□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ I □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ [ Volume 2 5 Number 1 O ctober 1920 The Normal School Herald Better English Number Cumberland Valley State Normal School Shippensburg, Pennsylvania □□□□□□□□□□□□□nnnnnnnnnn 2 THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ___________________________ 3 Editorial _______ _____ J L _____________ > What Are You Doing fo r Better English? ______________________ : 4 Announcement _________ __________ ._____________________;________ 6 What One Small High School Did fo r Better E n g lis h ________ ___6 The C o n flic t___________ _____ ____________________________________ 8 Better English in the Rural S c h o o l____________________________ _ Better English S o n g ___________________ 8 10 Appropriate Slogans to Use During Better Speech W e e k _______ _ 11 Better American Voices _________________________________________ . 11 Better Speech Y e l l s ____!______________________________ 15 Better High School P la y s __________________________________ _____ 15 List o f Suitable Plays fo r High S ch o o ls__________________________20 Varied Verses o f Various V e r s io n s ___ .__________________________ 22 Scattered Suggestions fo r Posters _________________.______________ 22 A Pledge fo r C h ild re n _______ __________'_________________________ 23 Principal’s Letter to the Alumni J M t _____________^ _____________ 23 Meetings o f County and City Alumni A ssocia tion s_______________ 25 The New Normal Course in Operation _||___________________ _____ 26 New Teachers at Normal _________ -_■____________________________ 28 Reunions of the Classes o f 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1 9 1 1 _____________28 Deaths _______ _______________________________________,______________ 29 Weddings _________________________________________________________ 29 Births, ________ :__________________________________________________ 30 Alumni P erso n a ls______________________________ 31 Normal Literary S o c ie t y _____ ____________________________ 33 Philomathean Literary S o c ie t y ____________________________________ 34 Normal Glee C lu b ____________________________ 34 Philo Glee Club ___________ .U___ .________________________________34 Y. M. C. A. - - ® W _____________________ - _______________________ 35 Y. W . C. A . _____ „ ____________ __________________________________ 35 Press C l u b ______ -.i______________________________________________ 36 The Students’ L e a g u e ___________________ .____ __________________ 36 Orchestra ______________________ 37 Girls’ Athletic A s s o c ia tio n _________________ :________ ____________38 Girls’ Choral Society ________________ 38 Sock and Buskin Club _L-_______________ c-.__________________ ______ 38 Day Student Boys’ A ssocia tion __________ :_______ ___ __■______ ____ 39 Day Student Girls’ Association _._________________ ;_______________ 39 Alma Mater ___________ 40 The Normal School Herald P U B L IS H E D OC TO B E R, JA N U A R Y , A P R IL A N D JU LY S H IP P E N S B U R G , P A . E n tered as S econd C lass M a tter a t th e P ost Office, S hippen sburg, Pa. M. M A R G A R E T S T R O H ........................... E d ito r E L I Z A B E T H C L E V E R .........A ssista n t E d ito r M Y R T L E M A Y B E R R Y ......... A ssista n t E d ito r I D A B. Q U IG L E Y , '7 7 . . . . . .P e r so n a l E d ito r J. S. H E IG E S , '9 1 ..................B usin ess M a n a ger S u b scrip tion p rice, 25 cen ts p er y e a rly s tr ic tly in a d v a n ce. S in gle cop ies, 10 cen ts ea ch . A d d ress all com m u n ica tion s to T H E N O R M A L S CH O O L H E R A L D , S h ip ­ pensbu rg, P a . A lu m n i an d fo rm e r m em b ers o f th e s ch o o l w ill fa v o r us b y sen d ­ in g a n y item s th a t th e y th in k w ou ld be in terestin g fo r p u b lica tio n . Vol. XXV . OCTOBER, 1920. No. 1. EDITORIAL In this issue o f THE HERALD we attempt to strike a new note significant o f the almost revolutionary changes that have overtaken us in education in the past few years. W e believe in the Normal School and its magnificent possibilities fo r development, and in its prerogative to be a real factor in the life o f the communities thru which its influence extends. W e have sincerely felt that THE HERALD, the official organ o f the school, has not fulfilled its high mission as we should like it to do but now conditions have made it possible to change the policy of the paper so as to include a type o f material which we hope will be genuinely serviceable to the hun­ dreds o f teachers who make up the great majority o f our readers. It is our ambition not only to make the paper a suitable vehicle of the school news in which many o f our teachers are interested, but an eloquent mouthpiece o f new thought in educational problems, and a medium fo r the inter-change of helpful, constructive ideas on the most worth while ways o f teaching. We know o f no school journal that has so adequately met the needs o f teachers as the unassming little magazine called TEACH­ ING, published by the State Normal School at Emporia, Kansas. It has not only been a remarkable factor in contributing to the prestige o f its own school, but it has been able to function in a unique way in the teaching o f thousands o f men and women all over the land. In a modest way we are attempting to function in the teaching o f our readers. W e are animated by the ideal o f service to you, but you can be just as serviceable to us. Will you help us ? 4 THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD W e should appreciate an expression o f your ideas o f the things a good school journal ought to include. Don’ t hesitate to tell us the things you know your fellow teachers would like to have discussed. W e shall appreciate your suggestions. Beginning with the next is­ sue, a Round Table will be instituted and we invite all our readers to be contributors. Bring us your problems. I f we are unable to help you solve them, perhaps we can direct you to some one who W ILL be of assistance. Perhaps from your experience you have evolved some new devices which you have found superior to time worn ones. Share them with your fellows. We shall be glad to publish them. Each issue of THE HERALD will aim to function in some spe­ cific way; We have devoted this issue to Better Speech, and to an exposition o f the plans fo r our campaign in Better Speech and sug­ gestions which you may find valuable in a similar campaign. In the near future we hope to have numbers devoted to the problems o f Science, to the specific problems o f the Rural School, to the work o f the Training School, to the problems peculiar to the small school in the small town,— in short, to any phase or department, o f work Which you and we feel will be distinctly serviceable to those who read our columns. I f you like our plan and this initial number, tell OTHERS! I f not, tell US! WHAT ABE YOU DOING FOR BETTER ENGLISH? Far as the farthest praises sweep, Where mountain wastes the sense appall, Where beams the radiant Western fall, One duty lies on old and young— With filial piety to guard As on its greenest nature sward, The glory o f the English tongue. That ample spe'ech, that subtle speech! A pt fo r the need o f all and each; Strong to endure, yet prompt to bend Wherever human feelings tend. So keep it pure; expand its powers; And through the maze o f civil life, In letters, commerce or in strife, Forget not it is yours and ours. In these lines Lord Houghton, a good friend o f the American people, bespoke our aid in upholding the dignity and character o f our mutual language. Mark Twain spoke more truly than he seemed to speak when he declared that “ the English language is ‘the King’s English’ no longer; it has gone into the hands o f a company and a m ajority o f the stock is on our side o f the Atlantic.” American THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD 5 English has acquired American characteristics, stamped with the unique and inimitable impress o f the American people; it has be­ come a part o f our American life! Stately, mobile and beautiful is this language o f our democracy but how sadly distorted and abused! It ought to be the compelling first duty o f every teacher to impress upon the youth o f our land, the fa ct that the worthy use o f the language is a matter o f patriotic pride, and that all o f us must co­ operate to maintain its inherent stateliness and distinction. In the last two or three years we have beheld a slowly awak­ ening consciousness on the part o f many agencies to the fact that something salutary must be done to beget some sort o f speech con­ sciousness among the young people in our schools. Last year, fo r the first time, in many schools in the land, in response to an appeal sent out by the National Council o f the Teachers o f English, a con­ certed drive fo r better American speech was made during the first week in November. Previous to that time, similar drives on a smaller scale were begun successfully in a number o f schools, but the first united effort was made last year. This year the first week o f November ( 1-8) has been officially designated as the time fo r the specific campaign fo r better English. W e expect to make the hardest drive fo r better English in this school that we have ever attempted and although we can only anticipate as far as results are concerned, we wish to make you cognizant o f our plans in the hope that you will join us in this na­ tional campaign. I f you can not form ulate-your plans fo r the first week in November then by all means have it later but do enter into the spirit of this awakening to the need o f a finer, better spoken, better written language than we have ever possessed. Committees o f the Faculty from every department of the school are to be suplemented by -student committees. The art department is cooperating splendidly in making suggestive posters and a prize of$5.00 is to be awarded the designer o f the best poster. In each room a particular slogan, of the type suggested elsewhere in this article, will be used. Contests o f various kinds, spelling, pronuncia­ tion, story telling, extempore speaking, essay and debating will be used by individual teachers. The survivors of - the class room spell­ ing matches will pit themselves against each other in a final spell­ ing match. A pronunciation contest open to all the school will be 'held in one evening. The words will be written on a roll o f adding machine paper and thrown on a screen by means of a moving pic­ ture machine or reflectograph. Two essay contests open to two groups, Junior-Seniors, and Freshman-Sophomore groups will stimu­ late thought on “ Why I Should Use Good E nglish?” A prize o f $5.00 to the respective winners o f these contests will be given. W e shall use as school, songs several very attractive parodies o f popular melodies, and Yes! even some school yells! One o f our teachers is 6 THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD particularly skillful in writing parodies o f well known rhymes and shore poems and we are making use o f these. The public speaking classes are planning and constructing the pageant fo r the close o f the week and the Sock and Buskin Club, through several appointed committees, will take charge of the staging and costuming. A tag day, during which we shall use one type o f tags, probably bearing the inscription “ Use your speech fo r service” will be observed. The culprit, when detected will be obliged to wear a tag with his error written on it and special detectives will watch fo r the offenders. The trials o f the offenders fo r breaking the Laws o f Good English will be held later in the week in the English classes'. Known de­ tectives selected from the classes will work on unknown days and unknown detectives will work on announced days. In some classes pupils will respond to the roll call with appropriate quotations and drills on homonyms and synonyms will mark the beginning o f the class work. Business men o f note will give chapel talks on the need o f bet­ ter business English. We shall have a bonfire at the conclusion o f the pagent and bury Bad English. Puerile and spectacular, you say! Perhaps, hut these devices stimulate and impress the adolescent mind as no amount o f drill and formula will do. W e are striving to impress our students with the fa ct that our language is an illustrious heritage, a precious pos­ session to be handed down fa r better than we found it, one language fo one country and one flag! ANNOUNCEMENT! In order to stimulate interest in this campaign we are offering a prize of five dollars to the student in any school who submits the best essay on the subject, “ W hy I Should Use Good English.” The follow ing conditions will obtain,-|S|™ 1. Not more than one essay my be submitted from any -school. 2. Essays must be 500 words in length and not more than 800 words. 8. Contestants must be entered in seventh grade or any grade above. 4. All essays must he entered not later than Dec. 15, 1920. The staff of THE HERALD will act as judges and the an­ nouncement o f the prize winner will be made in the next issue. WHAT ONE SMALL HIGH SCHOOL DID FOR BETTER ENGLISH Several years ago, while the war was in progress and the spirit o f combat was very prevalent, I decided that in my High School THE NORMAL SCHOOL HER ALT) 7 English classes there should be a conflict waged against incorrect expressions. In order to locate our enemies it was necessary first o f all to plan a campaign. Each o f the English classes was divided into two groups. Each group chose a captain who sought to keep the pupils o f his side alert in finding such enemies as “ had went,” “ ain’t,” “he don’t,” “ the girl, she” and many others which were found entrench­ ed in the pupils o f the opposite side. Every pupil was armed, not with sword and gun, but with notebook and pencil. Every error a® well as the name or initials o f the pupil who made it, was tabu­ lated. This campaign lasted two weeks. No attack upon field o f bat­ tle was ever made with greater zeal than that which was displayed by these contestants, fo r you see each side was endeavoring to locate the greatest number o f enemies. The spirit of conquest rose to such height that one day during the noon hour, one o f our boys, who committed crime upon crime against Correct Expression, sought refuge from his opponents by locking himself in the Directors Room. But even there he was besieged through the key hole. On the day preceding the final round-up o f forces, I announced to my classes that on the following afternoon which was Friday, each pupil should have the errors, which were tabulated in his notebook, written upon separate slips o f paper, with the pupils names attached. I supplied myself with a sheet o f pins and on Friday afternoon when the hour o f two-thirty arrived, the total o f errors was reported by the Senior captain o f each side and then the fun began. Every pupil tagged every one o f his opponents with every incorrect ex­ pression he had uttered during those two weeks, either in the school room or on the play ground. I wish you might have seen some o f our worst offenders who were literally plastered, back and front. I laugh even now as I think o f one o f the boys who was not as good a sport as the others, when viewing his elaborate decorations, he with lower lip much projected exclaimed, “ Tain’t fair, so it ain’t.” Immediately two more tags were pinned to his trousers, one on each leg, fo r his coat was covered. When the tagging was done and the pupils had finished reading one another up the back, they were ask­ ed to untag, each one keeping the tags he took off. On Monday these were brought to class and discussed. Dis­ putes as to whether certain expressions really were incorrect or not were settled. Our worst enemies were placed upon the blackboard. A fter that our aim was to vanquish the foe. During recitations whenever one o f these errors was corrected by a classmate, a small dot was placed upon that particular error on the board but when the individual corrected his own error a large dot was placed upon it. Thus we sought to kill these enemies o f correct expression. “ Did you really do th a t?” I hear some one ask. No, not all o f them 8 THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD were dead when school dosed that year, but many o f them were very badly wounded. That effort wais worth while fo r through it those boys and girls became consdous o f their errors. And when speech consciousness is secured the first victory7 fo r Better English ‘h as been won, M YRTLE M AYBERRY. THE CONFLICT (W ith apologies to Eugene Field). I AM and I A IN ’T with CAN and KIN Sat side by side and fought with vim. F or years and years the fight was on, But neither had yet the conflict won. ’Till in every school a week was observed, T o improve our language, both sentence and word. And now, I am very glad to relate, That KIN disappeared and we lost I A IN ’T. E. E. C. I W ILL if I CAN and I CAN if I WILL. These are the terms I would like to instil In the mind and heart o f each girl and boy, Who is striving so hard in speech to employ Better English at school, at home, and at play. And I really believe it is going to pay To work and to strive and to say with a will I W ILL if I CAN and I CAN if I WILL. E. E. C. BETTER ENGLISH IN THE RURAL SCHOOL Not long ago a distinguished Englishman, who had travelled widely in America, remarked that English was apparently the only language never spoken in the United States. He continued, “ I find that the Bostonian manages, after a fashion, to understand the New Yorker or even the Californian, since all speak the universal lan­ guage— slang— but none o f them presumes to understand the speech o f the man and woman from the rural sections, whose speech is a jumble o f localisms, decayed and forgotten slang and mispronounciations o f words never apprehended by those Who use them.” This characterization of the speech 0f our rural districts, is, o f course, unfair fo r there are many men and women fa r removed from the centers o f population who speak the speech o f Shakespeare and Milton as correctly as do their English country cousins. Unfortun- THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD 9 ately, however, there is too much truth in the charge that the speech o f many otherwise excellent men and women is a hodge­ podge o f solecisms and other defects. The writer has had opportunity to study at first hand the lan­ guage o f our rural communities. As a country boy he attended the ungraded one room school and later taught in the same type o f school. From this experience he is led to the conclusion that the speech situation of the average rural community may be considered under the follow ing heads: Poverty o f vocabulary, Misuse o f common words, Mispronunication o f many ordinary words, Use o f ungrammatical forms. It is o f course impossible to determine definitely the vocabulary o f a fam ily no member o f which has gone beyond the rural school, but experiments show that the working vocabulary o f the boy and the girl brought up under such conditions is not likely to exceed 500 words. I f we deduct from this list the occupational and house­ hold terms the literary remainder is likely to be about 300, as against the 750 or 800 o f the urban boy o r girl. A natural result o f this poverty o f speech is the misuse o f many words. “ Quite” is made to do duty fo r “ almost” , “ slightly” , “ large” and “ small” ; “ nice” assumes the duties o f “ pleasant” , “ enjoyable” “ proper” , “ good” , “ healthy” , “ beautiful” , etc. Colloquialisms, headed by “ aint” , which, like many a human nondescript, is a Jack o f all trades doing many things without doing anything well, abound in every rural section. I f to these colloqui­ alisms we join the glaringly incorrect pronunciations o f many simple words we have a condition that may indeed cause the stout­ est hearted teacher to dispair in his crusade fo r better English. But the worst is still to come:— the constant violation o f t he canons o f grammar and rhetoric. Plural subjects are paired with singular verbs; case, especially in the use o f pronouns, is absolute­ ly disregarded and me, him, her and us exchange places with I, he, she and we, and you’uns and_we’uns are not required to apologize for appearing in the best society. This, then, is the .situation in practically every rural school What can the teacher do to secure even reasonably correct English expression ? ^ Clearly the teaching o f technical English Grammar will be o f little i f any value, since it is not a question primarily o f knowledge but o f habit. Here as elsewhere there can be no such thing as a generalized habit. W e must form specific habits o f speech such as “ It is I, he, she, they” ; “ He has gone, has seen” , etc. But it is not enough to set definite speech habits as a desir­ able goal before .students. W e must make correct English expres­ sion a thing to be desired,— to be sought after. This is the hardest problem for the teacher. Pupils, especially boys, have a tendency 10 THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD to regard correct speech as affected and effeminate. The teacher must overcome this prejudice first by using correct but live, vital, idiomatic English herself— such English as Stevenson used— such English as is found in stories in the best magazines. She must be able to make her own speech so attractive that her pupils will de­ sire unconsciously to emulate her. This, however, is but the first, though necessary, step in a campaign fo r better English. The pupil must bo made conscious of speech defects. Games o f various kinds, contests, such as those described by Miss Mayberry in this number o f THE HERALD, must, have a place in the school. Incorrect ex­ pressions may be designated as “ Rascals” that ought to be shut up in jail. Then let the pupils be policemen or hunters fo r these “ ras­ cals,” who are constantly slipping into the speech o f the pupils. They must be hunted down and captured and put into a prison, drawn on the school black board. The person making the arrest must be able to tell in whose speech the culprit was found. Twice a day there is a round-up o f the culprits and if it is found that a large number o f them were caught in the speech o f John Smith the teacher will probably remark that these rogues must think “ that John is rather easy going”— the temptation to say “ easy” can hard­ ly be resisted. These and other similar devices will be found help­ ful in the good speech crusade in the rural schools. The purist will object that such methods are puerile and childish, but the writer’s experience convinces him that the use of any meth­ od that will make the pupil conscious o f his errors, and at the same time lead him to desire to improve his speech, is to be regarded with approval. EZRA LEHMAN. BETTER ENGLISH SONG Tune— Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, etc. 1. W e are working day by day W e must guard whate’er we say For we owe it to our dear old Mother Tongue. She must never ruined be By such things as “ Kin I see Them nice little kodac pictures that you bru n g?” Chorus:— Hark, work, work fo r Better English Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, too Let us speak what we do know And to those around us show That we’re working hard fo r Better English Speech. THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD 2. 11 Better English, let us eheer, Better English, may we hear, Each one strive correct expression to attain. You are not to say “ had came,” I f you do, ’twill be a shame, And our Better English Week will be in vain. M YRTLE MAYBERRY. APPROPRIATE SLOGANS TO USE DURING THE BETTER SPEECH WEEK ENLIST IN THE AM ERICAN SPEEH ARM Y! GOOD ENGLISH IS A GOOD TONIC, USE IT! USE GOOD ENGLISH. THERE’S A REASON! SPEAK GOOD ENGLISH AND YOUR ENGLISH W ILL SPEAK FOR YOU. BE AN AM ERICAN AND SPEAK CORRECT ENGLISH. A FREE COUNTRY! A POW ERFUL LANGUAGE! A UNITED NATION FOR ENUNCIATION! UNITED IN SPEECH! USE YOUR SPEECH FOR SERVICE. BETTER AMERICAN VOICES Life is an adventure entirely worthy of the superlative. It must have no shabby modesty of purpose. Modesty -in this respect be comes laziness. It is the prerogative o f each o f us to strive to de­ velop the most beautiful body, the most accomplished mind, the most reverent spirit, the most ideal relations with our fellow ’men. Then why not the finest voice, most beautifully attuned and modulat­ ed,— a fit medium fo r the expression of the finest and best within u s? The human voice is the most exquisitely built and finely modu­ lated instrument in the world,— and the most abused! “ A good voice has charm in speech and song, often times o f itself enchaining attention,” It is the chief medium o f expression capable o f conveying all shades o f thought with exquisite delicacy,’ whether it be in conversation, reading aloud or speaking more form ­ ally. While a good voice is not indispensable, it is a decided asset. How often have our nerves and sensibilities been harrowed by a voice that, while it may have been endeavoring to express the most beautiful sentiments in the world, seemed an unworthy vehicle be­ cause it was harsh and disagreeable, nasal or throaty, hoarse or weak. A good voice is not altogether a freak o f nature. It is very largely a matter o f continued practice and labor. We Americans have been charged with possessing and using the most unpleasant speaking voices in the world. It has become a 12 THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD matter o f national reproach. We have been so engrossed in our material achievments in shouting the price o f pork from New York to Chicago over the telephone that we have failed to note that the modern man’s voice has become squeaky and thin. We have gone with such speed on so many o f our unworthy modern errands that we have failed to hear the increasingly raucous note o f the voices in which we proclaim our errands and our achievments. Have you ever noted that the lovely speech and voice o f little children are often quite spoiled during the first few years in school? There is a general prevalence o f the “ public school voice,” and the voices o f both teachers and pupils are noticeably shrill, unpleasant, and harsh. Have you ever asked yourself, “ What kind o f voice have I ? ” Is it throaty, hollow, or breathy? Is it too high pitched or too low ? I f it be disagreeable or harsh, can anything be done to remedy P ? Certainly, something can be done fo r it. Just as we have gymnastics to strengthen the back or develop the chest, so there are gymnastics that will strengthen the voice. But,just as in all gymnastics, there must be systematic and continu­ ed practice before results will follow. We do not sufficiently under­ stand and appreciate what this means. We realize it in a singer’s voice but we do not appreciate the fact that patient training is in­ dispensable to the speaker’s voice. Not all o f us aspire to the pub­ lic platform, but is that any reason why we should not possess well trained, pleasant speaking voices, fit mediums fo r the expression o f our every day thoughts and emotions? Ask yourself, “ Am I mak­ ing the best use o f my v o ice ?” In other words, “ What bad habits o f speech do I possess and how is it possible to form better habits in their stead?” Perhaps you have years o f bad habits to overcome, but by persistency and practice o f some very simple vocal gymnastics, the new habit becomes easier and easier until what was at first a conscious painful effort becomes a new habit. It is entirely possible to form new habits o f speech which will become as much a part o f your individuality as the old, faulty ones. It is unnecessary to treat in any detailed Way the anatomy and physiology o f the vocal organs. W e all know the process o f voice production,— how the column o f air coming from the lungs through the trachea is arrested in the larynx by the vocal cords and convert­ ed into sound by the vibration o f these same cords. Various posi­ tions of the throat and mouth cavity convert this sound into vowels and by means o f sundry other modifications and interruptions o f the teeth, tongue, lips, and palate, the consonants are formed. The various combinations o f these vowels and consonants form our spok­ en language. All bur scientists tell us that man’s vitality is measured by his lung capacity. There are more faulty habits o f speech due to im­ perfect breath control and an inadequate breath supply than to any other one thing. Breath is the stuff o f which voice is made. To THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD 13 produce a tone, we must have breath coming from the lungs and to produce a strong tone we must have a sufficient volume o f air. To produce a sustained tone, we must have a sufficient quantity o f air stored in the lungs. In ordinary breathing, when we are conversing, we inhale and exhale slowly and regularly a constant stream o f air going to and from the lungs. In speaking, however, we inhale quickly and exhale slowly, converting the exhalations into sound. We must learn to perform these functions properly. How often we hear speakers gasp fo r breath at the beginning o f a sentence and perhaps very audibly breathe out a supply o f air at the end. Or they inhale with a loud gasp at the beginning o f a sentence as tho they had just come up from the surface o f the water, swallow the sentence, as it were, and bang out the first few sentences loud enough to split the rafters, and then subside in another gasp. They get out o f breath and run down like a clock that needs winding. This suggests the need o f breath quantity and breath control. First, let us consider quantity. There are three different types o f breathing employed. The clavicular or collar bone method o f breathing, necessitated sometimes by disease, always by tight lacing, is as had for the voice as it is fo r the health. To use only the up­ per part o f the conical shaped chest requires frequent respiration. By this method we get the smallest supply o f air at the greatest expense o f strength. Furthermore this tends to create an effort to control the breath in the throat. It tends to make the breath come m spurts and this causes a wheezy tone. The affection commonly known as clergyman’s sore throat is due to this type o f breathing because o f the strained position o f the vocal cords. The second method extends the lower and floating ribs side­ ways, It only fills the middle portion o f the lungs and should be employed only in conjunction with the abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing. The diaphragm contracts and moves downward while at the same time the abdominal muscles expand the lower part o f the chest laterally and thus a larger space fo r the air to enter is creat­ ed. The muscles that control respiration are partly voluntary and partly involuntary, but by a little conscious attention we can learn to use them^ properly. By standing erect and placing the hands above the hips and pressing firmly, you can soon discover whether you are using the muscles you should be bringing into play. Think about filling the lower part o f the lungs and the rib breathing will take care o f itself. Watch yourself when standing or reclining. Furthermore, we often have occasion to control the voice with the action o f the diaphragm, and if we are breathing properly we have a reserve supply o f air ready fo r the emergency. The lungs m ay be said to occupy the one end o f the machinery o f voice pro­ duction and the mouth the other. Now it is obvious that if we de­ sire to get a full pure tone we must open the mouth and let the sound out. W e constantly disregard this principle in both conversa- 14 THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD tion and more formal speech. “ We cramp the throat muscles and swallow the sound. We mumble. W e send the sound wholly part­ ly through the nose.' W e roll the tongue around and obstruct the sound. W e close the jaw and bite o f the sound. We close the lips and sputter.” A pure tone is one that comes from the vocal cords unvaried and unobstructed. I f you are inclined to do any o f these things, you ought to practice some simple breathing and breath control exercises. Inhale quickly and exhale slowly, using the diphraghm. Repeat several times. Inhale quickly and exhale slowly, vocalizing the sound