The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1903-11-19
Ear aid Voice.

w Hen you tCoE yOui AAS' 'oo
upon the piano, one hand was as much
as you could pay attention to. Very
soon, however, your teacher had you
put both upon the keyboard to see II
you could use them at the same time.
So the third lesson in the Talking
School has two parts, the ear-work
must go en- sharper than ever, aid the
throat machine must be set going.
Listen to your own talk, and put
your voice into one of the classes you
have mad,. No doubt you will say,
"Oh, hut sometimes my voice is CHEEKY
aud sometimes peevish, because some
times feel one way and sometimes
another" That is true. You can near
ly always tell how a person feels by
hearing him or her speak. Yet, as you
we're able to say while listening to
others that they had such or such
kinds of voices, 50 you are making
for yourself habit Of speech that will
be to others your voice.
Haven't you noticed that some chill
dren use peevlsh tones when they do
not feel cross? It has become habit
with them and unconsciously they are
betraying an ugly trait In their dispo-
sinons. Voices are tell-tales, either tor
sweet dispositions Or sour ones. So !
say, listen to yourself talk and say
frankly, 81 have a-voice." Then
determine that it shall be improved,
made more like the one you selected as
a model, and set about it in earnest.
Do not think 1 mean you to be like
parrots and to initiate Others speech
as whole. When I was little girl
my big brothers and sisters gave me
rather hard lesson in this. On COM
ing home from a visit in Kentucky /
tried to talk Kentuckyfed, and to
show me how absurd 1t sounded, they
ali began to do likewise and In most
exaggerated fashion. You can imagine
how funny 1t was to all, except to poor
little me
To pronounce words in manner Pc
cuiiar to others and not natural to her.
self makes one ridiculous but one cail
imitate tones in their distinctness, pitch
an ] musical qualities. You have no
tlced that when you are with people
VIII , talk very loudly how soon you are
doing the same, and again how sudden
ly your own voice drops when you get
with soFt-speaking people. We do so
voluntarily.
When you begin to pay attention
to how you speak, the work is half
done, for the little talking machine
responds very readily, and unless some
bad habit has been formed, your i'm
provement will be marked and imme-
diate. Continued attention means a
correct and pleasant habit that will
soon be as natural as speech itself.
Of course, the earlier we begin the
better, just as in learning to play upon
the plano, tor this is simply making
vn'ce-muslc upon the God-given in
strument each carries in the throat. To
learn early means much. So I hope
your mother has been your assistant
principal" ever since you began to talk
at all, teaching you not only words
themselves, but correct pronunciation
AMI beautiful expression.
Pr baby when you mumbled or
dr. .wied or shrieked she would quietly
remark, "Say it again, DEAR" And
You repeated the sentence in a very
different tone. We need an assistant
for this very purpose, to remind us
wien we forget and to call our atten-
ton to ugly little habits ofspeech such
as the dropping OF letters at the ends
OF words, the jumhling OF words togeth-
Ell, nasal tones, and other such traits
that make or mar our speech, that ere
50 easily formed and so hard TO over
me.
The world knows of our education
OR lack of lt-p-incipally through our
speech. Did you eyer think of that :?
What we say and how we say it stamps
us as educated or ignorant. Why 20 to
school and study so hard if you con-
ii Tue to speak in a slovenly manner
and to give expression that you are H.
literate? Never study for the sake of
show but what Is the use of being
cultured if you do not show it?