The Virginia enterprise., 1900-06-08
CULTlVATING THE VOICE,

For once the club and the reform have
met. \ society has been formed in New
York for Improving the Speaking
Voice. 1t is move in the right direc-
ton, and not only offers hope that the
national Nasal t@<aGGg :i};sy be eliminated
and the shrill voice called down, but that
instead of annually wasting thousands of
dollars in vainly trying to teach our
daughters to sing, we will judiciously in
vest the money in teaching them to talk
Heretofore the announcement that girl
was going to have her voice cultivated
was enough to make her friends and
neiyhhorS take to the woods in self-de-
tense. Under the beneticent reg ime in
augurated by the society for ''1mproving
the Speaking Voice. it will merely con-
vey to us the pleasing information that
she is going to learn to converse without
talking through her nose.
1t is strange how little attention we
have given to the subject when all of
use are so susceptible to the charm of Il
sweet voice. Nothing takes us captive
sooner. Indeed, it is hardly too much to
say that it isn't so much what we say,
| as the pleasing way we say it, that wins
for us the liking and admiration of our
fellow creatures. Many !; public speaker,
famed for his oratory. owes his reputa-
entirely to his mellow voice, which invests
all he says with such grace and beauty
that we never stop to look below the sur
face and see how poor and commonplace
are the ideas that are so bravely decked
out, and So attractively presented to us.
In a woman the charm of sweet
speaking voice cannot be overestimated.
Somehow, above every other attribute, it
seems the hall mark Of Il lady. She may
be the shabbiest of the shabby to
clothes. She may live in an environment
that is as bare and hard as poverty can
gentle, refined low-toned voice it pro-
claims her for Il gentlewoman. 1t is II
heritage that nothing can take from her,
and that is far more convincing than an
cestral silver, or coats-of-arm or any
outward possessions.
On the other hand shrill, unmodu-
lated voice, screaming its communica
tions as if the whole world were hard
of hearing. never fails to carry with it
a suggestion of vulgarity, and prejudices
us in advance against it's hapless owner.
Good heavens, we say, imagine having
to live with Il foghorn shrieking in your
ears all the time. Fancy man having
to listen to his wife deliver a curtain lee
ture. or inform him OF unpleasant family
details in that tone of voice. Think of
having your nerves raSped when you are
sick. by voice like that.
No one will feel called on to deny that
our ideas of using the voice are crude
enough. We hur words at each other as
a child splashes paint on a canvas, with
no idea of shading or effect. Every day
we express our coincidence to each other
on family bereavements with voices that
have not one single suggestion of sympa-
thy in them, or our congratulations in
tones that are as hard as a wooden nut
meg, or deliver our commands to servants
in IL wishy -washy voice that has not one
ring Of authority in it. We are like
people having an instrument of marvel
GUS range: and expression, but who have
been too lazy and careless to learn how
to play it. 1t is time for women to 20 to
work and learn how to talk, the more
especially as they do the most of the
talking of the world.-New Orleans Plea