Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-01-13
SUFFERERS SCHOOL.
HOW THE HABIT OF STAMMERiNG
is OFTEN ACQUIRED.

HOW The HABIT OF SIAmMERfNG
is OFTEN ACQUIRED.
Scenes in the Office of Man Who Makes
Haltipg Speech Rum Sfnooshly-Im-
pediments OF Speech of Nervous
Character.
Young man, how did you acquire the
habit OF stutterings' II u-u-used to
n-rn-Inock man. When he d-d-died
took his place The question was by the
professor OF a vocal institute, and the
answer by, o young man who had just an
nounced his intention of taking series of
lessons. A reporter was present, end sit
ting around the room were several intelli-
gent looking young men, the most of whora
could speak IS fiuently as any one. All
declared that they had until recently been
most inveterate Sufferers or staElmerers.
The doctors question suggested an inter
esting train of thought. The reporter ppt
the same question to each Of the patients
in turn. When / was about q Years of
age said number one, Il commenced TO
stutter Il little. Then we moved to s.
strange place and l went to school.
was very diffident, and the teacher st
tempted to force me to read and recite.
The scholars laughed at me, | became
more diffident and soon the habit was
fixed on me-"
81 am his brother" said number two.
II learned it Of him.
''When ! was young" said number
three, Il used to play all the time with
another boy who was a horrible sufferer,
and learned it of him. Whenever | was
out with the boys and didn't think of it
| would sometimes find myself talking all
right. but as soon as / thought about it
would commence again. My little brother
| afterward learned it Of me-"
Number four said he learned the habit
| from another boy, but would have con-
Guered it had not his teacher forced him
to read and recite, at which times he be-
came so nervous as to lose all control OF
himself. All had acquired the habit at
the age Of or :.
OF A NERVOUS NATURE.
''That accords with the most of my ex-
perience, F." said the doctor; ''these impede
mcnts of speech are for the most part of q
nervous nature Lack Of will power, the
Geographic system of the body out of
order, imperfect connection between the
brain and muscles of speech. All this
trouble sometimes arises from sudden
fright. One patient Of mine, a.young
lady, was slightly seized with stammering
at the time Of the great fire. Afterward
she saw q COW catch little child on its
| horns. She was raralyzed with fright,
unable to scream or move. The animal
tossed the child into the air. She rushed
to the spot and the child was fatally in
jured. After that the lady was bad case
Of confirmed stammering.
zone Of the worst cases ever had was
that OF young man. When he was o
boy of or years Of age his father
threatened. If be committed certain Of
Tense, TO throw him into the well. The
boy committed the offense, and his father
held him for a moment over the well head
downward From tina. time Oh the boy
could not talk plainly. Many children
acquire this malady in infancy, just as
they are beginning to talk. Their parents
Or nurses tickle them, sometimes on the
bottoms of fhe feet thinking the loud
laughter thus excited amusing. The pa
papa which the little ones cry out at such
times is the first inception OF the habit OF
suffering.
The doctor is q jolly fellow, of fine ply
siquc and great personal magnetism, with
the Voice and laugh OF u hon, if lion can
be imagined as laughing, In training his
class he commences, in the most natural
way in the world, to talk of ali sorts of in
Jeresting subjects, and soon an infection OF
good feeling scizes all present. lie roars
ont his words with such force and fiuency
from the depths of his immense lungs that
talking seems the easiest thing in the
n
dressed TO some member of the class in
conversational sort Of way, and before
they know it everybody seems TO be able
to talk. Occasionally he goes the rounds
of the class with various vocal exercises
for the development OF certain muscles.
SOME or THE EXERCISES.
Here are a few Of the exercises. Some
ministers. and actors would do well to
practice them:
Amos Ames, the amiable aeronaut.
Gide& IN an aerial enterprise at the age
of S. -
Obtain all opportunities of obliterat-
ing obnoxious ostentations.
Henry bingham has hung his harp on
the hook where he hitherto hung his
hopes" What nut for d COckney to
crack.
II like white vinegar with veal very
we'll.
''She sells sea shells Shall he sell sea
shclIs>''
''Quixote Quixite quizzed queerish
QuidOoX. Where is the queerish quidbox
QuiXote QuiXite quizzed:"
When the pupils can recite these sem
fences and a hundred or SO similar ones
1uently they are graduated.
A clear cut, elegant and fluent utter
ance is one of the greatest graces with
which person can be gifted. Il tells al
most the whole story of ones birth. early
training and associations. The different
kinds of faulty elocution are known as
suffering, stammering, hesitancy, lisp
ing, exhausted breath, nasal sound and
improper articulation. Many people fall
under so complete list as this who in
some instances COULD improve their NtteT-
ance by a little private practice and atten-
ION to the matter. A sufferer has the
most difficulty in utteriDg lingual sounds
such as words beginning with l., while the
stammerer stumhles over the labiaI
sounds, of which words beginning with u
are an example Both habits are accom-
panied with facial distortion, and some
times with a writing or twitching of the
Whole body. That these are nervous af-
fections is shown by the devices resorted
TO to get over some difficult letter or
sound, rs swapping the finger or stamping
the foot. II shut mummy fist tight, !"
said stammerer, land the electricity
runs up my arm and lets the sound
e-c-come out" At the letter c he drove
his finger nails cIesr into the palm Of L:s
hands,-Chicago Herald