It has long since been demonstrated that in order to become a finished speaker or reader something more is needed than merely to be born, yet there are those to-day who believe that if a proper conception of the thought or feeling be obtained, true artistic elocution is certain to follow. On the contrary, it is necessary to assist Nature by careful cultivation in all that pertains to Expression if the latter is to be idealized into its highest forms of beauty, grace, and power. Mind and spirit communicate themselves rapidly and often passionately to the outer world through the body medium, in ways which may be natural, but which are by no means perfect or graceful expressions of Nature; "for Nature may readily run into deformity, and it must be the purpose of Art to remove and conceal all deformities, for Art is called in not to pervert, but to refine and exalt Nature."

MEDIA OF EXPRESSION

"A certain mechanical preparation must precede every art."—GOETHE.

The media of Expression, through the physical nature, are vocal, verbal, and visible or pantomimic.

Vocal includes all that pertains to voice; verbal, to the use of words; and visible, to that which relates to attitudes, bearings, motions of the human form, together with expressions of the countenance.

Finished, artistic, and effective media of Expression are attained first, by means of vocal and verbal exercises and educational and æsthetical gymnastics; and, secondly, by the study of the principles or laws of expression and their application through practice.

When the avenues of expression have been trained, the processes by which this training has been reached may be lost sight of; for this "strength at the centre," as it

were, "gives freedom to the surface," and so, without loss either of spontaneity or individuality, the speaker or reader can safely trust the conveyance of his thoughts and emotions to his cultured media.

VOCAL EXPRESSION

"The Cultivated Voice is like an orchestra. It ranges high, intermediate, or low, unconsciously to him who uses it, and men listen quite unaware that they have been bewitched out of their weariness by the charms of a voice not artifizial, but made, by assiduous training, to be his second nature."-BEECHER.

The voice is the chief medium of human expression. Its use is general and constant. It is the great avenue through which the impressions of all animal life are conveyed. As these impressions are more varied and exalted in man, he has developed, enlarged, and refined this medium, so that through it he may express a variety of sentiment which is almost without limit. To many, voice is almost the exclusive agent of Expression, and it is the main instrument of all.

Literature itself reaches its highest conception when translated into living speech. The great poems and dramas are interpreted by the voice of the reader at the fireside, on the public platform, or in the crowded theatre. These productions live because their words have trembled on many tongues and because the voice of man has brought them anew into human relationship and sympathy.

Even our silent reading owes much of its interest and power to vocal expression. We translate the formal symbols of the page into the varied forms of the living voice. Tones are imagined, inflections are conceived, and the whole is clothed with the garment of animated speech. The reason for this is obvious. The normal and ordinary

method of expression is vocalization, and these printed symbols are merely suggestive; the imagination easily supplies the remaining elements.

Possibly we may think without words, but thought is always clothed in some kind of symbols, and thus is presented in tangible shape, so that the mind may cognize it. Therefore we think in tones. A thought may be conceived and instantly a word is uttered to represent it. But the utterance of that word may convey an impression at variance with its ordinary signification. Not only has the word been conceived, but the tone also. He who reads the words of Cassius, "And this man is now become a god," and fails to mentally interpret the tones, also fails to comprehend the meaning of the lines.

By means of the voice man runs the whole gamut of the soul's varying phases. It informs, it interprets, it persuades, and denounces. It bears us aloft on the wings of its melody; it pleases and thrills. No agency and no art can impress what lies beyond the realm of the wellattuned voice.

It is the least cultivated of all the expressive agents. By this indifference we seem to say that while every other power, mental and physical, reaches its highest possibilities through systematic and intelligent cultivation, the voice is the one exception, and that its use comes by Nature. The intellect comes by Nature, so do the imagination and the emotions. Their proper and fuller exercise comes through cultivation.

We are students of Expression throughout life. The acquisition of knowledge gives rise to the desire to express it. Now somewhere in the mind are stored up all the words, tones, and other symbols which we employ in expression. Before they can be uttered the power of selection must be exercised; that is, words and tones must be conceived before they can be given. The

materials may be poor; they may be limited, and the selection may not be judicious. These are the very reasons for the study of the voice for speech.

Some voices are musical, but lack variety. Some having variety are devoid of power. Many violate physical law and offend the ear. Some run in a groove from which they never deviate. Many are marred by excessive inflection; others have almost none.

It is to correct these faults, to develop the good qualities, to acquire greater power, and to do the work with a minimum effort that the student of voice should apply himself.

PURITY

A pure voice is one of any given power which is made without friction. It must be produced with the least physical effort. Voice is the result of muscular energy, as much so as the movement of the arm. But this energy should not exceed the minimum required, neither should it be manifest in those parts that perform their functions best when in a state of comparative repose. A voice may often be prejudged by the contortions of the face.

A pure voice should not be more fatiguing than any other simple exercise; indeed, it is only a phase of breathing. Proper use will not result in injury, but even limited exercise in a faulty manner may be productive of serious results. Clergyman's sore-throat is caused by using the voice in an unnatural manner.

A pure tone is a language in itself. It is the expressive agent of all pure sentiment. Discords in nature represent violent, harsh, and unpleasant things. Contrast the meanings of the following sounds: a laugh and a scream; the song of the mocking-bird and the raven's croak; a dog's joyous bark and his growl; a note of song and a groan; the hum of bees and the clangor of fire

bells; the driver's whistle and the rattle of his wagoneach of these is a language as definite as words, and produces its certain peculiar impression.

FLEXIBILITY

No voice can long continue to please and to impress unless it has power to represent all the varying phases of thought and emotion. It must at all times perfectly represent the sentiment. Light and shade are as much features of speech as of painting. Monotony must be avoided. The sentiment dictates the shading and variety, but if the instrument is not properly attuned it will fail to respond in a satisfactory manner.

Thought and feeling cannot create a vocabulary; nor can they bring into being inflections, varieties of tone, and harmonies of which the speaker is ignorant. The sentiment may demand all the powers we possess, but it cannot create new ones. Often we use words and tones, not because they accurately express our meaning, but because they are the best we have.

Monotony may arise from any one of three causes: the sentiment may be inherently devoid of variety; the voice may have been used in a certain way so long that it has worn for itself a groove; or it may arise from a lack of appreciation of tone values. The latter may be termed a lack of ear. If we would make this more responsive we must cultivate it, and this we may do by practice.

POWER

Our principal vocal school is conversation, and the chasm between this and public speaking is very wide, and is rarely bridged without much cultivation or years of practice. Every element that enters into public delivery has its basis in conversation, but when we face the great