ways present in the oration that subdues, that convinces, that wins, and sends men to their knees in abandonment of their own wills. When Sophocles pictured the god Mercury seizing upon the fairest daughter of Earth and carrying her away through the realms of space, he had in mind the power of the orator, which through love lifts up humanity and sways men by a burst of feeling that brooks no resistance. Oratory is the child of democracy-it pleads for the weak, for the many against the few, and no great speech was ever yet made save in behalf of mankind. The orator feels their joys, their sorrows, their hopes, their desires, their aspirations, their sufferings and pains. They may have wandered far, but his arms are open wide for their return. Here alone does soul respond to soul. And it is love, alone, that fuses feeling so that all are of one mind and mood.-ELBERT HUBBARD. CHAPTER XXII THE SPEAKING VOICE "A good voice has a charm in speech as in song, sometimes of itself enchains attention, and indicates a rare sensibility, especially when trained to wield all its powers. The voice, like the face, betrays the nature and disposition, and soon indicates what is the range of the speaker's mind.” -EMERSON. FEW people realize how important is the part played by the voice in public speaking. It is the instrument on which all the speaker's music must be played. And it is just as futile for a speaker to try to deliver a big message with a thin, discordant voice as it is for a musician to attempt to play a masterpiece on an old, rickety, tin-panny piano. We have seen that Emphasis is conveyed through stress of the voice; that Rate of Utterance, Inflection of Pitch, Volume of Tone, Articulation and Projection, and many other important factors of Technic depend upon the vocal mechanism. Realizing the necessity for a good voice, the next step for the student is to learn how to develop the voice and how to use it. So many crimes have been committed under the name of vocal training that the student should approach this matter with caution and common sense. Most of these crimes have been committed by so-called singing teachers, who have forced the voice of the student and spoiled it for both speaking and singing. Woolbert has concisely enumerated the conditions of mastery as follows: "Perfect control of thinking-a perfect vocal machine-perfect control of the vocal machine-perfect coördination." This gives the student a clear understanding of his task. He should also have a clear understanding of the relative importance of voice in effective speaking. Important as it is, bear in mind that it is only one factor of many in the art of delivery, and that delivery itself is only one of the three great requirements to be met before we can produce an accomplished speaker. Some people have the erroneous belief that about all that is necessary to be a good speaker is to have a good voice. In reality it is only a fractional part of a speaker's equipment, but as such, it is worthy of careful cultivation. THE AMERICAN TONE STANDARD The American voice is notoriously harsh and undeveloped. We have, it is said, no tone standard in this country. We have overlooked this vital thing to a large extent. The great majority of people hold that "any one can talk," that the speaking voice needs no training, no culture, no thought. They infer that it has no place in a normal education, although it is the medium through which all our learning must be expressed. So they do "talk; " loudly-garrulously-harshly,— one with a squeak-another with a croak,—some with nasal tones, some with throaty tones,-but all, for the most part, indifferently or abominably. How rarely we hear a clear and musical voice; one which comes to us pleasantly and distinctly. Rarer still is the voice which is not only clear, but rich and resonant-capable of expressing fully every shade of thought or emotion. This question of our speech is a question of intelligence—it is a question of culture. The signs of the times point to a great reform in this direction. The day is dawning which is to reorganize and give much time to the culture of the speaking voice, as America grows out of her Pioneer state. A good voice does not happen. It is the result of exercise along right lines and careful training. Unless the student is willing to work for it, he may as well lay aside his ambition for a good voice. If you ever gain a good voice you must have a great desire for it. A "don't care" spirit results in a "don't care" voice; but if one desires from the depth of his heart to speak clearly and musically, the voice will respond to his desire, for if he truly desires, he will neglect no means of attainment. A PRACTICAL STUDY When you stop to consider that you use your voice every day of your life-almost every hour-that all the knowledge you possess must be expressed chiefly through your speaking voice; that all the lessons you have learned; all the experiences you have gained through the years, must be imparted to your fellowman through the medium of the speaking voice, you begin to see what an intensely practical thing it is. We fail to realize the power of the human voice to build up or to destroy. Every day business is lost and business is won just by the tone of the voice. Friends are lost and friends are won just by the modu lation of the speaking voice. We cannot estimate the effect of the voice upon others around us in our daily business intercourse. THE POSITIVE TONE In our study of the speaking voice, certain things are of paramount importance. To the business man perhaps the most important thing to develop is the positive tone. This assuring quality in the voice wins confidence and wins business. It speaks with certainty. It drives away doubt and disarms skepticism. It inspires faith in the man and his business, and carries conviction. It is always constructive and upbuilding. Best of all it does all this indirectly, without argument or antagonism. The very vibration of the positive tone quality in such a voice is a powerful and potent suggestion to the mind of the one who listens. Unconsciously, he is influenced to believe and to act. It has often been said that the quality of a salesman's voice sells more goods than his arguments. On the other hand, the negative tone quality breeds distrust and creates doubt. It is always depressing and destructive-negative in all its results. It suggests to the listener timidity and uncertainty, and he doubts the stability and reliability of both the man who speaks and his business. Strike the negative keynote and you get negative destructive results. Some years ago I heard John B. Demotte give a remarkable demonstration of tone values, in his famous lecture on the "Harp of the Senses." He demonstrated the difference between vocal harmony and discord by means of highly sensitized plates scien |