The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-05
~ DUCATE yourself in the habit Of
ready, graceful speech. Socially.
you can go far and work wonders
- thru this powerful and delightful

IT. you can go far and work wonders
AA thru this powerful and delightful
medium.
It is g. serious mistake to shirk your
conversational responsibilities. as 1t Is to
neglect your toilet. or the benefits Of edu-
cation. The shrkers are not only the sell.
fish, silent ones, who do not. will not and
say they cannot talk. A goodly number OF
them possess active enough tongues ana
brains and yet feel, and know, that they
fail to express themselves happily, inter
estingly, ingratiatingly. by word OF the
mouth.
Their trouble Is that they are usually
the victims Of number Of bad habits.
For instance, their most common and con-
spicuous fault is that they have given no
thought to the requirement OF the sooo
speaking voice. -.
Go Slow and Speak Low.
I wish more men and women would
follow that simple precept. When they DO
a big stride is taken toward the attain
ment Of charm In conversation. The
American voice-especially that Of the
feminine American-has, I grieVe to say.
an ugly and almost international reputa-
ton. 1t is fiat, thin and unmus1cal. We
may not, AS a nation, learn to make our
tones round. full and sweet, but any one
who earnestly tries can easily overcome
the disagreeable habit of speaking too
loudly and too rapidly.
Most voices could be advantageously
lowered whole octave and the enuncia-
tion greatly Sweetened and improved by
elaboration. s.. .a..
In an argument or conversation that
rouses your keen interest, remember not
to lift your voice high above that Of your
companion. This Is not only a cheap and
very unfair means of enforcing your views,
but it is downright bad manners. It fails
to give weight to your opinions, and 1t
very often wounds any annOyS.
A matter of vital Importance Is to re-
alize not only that the low, sweet voice is
an excellent thing in man as we'll as wo-
man. but that 1t is mighty In persuasion
It's attainment Is a question Of nothing
more than an expenditure Of time, pa
tience and practice.
Wesley, so his biographers say, could
reduce congregation of the toughest
country people to tears of softened delight
by his mere pronunciation Of the word
Mesopotamia .-.
This goes to prove what many socially
disappointed men and women fail to find
out for themselves, namely. that there is
as much influence welded by the manner
as the matter of ones converse tion
I don't dispute the value of brains, but
mere wit and learning are not the only
qualities to be exhibited in your speech
You can create an impression, an endur-
ing and delightful one, by other means
neither difficult to study nor employ.
The Best Impression.
This. in nine cases out Of ten, is created
by the reposeful taiker. mean by the
individual who has no affectations or ner-
vous habits.
The little involuntary laugh, the con.
stantly recurring catch phrase, the exag-
gerated facial expression and the frequent
use of superfuous adjectives must be one
and all sternly condemned, and, II pos
sible. stoutly repressed. ...
If you have fallen into the way of wind
ing up your every sentence with q giggle
you may not know it. but you have sadl.
injured your chance Of popularity. Laugh
when the opportunity for mirth arises
and laugh heartily, but don't laugh in
anely. habitually; there is no excuse TO
this habit.
Sit still when you speak or hearken t
others. A rocking chair in motion Is
nuisance; so also are wiggling feet, an
the fingers that twiddle with neck chain
Restrict yourself severely in the use o
such silly interpretations and ejaculation
as Don't you know?' do you see?' g
say" etc.
Just as inelegant and annoying is tn
provincial reiteration of II guess" g
reckon You don't say?" and the like.
I hope I shall not be misunderstood q
advocating stolidity when offer yer
strenuous objections to the excitable talk
er, who positively gesticulates with hi
features as we'll as his hands, and use
the most hyperbolic language in mention
Ing the simplest incident or familiar oh
ject.
Talk with animation, and plenty Of i
but do not fall into the common an
distressing fault Of describing a daint
dish as perfectly grand" the old parlc