Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-02
AS To ELOCUTICN.
Professor Smith OF Cornell University Gives
Technical Instructions.

Technical Instructions.
When a Young man loves young woman, and
wishes to make her his wife, the prime question
for him to decide is, how shall he ask her?
Shall he
Lead her from the festive boards,
Point her to the starry skies?
Guard her. by his truthful words,
Pure from courtship's batteries?
This method has its disadvantages in our va
riable and uncertain climate. and courtship's
batteries are not always unpleasing to young
women. Mrs. Browning to the contrary, not
withstanding.
Shall he fall on his knees and pour out his soul
in impassioned and more or less unintelligible
language? This method, nowadays, Is confined
10 the dramatic stage.
The sensible Nineteenth century, American
way is for the manfully to say to the
woman: ''Will you marry me?'' Those are the
words she wants TO hear, if she be true woman.
Let no shallow pate who holds women lightly,
and jests of her easy conquest, imagine that he
sees in what have written the intimation that,
of course that is the question she wants to hear,
and that the words and manner do not concern
her, so the question be asked. Believe me,
there is not particle of truth in that weIl-worn
story of the maiden lady and the owl. Depend
upon it the supplicant was an owl bachelor, and
the Minerva's bird answered with more than
it's usual wisdom in advising him to woo!
Theodore winthrop's Maine misogynist half
hit the truth when, drawing dull legends OF
tiers trout be; ollus bittin' at whodger haint got
Orful contrary critters; just like tmmls. Yer
can catch fnml with a feather e. she's TO De
cotched; eff she haint to be cotched yer may
scoop the hull world dry an We haint got her.
AS re-read these words find that do not be-
lieve that he even half hit the truth, for women
are influenced more or less by the bait; and the
right words well said are hard to be resisted,
even by the most skittish OF her sex
What are the right words? 1 shall try to prove
that the right words those contained in the
simple sentence that have already written:
AtNn Teyfaf
words, because they are the words that the wo-
man wants to hear. She does not want TO hear:
win you go TO the ball this evening", VIII
you partake of plate OF ice cream with me?'
or even, ''Will you be a sister to me?'' She
may not say yes TO the supreme question
with the unbesitating alacrity with which she
would to the first two questions above: she may
even answer it as though it were the third; but
she wants to hear the man say, ''Wiuyou marry
me9''
These are the right words, because they express
the idea that the man wishes to convey to the
that is, with perspicuity. How much this means
every student OF rhetoric knows. That this
statement may have its full weight, word OF
First-Th he words used and the construction of
the sentence belong to the idiom of the language
which we speak. Hence the purity OF the SEN
second-The words selected to make the sem
tence are such as the best and most established
usage has appropriated to the peculiar idea to be
expressed by them. Hence their proprlety.
Third-They express exactly the idea that the
WOOer lntenQS; not some oIher WnlCn resembles
it, or is akin to it; they express the idea fully
and completely; and they express the idea and
nothing more. Hence the precision of the SEN
tence.
Moreover, there are in the four words forming
the sentence or, rather, there is in the sentence
thus formed, cleaTness, unity, strength, har-
tits a model sentence.
Assuming, then, that the words: ''Win you
marry mo?'' are the right words, it remains to be
decided how these words can be best spoken.
For, as Seneca very justly says: 1.-The manner
of saying thing goes great way toward the
value of the thing itself.''
It should be laid down as an axiom that no
man can control his voice who cannot control
his breath. Correct breathing, therefore, is the
very foundation of correct speaking. He who
can control properly his breath need not hest
tate 70 go into the presence of her who holds his
fate IN her keeping and say the words that are
burning in his heart, knowing that neither the
manly agitation nor the proper fear that he
feels can cause him to lose control Of his voice
and render his speech hating. unintelligible
and perhaps repellant to her to whom he hopes
10 win.
The limits OF this paper do not permit me to
say more than that by correct breathing mean
midrih breathing, diaphiagmatic breathing, alb
dominal breathing, all names for the same pro-
cess. To the would-be woer who seeks infor-
nation, and incloses postage stamps, shall be
glad to suggest several valuable books on this
subject, or, better still, if he wait, my pro-
posed work on How 10 Speak, - which will be
in type soon after it is written, viii give him
al necessary instruction in the art Of deep
breathing.
one remarkable result of diaphiagmstic
breathing, and one that nave never seen mem
toned, is, that to the wooer who practices it,
there can never be that unpleasant experience
OF having his heart in his mouth. The explana-
ton is simple. In diaphiagnatic breathing the
lungs are expanded to their greatest dimensions,
and there is no room for the heart to get past
them, and by raising into the mouth interfere
with proper speech. Even man with small
heart viii find 6isphiagmatic breathing su
admirable exercise, and to men with large
hearts, which, il is well known, are most sub
iect to displacement, it is simply boon.
We thus approached the subject a little nearer
and the question is: ''How shall the wooer
properly controlling his breath AID consequently
his voice and bis heart, speak the word. First,
as to time; Very rapid, rapid, moderate, slow
very slow2 have no hesitation in saying
''slow.'' AS every student Of elocution knows
that il is the time In which to deliver sentences,
expressing gravity, solemnjty, pathos, rever-
ence, awe, sublimity, command. Without
doubt the question fails in one or more of these
divisions.
Still another reason for saying ''slow.'' How
often do we hear Of young women answering the
question with the words: why, had no idea
-you take me by suTprise--St's so unexpected
it's sudden And, 50, simply on account OF
his foolish pnecipitancy ana Unartistie rapidity
Of speech, the wooer gets stammering and per-
haps unsatisfactory answer to question easy to
answer, and delightful, too.
Tine does not permit 70 discuss the quality
OF tone in which the words should be spoken: