Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1914-07-21
STUDYING OUR HABITS OF SPEECH

/ ~ LlCclAlo LLIC must ~ thDAC VI 4e+-'AAA
attraction. For proof of that just
think over your own acquaintance in
society and you will see that while the
"jolliest girl" may have had the most
fattention in public places she did not
receive the most proposals of mar
riage.
Still one must be careful not to con-
found slangy language with wit; they
are not Siamese twins. not even near
relatives.
Nor do we need to go the opposite
extreme. Never for a moment would
l advocate a stilted affected, labored
choice Of words or an enunciation thai
reminded enc of that dreaded command
of our school days: GIVE the sounds
of "a as in far" You have heard
people talk that way, and it would be
funny if it were not disgusting.
On the other hand correct English
in a natural, refined tone of voice, in
dicating both education and culture, is
more attractive than we usually think,
than we are ordinarily aware Of The
next time you ride in a street car note
the voices and scrapes of conversation
that come to your ears and the i'm
pressions they maks involuntarily up
on you. A coarse voice and bit of
bad grammar instantly stamp the
stranger as uneducated and unrefned,
some one you do not care to know"
A very little personal observation al
ong this line will convince the care
less speaker that carelAssness in
None of US can afford it.
Voice teachers declare that the "vo-
cal mechanism in speaking is the
same everywhere, but that it is the
different methods of using the voice
that count" Therefore they plead for
study and correct training in these
methods. This means that the pitch,
the infections, the volume used, and
the sweetness put into each tone vary
so much that no two voices are alike.
Zone thing l am sure Of" asserts an
optimist among my friends, "and that
is that voices are seldom any pleas
anter than the people themselves; yet
am more attracted by voices than by
faces, and 1 find them every bit as in
dicative of character"
Another thing l have learned that
disposition-the real, true self under
all the affectations of every kinds
involuntarily betrayed more or less
plainly by the speech. However hon
eyed the words peevish person, when
net strictly on guard invariably inserts
q whining note somewhere. A cranky"
or bossy or hard nature reveals itself
through the voice when safely hidden
otherwise. Therefore write "disposi-
ton" large and clear over your mir
rors dears if you would avoid both
wrinkles around your eyes and tell
tale voices.
Undoubtedly cultivation goes a long
way just as facial messages helps the
aforesaid rinkles out of sight. A
voice to heavy thick, mushy way of
talking, high-pitched, falsetto tone,
Or strident one, may be wondrously
improved by just little persisten:
care On the grown persons part, by a
bit of patient teaching and firm train
ing in early youth. Say it ever in 4
pleasanter tone, dear" l heard a
mother say to her child on the street
one day; and the difference when the
words were repeated was truly strik-
ing.
1T was a sin to let a girl grow W
with voice like that" was the keen
but quiet remark of an elderly person
concerning gruff-speaking school
mate of mine. ct was before the day
of so much attention to adenoids.)
The majority of parents will gladly
eXpend money on a child's singing
voice that it may be a charm in the
home and give pleasure occasionally