The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-03-28
DO YOU T.fIk VEIL?
Thought, Good Judgment and Good Taste,
Make a Woman Pleasant To Listen to.

Make a Woman Pleasant to Listen to.
Have you ever thought about the art
Of talking well and what it does for
social life? 1t is one Of those little
gracos which makes the wheel OF time
spin easily Which renders dun mo-
ments bright and shy souls at ease
The woman nowadays who dlsregarls
this little elegance of social life shows
herself 10 be behind the times-she gives
herself away, as the phrase is, complete
IS.
Every woman cannot be a brilliant con-
versatioualist. These are born. But
every woman can learn to talk well.
Learn it thoroughly and quickly, If
thought good judgment and good taste
are exercised.
First OF an. there is the enunciation.
The cnunciation of the woman who is
up In things is so clear and pretty that
the very vocal sounds are plCasureable
as they strike the ear
Every one should cxpend n few cents
upon a good clocutlonists manual and
master the little intricacies Of sound, the
different pronunciations of each letter.
and the different methods used in pro-
ducng sounds.
Certain syllables are utterly lost unless
the mouth is well opened for their pro-
duction. I'm others the whole effect is
destroyed when the final consonant is
slurrcd. The voice may be pitched as
low as desired. but If enunciaton IS good
the effect will be clear and musical.
Study Of a pocket dictionary is another
potent aid. Ten minutes "A day in study
Of ones own language VIII help wonder
fully. Choose short and simple words
i'm preference 10 big. awkward ones The
taste Of the present day runs entirely
TO plain words and short sentences.
Thoughts are more easily communicat-
ed In this way. and ones meaning more
readily grasped.
Cultivate the habit OF connecting each
object with IT'S name. Nothing is more
distressing than a sentence in which one
IS left TO guess the nouns. both proper
and common.
II saw Mrs -- to-day / can't think
of her name But YOU know who
mean-that awfully pretty woman, who
lives on west Spruce street
This is the way woman tried 10 COM
municate bit Of news TO a friend. The
friend as it happened. had not the faint
est idea or who that awfully pretty wo-
man might be. Tho entire thread OF
the conversation was lost TO her. y liz
tie later the same speaker said:
You ought TO read "A book I've just
finished. IL is excellent IL has history
in &c. you know. It's written by that
foreigner with the funny name
CHOOSE THE SUBJECT.
A thoroughly good cOnvcrsationallst con-
slders her subjects as well as the words
and phrases which compose them. Topics
which excite violent controversy are al
ways in poor taste
There IS an unwritten law In society
that the subjects of politics and religion
shall be taboOed at social gatherings.
Lord Chesterfield would have us avoid
discussing children dress and the wealth.
or. II would be rather hard upon fem
mime likes and loves to cut off these first
two. For every rightly constituted wo-
man enjoys chat upon new finery and
those all-engrossng babies. But with the
last OF these three topics surely we can
dispense. Did you ever think how much
OF the conversative total IS occupied by
this firing topic with so much else to
talk of-friendship books. music. art, the
drama. people. things and places. And
no woman hut can learn 10 talk well
upon all OF these II she desires.