LETTERS FROM WOMEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3085, 30 April 1913, Page 71

LETTERS FROM WOMEN.

From Mrs. G. Oldham, Church-street, Wickham, Newcastle, N.S.W., 30th October, 1911. “I suffered for a long while from chronic pain in tho head and back. My liver was torpid, I had a very poor appetite, and what I did eat- would give me indigestion. Quite frequently, when working about the house, a fainting sensation would come over mo, and' I was in danger of falling down. I tried various treatments and medicines which failed to effect a cure. A friend of mine, hearing of my condition, recommended a trial of Warner’s Safa Cure, as she had heard the medicine highly spoken of in every direction. Tho advice so kindly given was adopted, j After ’taking a few bottles of Warner’s ' Safe Cure a change for tho better developed itself. I continued to get i belter and stronger each day until all I my troubles left me. I am new able to| work, can eat and sleep well, and enjoy I myself generally, which I had been un- ! able to do for a long time previously. J I can highly recommend Warner’s Safo Cure to all women.” From Mrs. G. Smith, 12, Belfasl-street, Wellington, New Zealand, 30th November, 1911. “For some years I was troubled with liver complaint and indigestion, accompanied by headaches of tho most excruciating kind. At times 1 was afflicted with violent pain in the bowels, which would make me quite sick. These l periodical and violent pains seemed to take root in the pit of the stomach, and from there extend to the whole of my system. After trying a variety of medicines —to no benefit —I was induced to try Warner’s Safe Cure. The first bottle of tho medicine improved my condition considerably, and after taking tho contents of a few bottles, the pains all left me. I could eat well and digest my food with ease and comfort. The medicine has given me an excellent appetite, and has most thoroughly renovated my digestive organs.” From Mrs. Ann Sullivan, Murvay-street, Wagga, N.S.W., 10th August, 1911. ‘‘Some years ago my kidneys gave me a great deal of trouble and I was steadily losing my health. I went to a doctor and he gave me some medicine, but it did not relieve mo. I was in the hospital for about three weeks. but got no better. I had to get a woman in to do my housework as I was utterly unable to work myself. I had headaches continuously and pains all over my body. A neighbour gave mo a bottle of JtVacner s Safe Cure to try. I noticed an improvement after the first few doses. C took altogether five bottlesful and waa restored to health.” From Mrs. T. Brown, 3 Thomas-stroet, Geelong West, Victoria, 18th August, 1911. •‘Some years ago I began to experience a dull, miserable faint feeling and loss of appetite. I had hardly any strength left. A friend told me to try Warner’s Safe Cure, and, after taking a few bottles, 1 was quite cured and have ever since been free from all trouble of that nature.” From Mrs. M. M'lnerney, Shipter’aroad, Kensington, Adelaide, S.A., 22nd September, 1911. ‘‘About two years ago I was very much run down and was troubled with sleeplessness. 1 used to feel very tired and was quite unable to do my work on account of giddiness. I had lost all appetite and suffered at times from pain in the chest. In the mornings 1 waa totally unfit for my day’s work, having passed the nights with hardly any sleep. As a friend of mine had taken Warner’s Safe Cure with great benefit to herself, I decided to try that medicine also.. Having taken the contents of three bottles, 1 was completely restored to my former state of health. 1 regained my appetite, could sleep well at night and arose in the morning feeling fit ior my day’s work.” From Airs. C. Manley, Castle-street, North Dunedin, New Zealand, 21st December, 1911. “For some years I suffered as many women have suffered before me. I could not tell the nature of the complaint, but the symptoms were extreme nervousness, loss of appetite, chronic pains in the back and head, giddy sensalions, weakness and depression of spirits. My household work became a burden to me. I had to sit and rest after tho slightest exertion. I tried many advertised remedies. Some would give mo relief for a little while, then I wpuld be as ill as ever. I had almost given up hope of being cured when 1 was advised to try Warner’s Safe Cure After taking only a few bottles 1 was completely restored to health I can eat and sleep well and all bodily pain has left me. I have had no return of the complaint since that time.” Earner’s Safe Cura is sold by chemists and storekeepers everywhere, both in the original (ss) bottles, and in tha cheaper (2s 6d) "Concentrated,” non-al-coholic form.

