NOTHING SO AMPLY PROVES the complex character of humanity as the varying changes of the voice, suiting themselves to all manner of moods and feelings, and all kinds of intellectual activities from the lowest to the highest adventures of speech. But there still remains a vast field of development, intended to impart to every message from the mind the highest service in efficiency; for by such means what might possess value in ordinary from becomes a mighty force when driven home with the utmost power of physical magnetism, or muscular magnetism. This use of these words must not be confounded with the bad habit of setting the muscles for the display of mere force or noise.

"QUICK MAGNETISM"

It does not take long to develop muscular magnetism, to fire your nervous system with a new life, and to see for yourself the effects of a little practice of the right kind.

The mouth, by muscular motion, makes the checks called consonants. We wish that muscular action to be impelled with greater energy. Deal to each check a hammer blow; then another, and so continue until you have struck many blow on one check.

If your arm is not used, it will grow soft and flabby. If you use it in the right way, it will become strong and large and its muscles will harden and take on greater power. The same is true of the muscles of the mouth that are employed in making the vocal checks.

New energy behind them will bring development that will aidvery materially in their work of executing the tasks set for them to do.

Take a little sentence to begin with: "1 will have my bond."

In this sentence the word bond is very important. Now repeat the word bond with intense energy; not of voice, but of muscular touch; and keep on repeating it. The "b" and the "nd" in the word, can be given a very powerful muscular touch in the mouth, and the energy behind the utterance can be made to grow all the time.

Keep on increasing the power of the muscular touch. This implies more impelling energy in every repetition. You must have your mind on the work. You must be determined to succeed in adding more energy as you proceed. After saying the word bond hundreds of times, then repeat the whole sentence: Iwill have my bond, and note the fire that comes into the brain. This is only a beginning; but from the least beginning great achievements may follow.

Take another sentence: I am determined.

Take the last word and find the dams or vocal-checks in it. They are "d" in the beginning and in the end, and "t" and "m" in the middle. The "n" goes with the final "d." Just repeat these checks separately hundreds of times each before uttering the whole word; then speak the whole word "determined" hundreds of times. Remember to impel always increasing energy in every repetition of letter or word. Do not become languid or indifferent. Keep the source of the power growing stronger and stronger always. This is the secret. Then repeat the whole sentence:

"I am determined."

If you have read this lesson and the one preceding a few times until you understand the manner of practice, you will achieve results in a very short time; and these results will go into every word you speak to other persons. Something will begin to hold their attention and bring them to you.

Force of voice is never required.

In fact many men now of national fame have practiced this method in their rooms without being heard in the next rooms.

One of our pupils, a Bishop, developed great magnetism this way and never was discovered in his practice as he omitted the vocal tones, when other persons were present in the same room. He pantomimed the action. This is not the best. A low, quiet tone can be employed.

"MAGNETIC COINAGE"

It is not loudness of voice that enables a person to be heard

It is the coinage of sound into syllables and words.

Our life-sounds are known as vowels.

Our vocal-checks or dams are known as consonants.

Every life-sound should have the full variation of mouthshape that the sound requires. It is possible to hold the mouth in one position and utter the words of a sentence, so that you think you can hear them distinctly; but other persons will not hear you clearly, and the voice is for others, not for yourself to hear.

If the vowels have no mouth action the utterances are not clearly made, and not easily heard. It is not sufficient that the audience hear the sound of the voice—they should hear what is said. Language consists merely of syllables; syllables of vowels and consonants. One syllable differs from another merely in the fact that different vowels and consonants are employed, or combined differently.

If a speaker or reader with more voice than brains should endeavor merely to make himself heard, he could do it by shouting or yelling unintelligible sounds, as the street vendors do; the voice is heard, and distressingly so. But a quiet tone, accompanied by a clear enunciation, will carry sense, in the form of intelligible words, farther than the shouter's voice.

A strong voice is of no avail if the vowels and consonants are not well formed and made.

"MAGNETIC CONSONANTS"

All the vocal-checks or consonants that are worth practicing on are given here. Simply repeat them with a hard muscular touch on each one, and with ever increasing nervous energy behind to propel them. Each one should be repeated hundreds of times. But saying them will not do any good. Hammer them. Give them intense power from the nerve-centers. Make the mouth execute them with tremendous pressure. Drift always into a naturalness as you proceed.

The genius is he who thinks of what he is doing; the mind-wanderer does things mechanically. Bd—Cribb'd, bobb'd, robb'd.

He robb'd his friend in the field. Bdst—Cribb'dst, bobb'dst, fib'dst.

Thou fib'dst to thy best friend. Bldst—Gambl'dst, rambl'dst, fabl'dst.

Thou rambl'dst over the ground. Bst—Sobb'st, stubb'st, robb'st.

Sobb'st thou at such trifles? Didst—Handl'dst, fondl'dst, fiddl'dst.

Fiddl'dst thou much, my friend? Dnd—Madd'nd, wid'nd, broad'nd.

Study broad'nd and wid'nd his life Fld—Stift'd, muffl'd, baffl'd.

He muffl'd the drum and stifled the sound, Fst—Laugh'st, quaff'st, stuff'st.

Laugh'st thou at this? Fths—Fifths, twelfths.

They formed by fifths. Old—Smuggl'd, wrangl'd, mangl'd.

