VOICE MAY SPOIL BEAUTY

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 106, 7 May 1938, Page 5 (Supplement)

VOICE MAY SPOIL BEAUTY

Health And Beauty

lt\7ES she is attractive—until X she opens her mouth." How often have we heard-this said of a girl or woman whose beauty in repose is a feast to the eye* I But let her open her lips to speak and we have the impulse to clap our hands over our ears and run. Not all women have vocal organs so constructed that they can sing beautifully, but every woman may have a speaking voice, so carefully modulated, and speech eo pleasing, because of distinct enunciation that she will be found charming, whether her face is beautiful or not. Disagreeable nasal tones and rasping, strident voices are due in large measure to incorrect use of the nose in speaking. Everyone knows how a cold affects the voice. This is because the resonators or sounding boards of the voice are closely connected with the nasal cavities, and, when they are inflamed and the breathing is obstructive, the timbre of the voice Decomes flat and brassy, or thick and harsh. Frequent colds irritate the membrane of the nose, and neglect often causes anatomical obstructions which affect the quality of the voice. It is a notable fact that the best singers, as a rule, have full, wide, open nostrils, either bestowed by Nature or acquired by practice. This formation of the nose undoubtedly explains —in part at least —the negro's naturally beautiful voice, though good voices are more general among all people whose habitat is in a warm climate, than they are among those who dwell in cold climates. Keeping the upper cavities of the nose free of all dirt-germ accumulation is the first step towards acquiring a voice which will delight and attract. In addition, euch care will minimise much danger of disease —and right here, is the chief argument in favour of nosebreathing. The nose is so constructed that in a healthv state it prevents germs from becoming active, the mouth, never. Breathing through the mouth is largely responsible for chapped or cracked lips. Few women realise this, but it is readily understood, if one considers the I combined effect of moisture and cold on any part of the skin. Chapped Lips Xo woman who values a fine, soft. textured skin would think of going out ' into the cold with wet face or hands. I Yet many women suffer with chapped ! lips all through the cold or winter season j largelv because of mouth breathing. When" going out in a high wind everyone needs to give extra rare to all those little details which make for skin comi fort and skin beauty. If the face and neck are very sensitive use cheese-cloth

By a French Specialist

bags filled with, oatmeal and shavings of a pure soap. Pat, rather than rub, the face and throat dry; then apply cold cream and massage gently. Gently massage the chapped lips with a healing oil, but, even with this care, the smooth pink lips of youth will never last through middle-age if mouth breathing is persisted in. Nostril Solicitude Make it a habit, night and morning, to clean out the nasal passages by forceful snortinge and the use of clear, warm water. Take a bit of soft linen and twist it round an orange-wood stick. Moisten in warm water and insert carefully up each nostril. Now, before the dressing-table, take some deep slow breaths through the nostrils. Hold the breath while co.unting 20, then expel elowly through the nose. Be sure to keep the mouth closed and repeat

the exercise six or eight times. This keeps the sounding boards of the voice clean and helps to produce clear, pleasing tones. Emotional Control Emotions, properly controlled, lend colour and richness to the voice; uncontrolled, they are, without doubt, beauty's moat relentless enemy. If there is cause for anger or excitement, and you are impelled to vociferate your feelings, stop and take a few deep breaths. Marvellous is the almost instantaneous feeling of calm that this produces. Then speak as forcefully as you wish, but in subdued tones, and you will impress your hearer quite as convincingly as though you had shouted at him. But the gain is f,or yourself in the saving of nervous energy and in the maintenance of well-bred poise which is the very essence of womanly charm. Learning to speak gently and quietly will go far towards producing an attractive voice, but it will not win the battle for a wholly delightful manner of speech. Many women all unconsciously are guilty of ugly mouth

habits; they open the month too wide or not wide enough. Some women '•mouth" their words, others mumble them. One famous voice speaker says: "The quickest way to find tone is through fine pronunciation." This means that the mouth, as well as the tongue, must be used correctly in the formation of words. To obtain good results, the exercise given below should be practised before a mirror. A simple test will prove the truth of this statement. Try smiling and talking at the same time, and note how flat and silly the words sound. Now slightly "purse" the mouth and say a few words —the effect is equally bad. To pronounce distinctly, the words should eeem to be formed outside the mouth. To develop nasal resonance slightly hum the following exercise, keeping the nostrils fully open to avoid the slightest suspicion of a nasal twang. Mum-niuni-nuim-inuin, etc., then vary the exercise for practice in passing from a nasal tone to one produced at the extreme front of the mouth. Thus: Mum-muni-too. mum-too, mum-muni-too, mum-too, mum-too, etc.