,illustration3 image of the book's cover
     ,,seed ,,thoughts ,,for ,,singers4 
,,by  ,,frank ,,herbert ,,tubbs1        
,musical ,director1 ,new ,york ,vocal   
,institute4  ,illustration3 colophon    
,,new ,,york1  ,,frank ,h4 ,,tubbs1 #aba
 ,,west #db;,d ,,street4 #ahig4         
,copyright1 #ahig1 ,frank ,h4 ,tubbs4   
,,preface4   ,there are times when one  
feels that he must turn from himself and
 receive suggestion1 if not direct      
instruction1 from some one else4        
,originating thought is more difficult  
than is the taking of other thought4 ,by
 delving below the thought received we  
learn to originate4 ,it is not          
necessarily an admission of weakness1   
that we turn to another1 for busy life  
uses up our mental energy and throws us 
into mental inactivity4 ,it is at such  
times that we turn to books and         
teachers4  ,thought is a substance      
which1 as such1 is only in our day being
 fully investigated4 ,it is the         
expression of an idea and is the direct 

cause of all action4 ,the slightest     
movement is made possible only through  
thought on perceived or unconscious     
mental activity4 ,the more thoroughly   
directed actions are the expression of  
considered thought4 ,habit and movement 
by intuition are expressions of         
undirected thought4 ,changing from the  
latter condition to that of planned or  
considered action makes all action      
stronger and more definite4 ,the        
thinking man becomes the leader of men4 
,seed-thoughts are such as produce other
 thoughts4 ,hardly have we reached the  
realm of ideas4 ,it is a step--not long1
 yet well-defined--from thought to idea4
 ,this little volume does not propose to
 take that step4 ,it is content to stop1
 in all modesty1 at that place4 ,its    
suggestions are sent out to busy        
teachers and students to lodge in mind  
as plantings in good mental soil4 ,that 
they will take root1 spring up and bear 
fruit1 is fondly hoped4 ,what the       
harvest of thought in others may be is  

idle to speculate upon1 but the hope    
exists that there may be two or three   
times the amount used in planting when  
all shall have been gathered in4 ,in    
this hope the ,seed-thought is sent on  
its mission4  #aba ,west #db;d ,street1 
,new ,york4     ,,index4   ,,chapter    
,i4--,success4                          
#aa  ,,chapter ,,ii4--,desultory ,voice 
,practice4                              
#bg  ,,chapter ,,iii4--,alere ,flamman4 
#dc  ,every one ,can ,sing1 #dc2        
,sustain ,perfectly1 #dd2 ,care of      
,body1 #de2 ,friends ,can ,help1 #dh2   
,renew ,thought1 #di2 ,speaking and     
,singing1 #ej2 ,associates1 #ea2 ,purity
 of ,method1 #eb2 ,mental ,recovery1    
#ec2 ,profession or ,trade1 #ec2 ,heart 
and ,intellect1 #ed2 ,time ,ends ,not1  
#ee2 ,power of ,thought1 #ef2 ,nature   
,seldom ,jumps1 #eh2 ,be ,perfect1 #ei4 
,,chapter ,,iv4--,perfect ,voice        
,method4                                
#fc  ,,chapter ,v4--,a ,paper of ,seeds4
                                        

#gi  ,analyze ,songs1 #gi2 ,fault       
,finding1 #hj2 ,recover from ,mistakes1 
#hj2 ,songs for ,beginners1 #ha2        
,criticism1 #hb2 ,wait for ,results1    
#hc2 ,all ,things are ,good1 #hd2       
,little ,things ,affect1 #he2 ,musical  
,library1 #hf2 ,change of ,opinions1    
#hg2 ,reputation ,comes ,slowly1 #hh2   
,study ,poetry1 #hi2 ,mannerisms ,show  
,character1 #ij2 ,provide for the       
,young1 #ia2 ,there are no ,mistakes1   
#ic2 ,regularity1 #id2 ,assert          
,individuality1 #if2 ,educing1 #ig4     
,,chapter ,,vi4--,cuneus ,cuneum        
,trudit4                                
#aja  ,vocal ,tone1 #aja2 ,true ,art is 
,delicate1 #ajd2 ,words and ,tone       
,should ,agree1 #aje2 ,preparation for  
,teaching1 #ajh2 ,experience1 #aaa2     
,before an ,audience1 #aab2 ,come ,up   
,higher1 #aac2 ,crude ,voices ,express  
no ,emotion1 #aad4  ,,chapter           
,,vii4--,ambition4                      
#aai  ,,chapter ,,viii4--,music and     
,longevity4                             

#acg  ,,chapter ,,ix4--,activity4       
#adg     ,,chapter ,i4  ,,success4      
,i am what ,i am because ,i was         
industrious2 whoever is equally         
sedulous will be equally successful4    
,bach4       ,to steer steadily towards 
an ideal standard is the only means     
of advancing in life1 as in music4      
,hiller4     ,,seed-,,thoughts ,,for    
,,singers4     ,i4  ,,success4   ,a few 
decades ago a clumsy1 lank1 raw-boned   
boy roamed over the hills of the ,state 
of ,ohio4 ,he was not marked with the   
talent of many1 nor was he noted for    
anything in particular except1 perhaps1 
an aptness in doing sums4 ,bare-footed1 
and with scanty clothing1 he appeared at
 a school in a village near his home and
 begged admission4 ,at first he was     
refused4 ,persistence overcame the      
opposition and he entered1 becoming in a
 short time by his application1 the     
leading spirit in the school4 ,the      
course of study there being completed1  
he went to an office across in ,delaware

 as a clerk4 ,that year1 the            
,representative to ,congress from       
,delaware1 when about to appoint a youth
 to enter the ,naval ,academy at        
,annapolis1 announced a competitive     
examination4 ,the country lad competed  
and secured the prize4 ,friends whom he 
had made raised funds for the necessary 
uniforms4 ,at the end of his course a   
good appointment in the navy followed4  
,visits to various countries gave him   
command of three languages4 ,a change to
 shore duty permitted him to study law4 
,at a recent courtmartial trial at      
,brooklyn he served as advocate for the 
,government so acceptably that he has   
been offered and has accepted1          
membership in one of the largest law    
firms in ,new ,york4 ,the change from   
the rough lad to the cultured advocate  
indicates success4  ,on a bench in an   
old-fashioned shoe shop sat a young man 
working at his trade4 ,a singing        
teacher1 passing along1 noticed the rich
 voice of the young man1 singing as he  

worked4 ,the teacher inquired where he  
sang in church and if he sang in public4
 ,learning that the young man sang      
no-where1 had had no instruction or     
education1 and lacked even the clothes  
necessary to a respectable appearance1  
he interested himself in the youth and  
lived to see him become the leading     
oratorio basso of ,america4 ,success6   
,you will say these two had great       
natural gifts1 all their faculties1 and 
had friends4 ,another case3 ,a boy at   
six1 was left as a result of scarlet    
fever1 stone blind4 ,nor has he since   
seen a ray of light4 ,a necessary       
faculty to success gone1 is it8 ,to-day 
that young man is one of the best       
musicians and singers2 getting #a1ejj   
for his choir singing4 ,success4  ,there
 is within each and every one that      
ability and prime element1 which1       
properly commanded and developed1       
,,compels success4 ,but few understand  
themselves or realize the power within  
them4 ,without comprehension of what is 

within1 no start toward success can be  
made4 ,a reason for absence of          
comprehension lies in the fact that but 
one side of self is ever seen1 and that 
side is the grosser one4 ,the body--a   
head1 a trunk1 arms and legs4 ,these we 
see with our physical eyes and call the 
object1 man4 ,we incline to think if    
these parts are comely1 well shapen1    
strong1 beautiful1 the possessor may    
march on to success4 ,trust not to      
appearance4 ,were the body the root of  
all things1 or of especial worth1 the   
race would be to the swift1 the fight to
 the strong4 ,but that seen1 felt1      
heard1 is not the real self4 ,within the
 body1 as a dweller and a motive power1 
is the ego1 the real self4 ,it is that  
and that only which can be developed and
 which possesses those attributes1      
compelling1 bye and bye1 success4 ,it is
 that which must1 to some degree1 be    
understood4 ,be the body what it may1   
the real self has the power of          
expression and improvement4 ,that real  

self will be spoken of as the ego1 and  
its power considered4  ,there enters    
into existence at birth or early in life
 an indefinable something4 ,we term it  
soul1 spirit1 mind4 ,when we meet or    
associate with a person1 in a short time
 we recognise that mind4 ,at first we   
may notice the body or even the dress   
and be influenced by it4 ,in time we see
 back of that outward covering and see  
the mind behind it4 ,after1 we forget   
the body in the acquaintance with the   
mind4 ,a homely person becomes illumined
 with new life4 ,a beauty loses         
attraction4 ,we have learned to know the
 ego in our acquaintance4 ,that ego we  
come to know as all there is of the     
acquaintance4 ,a dozen bodies in the    
dissecting room of the medical college  
are almost exactly alike4 ,more alike   
than are the suits of clothes cast off  
last year by a dozen men4 ,the ego from 
a dozen men will have small point of    
resemblance4 ,the ego has so many       
characteristic elements that it makes   

possibility of development1 throughout  
the years allotted to man while passing 
over the earth's crust1 into ,,anything4
 ,the body is the home of the ego and   
the tool for its development and action4
 ,train the body to ability to respond  
to the demands of the ego1 and keep it  
healthful1 and no more can be done with 
it4 ,for now nothing more need be said  
of the body4 ,in speaking of the cause  
of non-success1 limited success or      
disaster1 reference to it will be made4 
,attributes of mind lead always in the  
direction of progress4 ,ego1 mind1 real 
self1 is ,god within us4 ,he breathed in
 his nostrils the breath of life and man
 became a living soul4 ,that breath of  
life is ,god4 ,that cannot tend         
downward4 ,the attributes of ,god are   
the attributes of the ego4 ,love1       
thought1 sympathy1 ambition1            
helpfulness1 desire for refinement1     
culture1 expansion--these are such      
attributes4 ,is any mind lacking these8 
,if we say yes1 look within ourselves   

and see if they are lacking in us4      
,accord the same faculties or attributes
 of mind to each of our fellow men4     
,these attributes cultivated will cause 
growth of the ego as surely as it is    
that ,god liveth and we are in ,him4    
,but this growth makes the ego greater  
and by its reaching out after the things
 of the world and taking them to itself1
 produces that which we term success4   
,understand1 then1 the ego4 ,grow it4   
,reach and possess4 ,these attributes   
are the forces within each and these    
forces are the elements of success4     
,but1 asks one1 what is the bearing of  
this on our study and on our singing4   
,it has been plain to me as a teacher1  
and it grows stronger every year1 that  
all success in singing arises from a    
comprehension of the ego within us1 and 
the cultivation of these attributes     
bearing directly upon singing and music4
 ,three only of those attributes may be 
considered now4  ,first1--ambition4     
,what would you become8 ,yes1 a musician

 and singer4 ,consult one who knows your
 body better than you and enough of your
 mind to judge well1 and if he says you 
may become one1 plan your life work to  
making your ambition gratified4 ,aim    
high4 ,but few persons lack the capacity
 of singing well4 ,the goal of most is  
that1 to sing well4 ,at home only1 it   
may be4 ,for friends1 and for           
self-pleasure4 ,others would become     
professional artists4 ,aim at the       
highest and best4 ,no ambition is too   
high and1 provided we will cultivate the
 ego1 no ambition will remain           
ungratified4 ,do not be modest in       
expectancy4 ,nothing is too good or too 
high1 too great or too noble for the    
,god within us4 ,therefore plan large   
things4  ,second--thought4 ,having      
planned a broad campaign and having     
resolved on faithfulness1 bend the      
thought toward the result4 ,now1 thought
 is not the subtle nonentity we let     
ourselves consider it4 ,the text of a   
book recently examined is1 ,thoughts are

 things4 ,thought is an emanation of the
 ego2 a messenger of the mind4 ,we shoot
 thoughts out by the thousands and      
millions4 ,generally we fly them at     
random4 ,if they strike a mark we gain a
 result4 ,stop shooting them at random1 
aim correctly1 hit the mark each time   
and each thought brings a result4 ,pure 
thought1 the thought from the ambitious 
ego1 is upward1 and when centered1      
concentrated on the plan which ambition 
has prompted1 it carries that plan      
onward--upward--to the end1 success4    
,concentration of thought1 say you8 ,do 
we not have it8 ,let me ask you to fix  
the thought on one object five seconds4 
,tear this paper slowly from end to end 
and think of nothing else while doing   
it4 ,probably the thought during the    
five seconds will embrace a dozen things
 besides the act of tearing4 ,of what   
paper is made1 how far apart the lines  
are1 be the texture fine1 how much does 
it cost1 some other paper bought last   
week1 where you bought it1 the salesman 

who served you1 what a frightful rainy  
day that was1 how you caught cold and   
what a scolding you got at home for     
being out--a long way from the act of   
tearing4 ,the first thought is lost4    
,concentrate4 ,acquire the habit of     
concentration4 ,in nothing more than in 
thinking should we say1 ,do one thing at
 a time4 ,concentration of thought makes
 steady growth of the plan of ambition's
 suggestion and moves it on to success4 
,third--expression4 ,every growth       
produces another4 ,emerson says in      
substance that the end of every act is  
but the beginning of another4 ,it used  
to be said that if a man made #e1jjj he 
was sure to become rich--meaning that   
the money invested and reinvested1 and  
added to by constant earning1 would     
surely bring wealth4 ,every growth of   
attribute of mind1 be it of those       
mentioned or of others1 develops        
possibilities of further growth4 ,love1 
a powerful attribute of the ego1 first  
circles in the home1 then expands into  

the circle of friends1 then reaches the 
business1 society1 the world4 ,one      
begins by caring for the want of a hurt 
bird or other pet4 ,he ends by raising  
and healing mankind4 ,one quietly slips 
a few pennies into the hand of an       
unfortunate4 ,he ends by being a        
philanthropist4 ,one speaks a kind word4
 ,he ends by raising the fallen4 ,these1
 you see1 touch upon sympathy1          
helpfulness4 ,each attribute expands4   
,have you followed8 ,isn't this true8   
,how1 then1 about desire for refinement8
 ,if the others expand1 will not that8  
,a noble thought1 an association with   
the pure in art1 and beauty in poem1    
story1 song1 sky1 flower1 but leads us  
to another even more beautiful4 ,each   
touch of beauty1 of docility1 of        
refinement1 expands that line of our    
ego1 and we feel ourselves raised1      
drawing nearer and nearer that great    
,mind1 and keeping us more and more in  
that grace which passeth all            
understanding4 ,the end must be success 

in our plan4 ,mental growth means more  
power to grasp and wrest from           
circumstances and the world itself1     
successful prosecution of the plan which
 ambition framed4 ,successful           
prosecution means ultimate success4  ,in
 mind ,i hear some one say1 this is good
 theory and a beautiful picture4 ,what  
of it is practical enough for my mind4  
,let us turn for a few minutes to a     
darker side and then again to the       
brighter1 and see if a practical word   
does not exist for each4 ,what prevents 
success1 and is there false success8  ,a
 few minutes ago ,i spoke of the bodies 
which the ego inhabits4 ,those bodies   
possess attributes and faculties4 ,st4  
,paul said once that he would be out of 
the body and be in the spirit2 meaning1 
as ,i believe1 that he would rather live
 in the ego1 and not be hindered by the 
body4 ,the body must be fed and clothed4
 ,it has appetites4 ,appetite grows1    
requiring more delicacies1 higher spiced
 and richer food1 and perhaps more food4

 ,clothing takes much attention1 and    
develops pride and vanity4 ,has not each
 said many a time1 ,if ,i but had time  
to attend to study and did not have to  
attend to my clothes1 my food1 and take 
the time to earn money for them1 ,i     
could do so much8 ,true1 but the body is
 here and if these things are not done1 
the ego would have no home in which to  
stay4 ,the care of the body is          
necessary4 ,cannot1 however1 even these 
necessary demands be somewhat reduced   
for the sake of attending to the ego    
within1 more fully8 ,if not1 cannot the 
appetite and the pride1 which1 after    
all1 give no satisfaction when all is   
done1 be so held in check by care and   
reasonableness that the demands of body 
will not grow upon us8 ,after all1 those
 necessary demands of body1 grown       
abnormal1 or into the unnecessary1 are  
not so bad as other attributes of body4 
,laziness6 ,light gossip6 ,fretting6    
,uncleanness6 ,disease6 ,these things   
can't be part of the ego1 for the real  

man is the breath of life--,god4 ,they  
must be of body4 ,they are the things   
which play havoc with our time1 our     
energy1 our thought4 ,it is a commonly  
accepted belief that man must be now and
 then on the sick bed4 ,that            
commonly-accepted belief is slowly but  
surely disappearing before the fact that
 the body only becomes diseased as it is
 neglected1 overfed or attacked by      
bacillae4 ,if a plant dies we look for  
the worm at its root1 or the insect on  
the leaf4 ,if it has had good soil1     
earth and sun1 we expect it to flourish4
 ,the body is the same material--dust4  
,attend it1 not abuse it1 and except    
from contagion it will serve us without 
disease4 ,solomon said1 ,know thyself4  
,maybe he meant know to care for the    
body4 ,when this is done the ego is     
allowed its chance to go to success4    
,without it1 the body1 full of appetite1
 pride1 hatred1 laziness1 envy1         
fretfulness and disease1 weighs with    
compelling force1 the ego down to earth4

