and intensity.

Where resonance of voice is lacking, it can be rapidly developed by
means of humming the letter _m_, with lips closed, and endeavoring to
make the face vibrate. The tone should be kept well forward throughout
the exercise, pressing firmly against the lips and hard palate. Later
the exercise may begin with the humming _m_, and be developed, while the
lips are opened gradually, into the tone of _ah_, still aiming to
maintain the original resonance.

The speaking voice is capable of most wonderful development. There is a
duty devolving upon everyone to cultivate beauty of vocal utterance and
diction. Crudities of speech so commonly in evidence are mainly due to
carelessness and neglect. It is a hopeful sign, however, that greater
attention is now being given to this important subject than heretofore.
Surely there is nothing more important than the development of the
principal instrument by which men communicate with one another. As Story
says:

"O, how our organ can speak with its many and wonderful voices!--
Play on the soft lute of love, blow the loud trumpet of war,
Sing with the high sesquialter, or, drawing its full diapason,
Shake all the air with the grand storm of its pedals and stops."

HOW TO TELL A STORY

Someone has wittily said that only those in their anecdotage should tell
stories. De Quincey wanted all story-tellers to be submerged in a
horse-pond, or treated in the same manner as mad dogs. But story-telling
has its legitimate and appropriate use, and if certain rules are
observed may give added charm to conversation and public speaking.

It requires a fine discrimination to know when to tell a story, and when
not to tell one though it is urging itself to be expressed. Few men have
the rare gift of choosing the right story for the particular occasion.
Many men have no difficulty in telling stories that are insufferably
long, pointless, and uninteresting.

We have all been victims of a certain type of public speaker who begins
by saying, "Now I don't want to bore you with a long story, but this is
so good, etc.," or "An incident occurred at the American Consulate in
Shanghai, which reminds me of an awfully good story, etc." When a
speaker prefaces his remarks with some such sentences as these, we know
we are in for an uncomfortable time.

As far as possible a story should be new, clever, short, simple,
inoffensive, and appropriate. As such stories are sca