The smuggl'd garments were mangl'd. Gldst—gurgl'dst, struggl'dst, bungl'dst. Thou bungl'dst it. Gst—pegg'st, flogg'st, drugg'st.

Thou drugg'st and flogg'st him. Kldst—Shackl'd'st, tackl'd'st, buckl'd'st.

Buckl'd'st thou thy armor? Klst—Encircl'st, tackl'st, buckl'st.

Encircl'st thou her form? Kndst—Heark'n'dst, lik'n'dst, black'n'dst. Thou lik'n'dst it to death. Knst—Wak'n'st, heark'n'st, beck'n'st.

Thou heark'n'st well. Lft—Engulf'd.

The wave engulfed him. Lfth—-Twelfth.

Did you witness "Twelfth Night?"

Ldgbd—Indulg'd, divulg'd, bilg'd.

They were indulg'd but divulg'd not. Lps—Scalps, pulps, helps.

What helps scalps! Lpst—Scalp'st, help'st.

Help'st thou not? Ngdst—Long'dst, wrong'dst, hang'dst.

Hang'dst thou innocent men? Ngst—Bring'st, hang'st, sing'st.

Thou sing'st like a lark. Ngths—Lengths, strengths.

He was left many lengths behind. Vst—Shov'st, liv'st, prov'st.

Thou prov'st thy point.

"MAGNETIC BARRIERS"

Some persons with good voices and other excellent qualities are sometimes placed in a bad position by the inability of the tongue muscles to execute the mixed variety of consonants that may intrude without warning. Many a fineaddress has been ruined in this way.

A young man who was trying to impress a young lady with his superior ease and polish, fell into this trap that is own tongue set for him.

Conversations meant to be serious have been turned into ridicule by the same causes.

The trouble arises from the fact that some letters do not allow other letters to be sounded with them without special practice to develop flexibility of consonant muscles.

Take for example the reply made by a waiter in New York when a young man asked him to bring two kinds of soup for himself and lady friends. The young man tried to order "Sheep soup, shoat soup, and beef soup." But he never got as far as the first two. The waiter said, "I understand. You want lamb soup and young hog soup."

Can you say, "Sheep soup, shoat soup" easily and rapidly, or at all?

Try it aloud, and then ask your friends to try it aloud.

It will strengthen the tongue muscles.

You wish to be understood when you speak; you cannot afford to be misunderstood.

Then pay strict attention to clearest articulation of words, for which the following is excellent practice.

If you can speak these words readily, then increase the speed os utterance to make them flexible.

Here are some others:

"She stood at the gate, welcoming him in."

"A pink trip slip."

"A million alien minions."

"Literally literary."

"A shame it is to sham so, Sam."

"Sue saw six slender saplings."

"He twists his texts."

"A peculiar pecuniary predicament."

"She thrust six thousand thistles through her thumb."

"Around the rough rocks the ragged rascals ran."

"Beef-broth." This must be said many times with great speed.

"Tie tight Dick's kite."

"Sunshine some shun."

"Six thick thistle sticks."

"Then thrust it through the thatch."

"Chaste stars are not chased tars."

"Triumphant nymphs."

"Ghastly ghosts at sixty-six Sixty-sixth street."

"The axe performs the acts."

"All sects, regardless of sex."

"The prow proudly plows the deep."

"He sent back the blank black ink."

"A knapsack strap." Say this rapidly many times at once.

In fact, the true test of flexible tongue muscles is in your ability to read all the foregoing examples very rapidly.

While there are many valuable methods in this scries of lessons, one that should receive extra attention is that of "Magnetic Consonants." In a few minutes you can prove that this line of training will develop in you the power and fire of muscular magnetism. You will not have to wait many minutes to see the effects of it.

Then you will find that muscular magnetism is the basis of personal magnetism. It gives at first surprise; then a glow of satisfaction; then a realization of a new-found power; then ambition; then courage; then the determination toascertain to what ends you can carry your gifts; and soon you are rising in the world far above your fellow beings. This is the plan and purpose of nature. Nor is it right to hide your talents under a bushel.

And the practice of "hammering consonants" will change the shape of the face to such a degree that a photograph taken before the work begins and another after it ends, will show a decided improvement. The lips, in a few months of constant practice, will have the fine chiseling that the sculptor aims to give to his noblest men and women. All the muscles from those at the forehead down to those at the chin, and from ear to ear, are involved in this practice. If you doubt it, watch your face in a glass when you are hammering the many consonants with energy and determination to increase the nervous power that impels them. An unused face is immobile, which is a polite term for being stupid. This practice develops excessive mobility, adds a charm to every feature, brings solidity in place of flabby skin, and lights up the features with an attractiveness which halts the attention of others.

The mind is stimulated more by the voice than by any other cause. The expressive voice lights up the face in a way thai is hard to describe. The coinage of words by every great man or woman who has ever come in contact with the public has been of rare power. All the consonants used by them have been energized from the nerve-centers, and found execution on muscles that, like live wires, have burned them into the minds of all who have listened to them.

When you find yourself acquiring a new power of making your ideas felt by other people, this stimulus will arouse in you a new ambition that will grow rapidly. We wish we could show you the proofs of this fact in the lives of people who were dire failures because of their inability to impress their hearers; whose ideas could not be given living expression in their voices; and who revolutionized their careers by the mastery of this simple system.

It is nature itself,,