 ,instead of success follows failure4   
,emancipate the ego from the body before
 even planning4 ,this body and this     
alone can cause failure4 ,a success     
arising from a pretty face1 a good      
figure1 graceful dancing1 agile singing 
and trifling speech is false success and
 is worse than failure4 ,how about      
circumstances and their influences8     
,surroundings4 ,they surely effect us4  
,yes1 but just so surely as the ego     
throws off the lower self1 within the   
body1 and resolves to rise1 just so     
quick will the circumstances and        
surroundings begin to change4 ,just so  
fast as the ego develops its attributes 
just so fast will appropriate           
circumstances and surroundings for its  
further growth open4 ,like begets like4 
,water seeks its level4 ,seek low things
 on bodily planes and low friends will  
surround you4 ,like is with like4 ,raise
 yourself a peg and you will find those 
with whom you can follow4 ,your old     
associates will not go with you1 and    

some will call you mean and cry1 ,come  
back1 and try to pull you back4 ,bid    
them adieu and go higher4 ,new          
surroundings are there and will make a  
place for you in them4 ,the past becomes
 a stepping stone and if you have       
cleared the ego of your own body1 you   
will rise again4 ,like draws like4 ,the 
new friends1 the new town1 the new      
music1 the new activity will lend you   
their aid to go higher4 ,clear yourself 
at each step of the weight brought on by
 body and circumstances will seem       
different4 ,god helps him who helps     
himself4 ,those who would pull back are 
by our very inertia cast off4 ,we rise  
to success4  ,the thousand things which 
might be well said in connection with   
the subject must be left4               
,recapitulation and application to the  
individual singing student show these3  
#ast4 ,plan1 and concentrate thought on 
its execution4  #b;d4 ,cultivate the    
real self and not permit the shell or   
body to dominate4  #c;d4 ,by that       

command of the self1 win friends and    
compel success4 ,that which conduces    
most toward success is even disposition 
and geniality4 ,these grow into kindly  
independence which develops for us      
experience4  ,how long1 ask you1 will it
 take to become an artist8 ,no one      
knows4 ,two minds differ--in fact1 no   
two are alike4 ,a few months suffice to 
make the crudest student an adept       
singer2 or rather1 is time enough to    
make him sing as well as his mind       
wishes4 ,from that time on the voice    
grows better only as the mind grows and 
comprehends how to further use the      
voice4 ,so1 then1 as soon as one can    
sing so as to acceptably please friends1
 it is a duty which the pupil owes      
himself to sing for those whom he       
pleases4 ,the effort gives him          
experience and prepares him to meet the 
next circle4 ,as the ability grows1 seek
 to sing before greater artists1 and    
with the best singers4 ,the time will   
come--it may be one year1 two years1    

three years1 or even more--when it is   
best to go before the best artists of   
the world and secure their commendation 
and their co-operation 7silently it may 
be7 to further for you the prosecution  
and completion of your pre-arranged plan
 regarding your music4 ,what matters it 
how long this takes4 ,life is1 if you   
are using it aright1 a perfection of a  
plan of existence which will end only   
when we pass over the ,river4 ,a        
portion1 more or less long1 used in     
making a musician and an artist1 is but 
a part of the whole1 and a development  
of the talent lent us by the good       
,father1 and which we1 by our effort1   
eventually return to ,him1 added to1 and
 made beautiful because of the          
,heavenborn ,art--music--which we have  
absorbed to ourselves4 ,nor is this all1
 for in the development of our own      
talent we have carried the whole world  
unconsciously upward nearest the pure1  
the beautiful and the true4             
,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,desultory ,,voice    

,,practice4  ,nothing should be done    
without a purpose4                      
,aurelius4  ,music is never stationary2 
successive forms and styles are only    
like so many resting-places--like tents 
pitched and taken down again on the road
 to the ,ideal4               ,liszt4   
,,ii4  ,,desultory ,,voice ,,practice4  
,european schools and teachers stand    
aghast at what ,american pupils demand  
and at their expectations4 ,accustomed  
to the years of attention to detail and 
to seeing their own students willing to 
wait long years before good results are 
achieved1 they naturally think the      
,american students wild4 ,these         
,americans want to do in one year what  
,europeans are willing to use three or  
four years for4 ,those teachers say it  
cannot be done and set down ,american   
students as conceited fools4 ,while at  
first glance the teachers appear right1 
may they not be wrong8 ,america to-day  
has more inventions in use1 more quick  
ways of working in all lines of life1   

and can show quicker results in all     
lines of activity than any other nation4
 ,methods and ways have been devised and
 adapted to ,american speed in all      
branches4 ,may such not apply to study8 
,so this item is prepared in the        
interest of ,american students1 living  
under ,american conditions4 ,it is      
useless to say1 we live too fast4 ,take 
facts as they are and adjust our custom 
to the day1 place and situation4  ,until
 within comparatively few years the plan
 for cultivation of the voice and       
preparation for song singing was to sing
 a few sustained tones for warming up   
the voice1 as the saying was1 and then  
to sing vocalizes4 ,in the earlier      
stages of practice solfeggii and        
vocalizes of easy range and light       
character were employed4 ,as these were 
acquired1 similar ones of greater       
difficulty were used and as the singer  
gained confidence in himself and ability
 to sing better1 the exercises were     
still increased in difficulty4 ,the time

 employed in study extended over several
 years and with the result that those   
who had patience and perseverance became
 able to sing4 ,not one1 however1 in a  
thousand1 who studied ever arrived at a 
point which allowed him comfort in his  
singing or pleasure to his hearers4     
,that is1 to the idea of a practical    
mind1 desultory voice study4 ,it may be 
adapted to the contented plodding of an 
old world civilization1 but is not in   
keeping with the age of electricity or  
of gigantic schemes4 ,it must be kept in
 mind by every one that old things have 
passed away and all things have become  
new4 ,the very association about us     
makes mind keen to rapidity of action1  
speaking from incisive thought4 ,a      
plodder stands back while the brilliant 
man moves to the front4 ,by the plodder 
is meant he who is willing to go slowly4
 ,by the brilliant man1 he1 though he   
may not have more native talent than the
 other1 has by calling to his aid those 
commanding elements of success1 moved   

surely and therefore swiftly1 through   
the perplexities of every existence1 to 
the front4 ,every thing which cuts off  
wastefulness of time becomes a weapon   
with which to fight perplexities4 ,in   
such an active life1 he who would       
cultivate the voice and become a        
musician must map out for himself a     
course of study which will give him the 
best results in the quickest possible   
time4  ,it is patent to every one who   
intelligently teaches that the road     
followed during the last few generations
 lacks these short roads to success4    
,one asks1 and with justice1 if we have 
now found the royal road to learning    
which it has ever been said does not    
exist4 ,if that means the road by which1
 at one bound1 we reach perfection1 the 
answer must be that no royal road has   
been found4 ,there have been planned1   
however1 ways of procedure which must   
shorten the trip4 ,i know not when man  
first practised dentistry but this ,i do
 know1 that the doctor of dental science

 who works on lines of even one         
generation back is valueless4 ,to-day   
the terrors of the dentist's chair are  
reduced to a minimum1 if not entirely   
removed4 ,photography1 a science of our 
day1 has swiftly grown to an art4 ,i    
recall a photographer who in #ahgj was  
noted for perfect work4 ,he was so      
satisfied with himself and his work that
 he neglected to use the new ways which 
were being discovered4 ,in #ahhj his    
work was considered so bad as to be     
condemned by all and his studio was     
forsaken4 ,printing by the sun had not  
been discarded but how to use the       
science had been carefully              
advanced--wasteful and slow method      
discarded1 and surer and better results 
obtained4 ,is a musician less keen of   
perception and adjustment to            
circumstances than the dentist and      
photographer8 ,pride rebels against an  
affirmative answer4 ,then the natural   
deduction is that he has learned to     
apply new ways and methods1 by and      

through which he can produce surer and  
more beautiful results than could his   
predecessor in his profession4 ,as a    
first step toward progress he recognised
 the faults of the old way and sought a 
change from them4 ,the chief of the     
faults lay in seeking to cultivate a    
sound4 ,he said in substance1 then1 that
 since cultivating a sound is wrong ,i  
consider that no such thing as sound    
exists4 ,it cannot be perceived by any  
of the senses4 ,it cannot be seen1      
tasted1 smelt1 felt1 or even heard4     
7,parenthetically1 it may be said if one
 takes exception to the latter          
statement1 that proof is given of the   
truth if one sings into a phonograph4   
,the singer cannot recognise what the   
instrument sounds back as his voice4    
,others may recognise it but he cannot4 
,the hearing of my voice by another1 no 
matter how much he may tell me about it1
 does not show me how it sounds1 and ,i 
must conclude that ,i cannot hear it47  
,since none of the five senses can bear 

upon sound1 for cultivating it1 sound1  
or tone if you wish to call it so1 is   
worthless4 ,this then which the old     
teachers watched for years1 was         
intangible1 and to watch it to-day and  
to try to form singers by manipulating  
so subtle a thing1 produces             
wastefulness1 and desultory practice4   
,go to the foundation4 ,what produces   
voice8 ,vibration of air reservoirs4    
,what governs the air and gives the     
vibration8 ,muscle4 ,what are muscles1  
where are they1 how can they be managed8
 ,they are contained within the portion 
of the body between the waist and the   
eyes1 and form1 while used in voice     
production1 about all of that portion of
 the body1 and they can be managed by   
the understanding and command of the    
mind4 ,the general understanding of     
vocal anatomy1 and the positive control 
of that anatomy that it may do just what
 the will demands is the foundation of  
voice practice4 ,such positiveness makes
 possible the rapidity of vocal         

development akin to the surety of the   
dentist's art and the certainty of the  
photographer4 ,the prime fault of old   
methods is1 at one stroke1 cut away4 ,a 
new growth on the foundation appears4   
,many musical journals discuss methods1 
,italian1 ,french1 ,german4 ,even wonder
 if we will ever have an ,american      
method4 ,such discussion is waste4      
,there is one method4 ,all schools build
 on it4 ,he who understands it best and 
is surest in teaching it1 gives best    
result and is the best teacher4 ,he1 the
 best teacher1 is such only when he     
applies his mind to each and every act  
of his pupil and banishes for the time  
being every other thought from mind4 ,in
 a proper lesson every minute is used   
thoroughly4 ,no sixty seconds can be    
thrown away4 ,the mind of the teacher   
alert to the necessity of his charge    
makes every minute tell4 ,with this as a
 preamble1 turn to the pupil who is by  
himself to avoid desultory practice4    
,you have a voice4 ,every one has4      

,yours1 you know1 is a very good one4   
,you want 7not1 would like7 in the      
quickest time to make it do just what   
you conceive a fine singer should do4   
,then1 know what is to be done1         
understand how to do it1 and do it4 ,the
 boys say ,one to make ready1 two to    
prepare1 and three--4 ,but you stand    
around making ready1 preparing so long4 
,why8 ,do you know what is to be done8  
,ask the teacher1 and don't let him     
evade positive instruction4 ,garcia1    
when asked the cause of ,jenny ,lind's  
great success1 replied ,she never tried 
to do anything 'til she knew how4 ,more 
than once she has come to my house of an
 evening and said ',i did not fully     
understand what you told me to-day4     
,will you explain it again8' ,after that
 she never needed to be told again4 ,at 
a lesson understand what is taught4     
,don't pretend you do when you do not4  
,after going home from each lesson1     
write in a book kept for that purpose   
what has been said at the lesson4 ,read 

that book often4 ,this will fix in mind1
 as well as preserve for reference1 the 
instruction1 and make sure the          
understanding of it4 ,then it is for you
 to do it4 ,once the pianist played     
scales by the hour to limber the hand2  
now he thinks only of the muscle which  
causes each finger to strike1 and makes 
that muscle work at once4 ,what formerly
 took months to do he now does in days4 
,desultory practice is avoided4 ,a      
teacher in a certain city complained    
that another teacher got pupils by      
advertising quick method4 ,cut off      
desultory practice1 apply mind where    
brute force has formerly held sway1 and 
quick method is the result4  ,one       
reference to complaint brings others to 
mind4 ,the most precious commodity known
 is time4 ,twenty-four hours only in a  
day4 ,how little and how valuable4 ,yet 
if all is conserved1 how much and how   
great4 ,masonic instruction divides the 
day into three portions2 one for our    
usual avocations1 one for good of self  

and family1 and one for refreshment and 
sleep4 ,so much for instruction4 ,can   
some wasteful acts of life be reduced or
 eliminated1 that we may economize time1
 and what is better1 form habit of      
utilizing all of the precious commodity8
 ,what a lesson one can draw on these   
elevated trains4 ,each morn1 a man 7one 
man1 or how many think you87 enters and 
finds a seat4 ,immediately he is into   
his newspaper4 ,a half hour later he    
gets out1 having arrived at his station4
 ,what has happened8 ,he has read the   
newspaper4 ,no1 he hasn't read the      
newspaper4 ,ask him what he has learned4
 ,he can't tell you4 ,one item1 two1    
three1 perhaps--and these of little     
value4 ,that is not reading4 ,it is     
cursory glancing1 desultory and         
wasteful4 ,stop it4 ,thirty precious    
minutes gone4 ,a glance at a paper      
7provided one knows the general make-up 
of the paper he reads7 tells him all in 
it of value4 ,six minutes is enough1    
except when something of unusual moment 

is to be read1 and that doesn't happen  
once a month4 ,the other twenty-four    
minutes should go into some other       
purpose4 ,a book1 magazine1 play1 or    
even silent thought will give value for 
the twenty-four4 ,at night1 on the way  
home1 the man skims through an evening  
paper4 ,almost one hour of the          
twenty-four thrown away4 ,compute the   
amount of educational advancement       
possible to this city were the hundreds 
of thousands of hours thrown away daily 
to be used in progressive study or      
thought4 ,you and ,i help to waste1 do  
we8  ,the command of the mind is the    
underlying need of the student4 ,it has 
come into thought that should one apply 
himself every minute to some work that  
he would fatigue and wear out4 ,he could
 not stand it4 ,wrong4 ,the mind cannot 
wear out1 even if it can fatigue4 ,rest 
is the opposite of unrest1 and unrest is
 equivalent to fatigue4 ,the superficial
 reading or skimming1 shifting of       
thought through the thousand objects    

which come before the mind gives the    
unrest and through it1 the fatigue4     
,stop the unrest1 and let rest abound4  
,rest comes through definite change of  
work4 ,the man who leaves his office1   
rushes to mountain and farm1 sees new   
scenes1 faces1 customs1 eats new food1  
rides1 fishes1 swims1 climbs and dances1
 is the one who comes back rested4      
,there has been no unrest1 but radical  
change4 ,the first assistant engineer of
 the ,new ,york aqueduct was to me at   
one time an object of astonishment4 ,it 
was said of him1 ,when he works1 he     
works2 when he plays1 he plays2 whatever
 he does it is for the time all in the  
world to him4 ,at that time he held an  
important engineering position1 was an  
officer in a military organization1     
secretary of a yacht club1 active in    
church society1 leader in literary      
circles in classic ,boston and never was
 rushed4 ,the change of work was the    
secret of it all4 ,rest came by turning 
out of mind what did not pertain to the 

act then in hand4 ,every act was new4   
,of a certain minister it is said ,he   
can do more in ten minutes than most men
 do in a day4 ,his church has fifteen   
hundred members and his ,sunday school a
 larger number4 ,calls1 sermons1 the    
sick1 weddings1 funerals1 the poor 7for 
he had four charity societies71 his     
family1 young people's societies1--yet  
he has time for all and he sees callers1
 more in one week than you and ,i do in 
a year4 ,how does he do it8 ,what you   
and ,i waste time upon1 he does not4 ,no
 gossip1 worry1 standing before a       
mirror1 dozing over dinner1 or unrest   
for him4 ,vary the monotony a little and
 find rest4 ,don't fear doing too much4 
,wear out1 if need be1 but don't rust4  
,it is the busy man who has lots of     
time4 ,do you want advice1 a helping    
hand8 ,avoid the lazy man1 for he has no
 time for you4 ,the busy man has4 ,why  
is it that the busy teacher draws the   
most pupils8 ,were he to half teach ten 
pupils they would leave him and no more 

would come4 ,because he can attend to   
forty1 and that by making to each a     
profitable half-hour1 forty more come4  
,the half supplied teacher is less able 
to teach his small flock than the pushed
 teacher4 ,he must turn quickly from act
 to act and thus keep rested1 by change 
of scene1 pupil1 music and vivacity4    
,can you jump immediately from a lesson 
to the desk and write one of your       
magazine articles8 asks one4 ,nothing   
easier4 ,fix the mind on what is to be  
done that minute1 and do it4 ,it makes a
 heaven of earth4  ,instruction which is
 not practical is little worth4 ,you are
 interested in improving yourselves     
vocally4 ,to you let me plan a first    
step toward preventing desultory voice  
practice4 ,under four headings4         
,practical ones4  ,first4--,establish   
customs4 ,the best one ,i know is to    
plan in advance to accomplish certain   
things4 ,make up the mind what you would
 like to do4 ,each night make out a     
little card of what is to be done next  

day4 ,probably not half the things      
planned will be executed1 at first4     
,what of it4 ,some have been done2 but  
better1 that unconscious growth which   
carries custom into habit will be       
developed and the system which will grow
 out of the custom of preparing the     
cards and attempting to work out that   
which was planned1 will cut off more    
wasteful minutes than you admit are in  
your day4 ,after a time it will come    
that all the items you write on the card
 at evening will not be too much to do  
on the following day4 ,compare the card 
of the thirtieth day with that of the   
first and you will find you wrote quite 
as many 7if not more7 things to do and  
now you can do them all1 and feel no    
hurry and far less fatigue4 ,will you   
try that8  ,second4--,give certain times
 each day to certain things4 ,you can't8
 ,you can4 ,i'll give proof you can4    
,having planned what is to be done the  
next day and allowed that custom to     
become habit1 will develop such         

regularity that each hour will have its 
regular work and nothing will crowd it  
out4 ,the system produces it4 ,turn a   
kaleidoscope4 ,each jarring makes new   
adjustment of figure4 ,your duty is a   
kaleidoscope4 ,the proof is that every  
one who tries such adjustment1 succeeds4
 ,the school boy knows the time of bell 
ringing1 the hour for arithmetic1       
geography1 etc4 ,the train man knows the
 minute to be at each station4 ,the     
clerk or workman is ready to stop work  
at a certain time4 ,certain theatres    
announce what scenes will be on at every
 minute of the evening4 ,you think and  
would say1 ,but these admit of no       
interruption1 and ,i may have           
interruptions4 ,to which ,i say ,these  
permit no interruption1 and if you were 
as systematic1 you would permit none4 ,a
 friend calls at the door to see you4   
,you waste five minutes 7only five87    
talking to him4 ,think it over4 ,was    
that necessary8 ,couldn't it have been  
said in two--one1 or less8 ,next time1  

kindly1 but firmly excuse yourself4 ,if 
the friend thinks you snubbing1 you can 
afford that1 for the friend is a        
wasteful one and better be dropped than 
allowed to spoil you4 ,the fault when we
 waste time is in us1 not in the friend4
 ,a lady called recently4 ,your time is 
valuable4 ,i'll say in one word what ,i 
want4 ',twas said1 and she went4 ,kind  
lady6 ,to whom8 ,me8 ,not at all4 ,she  
is one of the busiest women in the city 
and couldn't afford to give much of her 
time to the errand1 but neatly          
complimented1 in order to cover what    
some might call selfishness4 ,be wise4  
,that kindly habit comes from preventing
 waste4  ,third4--,banish every low or  
lowering thought4 ,for now1 for no      
reason except to save time1 and help    
form habit which prevents waste4 ,every 
thought has its sure influence4 ,every  
thought of envy1 hatred1 jealousy1 of   
crimes1 accidents1 misfortunes1 sorrows1
 our own or those of others1 is an evil4
 ,it takes time out of life and saps    

life-activity4 ,supplant it with pure   
and good thought4 ,health1 brightness1  
pleasure1 art and beauty are subjects   
which lift4 ,upward1 upward1 toward     
heaven6 ,that must be the student's     
mental attitude4 ,enough would drag     
down4 ,cast the down view away4 ,look up
 and go up4 ,you do not study for the   
purpose of going downward4 ,upward again
 to the top--and you must do it by      
having your thought good and pure4      
,fourth4--,interest friends in your     
practice4 ,only one word about that4 ,no
 one can long go in any mental work     
alone4 ,progress is mental work4 ,rising
 draws others to and with us4 ,see a    
little whirlwind take up the dust4 ,it  
gathers more and more until a column    
twenty or thirty feet high is before us4
 ,tell father1 mother1 friends1 those   
you can trust1 what you hope to do and  
what your efforts to accomplish that1   
are4 ,seeing you in earnest they will   
help--with misgivings at first1 may be1 
but they will join the column and make  

one with you sure4  ,summary1 briefly4  
,by systematic utility1 every minute    
contributes to progress1 forming habits 
which prevent wasteful thought and      
fatigue4 ,the customs of former years   
need not be followed because direct     
result will come from direct application
 of thought to study4 ,old world ways   
and past generation ideas do not belong 
to-day in either teacher or pupil1 and1 
therefore1 are to drop out4 ,the        
wastefulness of uncertainty and evil in 
mind may be overcome by directness of   
effort until good habit crowds out the  
evil4 ,the first and all important step 
is the plan of action4 ,acknowledge no  
limitation to growth4 ,love soundness1  
careful thought1 steadfast purpose4     
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,alere ,,flamman4    
,his tongue was framed to music1        
,and his hand was armed to skill2       
,his face was the mould of beauty1      
,and his heart the throne of will4      
,emerson4      ,slow1 indeed1 at times1 
is the will of the gods1 but in     the 

end not weak4                           
,euripedes4     ,,iii4  ,,alere         
,,flammam4  ,everyone ,can ,sing4   ,the
 culture of the voice has come to be    
looked upon as a great and serious      
undertaking1 and of such magnitude that 
but few have time for it1 and those only
 should attempt it who have             
exceptionally fine voices4 ,this is a   
mistake4 ,nearly everyone can sing1 and 
if all would attempt to improve the     
voices they have by observing a few     
common-sense rules1 it would soon be    
apparent that there are many more good  
singers among the masses than it is     
supposed exist1 and these singers will  
learn how much can be done to add to    
their own comfort1 by a little outlay of
 thought4 ,culture of the voice has been
 made a mystery by charlatan teachers   
and for a purpose4 ,think out how the   
conversational voice works and then     
consider what difference there should be
 between that and the singing voice4    
,nature planned the speaking voice and  

in doing it1 gave us the line of        
development to follow in bringing into  
use the singing voice4 ,the change from 
speaking to singing voice is where the  
quack enters with his mystery4 ,there is
 no mystery4 ,use the voice as in       
speaking but pitch it at higher and     
lower points than are used in speaking4 
,this is the foundation of the singing  
voice4 ,only one caution is needed4     
,never strain the throat4 ,if1 after a  
little practice1 fatigue is felt or the 
tone is husky1 stop practice4 ,do not   
try to do it all at once4 ,a little each
 day added1 will1 in a few months1 do   
all that is wanted4 ,do not expect1     
however1 that any amount of study by    
one's self will make an artist4 ,one can
 sing1 by self-study1 so as to get much 
pleasure1 and so as to give pleasure to 
friends2 but something more serious and 
extended is needed to make the artist4  
,sustain ,perfectly4  ,sustaining       
perfectly the reservoir of air is the   
greatest desideratum in using the voice4

