Chapter II: Part 2

First, some effective groups of statuary must be selected, and carefully examined. Then those persons who are willing to gratify their friends by acting as statues, can be arranged in the different groups according to their fitness; those acting as statues, require marked features, and in most groups fine figures to _build_ upon, as drapery conceals minor faults. All that can be prepared before the evening, are the head gear and the articles for drapery. A cap must be made of white linen or cotton, closely fitting the head. Take candle-wicking, and knit it on common sized ivory needles, wet it in hot water, and iron it dry. Then ravel it out, and cut it into the desirable lengths, and fasten it to the cap like a wig. When placed on the head, this candle-wicking can be arranged according to the statue to be represented, and it will resemble the hair carved in marble. If expense is not to be considered, the drapery should be made of cotton flannel, as it hangs heavier, and is more easily arranged than sheets, which are generally used to save expense. From three to four sheets are often required for the drapery of one person, as it is necessary to hang in such heavy folds to look like marble. One is usually doubled up and tied around the waist, the others folded, tied, and pinned, to resemble the drapery of the statue represented; rules are impossible to give, as the arrangement can only be made by an ingenious as well as an artistic person. Now comes the most disagreeable part, that of painting all exposed parts, such as neck, face, hands or feet, to resemble marble. First, common whiting must be mixed smoothly in water, the consistency of milk. This is put on with a shaving brush, and every part wholly covered with this preparation; let that nearly dry, then rub it in with the hand, then rub in lily white, to give the flesh, besides the whiteness of marble, the soft look of polished marble. The lips are finished at the last moment. Old white stocking legs drawn over the arms will save the trouble of painting them. Then the statues are ready to be grouped for exhibition. Any person who is nervous, restless, and easily inclined to laugh, cannot act as a statue. It is not possible to realize the beauty of such a group of living statuary, when well done, unless it has been once seen. We advise those attempting to get up exhibitions for the benefit of some charitable object, to try a few groups of living statuary; it is very effective to an audience.

11.--LIGHTS AND SHADES.

If you wish to throw the background of a tableau into shadow, place screens between the lights at the sides of the stage and that part of the picture you wish to have dark; _vice versa_ with the foreground. Particular points or characters may be more brilliantly lighted than others, by placing at the side of the stage a strong light within a large box, open at one side, and lined with bright tin reflectors.

Lights of different colors can be thrown successively on a picture, and made to blend one with another, by placing the various colored fires in boxes three feet square, one at one side, and lined with reflectors. Those arranged at the sides of the stage on pivots, can be turned on, one after another, so as to throw their light on the stage. Before one light has entirely vanished from the scene, a different color should gradually take its place.

=VENTRILOQUISM MADE EASY.=

Ventriloquism we always supposed, like many other arts, depended to a certain extent on natural talent, or was a peculiar gift.

Professional ventriloquists favor the idea that it is a natural gift, in order to enhance their profits. But boys of the present age are not so ready to believe in marvellous gifts, and may have persevered in trying to imitate famous ventriloquists, and to try was to succeed.

A friend of ours once met a boy only ten or eleven years old, who was an excellent ventriloquist, so far as the power of throwing the voice into a closet or adjoining room goes. On being questioned if he could explain the power he had, the boy said he had heard Harrington the ventriloquist some time previous, and having a desire to possess the same acquirement, he passed in practice in a garret all the spare time he could get for many days, and at the end of that time was fairly startled himself at hearing a voice come distinctly from an old chest of drawers.

The persevering little fellow had found out for himself the true theory.

We will give our young friends some plain and simple rules and directions how to acquire the power of ventriloquism, which we have obtained from a reliable English work; many persons following these rules have obtained proficiency in this art, according as they devoted time and attention to the subject. The word ventriloquism is derived from _venter_, the belly, and _loquor_, I speak; literally signifying, belly-speaking.

1.--WHAT IS VENTRILOQUISM.

