the same position is employed as in o, with the exception that in the latter the organs form while the sound is uttered, while in o the position may be first assumed.

In all these sounds avoid stiffness or rigidity of the inner and outer muscles of the throat and mouth. Do not set the jaw. Do not draw in the lips. Form the sounds smoothly and firmly, but without physical effort. Ease, flexibility, and precision are the guiding principles.

Repeat each sound several times, closing the mouth after each trial. Then pronounce one sound, close the mouth and quickly make another, assuming proper mouth position. Repeat this exercise, changing from vowel to vowel, till each can be uttered with precision. This will establish correct habits and the utterance, unconsciously, will become correct.

One of the worst faults, and one of the most common, is the abrupt striking of all vowels, somewhat resembling an explosion, a catch, or a cough. Thus the timbre of the tone is destroyed. This is often apparent also in speaking words beginning with vowel sounds. The vowel may be uttered rapidly without this fault, and should always be well rounded and made with an open throat. If persisted in, this fault will injure the throat, and utterly ruin the rendition of all beautiful sentiment.

BREATHING

This subject has given rise to a world of discussion. Musicians and elocutionists have written volumes, and have presented diagram after diagram to prove their individual theories.

This work aims to avoid all technicalities, and to present a series of exercises that will produce the results desired without insistence on any one theory. In diaphragmatic

breathing one set of muscles is developed; in costal breathing another set; and the tendency is to direct attention to one part of the breathing machinery at the expense of the other parts.

The guiding principles are these:

Practice for breath capacity.
Practice for breath control.

Learn to inflate the whole lung tract.

We inhale by expanding that part of the body surrounding the lung's surface. We exhale by contracting the body over the same surface. We may fill one part of the lung to its full capacity while at the same time another part is but slightly expanded, for the lung expands under that part of the thorax which is expanded, and is but partly filled under that part which is little expanded. Expansion is the result of muscular energy. The muscles are both voluntary and involuntary. The chest rises and falls, but by an exercise of the will the expansion may be increased or decreased, and those muscles which before were involuntary may become voluntary.

The lungs lie one on each side of the chest and are protected by the ribs. Before breath can be taken the ribs must rise. A good plan is to notice the breathing of animals. In a horse that has been exercised it will be seen that the ribs move backward and forward under the skin. With the forward movement expansion and inhalation occur, with the backward movement contraction and exhalation occur. In a dog lying on his side, after exercise, the ribs will be seen to rise and fall-contraction and expansion-inhalation and exhalation.

In expanding the ribs the trunk is not raised. The ribs are flexibly fixed and are pulled up and out, down and in, by muscular energy. "The ribs move like a buckethandle," says Lennox Browne. Rather let us say like two

bucket-handles. When they are dropped their sides approximate, when raised they are farther apart.

In speech we breathe for two purposes-one to supply the body with oxygen, the other for vocalization. When much voice is required, a greater amount of breath is necessary, not so much for voice purposes, perhaps, as to sustain the physical effort.

Under great excitement we not only breathe more fully, but more frequently to supply the waste that is caused by increased physical activity. Not only is more air needed, but a given amount becomes vitiated more rapidly.

The Nose

Many voices are disagreeable because of improper nasality. The so-called nasal tone is the result either of too little use or of excessive use of this organ.

A person with a cold in the head is deprived of head resonance, and the voice is said to be nasal. On the other hand, one who scarcely opens the mouth, thus forcing the stream of vocalization through the nose has another kind of nasality. There are two passages for the tone, the mouth and the nose. When they perform their functions in unison, a pleasing voice is the effect. When one is used to the exclusion of the other a disagreeable sound is the result. In breathing care should be taken to breathe through the nose, as mouth breathing is injurious. The air is warmed on its passage through the nose to the lungs. Dust and impurities are strained from the air and retained in the nasal passages, which regulate also the moisture of the air and give the voice a pleasing resonance.

Exercises

1. Stand easily erect. Head well poised, shoulders back. Mouth closed, inhale inaudibly through five counts. Exhale through five.

Inhale through six counts-exhale through six. This exercise may be repeated, adding one count each time. The whole exercise should be continuous, no interval elapsing between inhalation and exhalation and inhalation again. Care must be taken not to overtax the lungs at first.

Inhale as before, exhale on short a in a whisper. The time may be regulated and varied by the teacher or pupil. Inhale and whisper short a, striking it with full force, then let the tone gradually die away.

Inhale, and on the same sound, beginning almost inaudibly, increasing in volume and exhausting the lungs at the end.

Inhale and whisper the same vowel, sustaining the voice with equal volume throughout.

Inhale, whisper the five long vowel sounds, separating each; give these on one breath, without inhaling between. Inhale, and repeat vowels twice as above-continuing as long as the breath lasts, without exhaustion.

2. Lock the hands and place them firmly upon the upper part of the chest. Take a slow inhalation, expanding gradually but firmly under the hands. The pressure of the hands centres the attention on the muscles beneath; it also gives these muscles something to press against. The shoulders must not be raised.

With the hands in this position all the foregoing exercises may be practiced.

3. Stand erect, place the backs of hands against the muscles of the back so that the thumbs may touch the shoulder blades. Inhale, expanding under the hands as much as possible. Exhale, allowing a gradual recession. The body must not be swayed forward.

The exercises under No. 1 may be repeated with the hands in this position.

4. Place the hands on the sides, fingers forward, thumbs

back. Space between thumb and finger under armpits, bring hands well up. They are now over the centre of lung tissue. (The chief expansion must be here.)

With the hands in this position constantly increase the expansion from side to side. This expansion occurs several inches above the waist line.

Repeat the exercises under No. 1 with the hands in this position.

Stand erect. Hands on hips. In this exercise expand the whole lung from top to bottom and from centre to circumference, using all the muscles to which the attention has been directed in the above exercises.

5. Inhale-hold the breath-bend the body to the right at the waist line (do not bend head or limbs), exhale in this position inaudibly. Erect position: Inhale, bend left, exhale; inhale, bend back at hips, exhale.

Bend to right, inhale, erect position, exhale. Bend to left, inhale, erect position, exhale. Bend back at hips, inhale, erect position, exhale. Erect, inhale, right to left with continuous inhalation, back at hips, continuing, erect position.

Repeat the above with short a in a whisper.

All of these exercises may be repeated, inhaling in the same manner and exhaling on the vowel sounds, a, e, i, o, u.

NOTE. In all these exercises emphasize these facts: The breath must be taken inaudibly through the nose. Inhale by expansion and exhale by recession. Most breath is taken in the part where there is most outward expansion. Breath is wasted by too sudden recession. Breath is economized by keeping a part of the expansion.

Special Exercises

Place the hands on the chest, sides and back, as in Exercises 1, 2, 3, expanding and relaxing the muscles, holding the breath.

Inhale and pronounce forcibly the five vowel sounds in a whisper without taking breath between.