The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-11
Speech and Manners.

ITutn 6na1l uako you IEeo, WeLo IA0
words Of the Founder Of Christianity.
Speech and Manners.
Mr.. HENRY JAMES did a good service
to the graduating class Of the women's
college Of Bryn Mawr on Thursday in
admonishing them to be careful Of their
speech, to avoid an unmusical enuncia-
ZION and to cultivate tidy speaking.
Mr.. JAMES in his present visit to his
native country has found many things
distasteful to him, but the American pro-
nunciation, even by people who call
themselves educated seems especially
to shock his delicate ear; for example.
they talk about "vanillar Ice cream
"Portor Ricor and Cubar;; and, generally,
they tack the r. to the end Of words to
which It does not belong This particu-
lar sin against English speech We have
not discovered hereabouts to any alarm
ing extent, but probably 1t is glazing in
other parts Of the country, or Mr.. JAMES
would not have instanced It as especially
notable.
"Untidiness' in speech, however, is
frequent enough everywhere in America,
and probably was never more general
than It ia now among people who think
themselves educated. In the arguments
Of lawyers, even the most learned, In
after dinner speeches by orators having
or claiming distinction In eloquence, in
the conversation Of men and women o.
tensibly cultivated you hear an English
pronunciation which suggests "untidi-
ness il not unrefned and uneducated
associations. 1t is rare to hear the lam
guage spoken with an elegance In tho
choice Of vocabulary, in pronunciation,
in enunoiation and in meditation which
betokens a satisfactory cultivation.
! Mr.. HENRY JAMES, however, could
have extended his criticism to much Of
the speech in circles Of English society
in which such Auntidinees" might not
be expected. He must have heard it in
the speech Of even some Oxford men and
very generally in the speech Of army
and navy officers and Of many in the
aristocratic English sphere. Correct
ness and precision Of pronunciation are
often avoided by these men and @untidi-
ness is affected az sort Of badge Of
superiority to people who are moro
choice in their language, In America
Mr.. JAMES finds the r. tackled on to the
end Of words to which it does not belong,
but how about the elimination by those
Englishmen Of the e. In the pronuncia-
ton Of words to the end Of which it right
fully belongs?
OF course, our sins are in no way miti-
gated because others as grievous are
committed in England by persons who
think they are educated, and Mr.. HENRY
JAMES is justified in pointing out our
particular "untidiness' of speech. He
was wholly right, too. when he described
the test Of correct pronunciation to be
the speech of really educated and cult
waited people and advised the Bryn Mawr
girls carefully to observe and initiate it.
That is the true authority in speech
Dictionaries cannot give it. 1t is in the
actually spoken language Of those whose
eminence in cultivated speech entities
them to establish the standard OF cor
rectness That is, it Is a matter OF the
best usage.
Another matter on which Mr.. JAMES
dwelt deserves careful attention, more
especially by American women. It oon-
Germs vocal meditation, for "the value
of good breeding is largely tested by
the tone, which must be sound, agree
able, neat and consistent" and this
tone standard is an art to be acquired
and cultivated just as much as any of the
arts and sciences Of life." Such Guilt
waited utterance may become beautiful
habit yet, as Mr.. JAMES said, the tones
heard are usually awful discords
Women spend years in learning to play
musical instrument, in polishing their
manners and in studying the mysteries
OF dress and fashion, yet their voices
are left uncultivated, though on these
depends in highest degree the charm
of social intercourse. Go into drawing
room or dining room crowded with
women and the din of the vocal discord
is distressing, yet all this is conquerable
by education and the conquering Of it is
one Of the most important functions Of
education. The musical instrument
most carefully to be cultivated Is the
human voice, from the earliest childhood
to maturity.
Mr.. HENRY JAMES might have extended
his criticism to contemporary manners
generally, and in England no less than
in America. A commendable feature
Of the present civilization in his highest
expression of social cultivation is its
insistence on genuineness and sincerity.
1t demands that manners shall be really
an outward sign of an inward and spirit
ual grace, not mere superficial veneer
Of proprieties and punctilios. The old
"frills' Of manner are put away as arti-
hcial and vulgar. All posing is intoler-
able. People are more natural than they
used to be. But this emancipation from