Ventriloquism may be divided into two sections, or general heads, the first of which may be appropriately designated as Polyphonism, consists of the simple imitation of the voices of human creatures, of animals, of musical instruments, and sounds and noises of every description, in which no illusion is intended, but where, on the contrary, the imitation is avowedly executed by the mimic, among which we may classify sawing, planing, door-creaking, sounds of musical instruments, and other similar imitations.

Secondly, we have ventriloquism proper, which consists in the imitation of such voices, sounds, and noises, not as originally in him, but in some other appropriate source, at a given or varying distance, in any, or even in several directions, either singly or together, a process exciting both wonder and amusement, and which may be accomplished by thousands who have hitherto viewed the ventriloquist as invested with a power wholly denied by nature to themselves.

Polyphony is very common, for there is scarcely a public school which does not possess at least one boy capable of imitating the mewing of a cat, the barking of a dog, or the squeaking voice of an old woman. It is very seldom that even a blundering attempt at ventriloquism is heard, except from a public platform, simply from the want of knowledge of how to proceed. The art does not depend on a particular structure or organization of these parts, but may be acquired by almost any one ardently desirous of attaining it, and determined to persevere in repeated trials.

If a man, though in the same room with another, can, by any peculiar modifications of the organs of speech, produce a sound, which, in faintness, tone, body, and every other sensible quality, perfectly resembles a sound delivered from the roof of an opposite house, the ear will naturally, without examination, refer it to that situation and distance; the sound which he hears being only a sign, which from infancy he has been accustomed by experience to associate with the idea of a person speaking from the house-top. A deception of this kind is practised with success on the organ and other musical instruments.

The English Cyclopædia says “the _essence_ of ventriloquy consists in creating illusions as to the distance and direction whence a sound has travelled.” How these sounds are produced, we will now show.

2.--THE THEORY OF VENTRILOQUISM.

Many physiologists aver that ventriloquism is produced by speaking during the inspiration of air. It is quite possible to articulate under these circumstances, and the plan may be occasionally adopted; but the practical experience of many performers prove that the general current of utterance is, as in ordinary speech, during _expiration_ of the breath.

Some think ventriloquism comprises a management of the echoes; but echo only repeats what has been already spoken. Baron Mingon, a famous ventriloquist, had an automaton doll with which he could apparently converse. He thus describes his _modus operandi_: “_I press my tongue against the teeth, and thus circumscribe a cavity between my left cheek and teeth, in which the voice is produced by the air held in reserve in the pharynx_. The sounds thus receive a hollow and muffled tone, which causes them to appear to come from a distance.” The Baron says, “It is essential to have the breath well under control, and not to respire more than can be avoided.” Ventriloquists often experience fatigue in the chest, and have attributed it to the slow expiration of the breath. Some are often compelled to cough during the progress of exercitation.

To attain an exact and positive knowledge of the modifications of voice specified as ventriloquism, it is important to be familiar with the distinctions of the sounds uttered by the mouth; and to ascertain how the organs act in producing those vocal modifications, it is necessary to know how the breath is vocalized in all its distinctions of pitch, loudness, and quality, by the ordinary actions of the vocal organs. In ordinary language we speak of noise, of common sound, and of musical sounds. A quill striking a piece of wood causes a noise, but striking successively against the teeth of a wheel, or of a comb, a continued sound, and if the teeth of the wheel are at equal distances, and the velocity of the rotation is constant, a musical sound.

