habit of stam-
mering and lisping is matter of long
standing be taught to speak distinctly"
THE habit can be overcome in very
short space of time with training and
patient practice where there is no in
liammation of the vocal organs. Take
such veteran as Mr. William T. Tray
ers He could be easily made to con-
verse like other people, but it would be
crime against society to change his
speech, Ii he spoke plainly he would
lose some of his fascination" "
rs it true that many young ladies
pride themselves on their ability to lisp
prettily?"
''in some circles lisping is considered
fashionable and desirable accomplish
ment. The trouble about lisping is that
when a lady has once acquired the
habit she can not adopt new style as
5 ,e would a new dress. Most young
ladies who take lessons in isping when
frolicking with companions of their own
age are sorry for it later on, and the
habit is not then so easily dropped" "
"How do you distinguish between
stammerers, Sufferers, and lispers?"
'Stammering is simply spasmodic ar
ticulation while the sufferer speaks
from an exhausted chest, and is unable
to commence speech easily. Both de-
fects arise from misuse of the vocal
organs, sometimes brought about by ig-
norance and sometimes the result of
habit Lisping consists ia giving the
sound of tn to and and some other
Of the consOnants, and is almost invari-
ably an acquired habit. When not ac-
conlpanied by a serious difficulty in ar
ticulation it is surely unnatural, and
result of the forced use Of natures Or
gans."
care not the facial contortions which
frequently manifest themselves indica-
tons that some physical defect exists
Not by any means. These contor-
tons result from a misuse of the re-
spiratorv organs. Teach the sufferer
by word and example the proper use
OF these organs and gradually these
contortions disappear altogether. have
seen persons who would almost 90 into
spasms on attempting to speak after
careful training for two months con-
verse with perfect composre as dis
tinctly as YOU or l. The mechanical
part of speech is an unconscious effort;
to correct defects in speech it must be
made conscious-that is to say, the at
tention must be concentrated upon the
vocal effort and the action of the arti-
culatory organs" The instructor ex-
planned that the male stammerers eX-
ceed the female in number in proper
ton of seven or eight TO one, for the
reason, he said, that women possess
more nobility than men in the organs
of speech. A bad stammerer, who has
no physical defect in the vocal organs
can be taught to speak distinctly in
from one to two months. While under
instruction, or Immediately afterward,
he must not be allowed to associate
with others who stammer. or with per-
sons who speak very rapidly. Stam-
mering and lisping are more general
among wealthy people than among the
poor, for some unaccountable reason.
Several clergymen who stammer in or
dinary conversation articulate distinctly
in the pulpit, but only when they read
their sermons from manuscript. A lead
ing lawyer in Scranton, Pa, is the most
accomplished stammerer in that section
of the country.
The invention of the modern form of
the piano dates back to about 100.