Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-07-26
To Teach American
Women How to Talk.

Nine. Marion an Duyn. the Coutral-
to, has opened school to teach Ameri-
can women how to talk. That would
seem TO be a work of supercrogation. for
1t has been Il belief commonly current
that American women need no one to
teach them how to talk, hut Nine Van
DuYn says there is 4 worldwide differ
euce between merely talking and talking
well. She is teaching American women
how 10 talk well
Talking we'll she defines rs speaking
ut the proper piteh ana with correct
meditation and infection. And vet talk
ing well, as she views it, is speaking nat
urally, conveying the ideas desired. no
more and no less. There is no aifccta-
ton, Nine. Van Duyn thinks, i'll the act
or habit of talking we'll.
The American woman's worst fault is
her voice" said Nine. Van Duyn, an
American herself, just tince eXpati-
atcd, possibly, by many years of living
abroad. She lives in Il dainty blue and
white and green apartment ut 1Ol Lex
ingtOn avenue, New York city, and there
she talked in her own cXQuisitcly modu-
lated voice of what American women
most need to know, the restraint and
management, the "breathings," SO TO
speak. of their voices.
The American woman's voice has sew
eral glaring faults. 1t is pitched much
too high 1t has Mt time a too great re-
sonancc To speak less technically, she
makes too much noise. II Is not what u
womau's voice should he, soothing and
restful. 1t is oftimes rasping and irr-
tating. In n word, the American Wom-
ans voice is braSsy.
Every musical conductor knows the
dreadful trident possibilities of Il brass
horn Properly managed its tones may
he rs sweet ana have aS human Il quail
ty us those of a VIOLIN Mismnnagcd, it
Is, nn.l,raiIn FrhAAI,ra rHbAn,aL 1tsn.t
to say that some day the most trying in
strument in his orchestra, the brass horn,
would drive him insane. The unregulat-
ed and ili-regulated American voice is Il
parallel to the brass horn.
"A man who is prominent IN national
affairs said to me in Washington
| When | have an extra million to spare
| am going to endow college to teach
| American women how to talk. listen
now. We were at a large reception
/ and really the noise made by those hun
| dreds of women. screaming 70 make
themselves heard above the rest. sent
me home with a headache The man
was in earnest and he was right.
"ThOse women, and most American
women, need TO be taught by experiment
and experience that you can talk against
anything aud be heard without once
raising the pitch il YOU have a we'll
regulated voice. You can talk success
luiiN against one SIFlls OF NIbiiH, OF
against a passing train on an elevated,
or even Il ferry whistle. Summed up.
the trouble is that the voice OF a woman
of - is like a child's voice. 1t is a
Shrcking voice, and springs partly from
atmospheric conditions. partly from i1ci,
of inward and outward poiSe.
american actresses, rs a rule, have
not good voirc>-uut rs good, at lr8st. as
they might be- Mrs Minnie Maddrrn-
l'iSke has some good notes in her voice,
but il is a bit harsh and somewhat mo-
notonou~. Maudc Adams has dis.
agreeable voice. Viola Alien has a
moias-eS voice. one that is. il possible.
oyorcultyatcd. Ada Rohau had q pleas
ant voice. but Julia Marlowc has beau
tiful voice. the best on the American
stage.
III women knew how many men who
have been attracted by their appearance
and MANNERS have been driven away by
their voices. vanity and a consideration
for their happiness would lead them to
cultivate their speaking voices" she said.
Il prefer 10 take a woman when she is
young, but do not refuse others. There
is no voice that cannot b. made pleasing.
Bur its owner must think"