Phonation, or the production of voice, is a result of actions taking place under two distinct classes of laws, namely: the ordinary mechanical laws of acoustics, and the physiological laws of muscular movement. The adjustment of the vocal mechanism to be brought into operation by the current of air, is made by actions, under the latter laws; and phonation is the result of the reaction of the mechanism on the current of air by mechanical movements under the former laws. Now the pitch of the voice essentially depends on the tension of the vocal ligaments; the loudness on the extent of the excursion of these ligaments in their vibrations; the duration on the continuance of the vocalizing causes; the equality on the organization of the larynx, and also on the form and size of the vocal tube. The form and size of this tube can be altered in various ways. For instance, by dilating or contracting the mouth; by contracting the communication between the pharynx and mouth, so as to constitute them distinct chambers, or by dilating the opening so as to throw them into one, which is chiefly attained by movements of the soft palate, and by altering the form of the mouth’s cavity, which is effected by varying the position of the tongue. Each of these modifications of the vocal tube conveys a peculiarity of quality to the voice, all, however, being local or laryngeal sounds. Moreover, sounds can be produced in the vocal tube, apart from the larynx. These, strictly speaking, are not vocal sounds, though some of them may be of a definite and uniform pitch, while others are mere noises, as rattling, whispering, gurgling, whistling, snoring, and the like. Now, as everything audible comes under the classes of noise, sound, or musical sound, and as each variety originates in the vocal apparatus of man, it is obvious that _an ordinary vocal apparatus is all that is required_ for the achievement of the feats of ventriloquy.

A person in a house cannot judge by the noise of an approaching carriage, with any certainty, whether it is coming from the right or left. Thus it is in many other sounds. _But we judge the direction sound has travelled from its source on reaching the ear._ The ventriloquist indicates, either directly or indirectly, the direction from which he wishes his audience to believe the sound is coming. Thus he directly indicates it by words, such as, “Are you up there?” “He is up the chimney,” “He is in the cellar,” “Are you down there?” &c. He indirectly indicates it by some suggestive circumstance, as an action or gesture, which is so skilfully unobtrusive and natural as to effect its object without being discovered. Thus, when the ventriloquist looks or listens in any direction, or even simply turns towards any point, as if he expected sound to come thence, _the attention of an audience is by that means instantly directed to the same place_. Thus, before a sound is produced, the audience expect it to come in the _suggested direction_, and the ventriloquist has merely by his _adjustment of vocal loudness_, to indicate the necessary distance, when a _misjudgment of the audience will complete the illusion which he has begun_.

The effect which is produced on sound by its travelling from a distance, is observed to be,--

1. That its loudness is reduced in proportion to its distance.

2. That its pitch remains unaltered.

3. That its quality or tone is somewhat altered.

4. That its duration remains unaltered.

5. That the human speech is _somewhat obscured_, chiefly in the consonant sounds.

It must be remembered that the ventriloquist makes the sound, not as it is heard at its source, _but as it is heard after travelling from a distance_.

Too much attention cannot be bestowed on the _study of sound as it falls on the ear_, and an endeavor to imitate it as it is heard, _for the secret of the art is, that as perspective is to the eye, so is ventriloquism to the ear_. When we look at a painting of a landscape, some of the objects appear at a distance, but we know that it is only the skill of the artist which has made it appear as the eye has seen it in reality. In exactly the same manner a ventriloquist acts upon and deceives the ear, by _producing sounds_ as they are heard from any known distances.

We have given the acoustical theory of the effect on the auric nerve, and the means are the organs of respiration and sound with the adjoining muscles. The organs and muscles used are the diaphragm, the lungs, the trachea, the larynx, the pharynx, and the mouth.

3.--PRACTICAL RULES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

The first voice a student of ventriloquism will strive to acquire is what is called “The voice in the closet.” To acquire this voice, which we so name for distinction’s sake, speak any word or sentence in your own natural tones; then open the mouth, and _fix the jaws_ fast, as though you were trying to hinder any one from opening them farther, or shutting them; draw the tongue back in a ball; speak the same words, and the sound, instead of being formed in the mouth, will be formed in the pharynx. Great attention must be paid to holding the jaws rigid. The sound will then be found to imitate a voice heard from the other side of a door when it is closed, or under a floor, or through a wall. To ventriloquize with this voice, let the operator stand with his back to the audience, against a door. Give a gentle tap at the door, and call aloud in the natural voice, inquiring, “Who is there?” This will have the effect of drawing the attention of the audience to a person supposed to be outside. Then fix the jaw as described, and utter in the “closet voice” any words you please, such as, “I want to come in.” Ask questions in the natural voice, and answer in the other. When you have done this, open the door a little, and hold a conversation with the imaginary person. As the door is now open, it is obvious that the voice must be altered, for a voice will not sound to the ear when a door is open the same as when closed. Therefore the voice must be made to _appear_ face to face, or close to the ventriloquist. To do this, the voice must not be altered from the _original note or pitch_, but be made in another part of the mouth. This is done by closing the lips tight and drawing one corner of the mouth downwards, or towards the ear. Then let the lips open at that corner only, the other part to remain closed. Next, breathe, as it were, the words out of the orifice formed.

Do not speak distinctly, but expel the breath in short puffs at each word, and as loud as possible. By so doing you will _cause the illusion_ in the mind of the listeners that they hear the same voice which they heard when the door was closed, but which is now heard more distinctly and nearer on account of the door being open. This voice must always be used when the ventriloquist wishes it to appear that the sound comes through an obstacle, but from some one close at hand.

The description of voice and dialogue may be varied, as in the following example:--

“The Suffocated Victim.” This was a favorite illustration of Mr. Love, the Polyphonist.

A large box or closed cupboard is used indiscriminately, as it may be handy. The student will rap or kick the box, apparently by accident.

The voice will then utter a hoarse and subdued groan, apparently from the box or closet.

_Student._ (Pointing to the box with an air of astonishment.) What was that?

_Voice._ O, let me out!

_Student._ Why! there is some one in here, I declare (to box). Who is it?

_Voice._ I won’t do so any more. I am nearly dead.

_Student._ Who are you? How came you there?

_Voice._ You know very well who I am. Let me out! Let me out!

_Student._ I tell you I don’t know you.

_Voice._ O, yes, you do.

_Student._ Tell me quick. Who are you?

_Voice._ Your old school-fellow, Tom ----; you know me.

_Student._ Why, he’s in Canada.

_Voice._ (Sharply.) You know better; he’s here; but be quick.

_Student._ (Opening the lid.) Perhaps he’s come by the underground railroad. Hallo!

_Voice._ (Not so muffled as described in direction.) Now, then, give us a hand.

_Student._ (Closing the lid or door sharply.) No, I won’t.

_Voice._ (As before.) Have pity (Dick, or Mr. ----, as the case may be), or I shall be choked.

_Student._ I believe you are a humbug.

_Voice._ Why don’t you let me out and see, before I am dead?

_Student._ (Opening and shutting the lid or door, and saying, the voice accordingly.) Dead! not you. When did you leave Canada?

_Voice._ Last week. O, I am choking!

_Student._ Shall I let him out? (Opening the door.) There is no one here.

Conversations can be held with pedlers at the door, or with some one in the cellar or basement; and as a rule the lower notes of the voice will be best for voices in the basement, and formed as low in the chest as possible.

The second kind of voice, or voice No. 2, we will call it, is more easy to be acquired. It is the voice by which all ventriloquists make a supposed person speak from a long distance, or from or through the ceiling. In the first place, with your back to the audience, _direct their attention_ to the ceiling, _by pointing to it_, or by looking intently at it. Call loudly, and ask some questions, as though believed a person to be concealed there. Make your own voice very distinct, and as near the lips as possible, as that will help the illusion. Then, in _exactly the same tone and pitch_, answer; _but, in order that the voice may seem to proceed from the point indicated, the words must be formed at the back part of the roof of the mouth_. To do this, the lower jaw must be drawn back and held there, the mouth open, _which will cause the palate to be elevated and drawn nearer to the pharynx_, and the sound will be reflected in that cavity, and appear to come from the roof. Too much attention cannot be paid to the manner in which the breath is used in this voice. When speaking to the supposed person, expel the words with a deep, quick breath.

