Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-29

The schools are largely responsible for bad pro-
nunciation, enunciation and faulty tone quality of
voice. The teacher himself may speak with
aggerated bur possess Individual vocal evil;
the child generally loving the teacher initiates him
adoringly even more than it initiates the parents.
Yet the Board of Education is not bothered any
where by any such defects in engaging teachers.
The teacher the other hand is nowise disturbed,
SO long the pupils answer is technically correct,
by either the enunciation the tone in which it is
given. The may be said of the Sunday school
teacher. in whose power lies so strongly an oppor-
tunity through practical example. Here too we find
careless nattention, that it is regarded some
thing outside the Sunday school province.
Both divisions appear ignorant or forgetful OF the
fact that where the teacher speaks properly the child
will also, through imitation.
To go into the higher plane of university educa-
ton faulty enumeration and unmusCal tone quality
seem to flourish with equal luxurlance. Few pro-
essors give in their lectures any examples of the nat
ural and musical delivery of which the human voice
is capable; a mere droning dead level of monot-
ony in speech is their routine of choice.
Dronine in the Pulpit
IN the pulpit goodly share of good sermons is de-
prived of it's possible value by the traditional
droning which, improvement though it may be
that of the Pilgrim fathers, is often obnoxious
enough. Such tone of voice can never mpreSSivelv
fasten truth in the mind of the intellectual hearer;
it too stereotyped to be received sincerely felt,
no matter how sincere the mind may be that prompts
it. With the unintellectual such style is likely to
work in numbing, peculiar fashion, the words be-
coming something to be heard while they last and
then promptly forgotten.
In the home there those who certain
careless axty in speech in which they do not indulge
elsewhere and tone of voice which for proprietys
sake, they discard abroad yet the home is the
school of nveterate habit for the younger genera
ton. Children much more readily initiate the faulty
than the correct; to hear older person misuse
word or tone means them standard and privilege
to do the
In the countless ramcations of life the misdirec-
ton of speech is almost unescapable one generation
is schooled in it. only to transmit its faults to the
next succeeding.
All Italians nearly all French and large per-
centage of English actors possess that musical quail
ty of voice which is largely missing the American
stage. The voice of the average American actor is
unframed it lacks refinement. Many of actors
painfully exact in their enunciation; but the de-
livery is hard, they bite off the word
The State must bear its share of blame in dissem-
mating instruction. phase of our musical com
edes instance of this will afford ample illus
tration of how the voice be abominaby misused;
voices capable of delivering the lines of Shakespeare
may be sought in vain and in the highest quarters.
But culpable as the American actor may be, his is
the great share in the careessness that obtains
On the stage effort is made, though assuredly
not enough toward sound vocal training. In the
theatrical world there is esprit de corps which
tends toward endeavor for clearness, smoothness,
and musical quality of speech. While that endeavor
is far from being sufficient value and attention
given on the stage to the musical speaking voice