muscles into greater activity; and, by pressure upon the abdominal organs which, forced upward, exercise a pressure upon the lungs, enable ourselves to force as much air from the lungs, as we still require for the remaining words.

It is wonderful how this manipulation, which is the only correct one, helps us over every obstacle; we must, however, not abuse it, but apply it only on the most urgent occasions; otherwise we must strictly conform to the prescribed rules.

SECTION 25.

WEARING APPAREL IN REGARD TO BREATHING.

Singers and speakers should always see that their attire allows the necessary play to the organs of respiration. With concert singers, declaimers and public speakers this is at all times practicable; but it is not always so in the case of dramatic performers. Among the various kinds of costumes which they have to put on, there are some the cut of which is not favorable to free respiration, inasmuch as they compress one or the other of the groups of respiratory muscles

The actor can easily avoid this by making himself acquainted in time with his costume and causing any

necessary alterations to be made. Many a fine effect has been lost to the dramatic artist by his having become aware too late that his attire greatly compressed his respiratory organs.

Such considerations, however, will weigh lightly with our ladies, whose figures resemble a wasp rather than a human being, and with our beaux, who are so thoroughly of opinion, that "the smaller the waist, the greater the work of art;" and we, therefore, advise the former, as long as they persist in lacing, to see to it that not all the groups of respiratory muscles are thereby affected.

Whoever desires a healthy development of the lungs, must be careful to relieve the respiratory organs from all pressure.

We have now reached the end of our "System of Correct Breathing in Singing and Speaking."

I

may incur the reproach that my rules lead to pedantry and stiff. ness. "Who," it may be asked, "will or who can follow these rules with such strictness? They are too complicated!"

To this my answer is: No rule, however simple, will ever attain the desired result, unless we practice it with the greatest perseverance, with the utmost patience; until it has become second nature, until it can no longer be noticed, because warm, fresh life has taken the place of the cold, lifeless rule.

SECTION 26.

EXPRESSION.

A general remark concerning expression may still be in place here at the end.

We should always seek to preserve a certain nobility of expression. In our ordinary life the muscles of the face are contracted by pain in a way unpleasant to the sight. In crying the glottis closes and emits short, broken and disagreeable sounds. But it is a different thing in art. Here we must strive to throw an æsthetic veil over every emotion, whether of pain or of pleasure. In the representation of the deepest emotion, originating in the recesses of the heart and reflected in the features and voice, we should never allow the look, the tone or the words to go beyond the limits of the fine and the exalted; we should have such a command over our respiratory and vocal organs that, while the glottis emits the most profound tones of pain or of pleasure, these should never be ignoble, unpleasant or ugly, except indeed, it be the intention to produce a characteristic or comic effect.

If this principle were strictly observed, that is, were the artist to apply himself more assiduously to securing a full command of the muscles, we should

then not see what so often happens, especially with ladies, the features greatly distorted in the representation of emotion. In fact, many persons, in their ordinary conversation, change their naturally not ignoble features to their disadvantage; and it is rightly said of them that "they are handsomest when they are silent."