When answering in the imitative voice, the breath must be _held back, and expelled very slowly, and the voice will come in a subdued and muffled manner_, little above a whisper, but so as to be well distinguished. To cause the supposed voice to come nearer by degrees, call loudly, and say, “I want you down here!” or words to that effect; _at the same time make a motion downwards with your hands_. Hold some conversation with the voice, and cause it to say, “I am coming,” or “Here I am,” each time indicating the descent with the hand.

Let the voice, at every supposed step, roll, as it were, by degrees, _from the pharynx more into the cavity of the mouth_, and at each supposed step _contracting the opening of the mouth_, until the lips are drawn up as if you were whistling. By so doing, the cavity of the mouth will be very much enlarged. This will cause the voice _to be obscured, and so to appear_ to come nearer by degrees. At the same time care must be taken not to articulate the consonant sounds plainly, as that would cause the disarrangement of the lips and cavity of the mouth; and in all _imitation voices_ the consonants must scarcely be articulated at all, _especially if the ventriloquist faces the audience_. For example, suppose the imitative voice is made to say, “Mind what you are doing, you bad boy,” it must be spoken as if it were written, “ind ot you’re doing, you ’ad whoy.” (It is rarely a ventriloquist shows a full face to his audience, unless at a great distance from them. It would help to destroy the illusion if the jaws were seen to move.) This kind of articulation is made by forming the words in the pharynx, and then sending them out of the mouth by sudden expulsions of the breath clean from the lungs at every word. This is often illustrated by a ventriloquist pretending to talk to a man on the roof.

4.--POLYPHONIC IMITATIONS.

Mr. Love, the great polyphonist, delighted in his youth to imitate the buzzing of insects and the cries of animals. Such accomplishments are easily acquired, and we think if our young boy friends will follow our directions, they will acquire at least polyphonic powers to amuse their friends at home and abroad.

To imitate a “tormenting bee,” a boy must use considerable pressure on his chest, as if he was about to groan suddenly, but instead of which the sound must be confined and prolonged in the throat; the greater the pressure, the higher will be the faint note produced, and which will perfectly resemble the buzzing of the bee or wasp. In all imitations of insect noises, the bee should be heard to hum gently at first, so as in a private party not to attract attention till the right pitch is obtained. The sound will penetrate every corner of a large room. To assist the illusion, the person imitating a bee should pretend to try to catch the insect. To imitate the buzzing of a blue-bottle fly, it will be necessary for the sound to be made with the lips instead of the throat: this is done by closing the lips very tight, except at one corner, where a small aperture is left; fill that cheek full of wind, but not the other, then slowly blow or force the wind contained in the cheek out of the aperture; if this is done properly, it will cause a sound exactly like the buzzing of a blue-bottle fly.

To make the above perfectly effective, the person imitating a fly or bee, should turn his face to the wall; with a handkerchief strike at the pretended bee or fly, at the same time pretend to follow his victim, first this way and then that, and finally to “dab” his pocket handkerchief on the wall, as though he had killed it; the sound should be at times suddenly louder and then softer, which will make it appear as it is heard in different parts of the room.

“The Spectre Carpenter.” The noise caused by planing and sawing wood we often hear imitated. Yet but few boys know how easily it is done. Much amusement is often caused by this imitation. To imitate planing, a boy must stand at a table a little distance from the audience, and appear to take hold of a plane and push it forward; the sound, as of a plane, is made as though you were dwelling on the last part of the word _hash_. Dwell upon the _sh_ a little, _tsh_, and then clip it short by causing the tongue to close with the palate, then over again. Letters will not carry the peculiar sound of sawing; but any bright boy, by carefully listening to the sound made by carpenters, with these suggestions, can, with practice, imitate the sound perfectly. To make the deception more perfect, put some shavings in your pocket to sprinkle as you pretend to saw, also a piece of wood to fall when the sawing is ended. A friend of ours told us of a negro, well known as a famous whistler about the streets of Boston years ago, who would place both hands tightly over his ears, incline his head downwards, and imitate with great precision a music-box; but he said it pained him to do this.

5.--TO IMITATE AN ECHO.

It is impossible for a ventriloquist to produce an echo in a room of ordinary size, as the walls, being so near, would cause the sounds to be blended, and would only produce one impression on the ear; and yet a skilful ventriloquist can with ease imitate, in a room, a mountain echo. We will give the instructions, as it is very amusing.

Turn your back to the listeners; whistle loud several short, quick notes, just as if you were whistling to a dog; then as quick as possible, after the last note, and as softly and subdued as possible to be heard, whistle about a third the number of notes, but it must be in the _same note or pitch_; this will cause the last whistle to appear just like an echo at a great distance. This imitation, if well done, causes much surprise to those listening. The same thing can be done by shouting any sentence, such as, “Halloa, you, there!” or, “Ship, ahoy!” Let your voice be formed close to the lips; then quickly, and in the _same pitch or note_, speak the same words very subdued, and formed at the back of the mouth. This is very simple, yet effective.

6.--CONCLUDING REMARKS.

“Any person acquainted with the voices before described, may imitate many others by _contraction and expansion of the glottis, and by modifications of the cavity of the pharynx and mouth_. The best way to practise is in a room alone, to talk aloud, and, while so doing, to make all sorts of _contortions with the muscles of the mouth and jaws, first fixing the jaws_ in the manner already described, _then drawing the lips inward, next putting them forward, at the same time placing the tongue in different shapes and positions in the mouth_; also by speaking in the natural voice, and answering in the _falsetto pitch_, which is the imitating voice for women and children.”

The ordinary compass of a voice is about twelve notes, and a very good practice to the attainment of the art is to call aloud in a certain note, _and then in the octave to that note_; do this several times a day, changing the note or pitch, loud at first, and by degrees decrease the sounds; this kind of practice will assist any one in learning to modulate the voice to appear to recede or come near by degrees.

We think enough has been said to enable _any boy_, sufficiently persevering, to become a good ventriloquist. “Always remember, that to _render a voice perspective, the most essential thing is to attend to the study of sound as it falls upon an ear; then imitate that sound by the different contractions and expansions of the muscles of the throat, mouth, face, and jaws_. During these various contractions and expansions, draw in a long breath, and talk, first rapidly, then slowly, but always with a _slow expiration of breath_. Do this a dozen times consecutively for several days, at the same time _elevate and depress the roof of the mouth_, especially the back part, as this movement causes the voice to appear near or at a distance.”

We have now given our young friends the best practical directions we could obtain from the rules given by a skilful ventriloquist. All boys who have faithfully followed our directions, should try their powers before some friend. We think they will be astonished at their success, and will be pleased to become a source of great amusement to their friends as well as themselves. But beware, boys, of _misusing_ your power; always remember the “golden rule,” and never frighten any person seriously.

Ventriloquism was well known, even before Christ; but it was used only as a means to foster superstition, and often took the form of divination. The statue of Memnon will instantly suggest itself as a familiar example. The gigantic head was heard to speak the moment the sun’s rays glanced on its features. Undoubtedly the magic words were pronounced by the attendant priest, who must have been a ventriloquist. We could give innumerable instances of its use among the ancients; but we will close with an amusing anecdote we once heard of a famous ventriloquist. He was passing through a street with a friend, at the same time a load of hay was passing along. The ventriloquist called the attention of his friend and others passing along to the suffocating cries of a man in the centre of the hay. A crowd gathered round and stopped the astonished carter, and demanded why he was carrying a fellow-creature in his hay. The complaints and cries of the suffocated man now became fainter, and he appeared to be dying. The crowd, instantly proceeded to unload the hay into the street, the smothered voice urging them to make haste. The feelings of the people may be imagined, when the cart was found empty. The ventriloquist and his friend walked off, laughing at the unexpected result of their trick.

