The times., 1899-01-08

care in infancy corrects all these infrma-
ties, and there need be straighter talk
er or more inveterate chatterbox in the
block.
The surgeon who closes the opening in
the roof of the mouth does it SO deftly
that no sign Of the malformation ever re-
mains, and performs the operation when
the child is not more than six weeks old.
On reaching maturity such a nice bit of
human carpentry is impossible, and the
only resource then is a false palate that
is fitted by dentist. Until recently this
device was doubtful scrt of aid, as ii
| improved speech very slightly.
There are few knotty points science can
not ravel out when she really tries, and TO
| an American woman Is due the credit of
evolving clever system for training an
| undisciplined tongue to do its duty. Miss
Warren has developed little speciality in
teaching children with unbalanced tongues
TO acquire normal speech The exercises
she utilizes are neither difficult to under
stand nor apply. and they have to do mere
ly with the workings OF the tongue.
With nearly all defects. save stammer-
ing the trouble lies behind the teeth The
! tongue in speech is thrust too far forward
or held too far back. its muscles weak
at one end or the other: in short, this use
ful little instrument needs only to be per-
fectly balanced and strengthened and it
can successfully get through more work in
day than any other part of the body.
Now these are some of the simple con-
ditfons and cures that a half century ago
were as undreamed of as underground troll
( leys, and yet serve wonderfully TO miti-
gate the nerve wrecking life of our times
Into the school room of the teacher for
speech defects come all sorts and condi-
| ticns of men and women who wish to have
the kinks taken out of their tongues and
some Of them are helped with the celebrity
an occulist displays in plucking trouble
some cinder from your eye. To the high
spirited clergyman. who is nervous over
his habit of drawing out the prayers is
given one little exercise for bringing his
reading tempo up to the required brisk
time; to the actor who lisps another Sc
ries Cf tongue gymnastics, is ordered as a
curative, and she can show sufferer how
to get the best of his trouble
a half century ago a class in speech
defects would not have warranted the ex-
penditure of time and trouble in its teach
ing In the first place. because about half
as many persons We're born with such i'm
pediments: also because those who were
afflicted either had more faith in the sur
geon knife or their own skill in covering
up the trouble The surgeons used to
slash about independently in those good
old DAYS, Sitting the uvula whacking off
tonsils knocking out teeth or advising pa
tients to try Demosthenes' cure.
DIR. Alexander Melville Bell the first
man who set out scientifically to cure
speech defects. has pretty well demolished
the myth about Demosthenes' stammer-
ing. The great orators chief defect was
an inability to pronounce the letter r.
and the pebbles were used to restrain the
habit of suddenly shutting his teeth to-
gether DIR. Bell laughs at the pebble as
cure. just as he advises no one TO adopt
the plan of another great orator. namely
/ Philips Brooks. who. to conceal an in
firmity in speech. fell into the way OF
speaking at a rate of more than two hun
dred words minute.
Just as other defects in the use of the
| tongue were less common fifty years ago
stammering was not so prevailing an af-
Fiction. In this nervous age stammering
appears in a peculiarly severe form. It
degenerates in some cases into ST. Vitus'
, dance. is too often hereditary, will follow
! up Illnesses. fasten upon an adult after
whocping cough, and in one instance it
attacked a clever business man after Il
period of nervous prostration.
This is almost as mysterious and in
some cases as painful and incurable a
trouble as ever. but if child is put under
the proper training with "A comp tent
teacher the commissions that distort its
efforts at speech can be soothed and
Strengthened into absolute control of the
! tongue For years well-meaning parscns
filed the stammerer first with hope and
, , then despair by attempting to rid him of
his trouble by series of foolish tricks.
Opening and shutting one hand rapidly
when trying to speak. swinging the arms,
, solemnly wagging the head couple OF
1 times before each word, or striking the
side violently with the elbow all ccmi al
devices advocated as aids TO subdue those
painful convusve contortions OF the
! mouth.
In later years a perfectly reasonable and
beneficial system of instruction has been
developed to reach this ever growing class
of sufferers. Women-and il is easy to un-
derstand why-prove to be the best in
structors for stammerers. They have the
2 natural instinct of the sex for influencing
and guiding children. while with the adult
stammerer they understand how to use the
come the sensitiveness and dependency so
r typical of those on whom this disease has
l been long fastened.
a case In point was that of a little boy
seven years old who was brought to an
: expert instructress to be actually taught
to speak A nervous child by nature. his
trouble had increased, until he lost all
: power of making any distinct speech
4 sounds. His tongue absolutely refused to
obey the demands of his brain, and of
/ neither English nor German. both of which
languages were familiar to him, could he
form word. He had relapsed into the