In (a) rising inflection on the first syllable of “native”; in (b) falling inflection on “ comes.” Entreaties take a rising, commands a falling inflection. Notice the diffex-ent effect of the rising and falling inflections on “broad” in the following sentence: — Give me some^ bread. Assertive, imue-ative, and exclamatory questions take a falling inflection. To express antithesis, scorn, contempt, or irony a compound or circumflex inflection should be given to the words in which one of these is meant to bo convoyed. An affirmative or positive clause takes a falling, a negative or contingent clause a rising circumflex. You say you arc a better soldier: Let it appear so. (Falling circumflex on “ better ” and “ appear”). Seems, madamc? Nay it is: I know not seems. (Rising inflection on each “seems,” falling on “is”). 6. The upper pitch is used to express rage, triumpn, poy, and excited states of mind generally ; the middle pitch for ordinary narration, reflection, etc. ; the lower pitch to express gloom, despair, sadness, dejection. It is generally best to begin your recital a little below the middle note in your voice. 7. Most competitors find the parenthetical clause or phrase (often appearing between commas) an almost insuperable difficulty. Usually the voice is lowered a third, and the pace quickened, till the interrupted trend of thought is resumed. But (whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in) ye cannot hear it. 8. Speak piano or pianissimo to denote pity, love, sorrow, shame, prostration, horror, tenderness; mezzo-forte for ordinary conversation, plain narrative, and unimpassioned speech generally ; forte for certainty, rage, ferocity, execration, and excited states of mind generally. 9. Speak slowly to denote solemnity, dignity, deliberation, tranquility; moderate tempo for unimpassioned speech; speak quickly to denote mirth, impatience, agitation, and excited states of mind generally. 'lO. Study your piece earnestly, make a picture of each circumstance and incident in your mind; you must tell the story as if it were entirely your own. Visualise! 11. Avoid over-rapidity of utterance, indistinctness, drawling, mincing, harshness, mouthing, artificiality, monotonous delivery, whining, whinnying, pomposity, lethargy — and with these any approach to laboured, theatrical, or affected delivery. 12. Gesture is (a) Referential. By it the speaker calls attention to what actually is present or imagined to bo present. (b) Impassioned gesture ought to bo the effect of natural impulse, (c) Imitative gesture, which should for the most part be reserved for comedy. In a serious recital it usually leads to burlesque. (d) Emphatic gesture, used to emphasise the effect of words. The head is capable of many expressive movements —assent, rejection, approval, doubt, etc. The eyes should usually be, directed to where the gesture points, except when we condemn, refuse, or require anything to be removed. Banish, ye gods, this matter from the earth. 13. Boar well in mind the fact that all verse is music. To recite poetry, as many teachers apparently think it should be recited, strictly with reference to the punctuation, is to commit a solecism abhorrent to the cultivated) ear. If you recite verse it is well to master the rudiments of prosody. Try to discover that the poets did not write in prose, and what is the justification of their choice of medium. Seek for the true beauty of the inevitable word, the potent shy appeal of assonances, the balance and swing of poetic phrase, the colour-magnificence of verbal sounds. 14. Always bo natural. The stylo and manner may bo someone olsc’s, but the story can only live as you make it your story. The mimic rage, the whispered plea, the stern denunciation, the reasonable remonstrance, the thrill of terror and surprise, the leaping flame of mirth —all are yours, or they are nobody’s. Better a millionfold to tell a story well as you would tell it, than to tell it ill as some blunderer has persuaded you the author would have it told. The soul of elocution is interpretation. Your rendering may differ from Smith's, but each may bo in the differing circumstances of your minds and temperaments entirely right and natural. Don t trudge a fettered helot down the trodden ways, because often enough ill the ways most trodden most mud is. \\ believer you are sincere you can dare to be original, for every original impulse based on reason is a stop onwards. You have laboured to store in your mind something worth remembering,' and now you have to tell these various people all about it. Tell it simply, as you would narrate your own experience to a friend. 16. Don’t memorise rubbish. Don t read rubbish. That is the sure ami certain way to rancid indigestion of the mind. If you cram your brain with offensive or merely useless stuff, you will presently find that there is no room for your better sehctiono. even if grace and energy be given you vet to select. When you are in doubt as to the meaning or intention of any passage in prose or verse, don t go to your teacher, unless you are convinced that you know no other man with a discretion so assured, a mind so richly cultivated. I he* average schoolmaster, the average vicar of the English Church, the average journalist even, has a far better taste in literature than the average teacher of elocution can pretend to. Once you are seized of the meaning and the beauty of poetry, you cannot recite it without intelligence. Then there is prose. It is an admirable exorcise occasionally to read prose for its merely verbal loveliness, Take a good nago of Ru.skin, and road it simply \ with that intent. See how beautiful mere words and companions of words can bo, apart from the' thought implied. Then turn to the “ Religio Medici,” and note with gratitude how perfectly hi beautiful words the beautiful thought eau be apparelled. It is films that your in elocution will lead you insensibly to a wider and better knowledge. AN ARTICULATION EXERCISE. The following examples are taken from “ Elocution in the' Pulpit,” by Charles Seymour, a professional elocutionist, and published at Is, I think, by “ The Speaker’s Library Press” “ Strange strategic statistics were propounded by a strange strategical statistician.” “ We were wishing to know why wo wore as weary when wo awoke as when wo went to bed.’

