Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-09-22
STAN MERlNG PEOPLE,
A Painful and Annoying Habit That May
Be Easily Overcome.


A richly furnished suite of apartments
on one of the thoroughfares of the city
is devoted to peculiar purpose. A
gilded plate of modest dimensions, on
which name, and nothing more, is in
scribed, is among the Haunting signs
by the main entrance to the building
Ascending one flight of stairs the visi-
tors attention will be attracted by the
marked care with which the doors lead
ing to the front apartments are curtain
ed. He will understand at once that it is
not private Establishment, for the name
which appears on the plate below is.
again inscribed on one of the doors. A
reporter was ushered into small pri-
gate apartment, where tall and hand
some gentleman in a fashionable suite
waited on him. IL large parlor con-
Meeting with this anteroom by glass
door conversation was going on. 1t
ran in this wise:
''Try once again, please"
| ''Th-th-the th-th-thr- thrush th-th-
things h-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 a private
school for teaching persons who lisp,
stammer and stutter to anticulate their
words distinctly. The instructor con-
sented to explain the secrets of bis in
teresting business. He said that not one
in twenty of those who lisp and STAN
mer have any organic or natural defect
and in proof of his assertion he cited the
fact that few children commence to STAN
mer before the ages of five or six 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 nervous action.
child whose speech is perfectly distinct
merer if permitted to play and associate
by sympathy"
''Can persons whose habit of STAN
mering and lisping is a matter of long
standing be taught to speak DISTINCTLY"
1.-The habit can be overcome in very
short space of time with training and
patient practice where there is no in
fiammation of the vocal organs. Take
such veteran as Mr.. William r. Ira
vers. He could be easily 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"
''Is it not true that many ladies pride
themselves on their ability to lisp pref
tilyP'
I'm some circles isping is considered
fashionable and desirable accomplish
ment. The trouble about lisping,i is that
when a lady has once acquired the
habit she can not adopt new style as
she would new dress. Most young
ladies who take lessons in lisping 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 lispersP"
''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 a misuse of the vocal
organs, sometimes brought about by
ignorance and sometimes the result of
habit. Lisping consists in giving the
sound of tn and z and some other of
the consonants, and is almost invaria-
bly, an acquired habit. When not &C
companled by serious difficulty in
articulation it is surely unnatural and a
result of the forced use of natures or
gans."
care not the facial contortions which
frequently manifest themselves when
sufferer tries to speak proofs in them
selves that some physical defect ex-
ists?''
''Not by any means. These contor-
tons 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. I have
seen persons who would almost go into
spasms on attempting to speak, after
careful training for two months, con-
verse with perfect composure as dis
tictly as you or I. 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 articu-
latory organ" The instructor explain
ed that the male stammerers exceed the
female in number in the proportion of
seven or eight to one, for the 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 two months. While under instruc-
ton, or Immediately afterward. he must
not he allowed to associate with others
who stammer, OF with persons who
speak very rapidly. Stammering and
isping are more general among wealthy
people than among the poor, for some
unaceountable reason. Several clergy
men who stammer in ordinary converse
ton articulate distinctly in the pulpit,
but only when they read their sermons
from manuscript. A leading LAWYER in
Scranton, Pa, is the most accomplished
stammerer in that section of the coun-
try.-N. z. Mail Gssd Erpress.