 ,acquiring ability to do so is a puzzle
 often to students4 ,the reason is in   
the fact that no muscles which are      
directly under the control of the will  
can be caused to act upon the air       
column4 ,the chief organ of respiration 
is the diaphragm1 and as years of       
teaching bring experience which is      
definite in results1 we find that the   
diaphragm is the only muscle which holds
 the air column in check4 ,that muscle  
situated within the body cannot be held 
by any visible power4 ,the thought of   
holding it still will make us hold our  
breath4 ,trying to assist such holding  
by muscles of the chest1 abdomen or     
throat1 only defeats our purpose and    
makes the diaphragm give way4 ,that     
large muscle will do the whole work if  
we will let it4 ,the thought1 as said   
above1 is what will make it remain      
quiet4 ,that thought may take various   
forms4 ,what assists one does not appeal
 to another4 ,but here is an assisting  
thought which does much good to the     

majority of students4 ,of course when   
the breath is taken the diaphragm is    
down and the waist is spread4 ,then the 
chest1 bronchial tubes1 windpipe and    
mouth are full of air4 ,now allow that  
air to be as still as the air of the    
room4 ,practise sustaining tone with any
 vowel1 preceding each effort by taking 
position suggested above1 and with the  
thought of keeping the air in the body  
just the same as1 and a part of1 the    
outer air4 ,then allow tone to float in 
the air1 permitting no force whatever4  
,care of the ,body4  ,singers seem to   
think but little of the tools with which
 they carry on their life work4 ,that is
 the rule4 ,now and then a singer takes 
the opposite course and becomes         
unreasonably careful of his tools4 ,in  
that case he is worse off than the      
careless4 ,the happy medium is in all   
things the desirable state4  ,our tools 
as singers are enclosed within the body 
and are the body4 ,to have the body     
ready to respond to the musical demands 

it must be well and strong4 ,to keep it 
well should be our first care4 ,happily 
we are so made that by following a few  
simple rules of living the body goes on 
through a long term of years without    
getting seriously out of order4 ,some   
persons can boast that they are never   
ill while many report but one sickness  
during a decade4 ,the needed attention  
to the bodily wants1 has1 in these      
cases1 been properly given4 ,if all were
 as careful to do the same and not      
overdo the matter1 perfect health would 
be the rule and not the exception4  ,the
 body needs nourishing food1 clothing to
 preserve nearly uniform temperature1   
sufficient sleep1 generous exercise1 and
 thorough cleansing4 ,nothing more4     
,neglect of these1 or as is more often  
the case1 overdoing some of the first1  
is cause of disorder and disease4 ,a    
singer cannot afford to have the tools  
of his employment other than in         
first-rate condition4 ,if he does he    
enters his work1 unnecessarily          

handicapped4  ,general advice regarding 
the eating and drinking is often given4 
,making it more specific1 we would say1 
eat only such food as is easily digested
 and insist that it shall be thoroughly 
cooked4 ,supply the body with enough    
such for its maintenance only4 ,the     
singer1 again1 cannot afford to eat what
 is not needed1 be that of kind or      
amount4 ,most persons in running a      
furnace will feed fuel twice a day1 at  
night and morning4 ,in specially cold   
weather giving the fire a little extra  
fuel at noon4 ,this is a good rule for  
feeding the body4 ,avoid over-feeding4  
,the object of eating is to nourish the 
body and not to gratify appetite4 ,it   
makes little difference whether the     
palate is pleased or not4 ,the body     
could be nourished on food which does   
not taste so good as some other4        
,eating1 to most people1 is more palate 
gratification than anything else4 ,in   
doing so1 the body is overfed and       
clogged4 ,singers cannot afford that4   

,sleep4 ,to recover the waste of body at
 each days' work1 quiet restful sleep is
 needed4 ,eight hours1 or better nine1  
out of each twenty-four4 ,in a cool room
 where possible and with plenty of fresh
 air4 ,people who eat rationally need   
not fear taking cold by sleeping in a   
room with a draught of air through it4  
,fresh air1 fresh1 good food and        
cleanliness are necessary to the best   
results in singing study4  ,no rule can 
be given about bathing4 ,some students  
can stand a thorough bath every day4    
,others1 only once in ten days4 ,a      
sponge bath1 if no other1 should be had 
daily1 that the pores of the body may be
 kept open and clear4  ,clothing should 
be sufficient to keep the temperature of
 the body even4 ,no need of wrapping the
 throat even when going into the open   
air1 if the temperature of the body     
generally is even4 ,we do pamper our    
bodies and think we are uncomfortable4  
,in one sweeping sentence1 be vigorous  
and good-natured and the body will the  

better serve us4 ,a long walk each day  
in the fresh air adds to that vigor1 and
 also to our good-nature4   ,friends    
,can ,help4  ,advice of friends is a    
source of value or injury to the singing
 student4 ,advice has its influence4    
,every word spoken about one's voice and
 singing helps or injures4 ,if placed in
 a circle which condemns every effort we
 make we are held back by that very     
influence from doing our best4 ,every   
judicious word of praise helps us       
upward4 ,a pupil who is struggling by   
himself1 without a word of cheer in his 
own home circle has a hard fight of it4 
,for that reason it is very necessary   
that pupils whose desires are similar1  
and whose aims are toward the highest1  
should be gathered together4 ,they help 
by their words1 and often by their      
looks1 the anxious student4 ,forsake not
 the assembling of yourselves together1 
applies4 ,after a pupil's recital1 a    
judicious teacher will tell his pupils  
the kind things which the others have   

said4 ,if unkind things should be said  
7but a teacher who is himself kind will 
not hear unkind things7 he will keep    
those to himself1 guiding himself1      
however1 by those comments in the future
 treatment of that criticized pupil4 ,in
 this connection1 a word to the members 
of the family of the student4 ,a mother1
 who steps into the practice-room       
occasionally when she hears good singing
 and says1 ,that was good4 ,i see you   
are improving1 aids the student as much 
as a half-dozen lessons will aid4 ,a    
brother who banters his sister about her
 singing when he really enjoys it1 knows
 not1 oftentimes1 that his banter hurts 
and harms4 ,to be sure1 the partiality  
of the home circle may foster false     
hopes1 but since nearly every one can   
learn to sing well if rightly trained1  
that will do less harm than cold        
indifference and cruel banter4   ,renew 
,thought4  ,the teacher who does not    
live in high thought1 and who does not  
attempt to attain a high ideal1 does    

poorer work than he thinks he does4 ,it 
is an easy matter to settle into a rut  
and to follow certain lines4 ,these wear
 themselves out4 ,new ways of imparting 
time-honored teaching1 although they may
 not change the principles of teaching1 
must be constantly sought4 ,they will   
only come to mind by keeping the thought
 in the highest realm of intellectual   
possibility to that teacher4 ,one who   
contemplates with restful care1 in that 
higher realm1 the beautiful in music1   
the way of influencing mind1 and the    
most direct way of causing students to  
attain that which they need1 will ever  
renew his method of teaching4 ,such     
renewal will contain something better   
than he had before4 ,unless constant    
renewal1 or at least frequent renewal1  
takes place1 the rut will be entered    
upon4 ,the longer one follows it1 the   
deeper he becomes settled in it1 and the
 harder is it to get out from it4       
,speaking and ,singing4  ,the basis of  
good singing is good speaking4 ,the     

speaking voice in common use during     
conversation covers a range of five or  
six notes4 ,frequently lower and higher 
notes are called into use1 but the high 
and low notes of the singing voice are  
seldom used in conversation4 ,the organs
 which produce voice1 from their        
constant use respond involuntarily to   
the will4 ,they also do correct work4   
,it is seldom that a person1 unless he  
has deformity1 has trouble to pronounce 
any word or syllable1 while talking4    
,would this were true of singers4 ,the  
student would greatly lessen the amount 
of his labor and also reduce the cost of
 his musical education if he were able  
to speak the words as correctly and as  
easily while singing as while speaking4 
,it is toward this imitation of the     
speaking voice that one must constantly 
strive if he would make rapid progress  
in voice development4 ,when he has      
reached the point where he can sing     
every vowel and consonant perfectly1 and
 with as little effort as when speaking1

 on every tone of his singing voice1 and
 then have that voice loud enough to be 
well heard in any hall1 the voice is    
completely and well cultivated4         
,associates4  ,singers cannot afford to 
miss the chance to be among great men4  
,as a class1 musicians are narrow and   
that arises from the necessity of giving
 so much time to technical study4 ,when 
the chance to meet and associate with   
men of broad minds comes1 take advantage
 of it4 ,even if the contact be not     
close some of the light shining from the
 great mind will illumine us1 and will  
make us brighter4 ,the great mind is    
drawing from inspired source1 maybe1 and
 the light which comes from that mind   
drives out darkness from whatever it    
covers4 ,light and darkness cannot      
remain together4 ,let the mind be thrown
 open to receptivity when one is in the 
presence of the acknowledged leader and 
good clear light1 it may be from heaven1
 will flood the mind and illumine it4   
,purity of ,method4  ,purity of vocal   

method must not be departed from by     
teachers4 ,the introduction of new ideas
 is at best a hazardous undertaking4 ,in
 the routine of teaching week after week
 and month after month the teacher finds
 himself casting about for a new idea4  
,he finds something which pleases him   
and tries it on his pupils4 ,most       
teachers can look back at experiments   
which have failed4 ,better decide on a  
few basic principles and cling to them4 
,the desire to try something new is very
 liable to be the result of fatigue from
 overwork4 ,better take a holiday2 go   
away from the classroom and rest4 ,come 
back to first principles again and go to
 work4 ,the result at the end of the    
year will be better4 ,every teacher as  
he grows older resolves his ways of     
cultivating the voice into something    
very simple but which1 as it condenses1 
becomes more powerful4 ,there is only   
one right way and deep thinkers settle  
on that alike in time4   ,mental        
,recovery4  ,a teacher cannot do better 

for himself and his work than to        
occasionally close the office door and  
sit quietly by himself for a half-hour4 
,at such time crowd out the thought of  
all work1 all planning1 all worries1 and
 all demands4 ,bring the mind as nearly 
as can be into inactivity4 ,one will    
find in the hour when work is resumed   
that more of value will flood into the  
mind1 he knows not from whence1 than he 
can catch and apply in a great many     
hours4 ,how many of us have times of    
refreshing4 ,it is work1 work1 hour     
after hour and the wonder is that we do 
so much and yet do so little4 ,leave out
 some of the work and call activity of  
mind to our aid and we will do more work
 with much less effort4   ,profession or
 ,trade4  ,an item recently seen reads1 
we would rather be a music teacher in an
 obscure town than be a prosperous      
tradesman in a large city4 ,that has the
 sound of enthusiasm1 and is the feeling
 of one who has the good of his         
fellowmen at heart4 ,every man who      

enters a profession gives up his life to
 do good4 ,but few men in any           
professional life ever make more than a 
good living4 ,some can1 indeed1 save    
enough to make occasional investments1  
and these 7if judgment has been good7   
secure a moderate fortune4 ,but no man  
ever became wealthy from his profession 
alone4 ,a professional man1 however1    
gratifies his better nature and         
satisfies cultivated tastes4 ,a man in  
trade becomes so engrossed in business  
that his better nature 7his refined     
taste7 is dwarfed4 ,that comfort of mind
 which the professional man has is more 
to him than the bags of gold of the     
merchant would be4 ,probably the writer 
who made the remark quoted1 had in mind 
the opportunity which the music teacher 
has to do good4 ,it is a grand field of 
work1 and one who has been engaged in it
 for several years wants no other4 ,to  
lead the public by teaching and by      
public performance into the knowledge of
 the highest art1 is a privilege which  

should be prized4 ,the music teacher1   
7even if not so placed by common        
opinion7 stands with the minister and   
the physician in the good which he does 
the community4   ,heart and ,intellect4 
,let not the heart be the ruling power  
all the time4 ,if it is1 art sinks into 
sentimentality4 ,allow the head to rule 
alternately with the heart4 ,intellect  
must be applied if any satisfying       
musical result is to be obtained4       
,emotion is good1 but it needs curbing1 
shaping and restraining4 ,emotion1 long 
sustained and unbridled1 becomes        
nauseating4 ,emotion in itself is       
beautiful1 but like fire and water1 if  
it once becomes the master1 wastes and  
destroys4 ,emotion1 aroused by          
imagination and directed by             
intelligence1 serves to give taste to   
all musical rendition4 ,one without     
heart is non-satisfying as a singer4 ,be
 he ever so intellectual1 his singing is
 cold4 ,intellect alone1 unaided by     
heart1 is like polished steel--cold1    

brilliant and dazzling4 ,intellect and  
heart combined are like the same surface
 engraved and enamelled in artistic     
design--chaste1 delicate and finished4  
,time ,ends ,not4  ,we may say with     
,emerson that ,time has his own work to 
do and we have ours1 and with ,wood1    
,labor is normal2 idleness1 abnormal1   
but in music there must be times of     
cessation from labor4 ,call it change of
 work1 if you choose rather than admit  
that labor has ceased1 but experience   
shows that no musician can safely follow
 his calling year in and year out1 with 
no regular period of rest1 and save his 
mind and body4 ,sooner or later comes a 
collapse4 ,the human machine breaks     
down4 ,then we shall think of ,emerson  
and ,wood as unsafe leaders4 ,time has  
his work1 but he works in such          
deliberation and in such ever-changing  
form that were he one who could feel    
fatigue1 he need not feel it4 ,time is  
from eternity to eternity4 ,time does   
not occupy a human machine4 ,the music  

teacher does4 ,many a teacher has toiled
 beyond his strength this year4 ,many   
will next year4 ,who will take thought  
for himself and break loose1 if but for 
a few weeks1 and postpone the time of   
breaking down8 ,one might say1 that with
 ,time1 the human soul is from eternity 
to eternity and there is no breakdown4  
,true1 but the residence of that soul   
while it is in this period of existence1
 demands much of its attention4 ,that   
cannot properly be given when the       
exacting duties of the class-room drag  
on week after week1 till they number    
fifty-two1 and then begin at once       
another weary round4 ,admit that there  
are limitations1 and1 in cordial        
co-operation with existing laws1 select 
and use the days of idleness1 even if   
one has said that idleness is abnormal4 
,power of ,thought4  ,the power of      
thought to exert influence is only in   
our day being understood4 ,how to       
utilize it is not yet in such degree of 
comprehension that it can be told so    

that all are able to use the force which
 they contain4 ,thought is a tangible   
essence passing from the human mind and 
lodging upon the object toward which it 
is sent4 ,definite thought is more      
powerful than is illy defined thought4  
,speech enables us to crystalize thought
 and to empower it with added force4    
,the time given to framing sentences    
enables us to put thought into definite 
form4 ,a step beyond speech is obtained 
in singing4 ,when learning our songs we 
revolve the thought to be expressed in  
mind4 ,the measure of the music gives   
time to concentrate the thought         
contained into its most powerful form4  
,the rhythm and vibration which         
accompany music and singing1 enhance the
 power of thought4 ,whenever we sing in 
the true spirit of the sentiment uttered
 we send out shafts1 so to speak1 of    
pure thought4 ,not one of those is lost4
 ,it lodges somewhere1 and as all good  
can never do harm1 our good thought1    
sent in song1 must do good to those who 

come within our influence to receive our
 good shafts4 ,a singer who uses music  
for vain display loses the opportunity  
for good4 ,there is no good thought in  
such singing4 ,if there is any thought  
at all it is of the lower order4 ,it    
lodges also1 but it appeals to that     
which is vain and low in our hearers4   
,what wonder is it1 then1 that ofttimes 
our hearers make unkind remarks about us
 and our singing6 ,it is our fault that 
we have stirred up in them the spirit of
 vanity and criticism4 ,our thought has 
often challenged such spirit in them4   
,let our thought be changed1 and only   
the good which is contained in poetic   
art sent out to them and their attitude 
toward us will change4 ,there is no     
unpleasant thing which comes to us but  
that we stimulated it and created it4   
,we can make our musical surroundings by
 sending out powerful shafts of pure    
thought4   ,nature ,seldom ,jumps4      
,nature seldom moves by jumps1 and a    
student who reaches the best use of his 

voice learns that he must do that       
through natural laws4 ,in other words1  
that he must acquire all things through 
naturalness4 ,what wrongs have been done
 to students under the shield of        
so-called naturalness6 ,many teachers   
who claim that they are cultivating the 
voice by natural laws1 know nothing of  
what it means to be natural4            
,naturalness means the expression of our
 own nature4 ,if a teacher uses the     
natural method he but points out to his 
pupils their true natures and holds them
 to that correct use of such that they  
return to their normal condition4 ,the  
necessities of our modern living have   
made most of us feel that we must put a 
side of ourselves outward which shows   
off well4 ,in singing we develop        
abnormally something which we fancy will
 please our hearers and bring us        
applause4 ,we try to hide our defects   
and admit that we do4 ,aside from the   
question of honesty1 is it policy to do 
so4 ,most firmly1 should be the answer1 

,no6 ,it destroys the naturalness of the
 singer and substitutes artifice4 ,any  
spurious issue will be detected sooner  
or later4 ,besides1 is it not much more 
comfortable to have the real than the   
counterfeit8 ,be natural1 then4 ,many   
students are impulsive4 ,it was to these
 that the remark that ,nature seldom    
jumps1 was made4 ,in natural action     
everything is deliberate and restful2   
controlled and sure4 ,nature makes but  
few angles1 but moves in graceful       
curves4 ,good quality of tone on one    
note and poor quality on the next1 is   
not natural4 ,nature does not jump from 
one voice into another4 ,nature demands 
symmetric cultivation of the whole      
voice1 and not the display of a favored 
part4   ,be ,perfect4  ,do not be       
content to merely make progress4 7,if   
one feels that he is at a standstill1 or
 worse1 going backward1 he should stop  
all study till he can go forward74      
,merely making progress means that to   
reach great result1 a long time must    

elapse4 ,to make a great artist requires
 years of musical and intellectual      
training2 to be able to sing as         
perfectly as the body is capable of     
acting1 requires but a few weeks1 or at 
most1 a few months4 ,why will students  
take lessons year after year and not    
sing any better than they did soon after
 they began8 ,it is not necessary if the
 student is willing to go rapidly4 ,be  
ye perfect1 applies to singing as well  
as to anything else in life4 ,if the    
injunction to be perfect has any meaning
 at all1 and no one has any right to    
doubt but that it meant1 when it was    
spoken1 just what the words contain1    
that applies very thoroughly to singing4
 ,the very essence of life itself is    
more fully operative in singing than it 
is in anything else4 ,if so1 to be      
perfect in singing is to be perfect also
 in the essence of life4 ,the injunction
 was not to become perfect by a long    
course of training4 ,the present tense  
was used and it meant just what was     

said4 ,be ye perfect1 now4 ,by proper   
mental conception of the true principle 
which underlies voice culture and by    
demonstration with concentrated thought1
 the possibility of any individual body 
can be at once brought out4 ,on this    
account1 the long years of wasteful     
practice which people use in cultivating
 the voice is not only unnecessary1 but 
foolish and wicked4     ,,chapter ,,iv4 
,,perfect ,,voice ,,method4             
,observe how all passionate language    
does of itself become                   
musical1--with a finer music than the   
mere accent2 the speech of      man even
 in jealous anger becomes a chant--a    
song4 ,all deep      things are song4   
,carlisle4     ,,iv4  ,,perfect ,,voice 
,,method4   ,a teacher of voice and     
singing who does not believe his way is 
the best in the world is in one of two  
positions3--either he is a scamp1       
passing off spurious goods for real     
worth1 or he is doing the best he can in
 his knowledge and present situation1   

waiting for the time when he can obtain 
instruction in a better method4 ,if a   
teacher believes he has the best way of 
teaching he has a perfect right to so   
express himself1 and to use that method 
in his teaching4 ,he may be wrong in his
 opinion but that does not effect his   
right to work on the lines of his       
opinion4 ,some day something may show   
him he is mistaken and such a man will  
be very liable to correct his error and1
 taking the newly found way1 progress in
 that4  ,a teacher who knows he is far  
from right and still works on1 is not   
worthy of consideration as a teacher4   
,one who uses the profession of voice   
teaching merely for livelihood and who  
cares not whether he does good or harm  
is little better than criminal4 ,such   
there be and such there will be until a 
time arrives in which teachers will be  
granted authority to teach from some    
recognized institution1 without whose   
permission to teach1 it would violate a 
law of the land to advertise as a       

teacher4 ,just such control as is kept  
over medical practice will some day be  
had1 but not in our generation4         
,hundreds of teachers of the voice in   
all parts of our land are teaching up to
 their light1 hoping the time may come1 
and to most it does come sometime1 when 
they may get away from the office and   
study still farther into voice and      
music1 thus making better their ability4
 ,that class has already done much for  
singing and music4 ,it might be said    
that all that has been done has come    
from that class1 for no teacher feels   
that nothing remains for him to learn4  
,singing1 too1 is a subtle thing4 ,a    
teacher feels every little while as if  
his good way were slipping from him1 and
 if he cannot get out of his work and   
brush up with a master1 he will lose all
 the ability he has4 ,the best teachers 
do leave their work1 go to some other   
teacher1 may be not better than they    
are1 and have their work inspected and  
made better4 ,a salesman from a         

furniture house once put the matter     
tersely3--,when ,i go out from the house
 on a long trip1 ,i start with a plan of
 what ,i will say and how ,i will make  
my sales4 ,in a little while ,i get     
rusty1 and saying the same things over  
and over again makes me hate them4 ,then
 my business falls off4 ,i go into the  
warerooms again for a time1 hear the    
firm talk up goods in a new way1 meet   
other salesmen and hear how they talk1  
and off ,i go again on my trip fresh and
 bright4  ,no work gets into a groove   
more easily than teaching4 ,when working
 in a rut the teacher produces small    
results4 ,the successful teacher tries  
every expedient in his power to get all 
the result he can4 ,sometimes1 it may be
 remarked incidentally1 he is called by 
a pupil lacking in appreciation and     
discernment1 an experimenter1 because he
 changes his plan of working4 ,but he   
can endure that provided he gets        
definite results from his teaching4 ,the
 best way for the teacher who must plod 

on by himself through long years is that
 he should once in every few months sit 
quietly alone and think over what his   
voice method is1 how he is applying it1 
and what the result is4 ,below is the   
thought of such an hour condensed into  
comparatively few words4 ,the heading of
 this article indicates that this is the
 opinion of the writer at the present   
time4 ,the thinking which may come in   
the next ten years may show he could    
have thought better now1 but this is to 
him now1 a perfect voice method4  ,the  
voice is produced by the body2 it was   
originally planned for speech and not   
for singing2 attributes of the voice are
 range1 power1 quality1 and flexibility2
 into the voice can be injected1        
language2 the action of all physical    
portions are under the command of the   
mind4  ,there are four portions of the  
body which are brought actively into use
 for the production and management of   
the voice1 and these permit voice       
culture to be divided into four         

departments4 ,these must first be       
brought into correct action4 ,natural   
action is correct action4 ,what the     
world has considered as correct action  
may be wrong1 for on most matters the   
opinion of the world is incorrect4 ,a   
few clear-headed men have again and     
again appeared in various affairs and   
shown the world the mistake into which  
it had fallen4 ,may be this is true of  
voice culture4 ,it is safe to follow    
nature4 ,the first department of voice  
culture is1 as most persons admit1 the  
respiratory department4 ,breathing4     
,that goes on from the time we are born 
till we die4 ,generally as children we  
breathe well and correctly4 ,when       
manhood arrives most of us have         
interfered with nature's way of         
breathing and have interposed something 
quite different from that we used       
earlier4 ,this has come largely from    
faulty civilized eating1 so that the    
organs of digestion are constantly      
troubling us4 ,the stomach1 liver1 etc41

 exert decided influence on the         
diaphragm which is the chief organ of   
respiration4 ,we1 also1 have grown      
nervous as years have come1 because of  
the demands of active life upon us4     
,that nervousness keeps all the muscles 
of the body in a state of unnatural     
strain1 and this strain has even caused 
us to breathe differently from what     
nature planned4 ,the very first step    
toward good voice method is to bring the
 breathing apparatus back to working    
order4 ,as said above1 the chief organ  
of respiration is the diaphragm1 and    
that is a large muscle which cuts across
 the body at the edge of the ribs4 ,its 
centre1 right in the middle of the body 
is constantly moving downward and       
upward4 ,when it goes down the breath   
enters the body2 when it comes up the   
breath comes out4 ,stop that muscle and 
breath is held4 ,stripped of all        
confusion that is all the description   
needed of inhalation1 exhalation and    
breathing-holding4 ,if some who read    

this would not say that this is too     
simple1 and that they knew more than    
this article says1 the subject would be 
dropped there4 ,at most1 all that can   
directly be added is to prolong the     
lowering and raising the diaphragm so   
that it is done by long strokes4 ,some  
one says we have been taught about      
spreading the sides1 expanding the      
abdomen1 filling the back1 keeping the  
chest still1 and a dozen more things4   
,examine the above1 and if opposing     
effort to the free movement of the      
diaphragm in its upward and downward    
journey is avoided it will be found that
 all which is of good in inspiration and
 expiration is contained in the above4  
,a most useful exercise for the         
development of strength in this organ of
 respiration is to slowly perform the   
act of panting in the same way that a   
dog pants4  ,but about holding the      
breath4 ,that is the most important     
thing about breathing4 ,it says above   
that if the movement of the diaphragm is

 stopped1 the breath will be held4 ,sure
 enough4 ,then why can't we all hold the
 breath8 ,we can4 ,holding the breath in
 that way a little while every day and  
caring to keep it so whenever using the 
voice will so complete the strength of  
the diaphragm that it will stay still a 
very long time1 much longer than it     
takes to sing any phrase in music which 
is written4 ,the majority of            
pupils--yes1 all of us1 teachers and    
pupils1 when they seek to let the       
diaphragm stay still try to assist it to
 do so4 ,we try to hold the breath by   
the muscles of the chest1 by those of   
abdomen1 or by shutting off the throat4 
,now these do not assist the diaphragm  
to stay still1 and on the other hand1   
they prevent the diaphragm from staying 
still4 ,they make it move4 ,some one    
says1 or thinks if he doesn't say it1   
that unless the diaphragm moves when we 
begin to sing that no tone can be made4 
,that is one of the mistakes of the     
world4 ,some teachers have even said    

that we must press the air upward as we 
sing1 so that the vocal bands may make  
it into tone4 ,that is absurd4 ,keep    
back all pressure from the vocal bands4 
,if the slightest air pressure is put   
upon them they are over-worked4 ,hold   
still the diaphragm and the air is held 
loosely suspended throughout the chest1 
the bronchial tubes1 the windpipe and   
the mouth4 ,then in this air the vocal  
bands work4 ,they will help themselves  
to just the right amount of breath1 to  
make into tone without any assistance   
from you4 ,you can't make nature work4  
,you can permit her to work in her own  
way4  ,when we speak of the vocal bands 
we are talking of something which       
pertains to the second department of    
voice culture--the throat4 ,there can   
be1 and need be1 very little said to the
 pupil about the throat in its action   
during singing4 ,teachers do say many   
things4 ,one thinks the larynx--the     
protuberance known as the ,adam's       
apple--ought to be pressed down1 and    

kept so4 ,another thinks it ought to be 
forced upward4 ,still another says it   
should be allowed to be low at one time 
and high at another4 ,there is just one 
way of settling the matter4 ,how is the 
action when we act naturally8 ,nature   
built the throat for conversational     
voice4 ,if we are to use it for singing 
we can't do better than to follow the   
suggestions of nature as to the way the 
throat moves while speaking4 ,then on   
those ways let the throat act while     
singing4 ,sound several notes with the  
same vowel in the conversational voice  
and see what the larynx does4 ,some one 
suggests that this ceases to be         
conversation and becomes singing4 ,but  
it doesn't4 ,conversation runs easily   
through an octave of tones4 ,generally  
we use three or four tones4 ,when we are
 very quiet or are sad the voice lowers 
a few notes4 ,if we are very merry or   
are angry the voice ascends4 ,we talk at
 the top of the voice1 literally4 ,if we
 do so in speaking1 surely we may lop   

off the many vowels and the consonants  
and speak1 conversationally--on several 
tones4 ,it will be found that the larynx
 moves freely4 ,that being the case1 he 
is a very foolish man who could make the
 larynx go down and stay there4 ,again1 
with the tip of the finger on the larynx
 say the different vowels4 ,it will be  
seen that the larynx changes position at
 each change of vowel4 ,let it so change
 when we sing4 ,the great opponent of   
such action is the stiffening of the    
cords of the neck--the muscles on the   
sides of the neck4 ,in connection with  
the work to be looked after in the third
 department1 yet to come1 the way of    
removing that stiffness will have       
mention4 ,within the larynx there are   
many delicate muscles which are         
performing their various functions4     
,what they do1 and how they do them has 
been the subject of study through       
several generations and the question is 
not solved4 ,an eminent physician has   
for several years been photographing    

throats while producing tone4 ,about    
four hundred different throats have been
 photographed4 ,in an article published 
by him in ,january of this year1 he     
says3 ,i have not yet permitted myself  
to formulate a theory of the action of  
the larynx during singing1 for even now1
 after a large number of studies have   
been made1 the camera is constantly     
revealing new surprises in the action of
 the vocal bands in every part of the   
scale4 ,with that true1 the only way    
open for us is to seek ease and comfort 
of action and never force any part of   
the throat to overwork4  ,the third     
department in voice culture relates to  
the pharynx1 or back of the throat4 ,it 
seems as if any thinking student would  
realize that in order to acquire a rich 
tone1 resonant with pure sound1 the     
pharynx must be allowed plenty of room1 
yet many shut it off making a very small
 chamber4 ,well1 it is the teacher's    
work to find some way to open a roomy   
space4 ,one of the best ways is to draw 

a picture of a cross-section of the     
mouth from the lips to the back wall of 
the throat1 showing a large arch at the 
top of the section4 ,convey to the      
pupil's mind the idea of room and he    
will be most liable to produce the room4
 ,sometimes1 although it is of doubtful 
propriety to make any local application 
for special purpose1 the use of the word
 oh1 as an exercise1 will permit the    
pupil to enlarge the pharyngeal chamber 
sufficiently for any need4 ,this will   
come up later in connection with another
 thought4 ,a very important branch of   
voice culture1 the quality of tone1 has 
to do with the pharynx4 ,not much can be
 said of it now but just a little in    
connection with a perfect voice method4 
,when singing1 we should express        
something4 ,the emotion in mind must    
have its appropriate setting4 ,that     
setting comes chiefly from the quality1 
and the quality arises from the shape of
 the pharyngeal cavity4 ,as in all      
nature's plan we must not try to make   

the pharynx do anything4 ,we may permit 
it1 and if we do1 nature will have her  
way and will do just right4 ,the emotion
 of the mind expresses itself upon the  
face4 ,a face plastic and delicate1     
changes expression a hundred times a    
minute1 maybe4 ,just so1 if we permit   
it1 the emotion of mind expresses itself
 on the pharynx4 ,we cannot see the     
expression of the throat as we can that 
of the face1 but we can hear it4 ,that  
the pharynx may be able to receive the  
expression of the mind it must be       
plastic and delicate4 ,if so1 just the  
right form will be assumed for the idea 
we would express1 and the proper quality
 would be given the tone4 ,we--many of  
us--don't permit this4 ,we try to shape 
the pharynx4 ,stop trying and let the   
muscles of the back of the throat come  
to a state of rest4 ,then willing them  
to remain so1 sing4 ,sing anything4     
,don't change the feeling1 and good     
quality will fill the tone wherever the 
voice moves--whether it be high or low1 

loud or soft4 ,so by this restful way of
 singing the stiffness of the cords of  
the neck will be removed and the larynx 
will move easily and flexibly4 ,in fact1
 all rapid singing grows out of the     
restful singing4 ,the use of all        
embellishments1 too1 comes through this 
restful singing4 ,it is to be kept in   
mind that so long as we employ          
artificial methods of holding the air   
column1 and so long as we force tones   
through rigid vocal bands1 just so long 
will we be prevented from obtaining     
restful action of the pharynx4 ,each    
part must act correctly and no part must
 interfere with another4  ,the          
articulatory department is all which    
remains to be described4 ,singing       
employs words1 and words are made up of 
letters4 ,letters are made up of        
consonant and vowel sounds4 ,consonant  
and vowel sounds1 save one alone1 are   
made by changing the tongue or lips1 or 
moving the jaw4 ,there are but few      
changes which may be made--less than a  

dozen4 ,six of those pertain to the     
tongue1 one to the jaw and three to     
combination of tongue and lips4 ,what   
these are need not be detailed now4     
,sufficient to say that any action made 
during conversation may be made while   
singing and must be made in the same way
 as in conversation4 ,two ideas advanced
 by some teachers which are very wrong  
should be noted4 ,one is that the singer
 should practice with a spoon in the    
mouth to hold the tongue in place4 ,as  
if nature didn't know what the tongue   
ought to do6 ,the other is that the     
mouth should be widely opened1 to let   
out the tone1 as old singing school     
teachers used to say4 ,the tone doesn't 
come out of the mouth any more than out 
of the cheeks1 chest or head4 ,allow the
 tone to be made properly1 then given   
quality and resonance by a well arched  
pharynx and it will come out1 no matter 
where or how4 ,someone asks if there is 
any real objection to widely opened     
mouth4 ,certainly1 there is4 ,were it   

merely that the facial expression were  
destroyed1 that would be enough1 but    
that is not the worst of it4 ,opening   
widely the mouth destroys the shape of  
the pharynx and all richness is lost4   
,notice a bell4 ,so long as it remains  
bell-shaped1 it has resonant ring4 ,bend
 its shape so it resembles a pan and the
 ring is gone4  ,one thought more in    
connection with articulation4 ,it used  
to be said that all attention should be 
given to vowels4 ,not so1 in the light  
of to-day4 ,attend to the consonants and
 the vowels will take care of           
themselves4 ,correct speech in song1    
only1 will make good singing4 ,while    
watching the resonance of the tone as   
made in the pharynx note the delays made
 by thoroughly 7not violently7 sounding 
the consonants4 ,those delays1 prolonged
 greatly1 permit expansion of the       
pharynx1 and perform the work mentioned 
before which was given the vocal sound1 
oh1 to do4  ,to sum perfect voice method
 up into a sentence it is that by which 

we command with no apparent effort the  
column of air1 keeping it away from the 
vocal bands1 and1 therefore1 permitting 
the quality of tone in the pharynx to be
 pure2 that by which the larynx acts    
freely1 with no strain upon it2 that by 
which thought may instinctively make its
 impression on the pharynx to give      
quality to the tone2 and that by which  
we can make consonants and vowels in    
that pure tone1 so that words conveying 
the thought of the mind may go out to   
our hearers4     ,,chapter ,v4  ,a      
,,paper ,,of ,,seeds4        ,he who is 
a true master1 let him undertake what he
 will1 is sure      to accomplish       
something4 ,schumann4       ,to engender
 and diffuse faith1 and to promote our  
spiritual      well-being1 are among the
 noblest aims of music4                 
,bach4     ,v4  ,a ,,paper ,,of ,,seeds4
  ,,analyze ,,songs4   ,every song or   
other vocal composition should be       
analyzed as the first step in its study4
 ,the first theme noted1 and the second 

also1 if such there be2 the connecting  
bars2 the points which are descriptive  
or which contain contrasts2 the phrases 
which may present difficulties of       
vocalization2 the climax2 and1 as well1 
what relation the prelude and other     
parts of the accompaniment bear to the  
song4 ,it is probable that before the   
pupil is capable of doing this by       
himself1 the teacher must do it for him1
 not on one song merely1 but on a dozen 
or twenty4 ,a wise teacher will gather  
his pupils to hear him analyze music now
 and then4 ,it saves time at individual 
lessons1 for the analysis will be       
understood by a group as easily as by an
 individual4 ,it matters not so much    
that the pupils are not to sing those   
particular songs1 for at the gathering1 
the way to do the thing will be learned4
 ,then as other songs are taught at     
private lessons1 the pupils will be     
prepared to receive quickly1 the        
instruction4   ,,fault ,,finding4       
,pupils may be sure that teachers do not

 find fault with them merely for the    
purpose of finding fault4 ,if the       
teacher is worthy of that respect which 
leads pupils to study with him1 he      
doesn't find fault except when it is    
necessary1 and then he does it with     
dignity4 ,if the teacher is constantly  
fault-finding1 and does it in an        
irritable manner1 you would better leave
 him at once4 ,now and then we learn of 
a teacher who gets his pupils so nervous
 that they burst out crying4 ,it is not 
well to remain long with such a teacher4
 ,the pupil goes to him with fear which 
spoils the first of the lesson1 and     
surely after the cry1 the lesson is     
spoiled1 for no good vocal tone can then
 be made4 ,at a lesson all should be    
restful and dignified4   ,,recover      
,,from ,,mistakes4  ,next to him who    
makes no mistakes1 is he who recovers   
from and disguises the errors4 ,at best 
a performance full of errors of pitch1  
word1 tone and quality is but a patched 
garment4 ,apply the mind to eradicating 

every error4 ,perhaps the most common   
thing for students to do is to try over 
again1 while at practice1 the music in  
which the error has been made1 but doing
 it without thought4 ,it is far better  
to think what the error is1 what caused 
it1 how it should be removed1 and then  
begin the practice which will remove it4
 ,oh1 if the hours of wasteful practice 
could only be gathered up into useful   
hours1 how much better off the whole    
would be6 ,the least wasteful thing is  
to stop practice and think4   ,,songs   
,,for ,,beginners4  ,when selecting     
songs for study for beginners1 only     
those which have smooth and well defined
 melodies should be selected4 ,modern   
composers seek by the strangest         
harmonies1 following each other without 
coming to points of definite rest1 to do
 things different from what has been in 
use so long that it is looked upon as   
common4 ,the pupils in their early study
 cannot understand such music1 and while
 bewildered by it1 they misapply what   

they know to be correct use of the      
voice4 ,the first selections should be  
simple1 melodious1 and of easy range4   
,the songs of ,mozart and ,mendelssohn  
are much better for early use than are  
those which are being published now4 ,as
 the pupil advances in the knowledge of 
songs add in any quantity the latest and
 most weird music1 providing it has     
merit4   ,,criticism4  ,the phraseology 
of newspaper criticism often disturbs   
musicians1 especially those who are very
 sensitive1 and sometimes arouses their 
ire so that they make reply4 ,in doing  
so they make a mistake4 ,they place a   
weapon for further attack in the hands  
of the critic and add to the force of   
his remarks by showing that they have   
hit the mark4 ,one does not prize a shot
 which goes wide of the point at which  
it was aimed but is quite proud if1 by  
chance1 he hits the bull's-eye4 ,the    
sensitive man in his reply shows how    
fortunate the critic is in his shooting4
 ,it is not easy to bear the remarks of 

a harsh critic and it is much harder to 
draw from them any good lesson4         
7,whether one may draw a lesson from    
criticism is not open for remark at this
 writing47 ,yet1 when one gives serious 
thought to the criticism which seems so 
cruel he will learn that no one has been
 hurt by it except the critic himself4  
,he has lowered his thought from a high 
plain and has made his nature1 thereby1 
coarse and uncomfortable4 ,that cannot  
come to anyone1 even for a few minutes  
without making him less manly4 ,out of  
the fullness of his heart at that moment
 the critic has written and sent out    
into the world that which lowers4 ,what 
he sows1 that shall he also reap1 and in
 due time his unkindness will come home 
to him4 ,if he can bear his own act the 
musician can endure it for the brief    
time that the smart is there4 ,none     
should ever forget that a man can injure
 himself but no one else on earth can   
injure him4   ,,wait ,,for ,,results4   
,some of us are slow to learn the       

lesson1 waiting for results4 ,we feel   
that at one bound we must and will      
achieve the great success which is our  
ideal4 ,youth is enthusiastic and       
believes in itself4 ,nothing daunts it1 
save the realization of limited success 
and that realization comes not quickly4 
,there are circumstances which cannot be
 forced2 there are laws which prevent   
our reaching too far or going too       
quickly4 ,under them we chafe but in    
time we come to know that those laws    
place boundaries of limitation about us4
 ,we then begin to inspect the laws just
 as one bound with cords might be       
supposed to study his binding after     
having tried in vain to tear himself    
free4 ,then is when he discovers that by
 knowing natural law he can shape his   
course so that he is not antagonized but
 aided by his environments and curbings4
 ,he then discovers that he can even use
 the laws which seemed to restrain as   
his power4 ,but it takes long to learn  
that lesson4 ,stripes1 which cut and    

burn1 must have been received before one
 can know that he must not fret and be  
impatient for quick results4 ,patience  
overcometh all things4 ,seek and ye     
shall find4 ,remember that the early    
fruit decays quickest4 ,the rosy apple1 
when all of its fellows are green1 has  
the worm at the core4 ,if you are worthy
 of results they will come to you1 but  
not in your way or time perhaps4 ,you   
can afford to wait4   ,,all ,,things    
,,are ,,good4  ,certain quotations and  
sayings1 through familiarity1 lose their
 point to us4 ,we not only are not      
impressed by them but forget that they  
are truths4 ,do you recall ,all things  
work together for good8 ,does that mean 
anything8 ,does it mean what it says8   
,does it mean nothing8 ,it means nothing
 or else exactly what it says1 and you  
may be sure that the latter is the true 
meaning4 ,what are all things8 ,the few 
which seem bright1 maybe2 and those     
which to most of us seem evil1 do not   
belong to all things4 ,but may we not be

 at fault in our idea8 ,we are1 we are4 
,whatever appears to happen to us       
7although nothing ever happens in the   
common meaning of that word7 belongs to 
all things and at some time we will be  
able to look back and say from the heart
 that all was well with us4   ,,little  
,,things ,,effect4  ,every shade of tone
 has a meaning which is either artistic 
or inartistic and one who has developed 
his appreciation of artistic rendition  
can so use his tone that just the right 
effect will be produced with his tone4  
,a noted cartoonist recently showed by  
two little dots the ability which he    
possessed to change the character of his
 picture4 ,he had drawn a sketch of a   
sweet young girl2 rosy cheeks and cherry
 lips2 big sleeves and a ,gainsborough  
hat2 the most demure and modest little  
girl ever imagined4 ,then to carry out a
 joke he changed the position of the    
eyes1 just rubbing on two dots4 ,the    
character of the whole picture now      
changed4 ,the demure little girl became 

the sauciest ,miss that could be        
imagined and one could almost imagine a 
shrug to the shoulders4 ,are singers    
less able to portray in art than is the 
cartoonist8 ,if we know the resources at
 our command and how to use them we can 
give expression just as well as any     
other artist can4 ,we do not always know
 how small a thing can change all       
expression4 ,the bright face1 the warmer
 tone1 the more elastic delivery of     
voice1 quicker attack1 all have their   
value in expressing something4  ,not    
enough attention is paid to personal    
appearance before an audience4 ,there   
are a few things which can be prepared  
before our appearance which can make the
 whole performance more artistic4 ,the  
way of walking across the stage1 taking 
position before the audience1 manner of 
holding the music1 of turning its       
leaves1 way of looking up while singing1
 way of leaving the stage2 all these    
have to do with artistic rendition4     
,they should be taught to pupils by the 

teacher and should become part of the   
pupils' instruction4 ,we give all       
attention to tone and that is only part 
of the instruction which the student    
needs4 ,the other matters must not be   
left to chance4 ,the little things point
 out the difference between the singer  
and the artist4   ,,musical ,,library4  
,a musical library should be a          
possession of every singer4 ,there are  
less than two hundred books on music    
printed in ,english1 on subjects        
directly connected with music and       
singing4 ,these contain all which has   
been printed which has any great value4 
,many are books for reference and a few 
contain direct practical instruction4   
,each teacher and all earnest students  
should see how many of these they now   
possess and plan to develop the library4
 ,all the books need not be purchased at
 once1 nor is it wise to obtain books   
and put them away on the shelves just   
for mere ownership4 ,get one book at a  
time1 one a month perhaps1 and read it  

carefully enough to allow you to know   
what is in it4 ,then put it away for    
reference4 ,it takes but a few minutes  
to refresh the mind on what is read4 ,a 
dozen books a year added in this way    
will1 in a dozen years1 give a valuable 
library4 ,what is more valuable to the  
owner is that he has lodged in his own  
mind for every day use more than a      
hundred good ideas4 ,books taken from   
the public library and returned to it do
 not have the lasting value that one's  
own books have4 ,the sense of ownership 
is worth something4   ,,change          
,,opinions4  ,in these days of          
invention1 discovery and progress1 no   
one need be ashamed of changing his     
opinions4 ,in vocal music the ideas most
 commonly held twenty years ago are     
being exchanged for something new4 ,the 
man who has made a change is often      
sneered at as having a method4 ,he may  
have that1 but he may only have advanced
 to new ground which is to be occupied  
by common opinion a dozen years from    

now4 ,the man who changed early was in  
advance of his fellows and would attract
 attention4 ,who thought1 outside of a  
very small circle1 only forty years ago1
 that the music of ,wagner would become 
the most popular of any age8 ,it is     
to-day the music of the present and we  
are already looking for a music of the  
future4 ,the present time is1 in the    
manner of dealing with the singing and  
speaking voice1 a transition age4 ,ideas
 which are being taken up now were      
scouted as nonsense twenty years ago4   
,they will be commonly accepted ten     
years from now4 ,it is better to join   
the army of progress1 and change early1 
even if it does raise a laugh4          
,,reputation ,,comes ,,slowly4          
,reputation which will last comes only  
by slow degrees4 ,man may spring into   
notoriety at a bound because of some    
fortuitous circumstance and he may hold 
the prominence which he gains by his    
strength of manhood1 but the cases of   
this kind are rare4 ,it is by pegging   

away at something which one knows to be 
good until by the merit of the something
 and the worth of the labor put into it1
 attracts the attention of a few judges 
of its worth1 that a reputation is      
begun4 ,it is begun then1 only4 ,some   
more of the same work must follow but   
those who have seen the worth now assist
 in thought as well as in word and the  
circle which appreciates the worth      
grows4 ,when good reputation has begun  
nothing can stop its growth except some 
unwise or unmanly act of the person     
himself4 ,for this reason no man need   
strive after reputation4 ,do well what  
is good and the result will take care of
 itself4 ,the reputation will not come  
because of striving4 ,it will come to   
any man who is doing good work and      
living a right life4 ,it takes time to  
make the lasting reputation and that    
impatience which so often influences    
,americans1 prevents the growth of many 
a reputation4   ,,study ,,poetry4       
,every singer should be an earnest      

student of poetry4 ,there are minds to  
which poetry does not appeal as does the
 practical prose4 ,but in all minds     
there is enough of latent love of poetry
 which can be developed until poetry    
appeals with even stronger force than   
does prose4 ,can your heart glow with   
the beautiful sunset8 ,do you joy over  
the song of the bird8 ,has the spring   
blossom a message of delicacy to you8   
,then have you that love of nature which
 can give you understanding of the poet4
 ,a faculty of mind exercised grows with
 its use4 ,a singer must have           
imagination4 ,without it1 the best      
vocalization lacks the spark of true    
life4 ,without it1 coldness displaces   
warmth1 and darkness1 light4 ,the very  
essence of poetry is imagination4 ,one  
word in poetry often suggests that which
 practical prose uses ten words to      
express4 ,the study of poetry1 that is1 
making poetry a study so that one knows 
what is in it1 helps make good singers4 
,he who has not yet thus used poetry may

 well plan something new for his winter 
evenings4   ,,mannerisms ,,show         
,,character4  ,mannerisms give knowledge
 to the observing person of our         
character and intellectuality1 and1 on  
that account1 are to be studied and used
 to our advantage4 ,such as would       
prepossess our hearers in our favor     
should be retained and such as would be 
unpleasant to the majority of people    
should be trained out of our unconscious
 use4 ,but few think long enough about a
 singer to be able to tell their reason 
for liking or disliking him4 ,the voice 
and art may be good and yet the audience
 may not like him4 ,on the other hand1  
the voice may be meagre and the music   
faulty1 yet there will be personal charm
 which is captivating4 ,the manners     
which express the better side of our    
individuality will be those retained4   
,certain it is1 that manners are the    
expression of individuality and there   
are no two persons whose action is just 
the same1 any more than that there are  

two faces or two voices alike4  ,it is  
doubtful whether one can judge the good 
and bad in mannerisms in himself4 ,we   
are so liable to accept our intention   
for actual performance that we deceive  
ourselves4 ,then1 too1 mannerisms which 
would be permitted in one place are not 
admissible in another4 ,the ways of a   
,german dialect comedian would not serve
 the ,shakesperian comedian nor would   
the physical accompaniment of the songs 
of the ,london ,music ,hall be proper   
for the lieder of ,schubert4 ,the       
teacher enters at this place and by     
judicious physical drill1 based upon the
 knowledge of what is wanted in true    
art1 shows the singer what to cure and  
eradicate and what to make more         
prominent1 wisely retaining those       
mannerisms which show the higher1 nobler
 and more pleasing part of the singer's 
individuality4   ,,provide ,,for ,,the  
,,young4  ,parents see the necessity of 
providing the means for their children  
to learn to take care of themselves4 ,a 

fortune left to a son frequently1 if not
 generally1 proves a curse4 ,a good     
match may turn out badly for a daughter4
 ,a few hundred1 or even one or two     
thousand1 dollars invested in musical   
education is sure to permit the son or  
daughter to earn a comfortable living4  
,it will be more than a generation      
before the field for musical activity is
 supplied4 ,more than that1 in music1   
every further elevation of the public   
increases their desire for better and   
more expensive things in music4 ,there  
is no prospect that the musical field   
will be over supplied with artists and  
teachers4 ,happily1 the profession is   
open to women as well as to men4 ,our   
daughters can1 then1 receive preparation
 for independence in it4 ,the necessity 
for marriage for mere living has gone   
by4 ,daughters are as independent of    
marriage as are sons4 ,the time was when
 boys were held in greater esteem and   
value than were girls because they could
 take business positions and acquire    

wealth4 ,the new openings for women have
 changed this4 ,woman is making a place 
for herself1 not through the ballot and 
because of political influence1 but     
because she is taking position in the   
business and professional world4        
,everyone1 man or woman1 should be      
prepared to take some position which    
permits a living income to be made4     
,parents are using music as the means of
 independence to their children4 ,it is 
better to spend the hundreds of dollars 
in education in music than to invest    
that sum in any way to provide a fortune
 for the children4 ,the life-income from
 the investment is better for the       
children4   ,,there ,,are ,,no          
,,mistakes4  ,how often does every one  
of us make the mistake of a lifetime8   
,probably everyone has made that remark 
many times regarding himself4 ,the      
circumstances of life have seemed to    
point out a certain path4 ,we have      
followed it4 ,later we felt it to be    
wrong4 ,it was a mistake4 ,did it do us 

any good8 ,no4 ,did we learn any lesson8
 ,no4 ,will we not make another mistake 
of a lifetime to-morrow1 if we have the 
chance8 ,yes4 ,such is human nature4 ,so
 we go on4 ,but there is another side to
 the shield4 ,there are no mistakes of a
 lifetime1 if we sum up the whole life4 
,none of us can do that yet1 but we can 
put a number of years together and see a
 result in them4 ,how about that mistake
 over which you have been mourning8 ,was
 it a mistake8 ,is it not possible that 
if you had what you think would have    
been yours had you taken a different    
course1 you would be worse off than you 
are now8 ,a young man who is making his 
mark recently said1 ,i am glad my father
 lost his property4 ,had ,i been        
supplied with a lot of money while at   
college1 ,i would have been a           
profligate4 ,when the father lost his   
money he probably thought he had made   
the mistake of a lifetime4 ,which would 
any father prefer1 poverty or a wrecked 
family8  ,many pupils rue a supposed    

mistake in the selection of a teacher4  
,there is no mistake4 ,every teacher who
 can attract pupils can teach something 
and every pupil can learn something of  
him4 ,the mistake1 if one was made1 was 
by the pupil1 in not learning what that 
teacher could teach1 and when he had    
gotten that1 in remaining longer with   
him4  ,don't talk about the mistakes but
 so shape circumstances that all events 
may be used for good4 ,there is         
something which can be utilized in      
everything which happens to us4 ,the bee
 finds honey in every flower--more in   
some than in others1 to be sure1 but    
none are without sweetness4             
,,regularity4  ,it is the regularity of 
the laws of nature which leads us to put
 confidence in them and enables us to   
use them4 ,thus writes ,dr4 ,mc,cosh and
 he was a keen observer of men and      
things4 ,his remark suggests that       
teachers can and will be trusted and    
used who1 by their regularity1 awaken   
confidence4 ,he who attracts and        

enthuses can for a time command         
attention4 ,his work will only be       
lasting and his hold upon the musical   
public be good when there is something  
of permanent value behind the           
enthusiasm4 ,slowly but surely we are   
reaching the knowledge that in music    
there is all of life1 and that only as  
we make music part of ourselves is our  
life rounded4 ,we have reached the place
 when we can feel that he who has no    
love of music suffers an infirmity akin 
to the loss of sight or hearing4 ,we    
have also reached the belief that       
everyone must cultivate the musical     
faculty4 ,we are passing through this   
life to one beyond and he who raises    
himself nearest the perfect man1 best   
uses the span from birth to death4 ,in  
and through music1 especially on its    
side of education1 more can be done than
 can be in any other way4 ,general      
culture1 college education1 mental      
development are1 in their proper place1 
to be used but neither will do so much  

for man as will music4 ,in thus         
developing that faculty we acquire      
something also1 which1 as executant     
musicians1 gives us delightful influence
 over our fellows4 ,such is the         
possibility of a teacher to so make     
mankind better that he becomes a noble  
instrument of service in ,god's hand4   
,but he who knows his position best and 
by regularity of mind1 body and estate1 
by system1 certainty and reliability1   
obtains the confidence of the musical   
public1 can best be used as an          
instrument in that service4   ,,assert  
,,individuality4  ,personal freedom of  
action must for a time be surrendered by
 pupil to teacher but it should be for  
limited time only4 ,the impress of the  
teacher's mind can be made upon the     
pupil in two seasons of study if it can 
be at all4 ,perhaps most pupils receive 
all that the teacher can give them in   
six months4 ,as soon as they have that  
should they leave that teacher8 ,not at 
all4 ,they should then begin the use of 

their own individuality--letting it1    
little by little1 assert itself4 ,the   
practical application of individuality  
should be as carefully attended to as is
 any part of the pupil's education4     
,perhaps it should have more attention4 
,more than one1 more than a thousand1   
every year wrecks her good and great    
future by what we term wilfulness or    
waywardness4 ,the name is misapplied4   
,the individuality is then asserting    
itself and it is then that the pupil    
needs the skillful and firm hand of the 
master4 ,the keen clear judgment which  
comes from experience is worth to the   
pupil more than the cost of many        
lessons4 ,the life is planned then4 ,it 
is a time of bending the twig2 the tree 
grows that way4 ,the wrecking which is  
so often seen arises because the pupil  
changes to a teacher who does not       
understand the case4 ,the new teacher   
must study it all over4 ,before that can
 be done the pupil is spoiled and       
disappears1 disappointed and disgusted4 

