Year: 1871

0


The man who wrote that had felt
the impression made upon a man Of
| fine sensibilities by soft gentle and
l low voice in q woman. He illustrates
! its influence when he makes this mad
hOld king remember 1t. He did not


mean suppressed voice, but that full,
Z low musical tone which is given by
/ the full use Of the larynX and the
/ thr0at organ and the chest sounding
box Many persons have heard this
voice in a woman, and perhaps have
/ felt the charm without being con-
seious of the organ Of the sensation.
The average voice Of the American


woman is not soft and gentle and low.
tits thin, shallow and dry. It sounds


as II made entirely from the mouth,


and is apt to have the twang which
comes from throwing il against the


nasal organs so as to close them. It


IS ike a mufiied drum, OF a guitar


string without a sounding board. II


lacks the musical quality. Il makes


no play upon the harmonic chords or


the person she talks to. 1t does not


take possession OF the sensations. but


leaves all TO the intellectual effort.


And woman should not leave all to


her intellect.


As to the average American man,


he has made the nasal twang OF the


American voice national character


istic. 1t comes from the same aban-


dOnment OF the use Of the chief vocal


organs. His voice is made high up in


his mouth, and is thrown against the


nasal organs In such a way as 10 half


close them. There is no depth or


fullness or sounding quality to it.


The chief masculine tones are aban-


doned. his voice is neutral. To have


full, deep voice is the exception, and


is hardly thought necessary save 70


public speakers. Yet q good voice is


as impressive in social and business
conversation as I'm public speaking. It


is money in every mans pocket. 1t


is influence and authority in society


and in the family. 1t makes him q


leader in war or tumult or calamity.


1t makes him successful in love. 1t


enables him TO drive three yoke Of


oxen, and become great ehieftaiu Of


the workingmen.


Most OF the Americans came from


people Of deep cultural resounding


voices. 1t Is essential to inquire the
cause of this deelension in the nation


al voice; for it is a symptom Of the


decline of the masculine qualities. Is


it in the elimate2 Do we, as people,


show a physical deterioration that ac-


counts for this change in the voice?


Our army records do not prove it.


And speaking of the army reminds


US of one Of the most pitiful signs OF


this vocal degeneracy in the substitu-


ton of yell for a manly hurra. The


one gives full play to the organs Of


throat and chest; the other isa screech


from the roof of the mouth. Is this


the forerunner Of the decay Of the


martial qualities? We doubt if any
people will long remain a martial peO-


pie who substitute a falsettO screeeh


for a masculine hurra.


A striking change has taken place


in the physical characteristics OF the


European race since it was transplant


ed to America. The short, thick,


fiorid, curly haired, blond, slow Eng


lishman grows in America tall and
spare. He exchanges his moist skin


for dark parchment. His hair grows
straight and dark. His hands and
feet grow slender and long. He loses
the corporal fitness for sedentary
comfort, and is continually wriggling
and sliding on his chair, and cooking
up his feet higher than his head, or,
for instance, at the theater his feet are
continually working on the chair be-
fore him as ii he were on q treadmill.
He becomes active in mind and nerv-
Gus IN body. he grows nOmadic, and
migrates from place to place. He be-
comes less prolific. Look at the New
Englanders, most Of whom, until the
recent Irish and German immigra-
ton, are descendants Of the English.
and see in how short a time In the
worlds age all these changes have Ia
ken place, and then calculate how
long it will take, at the same ratio, 10 !
bring them to the likeness Of the ma 3
tive Americans, toward which al I
these changes have tended.


Doubtless the elements Of the cOun-
try are working their changes in the 4
inhabitants until all shall assimilate; I
but this does not account for the loss 4
of the masculine voice for the Indi- f.
ans have deep cultural voices. Until
some one can suggest q better reason b
we will suppose that it is the effect Of 4
bad habit ard example multiplying Z
itself through the imitation Of the
rising generation. Perhaps our insti- 1
tutions have something to do with It. I
With social and political equality the I
deep full tone that comes from the
habit of command in the upper sort /
has been dropped, and the obsequious /
voice Of the politician has come in. /
Must the masculine voice q out with
as fine manners have? Is /
general leveling general degeneraey? /
Let US look TO this; for, when our
tones have gone, shall we I
be able to resist the woman's demana !
for equal rights?


The common notion is that the
voice, like reading and writing, comes
by nature, and that nothing can Je
done for it; or at least that there is no
call to do anything except for singing y
and public speaking. We regret to
note that our CommOner friend, who
is himself an orator as BRUTUs was,
falls into the error of thinking this
the chief object of cultivating the
voice. But why should a man speak
to his wife in thin, rasping, squeak-
ing voice, when he can at will have
tones to sooth, to persuade, to threat
en- and command? Why should a
woman forego the gentle power which
q round musical voice will give her
over men and over her children?
Why should maidens lose this fasci-
mating quality for want Of Instruction.? ?
The voice can be cultivated as much
rs the muscles. A master Of the art,
who is himself an example Of what
can do 10 develop the
voice, Is now giving a series Of lee
lures on this important subject. Mr..
Murdoch does not design these to be
lolely an entertainment but they are
llso for practical instruction, which
will be valuable to every person. A
general attendance on these lectures Z
would, we are firmly persuaded, inn
prove the tone Of public debate, Of (
,ociety, of the breakfast table, Of the
nursery, and Of the bed chamber. Ia


And this is also a great moral ques-
ion. The American language is ex- L
eOpious and expressive. 1t
has words to express every variety
md shade of sentiment, emotion and
oassiOn- With this admirable Ian (
yuage a voice having the range OF all
Is organs can without physical action ;
Express more than a Frenchman can
" working all his four quarters in
with his speech, or q Ger
nan by tearing our ears. But from a [
detective education and a want OF
OF the resources Of this Ian
,uage and Of the organs Of the voice,
he common vulgar resort to the use