The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-12
The Speaking Voice of Ameriacn
 Women.

In this country when we hear a wo- man speak in soft, low voice, pro- nouncing her words distinctly and correctl, we commonly conclude she i2 an Englishwoman. That fact of itself proves how general Is the rasping, un- cultured voice among American wo- men. And yet
 Some of the sweetest voices I ever heard have been those of American wo- men.
 There is a magnetic charm in a re- fined. agreeable voice that nothing else can give. Of the two. a pretty face and harsh voice or sweet, cultured voice and a plain face, the wise girl would choose the sweet voice every time Were you ever in room where a number of women were talking togeth- CT in the high pitched, squeaky. jerky rapid utterance foreigners declare Is characteristic of the feminine Ameri- can2 Perhaps in the room was calm. self controlled woman who was able to sit quite still without fidgeting and who did not say much. Perhaps after the rest had exhausted their sputter- ings this woman who had not said much was asked what she thought Then the quiet woman perhaps opened her lips and began to speak in a calm clear, low voice. Instantly every other sound was stilled; people around her bent forward to look at her and lis tened to catch every word she said They not only caught 1t, but they re- membered it. If afterward they de- scribed to their friends the gathering it was the sweet voiced, cultured wo- man and her remarks that were re- called most vividly.
 It is within the power of every American woman to acquire a musical pure toned speaking voice.
 Begin with the breathing. The foundation of a sweet voice and many other desirable acquisitions Is the habit of calm, regular breathing through the nostrils, the lips being tightly closed. A grand secret of breath management is to make the inhalations and the ex- halations of equal length. Drawa long, deep breath of pure air, filling your lungs, then exhale just as slowly as you inhaled. occupying an equal time. Prac- tice this slow. deep inhalation followed by the equally slow. thorough exhala- ton several times day for from three to five minutes. Do 1t especially of nights and mornings with no confining clothing upon your body Before long you will observe that calm. refreshed feeling comes over you after this breathing exercise, especially if you keep the chest lifted.
 The calm, deep breathing, rom the lowest part of the body-the inhalation and exhalation occupying the same length of time-will of itself go far to- ward changing a weak, excitable, hys- terical woman, ever ready to go off her head with some foolish emotion, into a calm strong woman whose word and nresence have power. But the breath ing exercise, practiced in pure air, must be kept up forever, or until this manner of inhaling and exhaling be- comes habitual.
 For the rest, open your lips and teeth when you speak, so your utterance will he distinct. Pitch your voice from your chest. not from your head or throat. This gives steadiness. softness and carrying power. Weak excitable per sons always draw the breath irregular ly.
 Form your words with the tip of your tongue, not back in the throat. Lis ten carefully to the sound of your own voice and compare it with that of the woman who has the sweetest, pleasant est voice of anybody you know, noting your own defects. American women have keen musical ears. Speak delib- erately, never sputteringly, and don't humble Finally, learn and practice entirely eorrect grammar and pronoun- citation and don't talk too much. Don't talk at all in street and railway cars if you can help 1t. It roughens and hurts the voice
 MARY GOULD LITTLE.