,receive the personality of the teacher1
 pupils1 but then allow him to lead you 
onward as you bring out your own        
individuality4   ,,educing4  ,educing is
 bringing out or causing to appear4     
,teachers impart and call that          
educating4 ,the reverse of the common   
way is best4 ,instead of imparting all  
the time to the pupil seek to draw out  
from the pupil that which is in him4    
,cause it to appear4 ,in this way will  
one's teaching faculty be improved and  
he will become the better teacher4      
,often the education must be against    
counter influences and1 it seems        
frequently1 as if it were against the   
wish of the student himself4 ,yet the   
skillful teacher can overcome the       
prejudice of the pupil and the adverse  
influences1 and reach his results4 ,a   
help in thus using one's skill lies in  
the fact that what is to be drawn out   
lies divided into two distinct classes4 
,one is that which pertains to execution
 and the other to knowledge4 ,they are  

widely separated4 ,the first is to be   
trained so that it cares for itself     
without the thought of the student or   
singer and the other so that it is      
always ready to respond to the quickest 
thought4 ,there is in the two classes   
variety enough to keep the most active  
teacher on the alert and to make for him
 the highest kind of ministration to    
mankind which is open to anyone4 ,later 
may come the comfort of joining the two 
classes1 synthetically1 thereby making  
the rounded and completed artist4  ,it  
occurs to one's thought at once that he 
who would draw out what there is in     
another1 must know something of the     
machinery which he would cause to act   
and also of the mind which is in command
 of that machinery4 ,this is the basis  
of the teacher's education1 without     
which he cannot be a good teacher4 ,as a
 young teacher he has the right to teach
 those who know less than he does4 ,he  
imparts then4 ,as an educator he must be
 more than what he was at first4 ,he    

must keep his own education above that  
of his fellows and he must become able  
to educe4     ,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,cuneus 
,,cuneum ,,trudit4        ,art6 who can 
say that he fathoms it6 ,who is there   
capable of      discussing the nature of
 this great goddess8 ,beethoven4        
,whatever the relations of music1 it    
will never cease to be the      noblest 
and purest of arts4 ,wagner4     ,,vi4  
,,cuneus ,,cuneum ,,trudit4  ,,vocal    
,,tone4   ,all vocal tone used in       
singing when produced at the vocal bands
 is small and probably always about     
alike4 ,the tone which we hear is       
colored1 re-inforced etc41 on the way   
from the vocal bands to the outer air4  
,in order that the tone shall carry well
 and be heard in purity throughout a    
hall1 the initial tone must be added to4
 ,this is done by its reverberation in  
cavities where there is confined air4   
,by confined1 is meant1 air which is not
 being greatly disturbed4 ,there are    
four such cavities1 or chambers1 in     

connection with the production of voice4
 ,the chest1 the ventricles1 the inner  
mouth and the nose4 ,to have the tone   
resonant the air in these chambers must 
be held in confinement4 ,the way they   
can be utilized is best illustrated by  
the drum4 ,a blow on the drum-head sets 
the air in the drum into vibration and  
that air re-inforces the tone caused by 
the original blow4 ,tone made by the    
vocal bands is re-inforced by vibration 
in the chambers of the body1 and the    
connection of these chambers with the   
outer air sets into vibration the air of
 the room4  ,something might be said    
about the thickness of clothing to be   
worn over the chest while singing4 ,it  
is certain that thick woolens worn      
during singing1 absorb much of the      
vibration of the tone and lessen the    
amount of voice4 ,tone comes from the   
whole body and chiefly from the chambers
 in which air is confined4 ,our singing 
tone does not come out of the mouth     
alone4 ,it comes from shoulders1 back   

and chest without going near the mouth4 
,the stillness with which the air is    
held in the chambers of vibration has   
much influence upon the volume of tone1 
and upon the quality4 ,just now we will 
consider the chamber within the mouth4  
,the space between the back of the      
throat 7as seen in a mirror7 and the    
teeth is this chamber4 ,the air in this 
must be held as still as it can be4 ,the
 practical way of doing it1 and the way 
of telling pupils how to use themselves 
so that they can do it1 tax the         
ingenuity of the teacher4 ,a picture1 or
 an image1 is the best way perhaps4 ,the
 air in the mouth should be like the    
water of a still lake4 ,into it1 at one 
end1 a gentle stream may flow4 ,it does 
not disturb the lake4 ,it causes a      
ripple where it enters4 ,it may raise   
the elevation of the water in the lake1 
and the superfluous water may flow off  
at the other end of the lake4 ,now1     
suppose a mountain stream comes rushing 
into the lake4 ,it stirs everything up1 

and rushes out at the outlet in the same
 rough way4 ,in the still chamber of air
 in the mouth there must be no mountain 
streams4 ,the quiet lake must be        
imitated4 ,a little air1 which has been 
vibrated at the vocal bands may enter   
it1 and not disturb it4 ,that initial   
tone1 always a quiet one1 will be       
re-inforced by vibration in the mouth   
and will issue forth large and round4   
,the amplitude of vibration will        
determine its volume4 ,the shape and    
size of the cavity of reverberation can 
constantly and instantly change and by  
such change the tone can be regulated4  
,the chamber of still air cannot be     
utilized unless the organs of           
respiration are working correctly and   
strongly4 ,a forceful blast of air sent 
through the mouth will dissipate all    
vibrating waves4 ,it is useless to try  
to the initial tone until after the     
diaphragm is in good working order4     
,when that is all right then employ the 
re-inforcing chamber in the way given   

above and resonance of tone will be     
obtained4 ,it is by so using the        
respiratory column and re-inforcing the 
tone made by the vocal bands that a     
person can be made a good vocalist in a 
few weeks4 ,it is not necessary to take 
years to cultivate the voice4 7,it is to
 make a good singer47 ,from five to     
eight weeks1 if the student does right1 
will perfectly cultivate a voice4       
,,true ,,art ,,is ,,delicate4  ,all true
 art is delicate4 ,music is the most    
delicate of all arts4 ,music is         
expressed through thought and emotion4  
,in this1 music has much the advantage  
over sister arts4 ,the sculptor can     
chisel his thoughts into marble1 and    
there they can imperishably remain4 ,to 
what small extent can he express human  
emotion6 ,the painter also places his   
thought on canvas4 ,as his art is more  
easily within his grasp1 to change at   
will1 he is enabled more fully to       
express emotion than is the sculptor4   
,his finished work remains4 ,while at   

work upon it he may change here and     
there to suit himself4 ,that line and   
that shade of color1 if not             
satisfactory1 can be changed4 ,not so in
 music4 ,at one stroke--in one tone     
even--the musician must express his     
emotion--and that expression1 once      
uttered1 is all that he can use of his  
art4 ,it is a delicate thing and        
requires sure thought1 complete mastery 
of emotion1 and perfect ability in      
execution4 ,each and every stroke must  
be perfect4  ,voice culture is the      
preparation of the body and its         
expression--voice--for use in this      
delicate art4 ,voice culture is that    
through which we approach art4 ,it      
cannot be roughly handled4 ,if art is to
 be delicately used1 it must be         
delicately approached4 ,he whose vocal  
practice is forceful and rough will     
never know the delicacy of true art4 ,he
 may become a vocalist after whom the   
ignorant public will clamor1 but he can 
never be an artist4 ,seek the delicacy  

of true art1 or decide to be forever a  
rough mechanic4 ,one may hew wood or    
quarry rocks1 or he may be a worker     
among jewels and precious stones4 ,it is
 a time to say ,decide this day which   
you will serve4 ,the two masters do not 
belong to the same firm and both cannot 
be served at the same time4   ,,words   
,,and ,,tone ,,should ,,agree4  ,while  
singing1 words and tone should agree4   
,what does that mean1 asks one4 ,it can 
be well stated when we consider how they
 do not agree4 ,if one sings ,sing ye   
aloud1 with gladness1 with a sombre tone
 the words and tone belie each other4   
,this result invariably follows the     
attempt to cultivate the voice on vowels
 only1 or on one single vowel4 ,he who  
watches tone while cultivating his voice
 reaches this result4 ,we express our   
thought while singing in words4 ,words  
are made by the organs of speech1 the   
chief of which are the tongue and lips4 
,the tone receives its expression from  
the pharyngeal cavity4 ,if tone and     

words agree1 the tongue1 lips and       
pharynx will work harmoniously in       
accord4 ,it is when one or the other    
does not work correctly that one belies 
the other4  ,training of the organs of  
speech has been written upon so         
extensively that for now more need not  
be said4 ,suffice it to say1 that the   
organs of speech can be trained upon a  
few enunciatory syllables in a short    
time1 so that every word can be         
distinctly understood4 ,there is no     
excuse whatever for our singers         
remaining so indistinct in their        
singing4 ,the way of getting the tone to
 agree with the words1 is what may be   
considered now4 ,as said above1 tone is 
regulated1 so far as quality goes1 in   
the pharynx4 ,that organ can be put into
 working order and kept so through the  
expression of the face4 ,the same       
thought is expressed on the throat which
 is expressed on the face4 ,the same set
 of nerves operates the two organs4 ,to 
show what is meant1 recall that if you  

hear someone utter a cry1 you know from 
its sound whether it is a cry of fright1
 of happiness1 of fear1 of greeting1 of 
anger1 or whatever it may be4 ,the      
position and shape of the pharynx has   
made the cry what it is4 ,one standing  
near the person would see on his face   
the look which corresponds with the cry 
uttered4 ,in this case the word and the 
tone correspond4 ,it is not easy to     
reach the pharynx for voice culture1    
except through the face4 ,it can be     
reached in that way4 ,the tone for      
general use in voice culture should be  
the bright one4 ,then the expression    
during vocal practice should be a bright
 one4 ,all vocal exercises should be1 on
 this account1 practised with the face  
pleasant and expressing happiness4 ,this
 fact led many teachers1 years ago1 to  
have their pupils smile while singing4  
,it led to most ludicrous results4 ,the 
teachers said1 ,draw back the corners of
 the mouth1 as if smiling4 ,very well4  
,that may be good1 but it has no        

particular beneficial influence on the  
pharynx1 or upon the tone produced4 ,the
 mouth is not the seat of expression in 
the face4 ,not that there is no         
expression to the mouth1 but its changes
 are limited4 ,the eyes are much more   
thoroughly the seat of expression1 and  
through them the pharynx can be reached4
 ,let the eyes smile4 ,let the whole    
face take position as if one saw        
something irresistibly funny1 at which  
he must laugh4 ,practice with the eyes  
in this way will brighten the whole     
voice4 ,it will relieve strain upon all 
the facial muscles and will render the  
organs of speech more pliable1 too4     
,having obtained such control of the    
eyes that one expression can be placed  
in them1 the student can attempt other  
desirable expressions4 ,he will find    
that whatever is used in and about the  
eyes will affect the kind and quality of
 tone4 ,he may arouse his interest in   
some particular thought and hold that in
 mind as he sings2 the voice will then  

have warmth of tone and will readily    
receive meanings4 ,he may express       
varying degrees of surprise in the face 
and he will find varying degrees1 to    
correspond1 of fulness and roundness go 
into the voice4 ,the use of expression  
in the face as a means of giving        
character and quality to tone opens a   
field of experiment and experience which
 will lead any teacher to practical and 
beneficial result4 ,it is not a new     
idea4 ,salvini1 the great actor1 has    
given some very useful thought on that  
subject4 ,little of such instruction1   
important as it is1 has gone into print4
 ,yet it is so important4               
,,preparation ,,for ,,teaching4  ,there 
are many who become teachers of singing 
without knowing what they are doing4 ,no
 one who wishes to enter the profession 
should be kept out of it4 ,there is room
 in it for many times the number        
engaged4 ,it is to be earnestly         
recommended1 however1 that he who       
intends to become a teacher should      

decide beforehand what kind of work he  
intends to do1 and after he has begun1  
he should bend his energy to make that  
branch successful4 ,there are1 at least1
 three distinct specialties of the      
singing teacher4 ,first1 rudimental     
music2 second1 voice culture2 third1    
artistic singing4 ,he who thinks he can 
excel in all has very great confidence  
in his own ability4 ,perhaps most of    
those who become teachers have no       
adequate knowledge of what the          
profession is1 but enter into it for the
 purpose of making a living4 ,after     
becoming a teacher he discovers that    
something is wrong1 and the last person 
whom he thinks wrong is himself4        
,probably he has never decided on a     
specialty and properly prepared himself 
for that4 ,thus we see men who know     
something about music1 teaching singing4
 ,they know nothing of practical voice  
culture1 but attempt to teach singing4  
,they ruin voices and wreck their own   
happiness4 ,the first duty of a singing 

teacher is to study enough of anatomy   
and physiology to enable him to know    
exactly what parts of the body enter    
into voice culture1 where they are and  
how they work4 ,the dentist makes his   
specialty1 filling teeth4 ,but he would 
not be given his diploma if he did not  
know anatomy4 ,his course in the medical
 college is the same as that of the     
physician4 ,it differs in degree1 but   
not in kind4 ,such should be the        
education1 to a certain extent1 of the  
vocal teacher4 ,this education cannot be
 had from any books now published4      
,plain anatomy can be given in books1   
but the student should also see the     
parts described in the subject4 ,he     
should then examine1 so far as may be1  
the action of these parts in the living 
body4 ,he must then make his own        
deductions4 ,it may seem strange that   
that is necessary1 but such is the      
subtlety of voice culture1 that hardly  
two theorists agree in their deductions4
 ,until some recognized body of men     

decides on definite things in voice     
culture1 reducing one's theoretical     
study to practical uses must stand4  ,as
 important as such study1 too1 is the   
preparation of the artist mind4 ,one can
 teach voice culture mechanically and   
obtain good result1 but be very         
deficient in the art of music4 ,it is   
often said that ,artists are born1 not  
made4 ,that is a mistake4 ,no man was   
ever an artist by birth4 ,some men may  
be more appreciative of beauty than     
others but all men have enough within   
them to serve as the basis of artistic  
education4 ,that education should be    
carried to a considerable distance      
before teaching is commenced4 ,almost as
 soon as the voice is capable of making 
any tone1 music must be put into study4 
,appreciation of music itself as an art1
 must be a part of the good teacher's   
preparation4 ,knowledge of greater and  
better music comes from that            
appreciation with the years of          
experience in teaching4 ,if the artist  

mind has not begun to assert itself     
before business is attempted1 business  
will be likely to absorb the teacher1   
and he stands the chance of never being 
an artist4 ,one who combines scientific 
knowledge of voice culture and an       
understanding of the art of music is    
well equipped for entering the          
profession of teaching vocal music4     
,only such should enter it4 ,with that  
as foundation1 the experience of each   
year will make him a better teacher4    
,without that as foundation he will     
probably remain1 vocally and musically1 
about where he was when he began4       
,financial success may come1 but musical
 success never can4   ,,experience4  ,a 
very good reason1 but one which         
individuals can attend to1 why we have  
so few artists among singers1 is that so
 few take time to gain experience4      
,there must be many appearances before  
audiences before the amateurishness is  
worn off4 ,singers often think1 when    
they hear a noted singer1 that they     

could do just as well as that and       
perhaps better1 and yet they cannot get 
professional engagements4 ,it may all be
 true1 that they can do just as well as 
the artist1 but in appearance and       
self-command they may be deficient4     
,experience cannot come in a day or a   
season4 ,if it could what a crowd of    
singers would become noted4 ,it takes   
much time--years of time4 ,one cannot   
safely feel that he has had experience  
enough to place himself among the       
professional singers until he has       
appeared at least fifty times4 ,how many
 of our readers have done that8 ,many   
visit the large cities and seek         
engagements who have great talent and   
have the probability of complete success
 in them1 but who have had so little    
proper experience that their first      
appearance in the large city1 would be a
 failure4 ,managers of experience       
perceive this state of affairs and      
refuse to give engagements on that      
account4 ,gain that appearance necessary

 to the artist by singing before public 
audiences everywhere1 at church         
festivals1 benefit concerts1 parlor     
receptions1 college recitals1 anywhere  
where an audience can be entertained4   
,study your influence over your audience
 and learn how to so express your art in
 your voice and singing that your       
audiences are your subjects4 ,concert   
after concert must pass before you know 
your own power in song4 ,year after year
 will go bye1 before it is safe to      
approach the critical audiences of large
 cities4   ,,before ,,an ,,audience4    
,when singing before an audience in a   
hall1 do not look on the music4 ,a      
glance at it may be made from time to   
time but keep the eyes off4 ,a singer   
appears very ridiculous if he looks on  
the page4 ,a song is a story told by the
 singer in the singing voice4 ,it is not
 a lesson read from a book4 ,the story  
cannot be well told if the singer has   
only half learned it4 ,if he is confined
 to his notes he attracts attention to  

himself and that spoils art and the     
artist4 ,it is best to learn by rote the
 music to be sung1 and when it can be   
done1 to leave the music in some place  
out of the hands4 ,if it must be        
carried1 have it as much out of the way 
as possible4 ,a singer of much fame1    
spoiled his evening's work recently by  
fixing his eyes on his music all the    
time while singing4 ,this may have been 
an exceptional evening1 but if he does  
that all the time1 he is no artist1 in  
spite of his repute1 and ought not to   
receive engagements even if he has a    
fine bass voice4   ,,come ,,up ,,higher4
  ,the man makes the musician as does   
the musician make the man4 ,the rules of
 life which make men better make the    
musician better4 ,there is a constant   
call in life to ,come up higher6 ,he who
 has lost the sound of that call is at a
 standstill1 or rather1 since there can 
be no stopping1 he is sinking from the  
place once gained4 ,get within the sound
 of that call and heed it4 ,there are no

 heights so great1 but that they form   
the base to heights beyond4 ,music is so
 rich and full that no man can          
understand it all and no man has reached
 the highest place in it4 ,the call ever
 sounds ,come up higher6 ,music fills   
all which contains life1 and uses all   
materials for its transmittance4 ,the   
air1 a subtle ether1 is filled with a   
still finer ether1 on which sound       
travels4 ,that ether is filled with     
vibration4 ,it is ever present4 ,the    
connection with it can be made at any   
moment and the musical thought can be   
sent off into unlimited space1 to       
influence all within that space4 ,to be 
able to use this at its best the thought
 which is musical must be raised to     
divine thought4 ,the possibilities in   
that are boundless4  ,musicians cannot  
stop4 ,the year may roll around and one 
may feel himself doing a great and good 
work1 doing a work which seems to be    
well rounded2 a work which leaves the   
musician1 as the end of a season rolls  

around1 exhausted from labor1 and ready 
to say that the end of his work is      
reached1 that he has gone to his        
greatest height4 ,not so1 however4 ,next
 year is a height to be ascended1 and   
that of the present moment is but the   
base of that greater height4 ,music     
calls ,come up higher4   ,,crude        
,,voices ,,express ,,no ,,emotion4  ,an 
untrained voice can never have correct  
emotion expressed in it4 ,the voice     
responds as truly to the thought which  
passes in the mind as does the leaf bend
 before the breeze4 ,the singing voice  
is an extension of the speaking voice1  
and since nature planned only for       
speaking purposes1 in order to have the 
organs which produce voice in proper    
condition for singing1 there must be    
that degree of physical drill which     
makes the vocal apparatus able to convey
 in proper pitch and quality1 the       
thought of the mind4 ,the untrained     
voice will not do this4 ,the throat     
becomes rigid1 the pharynx strained and 

in-elastic4 ,emotion cannot be expressed
 when the vocal apparatus is thus held4 
,one may have a beautiful natural voice 
and he may arouse the enthusiasm of     
certain of his hearers1 but he cannot1  
without careful training do a tithe of  
what he is able to do4 ,that is         
sufficient reason for teachers to urge  
all who sing at all to place themselves 
under the best of tuition4 ,all who talk
 pleasantly have the power to sing4 ,the
 exceptions to the rule are so few that 
they amount to but a very small         
percentage4 ,but all who do sing1 if    
they would rightly use their gift should
 train themselves to do whatever they   
do1 well4     ,,chapter ,,vii4          
,,ambition4       ,character is the     
internal life of a piece1 engendered by 
the      composer2 sentiment is the     
external expression1 given to the work  
by the interpreter4 ,character is an    
intrinsic positive part of a            
composition2 sentiment an extrinsic1    
personal matter only4                   

