d further that end.

It has been my good fortune while making this book for you to do some
brief but intensive studying under Madame Ricardo. It is by her gracious
consent that I shall leave with you as an incentive toward the ideal for
which we are striving the two _watchwords_ of her teaching which were
most potently suggestive to me. The exercises which constitute her
method require personal supervision, but the active principle of those
exercises for both tone production and breath control is clearly
indicated by the two phrases "the uninterrupted tone" and "the constant
mouth-breath." These two ideas fully sensed by a voice will work swift
wonders in its use.

Like Mr. Mabie's pool of expectancy, these watchwords of the Ricardo
method suggest their own application; but let us consider them somewhat
more closely. Think then with me of an _uninterrupted tone_--a tone
which is not interfered with at any point in its production. Think of a
breath that flows freely on and on, constantly reinforced, but never
interrupted--a breath that is allowed to enter the vocal box, pass
between the vocal chords, where it is converted into tone; yield itself
to the organs of speech and controlled by the speech process, issue from
the mouth in beautiful speech forms, in the words which constitute a
language!

Tracing the process of tone production in this way, we find that three
distinct steps are involved. Even as I write the words distinct and
steps I realize their inharmony with the idea of flowing tone. Rather
then let us say three phases in the evolution of speech: _breath_,
_tone_, _speech_. In using the word speech to designate the final phase
in this evolution I am thinking of it in its broadest sense--really in a
sense identical with language. With this final phase beyond its mere
initiation this book cannot deeply concern itself. For work along this
line I must refer you to Prof. T. R. Lounsbury's _Standard of
Pronunciation in English_; to the article on _The Acquiring of Clear
Speech_ by John D. Barry, published in _Harper's Bazaar_ for August,
September, and October, 1907; to _The Technique of Speech_, by Dora Duty
Jones.

Not technique of speech, but _technique_ of _tone_ is our study. Not how
to make beautiful speech forms, but how to make beautiful speech-tones;
not how to distinguish one speech from another in a language, or the
speech forms of one language from those of another, but how to
distinguish interrupted