The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-22
THE VOICE OF THE AMERICAN WOMAN

T say, you wouldn't care to be Miss Penelope Browne, the American girl, would you--sitting there holding forth in that dictatorial manner through her nose, even though 1t is a pretty one?"
 That is how an Englishman says he consoles British girls when they complain to him that they are quite put in the shade when the girl from the United States appears on the scene. The Ameri- can girls superiority in general attrac- tiveness, in knowledge and power to take care of herself, in good looks and physi- cal development is admitted even by the English. But there is. one fling left to cast at her, and it never fails. That Is her volce-her nasal, throaty, uncultured voice.
 Do you know there is such thing as the talking mouth And with the talk ing mouth generally goes voice that is terrible. The mouth is wide, opening farther. backward toward the ears than the ordinary one. It Is Timber Tipped, generally hung below the nose that is sharp. The tongue is long and thin. and, great Scott, how that tongue does gall lop! The sound that issues from 1t is as if 1t were. runaway tin peddler's cart on a small scale. You can hear 1t as If 1t were a photograph.
 The woman with the talking mouth may be we'll and tastefuily dressed, she may belong to the leading social class, but her voice jars sometimes on the sem sitive ear like the crash of shivering glass or the twanging of metal. That voice again!
 It is time to be plain on thls topic. The one point lacking to the perfect culture of the beautiful American woman is found too often in her speaking voice. We cul- tivate carefully in our girls the singing voice, they are instructed in every man. ner of physical accomplishment, to make their bodies strong beautiful and grace full; they are trained to be perfectly man. nered socially; moral sentiments that do them credit are inculcated-only the speaking voice, aAat whlfh means every thing in a cultured woman, is utterly neglected and allowed to heave along bar barrie and throaty as 1t will.
 When American women go to Europe for the first time, If they have quick ears they notice at once the clear. musical sounding speech of the women there and at the same time the bad quality in their own. If they desire to improve them- selves, they begin at once correcting the defects in their voices.
 The correction is easily made. For girls year or two of schooling in Eu- rope under teachers who will make them open their mouths and speak with the tip of the tongue instead of back in their throats afford the best method of getting clear, sweet voice. But any woman of any age can accomplish that much for herself even though she may never see Europe. The simple method indicated is infalllble. Let the woman or girl speak sentence in the ordinary way of so many Americans. back in her throat. Then let her throw her voice forward to the tip of her tongue and her lips and utter the same sentence. Her quick American ear will catch at once the diff ference In tone.
 Let me saV 1t again: Any girl or wo- man can achieve the sweet, clear talk ing voice for herself. She ought to do it and thus correct what is truly almost national blemish. though we do not all recognize it. It is high time that mothers and teachers took this matter in hand with school children and that club women took it in hand among them- selves.
 Pronunciation Is matter of taste and custom, and in many respects the Ameri- can pronunciation is better than that of the English. But the attainment of 8 clear, musical speaking voice is a duty we owe to ourselves and the rest of man. kind Mary Gould Lytle,