,christiani4      ,,vii4  ,,ambition4   
,the very first question to ask of an   
applicant for vocal lessons is what is  
your ambition8 ,by that1 ,i mean1 the   
teacher should know at the very start   
what purpose the pupil has in study1 or 
if he has any purpose4 ,the intention of
 the pupil should make a difference in  
the consideration given to the pupil in 
the matter of voice trial4 ,if an       
applicant says he wishes to sing in     
,opera and the teacher sees that he     
lacks all capacity for such high        
position1 he should frankly say so2 if  
the applicant says that he wishes to    
learn to sing well that he may have     
pleasure in his own singing and give    
pleasure to his friends1 that should be 
taken into account4 ,such person1       
provided he has any voice and musical   
instinct1 can reach the height of his   
ambition and his study should be        
encouraged4  ,the first visit of an     
applicant to a teacher is a most        
important event in the life of the      

pupil4 ,the importance of it is not     
appreciated4 ,to very many persons it   
marks a change--a veritable             
conversion--in their lives4 ,a mistake  
made by the teacher with regard to the  
future of the pupil is a serious matter4
 ,that visit gives the teacher his      
chance to plan his treatment and is akin
 to the diagnosis of the physician4 ,the
 pupil places himself in the hands of   
the teacher as thoroughly as does the   
patient give himself over to the        
physician4 ,the case assumes importance 
from this fact4 ,responsibility by the  
teacher is assumed4 ,the musical future 
of the pupil is in his hands4 ,it may be
 for the good of the pupil that he found
 his particular teacher and it may not  
be4  ,what is your ambition regarding   
your music8 is the safeguard of the     
teacher4 ,knowing that1 he can have a   
basis for examination and a ground for  
promises to the student4 ,in the large  
cities1 teachers are troubled with that 
which would be very amusing were it not 

for the sad part of it4 ,students of    
music come from the smaller cities and  
from the country and begin a series of  
visits to the different studios for the 
purpose of selecting a teacher4         
,everyone seems to recommend a new      
teacher and the student calls upon all4 
,the result is surely disastrous to the 
pupil4 ,he or she is left in doubt as to
 whom to go for study4 ,the different   
promises made1 the compliments paid1 the
 hopes of ambition raised1 are all      
enough to unbalance the judgment of     
older heads than those who usually seek 
the music studio4 ,when a teacher is    
finally selected1 it takes a long time  
to settle down into confidence in him so
 that the best result can be obtained4  
,i said it would be amusing to the      
teacher were it not sad4 ,i have known  
persons to boast that they had had as   
good as a lesson from the different     
teachers visited4 ,i even know men who  
are teaching voice culture and singing  
in this city who claim to teach certain 

methods1 and all they know of those     
methods is what they picked up in the   
interviews which they pretended were to 
see about arranging for study4 ,as if   
any man of experience would give 7or    
could give7 his instruction in a talk of
 ten or fifteen minutes6 ,the men who   
have ways of teaching which are so good 
that they bring valuable renown are too 
shrewd to be caught in any such way as  
that4 ,what shall be done about such    
persons8 ,nothing4 ,let them alone4     
,they die out after a time4 ,were there 
any way to prevent other people from    
following their example it would be a   
most excellent thing4 ,but as society is
 made up1 as long as the flash of a     
piece of glass passes for the sparkle of
 a diamond just so long will the cheater
 spring up1 flourish and disappear4  ,a 
question more to the point is ,how can  
the racing from studio to studio be     
stopped8 ,i frankly say that ,i do not  
know4 ,generally ,i avoid bringing up a 
subject which has not in my own mind    

reached solution4 ,i can suggest        
remedies if not cures4  ,by writing     
about it some little help may be given  
the student4 ,the remedy--nearly all    
city teachers have some special branch1 
a branch in which they obtain           
satisfactory results4 ,one succeeds in  
,italian ,opera1 another in ,voice      
,culture2 one in ,rudimental ,study1    
another in ,oratorio2 one has many      
pupils in church choirs1 another forms  
delightful classes of society pupils4   
,what is your ambition8 ,find that      
teacher whose general reputation is in  
that which you want to do and be1 and   
commence study with him4 ,a very few    
lessons with that teacher--say ten      
lessons--will tell the student whether  
he is the right teacher or not4         
,probably the teacher will prove        
satisfactory4 ,if not1 by that          
time--acquaintance with the teachers of 
the city will permit more certain       
selection1 the second time4 ,but1 say   
you1 those ten lessons have cost        

something4 ,true1 but they have not cost
 half as much as it costs to settle an  
unbalanced mind4  ,to return to the     
first question1 what is your ambition8  
,has it ever occurred to you to wonder  
what becomes of all the music           
students--how many are there8 ,who can  
tell8 ,one teacher boasts of having     
given four hundred vocal lessons last   
month2 another caps that by claiming    
five hundred4 ,allow for all            
exaggeration1 and say that these        
teachers 7and thirty or forty others had
 as many students at work7 had all they 
could do4 ,they had from thirty to fifty
 pupils under study4 ,what is to become 
of them1 and how many ever amount to    
anything8 ,the teacher has              
responsibility4 ,he who receives every  
person who applies1 especially if he    
tells him what a good voice he has and  
how well he can sing after a term or    
two1 borders very nearly upon the       
scoundrel1 or else the fool4 ,if he     
thinks he can make a singer out of every

 person who comes to him he is the fool2
 if he flatters a person whom he knows  
can never become a singer1 he is a      
scoundrel4 ,he who is wise will find out
 the desire of the applicant and tell   
him frankly whether or not he can reach 
the desired goal4 ,if he thinks it      
cannot be done there is no objection to 
his pointing out some other channel of  
musical usefulness and advising him to  
enter that4 ,if the applicant has no    
aptitude for the desired study the only 
honest course is to tell him not to     
waste time and money on his voice4 ,any 
conscientious teacher feels a shudder   
sometimes over the responsibility of his
 position when the thought comes up what
 becomes of all the music students8 ,we 
can ask what becomes of the pins8 and   
have the question answered4 ,the        
material of which they are made can be  
supplied anew4 ,so1 say you1 will new   
pupils come4 ,but those who are now     
studying must be made something of4 ,the
 day they begin study a new world opens 

to them4 ,is it for good or ill8 ,that  
remains for the teacher to solve4 ,every
 true teacher improves every pupil who  
studies with him4 ,some of them will    
become good singers and fine musicians4 
,these are the ones most talked about   
and the teacher finds pleasure in the   
added reputation which they bring1 but  
the others have the right to demand that
 they shall be raised to a higher plain 
of life because of their music lessons4 
,what becomes of all the ambitious      
youths and maidens who study singing8   
,only one or two now and then amount to 
very much in professional life4         
,thousands attempt to be ,patties1 but  
who has reached her height8 ,some one is
 at fault that this is so4 ,whatever    
belongs to the singing teacher1 let him 
assume1 but let him keep in mind that   
there is something to guard in the      
future4 ,over in ,milan1 ten years or   
more ago1 while a student there1 ,i met 
a great many ,americans who like myself 
were there for study4 ,i was told that  

at least two thousand ,american young   
ladies were there4 ,probably more than  
half of them expected to become         
successful singers in grand opera4 ,how 
many successful singers in grand opera  
have appeared during the last ten years8
 ,a very few surely4 ,what has become of
 the ninety and nine8 ,of that1 say     
nothing4 ,i saw the wretched lives they 
were leading at ,milan--most of         
them--and advised1 nay1 begged1 that    
they would go home to ,america and do   
anything for a living if they must work1
 rather than to stay there4 ,taking in  
washing would be much more ennobling    
than what some of them were doing4      
,whose fault was it that so many were   
there1 and that so many are there all   
the time8 ,teachers of singing here at  
home must sooner or later realize that  
they did it4 ,how1 when1 or for what    
purpose8 ,well1 much might be said which
 will not be4 ,had an honest expression 
of the belief regarding the possibility 
of gratifying the original ambition been

 given1 very much of the wrong done     
could have been avoided4  ,one of the   
reasons why many people try to learn to 
sing is because some one has urged them 
to do so4 ,the person who arouses the   
interest in another does a necessary    
act1 and yet there should be a good     
degree of caution used in the matter4   
,this article will be read by thousands 
who are now students1 and as the aim of 
the magazine is to educate1 let us see  
what word can be formed in the idea of  
this paragraph1 which will make students
 better able to use judgment in inducing
 others to study4 ,do not cease in the  
efforts to bring others into musical    
work1 but let your effort be tempered   
with discretion4 ,when you hear a person
 sing who evidently enjoys it1 whose    
face beams with pleasure1 and whose     
voice pleases her hearers2 when1 in a   
word1 you hear one who has a voice1 and 
has intelligence enough to understand   
himself and his music1 then learn if he 
has given serious study to music4 ,if   

not1 urge him to see a master at once4  
,do not1 however1 when you hear a person
 labor through a song1 with act painful 
to himself and everybody else1 urge him 
to go a teacher1 and learn how4  ,well1 
reader1 ,what is your ambition8 ,have   
you any8 ,if not1 get one pretty soon4  
,i would say that before another sun    
sets1 you should have a settled purpose 
in your vocal study and follow that     
purpose to a definite end4 ,that matter 
settled you will do more than ever      
before4 ,it is a matter which you must  
settle4 ,others may suggest and advise1 
but you must decide it1 yourself4 ,i    
would not continue study without a fixed
 purpose4 ,a poor purpose is better than
 none4 ,shall ,i tell you of some of the
 ambitions which students have1 and say 
a word about them8 ,perhaps you will get
 a useful idea from that4 ,the best use 
of lessons in music is that you may know
 music and how to use it for pleasure   
wherever you may be placed4 ,this means 
that the study should be for education  

itself and not for the financial return 
which the study may bring4 ,study for   
the culture of a beautiful art--for the 
improvement of the mind1 for the        
refinement which comes with associating 
with that which is pure4 ,when one tells
 a teacher that this is his ambition1 he
 will in many cases find that the       
teacher wishes him to work for something
 besides4 ,a church choir is something  
of that sort4 ,there is no reason why   
one should not have other ambitions1 but
 the highest ambition which one can have
 is to make himself a musician of the   
highest and best kind4 ,the whole       
journey toward becoming such is         
pleasant4 ,whoever goes but one mile    
along the road has his reward1 and each 
additional mile brings its additional   
reward4 ,anyone can have this ambition  
in his study1 and he who is most        
faithful and has the most intelligence  
will make the most progress and do the  
best in a given time4 ,people who have  
little or none of that which is called  

musical genius can so develop that      
talent which they possess that they will
 be accounted musical4 ,those who have  
more can do almost anything4 ,the class 
of persons who study with this ambition 
is larger1 proportionately1 in small    
cities than it is in the large ones4 ,it
 is a fact that people are1 in many     
small cities1 better educated in music  
in which they can participate           
individually1 than are the people of    
large cities4 ,the students enter for   
long periods of study and follow those  
studies which do them the most good4    
,with them the ambition to be musical   
and to have a good musical education is 
upper-most in mind4 ,it is the best     
ambition to have4 ,even if no other use 
is made of the study1 that education    
well repays one for all the time and    
money devoted to it4 ,the choicest      
moments of life are while directly      
participating in music1 or while engaged
 in that of which music is the          
accompaniment4 ,our association with    

friends in their homes and in our own is
 sweetened by music2 our tired brains   
are rested at the concert1 the opera1   
and the theatre2 our seasons of deepest 
devotion and greatest spiritual delight1
 when we are at the house of worship are
 made more holy because the sacred words
 are beautified by music4 ,every act    
which can be looked back upon even to   
the child days1 when the little songs of
 the school children were ours1 has its 
embellishment of music4 ,whatever we do 
to increase our appreciation of music1  
to make us better able to make music1   
and to add to the charm of life of our  
own circle1 is profitable4 ,the good of 
it comes to us every day1 and in        
addition it prepares us the better for  
that higher life to which we are all    
hastening1 because it makes more        
beautiful the soul4 ,the ambition to    
study for music itself is1 then1 the    
best ambition to have4  ,the majority of
 those who present themselves to the    
city teacher wish to sing in church     

choirs4 ,the reason is plain4 ,there is 
some chance for financial return4 ,there
 is also on the part of many a certain  
sense of duty to the church which they  
wish to fulfil by participating in its  
services4 ,there are many things to be  
said on this whole subject and when such
 things are spoken it should be with no 
uncertain tone4 ,the ambition to become 
a church singer should be held within   
certain bounds4 ,the path to become such
 and the gratification which comes from 
the work accomplished are not such as   
most persons think they are4 ,of course 
the study to become able to sing in a   
church choir is altogether delightful4  
,to prepare the voice so that it can be 
used as a means of interpreting the best
 church music is the best part of voice 
culture4 ,tones of good power1 pure     
quality1 evenness1 and fair range1 are  
absolutely necessary4 ,no greater       
pleasure comes into voice culture than  
the training to be able to do just such 
work4 ,then the music of the church is  

satisfying4 ,there is more to it than   
the light music of the parlor or light  
opera1 more that appeals to deep        
feeling1 more with which we can arouse  
our hearers4  ,with regard to the wish  
to serve the church by our vocal powers1
 it may be said that while that is      
laudable1 it is one that disappears very
 soon after one has the chance to put it
 into practical use4 ,the wish is a bit 
of sentiment1 and there is nothing like 
the practical to dispel sentiment4 ,this
 brings us to a consideration of the    
choir and whether the ambition to become
 a choir singer is worth anything or    
not4  ,in small places the choir singer 
is at once a person of some note4 ,that 
note which the position gives has a     
value4 ,the country choir becomes a     
sociable club 7although composed of only
 four persons7 and the friendship which 
each has for the other is a thing to be 
prized4 ,country choirs generally       
practise enough to have the voices blend
 and to have the singing good4 ,there is

 some pleasure in singing in such a     
choir4 ,but does it pay1 financially8   
,in some places it does1 and he who is  
in a paying position in a country choir 
has the best place of any one in choir  
work4 ,how many1 though1 of those who go
 to the teacher with the ambition to    
study for the choir would feel contented
 to take such a place as that8 ,no1 they
 want a place in the city choir1 and at 
large salary4 ,have they ability enough 
to fill such position1 and could they   
hold the position if they obtained it8  
,the competition for choir positions in 
a city like ,new ,york is very great    
indeed4 ,let it be known that a vacancy 
is to occur in any church choir and     
hundreds if not thousands of            
applications are made4 ,only one person 
can have the place4 ,the work of        
selecting one person out of the many    
applicants begins4 ,it is at this point 
that the student feels the sentiment    
regarding singing in church begin to    
disappear4 ,she feels that she is not   

being given a fair chance4 ,she supposes
 that that which would give her the     
position is good voice1 good singing and
 a good character4 ,as sad as it may    
seem1 she is decidedly wrong4  ,that    
which is wanted in most city churches is
 style in body and dress1 a comely face 
and vivacious manner4 ,if the applicant 
lacks these she may as well not try1 no 
matter what her musical acquirements may
 be4 ,in fact1 there are many singers in
 church choirs of ,new ,york and        
,brooklyn who haven't the least claim to
 be singers at all4 ,then regarding pay 
for choir singers in these cities4      
,there is very little money in it4      
,salaries have been reduced and there   
are always those content to take the    
places at the lower figure4 ,the        
majority of singers in these cities get 
less than #cjj a year4 ,deduct from that
 the cost of car-fares1 extra clothing1 
and the little incidentals which count  
up1 and not one half of that amount     
remains as income4 ,that does not pay to

 work for4 ,the time and labor used in  
earning it could be better used in      
something else4 ,a better money return  
could be had from that time in a dozen  
different things by any person who has  
ability enough to become a singer in a  
city church on salary4 ,nor is the      
possibility of obtaining a greater      
salary in later years to be taken into  
account4 ,if an increased salary does   
come increased expenses come with it4   
,even if1 after years of waiting1 the   
student makes herself a fine singer and 
is competent to take a high place1 she  
finds herself set one side for a fresh  
face and a new voice4 ,that is a picture
 which is not pleasant2 but which is    
true to life4  ,one may ask if there is 
no work in choir or church for which one
 can prepare himself and which will be  
pleasant and desirable4 ,yes1 in two    
directions2--first1 when one is so      
trained that she is very desirable as a 
solo singer--one who can sing sacred    
songs well--she can find a position in  

which she has this and no other work to 
do4 ,she then avoids competition1       
because her fame attracts the church to 
her4 ,she has no long and trying        
rehearsals and she can be an artist as  
well as a church singer4 ,but how many  
years of study this takes6 ,is your     
ambition equal to it8 ,the second line  
of pleasureable work is1 that of the    
choir-leader4 ,unhappily for singers1 in
 most of the city churches the organist 
is made choir-leader2 even in the vested
 choirs of the ,episcopal church4 ,this 
is not well for the choir or the church1
 but we must take things as we find     
them4 ,when one is competent to         
superintend the music of the church and 
can find a choir to take charge of he is
 a happy singer4 ,these two             
positions--of professional choir soloist
 and of choir-director--are the only    
satisfactory ones in the large cities4  
,in connection with this it may be said 
that if one wishes to take a prominent  
position as concert singer it is almost 

