Little Falls transcript., 1886-07-02
PEOPLE WHO STAMMER.
a Painful Habit, That May sBs. Easi1y
l Overcome. Re

ts#ss - y " SoIAMN1Ehs59S
a Painful Habit, That daysB EASILY
| Overcome.
q richly furnished suite of apart
ments on one Of the thoroug ghfares Of
the city is devoted to a peculiar pur-
pose, says The Near York Mail and zEs-
press. a gilded plate Of modest dimen-
sions, on which q name, and nothing
more, is inscribed, is among the faunt-
ing signs by the main entrance to the
building. Ascending one fight 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 a private establish
ment, for the name which appears on
the plate below is again inscribed on
one OF the doors. A reporter was ush-
, cred into a small private apartment,
where tall and handsome gentleman
in fashionable spring suit waited on
him. II. large parlor connecting with
this anteroom by glass door CONVEX
sation was going on. 1t ran in this
| wise:
TRY once again, please"
''Th-th-the th-th-thr- thrush th-th-
things th-th-thweetly in th-th-the tn
th-thpwing of -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 he a 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 his assertion he
| cited the fact that few children COM
mence to stammer before the ages of
5 or years.
'7arious 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 nervous action.
Stammering, too, is contagious, and q
child whose speech is perfectly distinct
will almost certainly become stam-
merer if permitted to play and assocl-
ate with stammerers. The habit is ac-
quired by sympathy.''
Can persons whose habit of stam-
mering and lisping is matter of long
standing be taught to speak distinct
ly?"
1.-THE habit can be overcome in y
very short space of time with training
and patient practice where there is no
Inflammation of the vocal organs.
Take such a veteran as Mr.. William r.
Travers. He could easily be made to
converse like other people, but it would
be crime against society to change his
speech. If he spoke plainly he would
lose some of his fascination"
SIS it not true that MANY ladies pride
themselves on their ability to lisp pref
tily?'
I'm some circles lisping is considered
a fashionable and desirable accomplish
ment. The trouble about lspins is
that when lady has once acquired the
habit she can not adopt a new style as
she would new dress. Most young
ladies who take lessons in lisping when
trollicking 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 beween
stammerers, Sufferers, and lispersa''
''Stammering is simply spasmodic.
articulation, while the stutterer 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
ignorance and sometimes the result of
habit. Lisping consists in giving the
sound of tn to and and some other
OF the consonants, and is almost invari-
bly, an acquired habit. When not ac-
companied by a serious difficulty in
articulation it is surely unnatural and a
result of the forced use of nature Or
gans."
Are not the facial contortions which
frequently manifest themselves when
stutterer tries to speak proofs in them
selves that some physical defect exists.''
"Not by any means. These contor-
tions result from misuse of the respir-
atory organs. Teach the sufferer by
word and example the proper use of
these organs and gradually these con-
tortions disappear altogether. have
seen persons who would almost 20 into
spasms on attempting to speak after
careful training for two months con-
verse with perfect composure as dis
tinctly as you or I. The mechanical
part of speech is an unconscious effort;
to correct defects in speech it must be
made conspicuous-that is to- say, the
attention must be concentrated upon
the vocal effort and the action of the
articulatory organs" The instructor
explained that the male stanamerers ex-
ceed the female in number in the pro-
portion of seven or eight to one, for tho
reason, he said, that women possess
more mobility 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 three months. While un-
der instruction, or Immediately after
ward, he must not be allowed to as
sociate with others who stammer, or
with persons who speak very rapidly. j.
Stammering and lisping are more gen
eral among wealthy people than among
the poor, for some unaccountable rea-
son. Several clergymen who stammer
in ordinary conversation articulate dis
tinctly in the pulpit, but only when they
read their sermons from manuscript.
A leading lawyer in Scranton, Pa, is
the most accomplished stamn,erer in
that section of the country.
The Growing Evil. ~s
The bore has been defined as the man
who will talk ahn,rt himsalf whom vn,,
want to talk about yourself. There,i is