ning through the Table in two groups, of eight sounds each, with an inhaling pause between. Then, the whole sixteen. vowels once or more in a single breath, each element sharp and brisk.

c. Vary the inflection:-All rising; all falling; alternating, -sometimes down, up, sometimes up, down; four up, four down, etc.

d. Keeping the vowel impulses clear, sharp, light, and brief, begin at low or middle pitch, and rise by small steps, sound by sound, so as to make a gradually ascending progression. Let each sound be spoken, not sung. Let all the inflections be sometimes rising, sometimes falling.

Beginning at the terminal pitch of the d progression, descend step by step, as evenly as possible. Give this progression the inflectional contrasts, as in d.

f. Make one exercise of d and e. This exercise should be freely practiced every day, as long as you live. It gives life, crispness, and sparkle to enunciation, flexibility to the voice, discrimination to the ear; and it is a sovereign remedy for drawl.

STRONG EXPLOSIVE PRACTICE NOT INJURIous.

By some authorities, the practice of vocal explosion has been condemned as injurious. Bronson says (Principles of Elocution, p. 26):

The difference between expulsion and explosion is. that the latter calls into use, principally, the lungs, or thorax, that is, the effort is made too much above the diaphragm; the former requires the combined action of the muscles below the midriff. This is favorable to voice and health; that is deleterious, generally, to both. Many a one has injured his voice by this unnatural process, and others have exploded their health, and some their life; beware of it.

When properly graduated and regularly practiced, explosion is not only a wonderful voice builder, but is as healthful as any other vocal exercise. On page 16 is another quotation from Bronson, in explanation of the proper action of the breathing muscles in explosive utterance. Two paragraphs so opposed to each other should not have emanated from the same writer.

The direct-attack exercises already given, faithfully followed, should soon secure you easy, prompt, elastic action of the vocal bands. Remembering that irritation and injury are the result of forcing the breath between the imperfectly separated bands; that instant and complete release is as vitally important as the clutch itself:-practice, as in 'a. The Stroke, with Voice,' p. 51, but from day to day increasing, very gradually, in force and volume.

If your throat is delicate or your lungs are weak, to begin explosive practice with violent effort would invite disaster, perhaps imperil health, or even life. If, however, you slowly increase the vigor of your exercise; as you gain in facility and sleight, you will soon rejoice to perceive that the growing resonance and beauty of your voice are the audible index of your consciously improving health. A favorite maxim of Mr. Murdoch's was, 'Take hold of the cold end of the poker, and you won't burn your fingers.'

The firmness of the clutch and the degree of breath compression are to be carefully proportioned to the intended. force and abruptness of the explosion. The real effort of explosive utterance properly lies in the preliminary clutch and compression; the explosion itself is, or should be, due to relaxation the entire cessation of effort, so far as the throat. is concerned. After the clutch and compression, Let Go! No matter how loud and abrupt the shock of explosion,—if

you,

a. Open the glottis completely at the moment of utterance; and,

b. Use only the breath that is compressed in the larynx,—no injury can follow. But!-begin with light force, and gradually increase, until your maximum for the time being is reached. Make this the rule, not only in your general scheme of practice, but in each separate period, long or short. Always start with light, suppling work.

If you try to produce explosion 'by main strength', and hold, or only partially open, the clutch, pain, hoarseness, and at length permanent injury must result. If breath escapes, or is forced, from the chest, in addition to that compressed in the larynx, the tone is impure, and the throat and lungs are speedily irritated.

The same breathing muscles are employed in explosion and expulsion.

Practice carefully, cheerfully, and regularly, until, in good time, you can explode the tonics with startling, stunning abruptness and utmost force, without the slightest symptom of irritation. Skill is better than strength here; and your vocal power grows as your skill increases.

Regular, graduated, and long continued practice of strong explosive utterance renders the voice vibrant and powerful. If too exclusively used, however, the resonance will become hard and metallic, and the habitual syllabic form dogmatic and repellent; and the preventive is, to intermingle liberal practice of the mellow and meliorating effusive and expulsive exercises.

The Second.

EXPLOSION, WITH INFLECTION.

Practice clear, light explosion, with the rising slide of the second; that is, with the very slight direct rise of simple continuation, with no emphasis.

Group in fours, in eights, in sixteens; letting the voice 'fall' at the end of each group, as at a full stop, but without

emphasis. The closing tonic of each group will so receive the falling concrete of the second. Repeat, until your ear clearly recognizes the difference between the rising and the falling second,-not an easy task for the average student. Then practice the falling second on all the tonics.

Vary the exercise:-Give each tonic, rising, falling; falling, rising; alternate by twos,-two rising, two failing; two falling, two rising, etc. Do not let the slides become emphatic.

The Third.

Practice the slide of the third, rising and falling, on the tonics. The radical (vowel opening) should be clear and sharp, but light and elastic.

If you are ignorant of music, and have not a musical ear, or even if you are an accomplished musician, learn to recognize the intervals by their meaning,-their expressive or inexpressive value. That, for the purposes of speech, is far more important than their musical measurement.

The simple slide of the second, rising and falling, is the only inexpressive vocal inflection, and its character and purpose cannot be too carefully and thoroughly recognized and understood.

The rise of the third, heard alone, is the vocal sign of simple inquiry. To learn it, make each tonic the subject of a direct question for information; as,

Is it a? Is it ä? Is it a? Is it ǎ? Is it ē?

Do not allow your voice to suggest earnestness, eagerness, surprise, anxiety, or any other emotional motive; stop at simple inquiry.

The falling third asserts, answers positively, or points out. In unimpassioned speech, it is the index-finger of the voice,

its principal office being to designate that word of a group on which the meaning turns. Make each tonic the subject of distinct, separate, matter-of-fact affirmation, and the third will be traversed downward.

The scope of emphasis covered by the simple rise and fall of the third is purely intellectual; it has no emotional value.

"THE CONTINUATIVE HOOK.'

In practicing a series of falling inflections, there is a natural tendency to finish all but the last one with 'the continuative hook'; that is, with a vanishing upward turn of a second or third, anticipating the next sound. Practice the falling third, both with and without the hook, in the full knowledge of what you are doing vocally, and intend to do.

To make a clean, straight, unwavering falling slide, mentally isolate each sound, and make it the last; let the ear expect and watch for the vocal sign of completeness, of finality; which is an undeviating downward intonation. To secure the 'hook' effect, name each vowel assertively, but with the vocal intimation at the vanish that something important awaits immediate announcement. Make a short pause after each sound, during which study the linking, continuative value of the 'hook' termination.

Mr. Murdoch says, 'Analytic Elocution,' p. 61:

It will be found that the upward movement of the radical and vanish is much more easy of execution than the downward. Much practice, therefore, should be given to the latter, observing the efficiency of the moderately forcible radical in giving directness and positiveness to the prolonged descent of the voice. To be able to carry the long downward concretes (fourths, fifths, and octaves,) through their wide extent of interval, with a proper degree of firmness, equable diminution, and delicate extinction of sound, is one of the most difficult