necessary that he should hold a church  
choir position4 ,at least he needs that 
until his fame as a concert singer is   
great4 ,managers of concerts in various 
sections of the country ask the very    
first thing1 ,where does he sing8 ,if he
 is connected with a city choir he is   
placed4 ,the choir gives him position4  
,concert singing is the field most      
widely opened and most easily filled of 
any to which a singer can aspire4 ,every
 year the concert field broadens4 ,the  
so-called grand concerts of the last    
generation have disappeared1 and that is
 better for the singer4 ,concert singing
 is more thoroughly a business and it is
 one worthy the ambition of any vocal   
student4 ,not that it is always pleasant
 business--what is1 for that            
matter8--but it is something which can  
be entered upon on business lines1 and  
one can make a place for himself in it4 
,his first work is1 of course1 vocal and
 musical preparation4 ,he should begin  
as soon as he can sing well enough to   

appear before an audience at all1 to    
sing whenever and wherever he can get   
the chance4 ,this is for practice and   
not for pay4 ,no one ought to expect pay
 before he has sung at fifty or sixty   
entertainments without pay4 ,he must    
have that amount of practice on his     
audiences4 ,if he has improved his      
opportunities his name will be known by 
the time that period of experience is   
over and he can then begin to demand a  
small fee4 ,the smaller the better for  
him4 ,he can then begin to send his name
 abroad as an applicant for more        
remuneration4 ,step by step he can      
improve in ability and increase his     
income4 ,it is a work to which all can  
be directed4 ,it takes years to make any
 goodly success at it4 ,three years are 
needed to make a good beginning1 but    
when one looks back over a life1 three  
years of preparation do not seem long4  
,with regard to singing in opera and    
theatre a word can be given at another  
time4 ,an outline of what might be said 

is this3--grand opera is very limited1  
and only few can become opera singers in
 grand opera2 light opera presents a    
good field for the gratification of     
ambition1 under certain conditions2 the 
theatre presents a good field for       
vocalists to those who feel inclined to 
enter theatrical life4     ,,chapter    
,,viii4   ,,music ,,and ,,longevity4    
,were it not for music1 we might1 in    
these days1 say the beautiful      is   
dead4                                   
,d',israeli4       ,i verily think1 and 
,i am not ashamed to say that1 next to  
,divinity1 no art is comparable to      
music4                                  
,luther4     ,,viii4  ,,music ,,and     
,,longevity4   ,perhaps no one chooses  
to question the statement that length of
 human life is greater in our generation
 than it was in the last1 and much      
greater than it was one or two centuries
 ago1 in the face of statistics which   
the medical profession puts forth4      
,question of such statement implies a   

hidden motive in the medical profession4
 ,possibly that profession might have a 
motive in leading people to believe that
 life lasts longer4 ,if there is such   
motive it is for the good of men4 ,it   
also recognises the influence of mind   
over matter as a preserving force4      
,doctors are anxious more than can be   
imagined to do all they can for the     
benefit of mankind4 ,no class of men 7or
 of women1 since we have women in the   
profession7 strives harder to do good4  
,their very code of ethics is based on  
self-sacrifice4 ,the inventions1 the    
discoveries1 the devices which that     
profession now uses are such as bewilder
 and astonish one who only now and then 
has a chance to see their work4 ,but a  
generation ago1 and the sick man was    
loaded with charge after charge of      
drugs4 ,it was only the generation      
before1 that the sick man was bled in   
great quantities for every ailment4     
,that was a change from generation to   
generation4 ,but a little while ago a   

new school of medicine sprung up in     
which drugs were almost wholly          
discarded4 ,attenuation to the          
thousandth or even the five-thousandth  
part1 was used1 and when drugs are so   
attenuated1 there is not much left to   
them4 ,such success has attended the    
homeopathist that he must be recognised4
 ,who shall say but that another step   
may be taken or has been taken1 in      
dropping the use of drugs and medicines 
entirely8  ,all these schools and       
schemes have borne their part in        
prolonging human life1 or more properly 
speaking1 prolonging life in the human  
body4  ,it is but recently that the     
influence of music in the cure of       
disease has been given professional     
thought4 ,its influence has been known  
for a long time but has not been        
properly placed and appreciated4 ,this  
discussion may be the one thing to bring
 it before the world4                   
,metaphysics--,that is a word which we  
hear from mouth to mouth1 nowadays4     

,what does it mean8 ,briefly the        
scientific knowledge of mental          
phenomena4 ,we have almost come to think
 that it is something mythical1 or even 
relating to the supernatural4 ,but it is
 scientific knowledge4 ,even our        
magazines which talk upon ,psychical    
,research drift off into spiritualism   
and hallucinations4 ,the writers do not 
keep to the text4 ,metaphysics is a     
science--and that science which deals   
with the most real and tangible4 ,it    
deals with phenomena4 ,it deals with    
mind itself4 ,now1 mind is tangible and 
real4 ,it is that part of us which came 
from the ,creator--was from the         
beginning--has no end--and is in these  
bodies of ours for a time only4 ,which  
from this definition1 is more tangible8 
,mind or body8 ,there is no longevity to
 mind4 ,from eternity it came--to       
eternity it goes4 ,no measure can be    
applied to it4 ,body1 that which we see 
and handle and in which we believe mind 
to reside1 is quite another thing4 ,it  

begins--it lasts for a time1 ever       
struggling against forces which tend to 
destroy it--and drops at last into      
,mother ,earth or the elements4 ,that   
which we try to prolong is the existence
 in living condition1 of the body4 ,the 
keeper of that body is the mind1 and    
whatever is done successfully to that   
body is done through the mind4 ,medical 
treatment is well enough in its place1  
and ,i am not to quarrel with the man   
who wants to use that1 but mental       
treatment1 7and ,i do not choose to be  
classed with the various isms now before
 the public which have grasped one      
corner of the subject and are tugging   
away at that7 is the one thing by which 
and through which the body is to be     
affected4 ,by that is human life to be  
prolonged4  ,music affects the mind4 ,if
 it affects the body it does it through 
the mind4 ,we say1 when the dance begins
 that we can't keep still4 ,what is the 
we8 ,our bodies4 ,not at all4 ,our      
mental perception is alert1 and it      

recognises the vivacity of the dance and
 responds to it4 ,in a moment the body  
answers the mind and whirls out over the
 floor in rhythm and in sympathy with   
the musical action4 ,again music seeks  
the minor thought and we are subdued    
into seriousness1 or maybe1 worship of  
the beautiful1 the good1 and ,god4 ,was 
it the body1 fighting against disease   
and death which thus responded8 ,not at 
all4 ,the mind1 in which there ever     
rests the appreciation of all that there
 is in ,god1 7and that includes beauty1 
bounty and truth7 felt itself influenced
 by the music4 ,that influence was      
extended to the body4 ,you cannot enter 
good without getting good1 mental and   
physical4  ,there is nothing which has  
the tendency to reduce the average of   
human life as much as debauchery4 ,that 
causes early decay4 ,that wears out the 
body4 ,that nourishes the seeds of      
disease4 ,but1 say you1 if mind is the  
controlling force over the body1        
metaphysics over physics1 why cannot one

 engage in any wildness which he chooses
 to fancy1 and enjoy life4 ,a gay life  
and a merry one4 ,are we to come down   
into soberness and somberness to        
preserve these bodies of ours8 ,can't we
 look back into the days of a jolly good
 dinner with a draught1 deep from the   
pewter pot1 of nut-brown ale1 can't we  
joke with every pretty face we see1     
whether under a bonnet or not1 can't we 
even become ,falstaffs1 if we feel like 
it1 and yet keep ourselves alive to the 
full of days1 if mind can control body8 
,yes1 yes6 ,but can mind stand such     
things--can mind keep itself in touch   
with the source of what is ,good1 in    
such conditions8 ,if it can1 enjoy all  
debauchery4 ,if not1 for the            
preservation of self1 keep out of it4   
,now there are various kinds of         
debauchery1 and not the least of these  
is music itself1 wrongly used4 ,and     
herein lies the point which ,i would    
make4 ,herein lies the point of the     
practical1 or you may say if you choose1

 the didactical1 side of the question2  
the point where our music touches our   
longevity4 ,music of the intellectual   
kind is the only music which can have   
ennobling influence upon the human mind 
and keep it in equipoise4 ,the dance1   
the sentimental1 the pleasing1 has its  
place ,i admit4 ,but to the musician    
that which lacks the scientific1 lacks  
everything4 ,how many of us care to     
attend a concert1 an opera of the light 
vein1 or that of a brass band1 as       
perhaps we once did8 ,that pretty1      
catchy song1 let it be sung ever so     
well1 has lost an awakening influence   
upon us4 ,even a ,patti is gone by to   
us4 ,we call a pianist old-fashioned4   
,is he really so8 ,are not we becoming  
new-fashioned8 ,are not we becoming so  
keenly alive to the intellectual that1  
unless we watch phrases and periods1    
theses and antitheses1 sequences and    
cadences1 melody against melody1 we have
 no satisfaction in music4 ,then we run 
from music to music trying to hear some 

new thing1 until we become almost       
unbalanced in mind4 ,we become          
hyper-critical1 sensitive to faults1    
irritable over remissnesses1 until those
 conditions become a part of our        
disposition1 and the musician becomes   
the crank4 ,that is musical debauchery  
and ,i contend that that will shorten   
the life of any man4 ,which leads me to 
ask the question1 can there not be such 
a thing as an overdose of music1 just as
 there is an overdose of drug8 ,and does
 it not behoove us1 now that we have    
started a medico-musical-mental         
treatment of this poor body of ours1 to 
beware lest we shorten its existence    
rather than prolong it4  ,but ,art--that
 which calls for the highest in         
man--must surely be a benefit to man4   
,mrs4 ,rogers says ,those who approach  
art because art first reached out its   
arms to them1 and who approach it on    
their knees1 with faith1 with hope1 with
 love1 with religion1 thinking not of   
self1 nor of aught that shall result to 

them from their devotion to it1 but that
 only through art1 they may utter truth1
 and so fulfill art's real purpose1 and 
with it the highest purpose of their own
 life--those shall indeed know the      
blessedness of power1 of growth1 of     
inspiration1 of love4 ,such art as that 
carries the mind down to the centre of  
all things from which all good springs4 
,that centre is ,life4 ,that life has   
for its great attribute the             
re-cuperation--the re-creation of all   
which it touches4 ,the dwelling of that 
life--the body--is1 by art such as that 
which that noble writer just quoted     
describes1 made young every day and its 
days are prolonged on the face of the   
earth4 ,this may be ideal to-day1 but so
 many times has it been true1 that the  
ideal of to-day is the real of          
to-morrow1 that even this may be the    
tangible medicine of the next           
generation4     ,,chapter ,,ix4         
,,activity4       ,life is a series of  
surprises4 ,we do not guess to-day the  

work1      the pleasure1 the power of   
to-morrow1 when we are building up our  
being4                      ,emerson4   
,chase back the shadows1 grey and old1  
,of the dead ages1 from his way1        
,and let his hopeful eyes behold        
,the dawn of ,thy millenial day4        
,whittier      ,,ix4  ,,activity4       
,fortunately1 no two persons are exactly
 alike4 ,if they were1 the result would 
be the same and the everyday acts       
leading to a result would be the same4  
,nature1 acquiescing in the ,divine     
plan1 has a different line of action and
 result for every individual which she  
creates4 ,we find unlimited variety in  
man4 ,the seat of activity is the mind  
and the first portion of the body to be 
acted upon by the mind is the brain4    
,one man possesses more convolutions of 
brain than does another1 and the fibre  
which extends from the gray matter to   
manipulate the many organs of the body  
which we constantly use is finer in one 
organism than in another4 ,we recognize 

differences in classes of people and    
call one class nervous1 and another1    
phlegmatic4 ,so strongly are we         
influenced by public opinion that we    
honestly believe that a slow man cannot 
reach so great result in a lifetime as  
can a quick man4 ,general opinion is    
usually wrong and it most certainly is  
in this case4 ,nature has a work for    
each kind and each individual to do1 the
 summing up of which1 is the result of  
that life1 and if the gifts of each     
individual have been properly used the  
result is success in life4 ,it may be   
believed that the usefulness of each    
individual1 if the life of each is      
perfectly carried out1 will be equal to 
that of all others4 ,the apparent       
success may not be real success4  ,the  
active brain directs a responsive body4 
,the more active the brain1 the more    
active can the body be made4 ,to make   
the body useful at all1 the motion of   
its members must be well understood and 
perfectly commanded4 ,herein lies the   

secret of success or failure4 ,all      
want--not wish--success4 7,a wish may be
 a whim47 ,the saying ,one thing at a   
time1 etc41 has become obnoxious to us  
years ago1 but in the idea contained in 
that lies the path to greatest activity4
 ,the active mind spreads itself4 ,it   
schemes4 ,all the plans which it        
suggests seem possible4 ,why not carry  
them all out8 ,merely because life is   
not long enough1 nor mental and physical
 endurance strong enough1 to do even the
 preliminary work of one tenth of the   
schemes which can come to an active mind
 in one day4 ,cut them all off4 ,it     
might be well to say ,first come1 first 
served1 and take the first which comes  
and carry that to success1 concentrating
 all thought and force upon its         
accomplishment4 ,it may be a ,higher    
,power which put the thought of that    
plan first into mind4  ,yet more        
narrowly would we draw the line which   
surrounds our activity4 ,one must make  
the most of his force and strength4 ,in 

the case of every man1 woman and child  
living there is enormous waste of power4
 ,much more is wasted than is used4 ,we 
have in years past stood beside ,niagara
 and thought if that power1 apparently  
going to waste1 could be used for moving
 machinery it could run the mills of the
 world1 forgetting1 or not knowing1     
that1 in getting to the ,falls1 we      
wasted enough mental and physical force 
to run our human machinery for a week4  
,the thought flew1 changing probably    
twice a second1 to how many different   
things in the hour before4 ,computation 
is easy4 ,in the sixteen working hours  
of a day1 perhaps1 we think of #bjjj    
things4 ,isn't that wasteful8 ,before   
the true plan of nature is carried out  
some 7if not three-quarters7 of this    
waste must be prevented4 ,what has the  
body done in the hour before reaching   
,niagara8 ,the hands have wandered      
aimlessly1 the feet have tapped the     
floor1 the watch has been looked at a   
dozen times1 the hat taken off and put  

on again1 the card-case opened1         
half-looked at1 and shut1 and each act1 
with twenty more1 has been repeated     
again and again4 ,it was waste activity4
 ,it must be overcome4 ,nature never    
intended you and me to be wasteful4     
,these actions of mind1 brain and body1 
are useful in their places1 but we      
misuse them1 using up strength and      
power4 ,night comes and we are tired    
out1 or think we are1 which amounts to  
the same thing4 ,who said ,one thing at 
a time was obnoxious to him8 ,to gain   
our greatest power we must bring        
ourselves down to one thing at a time4  
,put your mind on that one thing4 ,are  
you sharpening a pencil just now8 ,don't
 read a book at the same time4 ,are you 
placing your hat on your head8 ,don't   
brush dust off the coat4 ,are these     
things trivial8 ,nothing is trivial in  
nature's plan4 ,do not1 in impatience1  
without trial1 cast aside these         
suggestions4 ,even give one hour each   
day for one week as a trial to doing    

what you do1 perfectly1 and think of it 
as a trial4 ,the increased result in    
mental and physical activity will       
demonstrate the wisdom of the advice4   
,strength is essential to successful    
labor4 ,wildly beating the air in       
undirected effort is the element of     
greatest weakness4 ,we smile at the     
antics of two chickens in their fight in
 the farmyard4 ,in a few minutes they   
wear themselves out and go off to rest4 
,are not we much like them8 ,do we not  
use up our strength in useless effort8  
,then1 how often we rush off to the     
gymnasium or to the drug-store in the   
vain hope of regaining our strength4    
,new strength is not to be found in     
either place4 ,it is within ourselves   
all the time4 ,stop the expenditure and 
permit re-cuperation through            
concentration4 ,don't go lie down4      
,don't take a nap4 ,stop right where you
 are and bring the thought down to one  
thing1 strength4 ,for the moment allow  
the body to remain still4 ,think        

strength1 desire strength1 command      
strength6 ,it is yours4 ,it belongs to  
you4 ,it is all around you4 ,it will    
take possession of you if you permit it4
 ,what say you8 ,that it will not come  
at your bidding8 ,are you sure8 ,have   
you cleared the mind of the cobwebs--the
 two different things per second which  
can come into it8 ,have you8 ,until you 
have1 don't give up the test4           
,concentrate the thought upon strength1 
if that is what you want1 and it will   
come4  ,impatience is waste4 ,you cannot
 afford it4 ,it is too expensive4 ,we   
are all children4 ,we see a toy and we  
must have it instantly1 even if it is1  
as it often is1 a sharp tool1 which cuts
 our hands4 ,if that which we wish      
belongs to us1 or is to be given to us1 
it will come in its time4 ,we wish to do
 something now4 ,we haven't the means1  
or we don't see our way clearly to do   
it4 ,we bemoan our hard luck1 and can't 
see why we can't have it4 ,just so does 
the child about the toy4 ,wait          

patiently1 and if1 in nature's plan1 the
 thing is to come to us1 it will come1  
and we can't prevent it4 ,it will seem  
as if it came itself4 ,impatience merely
 wears us out and uses up strength which
 nature wishes us to use in some other  
way4 ,obey nature and carry out her     
purposes4  ,activity which is useful1   
comes through directed effort4 ,there   
may be seeming activity which is worse  
than sluggishness1 and which is         
certainly not desirable4 ,directed      
effort comes best through calm mind and 
responsive body4 ,silence and quietness1
 self-imposed1 prepare the way to       
directed effort4 ,cease everything1 even
 thinking1 so far as it can be stopped1 
and remain passive thirty seconds4 ,then
 another thirty seconds4 ,who cannot    
take one minute out of each hour in the 
day for preparing the mind and body for 
greater strength and activity8 ,when    
night has come and we lay the body down 
to rest there are a few minutes when it 
can have the best preparation for the   

activity of the next day4 ,the few      
minutes before sleep carries us into    
unconsciousness are dear and sweet      
minutes1 if rightly used4 ,then can the 
thought1 which has been sent to         
thousands of things during the day1 be  
brought back to its proper place4 ,it   
should be centred upon one thing4 ,the  
estimate is that the mind cannot be kept
 on one thing more than six seconds2 but
 it can be returned to that one thing   
for several periods of six seconds each4
 ,we do not have the chance to return it
 many times1 for sleep seizes us4 ,let  
the thought selected be a pleasant one2 
of some happy spot or view2 a sunset or 
refreshing shower4 ,it is better to     
select something from nature rather than
 man1 for such thought is likely to be  
unalloyed4 ,the last thing at night1 if 
pleasant1 tends to give us the calmest  
rest and best prepares us for the next  
day4 ,the well and strong body can be   
active and the temperament of the       
individual makes comparatively little   

difference4 ,in this we may all take    
courage4 ,every thoughtful person has   
had an occasional sad thought over his  
apparent impotence4 ,no one need use    
less than his normal strength and       
activity4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,corrections made by the   
etext transcriber3  ,there has1 however1
 ways of procedure been planned which   
must shorten the trip4,there have been  
planned1 however1 ways of procedure     
which must shorten the trip4            
,fortunately1 no two persons are exactly
 alike4 ,if there were,fortunately1 no  
two persons are exactly alike4 ,if they 
were