The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-01-17
ADVICE TO SPEAKERS.
DR.. Mackenzie Gives Some Useful Infor.
nation to Oratorical Gentlemen

DR.. mackenzie Gives Some Useful Infnr.
nation to Oratorical Gentlemen.
Sir Morell Mackenzie, the great En-.
glish throat specialist, has just pub
lish ed in London a pamphlet, in which
he gives advice to public speakers.
1t is great mistake, he says, in sub
stance, to think that speaking is a
purely instructive act which requires
no special training and exercise. Even
in ordinary conversation speaking is
an art, and difficult one, the supreme
development of which is oratory. A
man who knows how to speak in public
and to spare his voice makes himself
heard with little or no effort, while an
unframed orator wears himself out
quite rapidly. The culture of the
voice ought to be given from the
cradle. This does not mean that a
mother might find the means of MAX
ing her baby bawl according to pre-
established rules, as though it were a
conservatory pupil, but as soon as the
child begins to prattle it ought to be
surrounded only by persons who speak
we'll, or at least pronounce distinctly
and correctly. The ancients were ex-
ceedingly particular on that point.
Continuing, Sir Mackenzie says that a
speaker should make himself heard by
every one of his auditors, not by bring
ing his voice to high pitch, but
through methOdical and constant reg
ulation of its volume, as did Mr.
Bright, whom you could not hear with
out feeling that he was keeping in re.
serve three-fourths of his vocal power.
An orator, too, must not hear his own
voice we'll. 1t is somewhat general
mistake to think that the assembiage
does not hear you because you do net
hear your own voice very distinctly.
The reason is that when there is no res.
onance in the hall your voice does not
come back to you, and, consequently,
goes the surer to your listeners.
Moreover, you never hear your own
voice as others do, because it strikes
your sense of hearing not only through
the surrounding air, but also and
directly through the ''trompe d'eu-
stache," the bones and the muscles OF
the head and mouth. The monograph
teaches us the truth of that principle.
We easily recognize through it the
voices of others, but not our own.
lone of the most extraordinary edi-
fees in the world, in an acoustical point
of view," writes Sir Mackenzie, sis the
Mormon temple of Salt Lake City. It's
form is that of beehive and Ii, DOC
people can be comfortably seated within
its walls; still from one end of nave tc
the other you can literally hear pin
fall. The demonstration of that fact is
invariably made by the sections.
''When visitors are present at the
services they are posted in some place
along the wall. A sexton walks then t.
an opposite wall, stops. and drops pin
in his hat. Every one hears the infinites.
imal noise made by the fall of the pin.
brigham Young boasted to have re-
ceived the plan of his temple from
Heaven and never to have known any
Ning about acoustics. The truth was
that he simply initiated the st. Paul's
cupOla. so famous for it's resounding
gallery"
Sir Mackenzie ends his pamphlet by
warning public speakers never to drink
any thing but water while delivering an
Grafton. Any other beverage is apt to
cause an irritation of the vocal chords,
which might become diseased in the
long run and be the source of much dis
conf