The Southern herald., 1912-10-11

The most telling charm q girl can
have Is a sweet voice. and yet how
often, alas. Is the quality Of the voice
utterly ignored by young people. One
hears the terrible twang indigenous
TO this country issuing from kissatse
coral lips, hears maids In the finest
ralment speaking with the hoarseness
OF ravens or with voices as badly
managed as those of monkeys Yet
there are elocutionists for training
the voice to honeyed notes, and the
owher OF the dulcet voice Is a power
IN every circle OF society. For al
though the voice is the easiest OF all
the points Of woman's beauty to train
into ways Of loveliness It generally
happens that the low, exquisitely'
timbered and beautifully used voice
goes with the superior nature.
The deaf speak discordantly be-
cause they cannot hear the manner
In which they are pitching their
VOICES. So hearing is needed for
voice training, and it is possible to
cultivate its sensitiveness with very
simple home methods. Listen, to all
the beautifuIy-pitched voices that
come your way and then go into your
room and practice with the contrast
OF your own naturally speaking
voice. You will see your mistakes In
short order, and by keeping the er-
TOR in mind, as important to your
charm. you will soon find yourself
Initiating the lovely voice, first copy
ing the manner in which single words
are uttered and then essaying some
whole phrase caught up from the
voice melodious. Little by little you
viii get the right infections, and then
somehow you will grasp at last the
spiritual side of human speech. The
feeling Of words will appear and you
win utter them in the right manner
telling your fairy tale with the right
touch of gayety and your tale OF sor-
row with due solemnity
According to voice specialists, the
commonest defect in young people Is
the pitching of the voice too high,
and this is accompanied by a nervous
tension which holds the throat taut
and strained. The breath Is short
and hurried, which cuts the over
tones and destroys the vibrations So
the high pitch must first be over
come. and since reserve breath and
a wholesome state of the throat and
nose are needed these organs and
the lungs must receive their due
share of attention. The simplest
breathing exercises, taken quite twice
q day in a full and rhythmic manner,
will undoubtedly improve defective
voice through the help the exercise
lends to the vocal cords. Deep
breathing. too, is often advised for
bashfulness and stammering, those
two great banes of timid youth, which
II not overcome in time will some
times last until life's end.
For the girl whose general health
is none Of the best, and whose voice
soon wears out with class recitations
q diet Of molasses and coarse bread
is to be recommended. Sweet milk
and buttermilk will also be Of much
benefit, while a raw egg, beaten W
with a little lemon Juice, and taken
before breakfast is almost certain tc
ward of hoarseness during the day
Raw eggs are very healing and feed
ing to the throat and lungs. ant
should be given far oftener to undel
nourished young people, whose yer!
delicacy makes them ready victims
to lung and throat diseases.
Anything which interferes will
the general health will affect tn
beauty and strength Of the voice
and since the membrane Of throa
and nose is so delicate 1t must al
ways be given immediate care in tim
OF trouble-or, better still, be KEEP
in a healthy state with the frequen
use of antiseptic washes.
But a lot of the ugliness In you'll
full voices comes from bad habit
alone. The young people are nc
corrected for their vocal errors l
time, they are allowed to sing at to
early an age, they sleep and sit |
rooms toe hot and dry, they hav
the example Of other badly-traine
children, or get the habit from thei
tone-deaf elders. But 1t is never to
late for the girl who has been mel
lected in this way to improve herse
II she will only realize that a swee
well-modulated voice is one Of won
aims greatest fascinations and ths
all her success in its attainment liz
a. haroaK