“ Frith’s sixth sister’s fifth daughter runs swifter that his fifth brother’s sixth son.” “Translate a little Latin literature into literal language literally. Practise this little alliteration of the letter ‘l.’ It will loosen your lingual liquid letters.” y “ Why not wait awhile or wait awhile away or while away awhile.” “ As a rural ruler of a truly ruralM'cahn he assumed a peremptory manner temporarily, othewiso his ruling was exemplary.” “ What’s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, he should weep for her.” “ Oh, how heavy a heart has ho who heaves so deep a sigh. Ho had had a hard life. She had had a happy one.” “Sects, fifths, lengths, twelfth, acts, men’s sense, texts.”

“An ice drop (not ‘a nice drop ’). Keep on (not ' key pon ’). Keep up (not ‘ key pup ’). A cool school. A school cooled. An old hole (not ‘ a nole hole ’). Close up the wall (not ‘do zup’). The whole sold. Summon up the blood (not ‘ nup A singular red cap on (not ‘ cappon ). The spirit’s eye (not spirit ‘ zign ’). A nice night (not ‘nigh sight’). The British Isles (not ‘shilcs ’). The British Empire (not ‘shempire’). Not at all ‘a tall ). At all events (not ‘a tall events’).” The main thing in most of these exercises is to give a decided finish to finals, and to place the sound organs into the next position before attempting to say the next sound.

I shall bo glad to have any good exorcises teachers or others may have by them. This one I heard a lady give as an example: “I scream for two,” which should have been sounded “Ice cream for two.”

CORRESPONDENCE AND NOTES.

How many of my readers have seen a white thrush? Wo have chronicled a white sparrow r and a white blackbird, but not until now a white thrush. I am told, however, that one can be seen hovering about the residence of the Mornington School. It is comparatively tame, partly, no doubt, because it is not. molested, and partly, no doubt, because, like most freaks in. the animal world, it is treated as a pariah by its kind. “North Island” wants the words of “ Only a Boy ” for a recitation. Will some reader /oblige by sending the words along? “Collector” wants the poems “Beautiful Snow ” and “ The Man with the Hoe.” and the subsequent poem each called forth. I shall be. glad of these, too.