The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-31
HER UNPLEASANT VOICE
THE AMERICAN GIRL PITCHES HER
VOICE ENTIRELY o HIGH.
Her shriII, Drnssy Tones Mark Her
Progress rou E~uropc-Cnn
Easily lie Improved.

New York sun.
The laudatlon which has been so freely
given 20 the American girl I'm recent years
has not included praise OF her voice. Her
beauty. dress. manner. vivaclty. style and
wit have all come In for praise, but there
Is yet TO be heard In the chorus even a
mall note dwelling on the music OF her
voice.
Modern writers abroad rave avoided the
ludicrous error made by so many OF their
predecessors In a%ttributing 20 all American
women a fondness for the use OF slang
spoken through the nose. Only "a very few
women from certain parts of the East talk
with the nasal twang, just as certain other
localities stamp their natives with the burr,
rather pleasant In contrast with the high
pitched typical New York voice.
Whether IL is because American women
have proved so successful In social life
abroad or not, 1t is difficult to say, but OF
late the shrill American voice has been
made the fashion in London to such an ex-
tent that a gathering of duchesses resem-
bles vocally the group around a Broadway
soda fountain after the matinee.
no time of the year is the bad voice of
the American woman more in evidence
Ailch IA SdlliIntI, WutI IIdNtl ana the ODen-
air life OF the resorts give aggressive APP
portunities TO its clarion note. 1t sounds
from hotel and cottage piazza. on the links
from une until September.
In the open air 1t seems at it's very
worst until you hear il resounding in a
Pullman car or a hotel office and il makes
you vince. You listen for the voices of
the children, but find no relief. The same
squealing, brassy effect is i'm evidence, only
more poignant in its youthfulness.
This Unlll 70 AfanA 4l~+ A.
American girl is born with this defect. but
this is not the case. The shrill voice of the
American child is largely the result of
years ago a child who pronounced dog"
doll" coffee" coffin" correctly was
laughed at, so to-day a deep-voiced child
would be made fun of.
To-day in the schools dawg." 'dawl'
"cawtfin,' cawnee are acknowledged to
be among the most unpleasant peculiarities
of American pronunciation, but the shrill
voice still obtains. The fact that the Amer
lean voice responds Immediately to Guilt
walton is best proved by the nice voices
of some of the leading actresses.
FOREIGN VOICES BETTER.
The women of Russia, Italy, Ireland,
England, all lave better voices than the
women Of America, SO it cannot be urged
that our climate is responsible for the
trouble, for each of the countries named
has a varying climate, that of England
being especially injurious to the vocal or
gans.
The pitch of the American woman's voice
seems to be it's most important defect. II
is noisy, brassy, assertive. Even in the
colleges and at college gatherings the
strident high voice is noticeable. The
laughter of the American girl is nothins
short of disagreeable and this can always
be noted in matinee audiences when z
comedy is being presented.
This of course applies to women Of the
North. The Southern women have a be
culiarly soft and charming voice. one o.
their greatest attractions. 1t espresso:
refinement. cordiality and gentleness. fol
the voice, next to the eye, is expressive OF
the character, and some say that it tell.
far more i'm its unconscious notes.
An American contralto has opened
studio in New York for the purpose O.
teaching American women how TO use an,
train their voices. The idea of the ventur,
came 10 her at a Washington reception
where a statesman called her attention I,
the chatter around them and said tina
when he had the money to spare he woult
endow a college where American womel
might be taught to talk correctly.
The new teacher, like others who hav
observed that the American voice ha,