of O as tho dislodging something from the throat. In the same manner vocalize the sounds o f AW -OH -AW . Cultivate a muscular consciousness by breathing deeply and making sure that the diaphragm is working, when lying on the back or walking. Cultivate a muscular control by breathing 'deeply, and counting 10-20-30-etc., as long as the breath supply will hold out. Take a deep breath and read as many lines of Southey’s “ Cataract o f Lodore” as you can without exhalation. Do not overdo in the matter of such exercises. Five minutes at a time is plenty, but if you find any o f these exercises helps your particular fault, keep at it until you have secured results. The most flagrant fault o f our American speech is our miser­ able enunciation. The test o f any person’s speech is not only to be heard but to make the hearer wish to hear. Loudness alone will merely serve to accentuate poor enunciation. I f there is a lisp, learn to get control o f the tip o f the tongue, and keep it from contact with the upper teeth in giving S sounds. I f the tongue is too large for the mouth or if the lower jaw protudes, or if you habitually bite words off, or whistle the S sounds, practice correcting it and keep at it until the fault is overcome. Some of the old time worn exercises in alliterative combinations in B, P, S, T, D, etc., still re­ tain all their old virtue, if they are properly and consistently used. As there is a range in which one can sing so there is a range in which one can speak most easily and effectively fo r the greatest length of time. Many o f our American people have accustomed themselves to speaking in the highest or lowest note o f the key range rather than in the medium range. Variety o f tone, ease, and strength depend on using the middle or average pitch o f the voice and having a common point above or below which the voice is allowed to play. It is a good thing to find the key o f your voice by using a musical instrument and trying different notes, rolling out the voice as if speaking to it, talking, if you please, as if coming from the diaphragm. Watch yourself in conversation and do not allow the voice to rise to a high, constrained pitch. I f our American teach­ ers could only realize what the average school room voice sounds like to an outsider, they would vow to will their voices down and keep them down. Every room has a key o f its own which will augment some THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD 15 sounds and confuse others. This is dependent on the size o f the room and the acoustic properties. This key, or overtone, the ex­ perienced speaker soon learns to detect and it would be well if all our teachers felt it incumbent upon them to learn the key o f the room in which they teach and to adjust the modulations o f the voice accordingly. We might rid ourselves o f some o f the high pitched, raucous, strained speech, unpleasant alike to speaker and hearers^ A good voice should be clear, full, deep, resonant, well modulat­ ed, sympathetic and durable. A voice should be a fit medium fo r the expression o f all shades o f thought and feeling, a divine instru­ ment, played upon more delicately than a harpH-many stringed and changeful. “ Capable o f sounds as sweet and penetrating as the echoes lingering about the soul long after their lips have ceased speaking to us,— some voices will echo on forever.” M. M ARGARET STROH. BETTER SPEECH YELLS BETTER SPEECH IS IN THE REACH OF ALL. OF EACH. BETTER SPEECH! BETTER SPEECH! BETTER SPEECH! W E NEED BETTER ENGLISH. W H ERE? EVERYW HERE! WHO NEEDS BETTER ENGLISH? EVERYBODY! ENGLISH W EEK ! ENGLISH W EEK! ENGLISH W EEK! LET US A LL W ORK AND PREACH FOR BETTER SPEECH! BETTER SPEECH! BETTER SPEECH! BETTER HIGH SCHOOL PLAYS From so many o f our teachers have come requests fo r informa­ concerning the selecting and staging o f high school plays, fo r in the many things that go to make up a successful presenta­ o f a play, that I have felt some specific information with refer­ to sources o f material might be o f service. Many o f our teachers have been unwittingly forced into the position of dramatic directors without having had the advantage o f any technical training. Consequently it is not surprising that they are often much diseonecrted when face to face with staging a high tion help tion ence 16 THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD school play, with little or no knowledge o f plays, scenery, make up, publishing houses fo r plays, and a dozen other things that the dram­ atic coach ought to know. It will be the purpose o f this article to furnish some very general information which from my observations