=NATURAL MAGIC.=

The Æolian Harp consists of an oblong box of thin deal board, about five or six inches deep, with a circle drawn in the middle of the upper side, an inch and a half in diameter, around which are to be drilled small holes. Along the upper side of the box seven, ten, or more small strings, of very fine gut, are stretched over bridges near each end, like the bridges of a violin, and tightened or relaxed with screw pins. The strings must be tuned to one and the same note, and the instrument placed in some current of air where the wind can pass over its strings with freedom. A window, the width of which is exactly equal to the length of the harp, with the sash just raised to give the air admission, is a good situation. When the wind blows upon the strings, with various degrees of force, different musical tones will be sounded; sometimes the blast brings out all the tones in full concert, and sometimes it sinks them to the softest murmur. In many old castles these harps were fastened in the windows, and their wild music caused the ignorant to think they were haunted.

A colossal imitation of the instrument just described was invented at Milan, in 1786, by Abbate Gattoni. He stretched seven strong iron wires, tuned to the notes of the gamut, from the top of a tower sixty feet high, to the house of a Signor Muscate, who was interested in the success of the experiment and this apparatus, called the giant’s harp, in blowing weather, yielded lengthened peals of harmonious music. In a storm this music was sometimes heard at the distance of several miles.

Simply tying waxed saddler’s silk to little sticks, and pushing them into the crevices of windows, so as to receive a draught of wind (the silk being strained tight), will produce very sweet sounds.

1.--THE MAGIC OF ACOUSTICS.

The science of acoustics furnished the ancient sorcerers with some of their most complete deceptions. The imitation of thunder in their subterranean temples did not fail to indicate the presence of a supernatural agent. The golden virgins, whose ravishing voices resounded through the temple of Delphos; the stone from the river Pactolus, where trumpet notes scared the robber from the treasure which it guarded; the speaking head, which uttered its oracular responses at Lesbos; and the vocal statue of Memnon, which began at the break of day to accost the rising sun, were all deceptions derived from science, and from a diligent observation of the phenomena of nature.

2.--TO SHOW HOW SOUND TRAVELS THROUGH A SOLID.

Take a long piece of wood, such as the handle of a broom, place a watch at one end, apply your ear to the other, and the ticking will be distinctly heard.

3.--THEORY OF THE VOICE.

Provide a species of whistle common as a child’s toy, or a sportsman’s call, in the form of a hollow cylinder, about three fourths of an inch in diameter, closed at both ends by flat circular plates with holes in their centres. Hold this toy between the teeth and the lips; blow through it, and you can produce sounds, varying in pitch with the force with which you blow. If the air be cautiously graduated, all the sounds within the compass of a double octave may be produced from it, and if great precaution be taken in the management of the breath even deeper tones may be brought out. This simple instrument or toy, has indeed the greatest resemblance to the larynx, which is the organ of the voice.

4.--A SINGULAR EXAMPLE OF SUPERSTITION.

The following _true story_ was related to me by one who was personally acquainted with the facts. There was a certain bend in one of our western rivers which was avoided by every one, as it was supposed to be haunted by the devil. At a certain hour in the evening, for many years, terrible curses were distinctly heard. Suddenly they ceased. A gentleman skilled in the science of acoustics, hearing an account of the strange phenomena, determined to ascertain the cause, and carefully examined the river on each side for about a mile above and below the bend. He ascertained that at about the time the sounds ceased, an old fisherman, who had lived on the opposite side of the river, full a mile from the spot where the curses were heard, had died. He was told that the fisherman was in the habit of crossing the river to a village, where he found a market for his fish, and where he spent his money for liquor; and that after drinking freely on his way home, while rowing across the river at night, he would swear terribly. This gentleman then persuaded a friend to go down the river to the place where the curses were formerly heard, while he remained in a boat on the river at the point at which the old man usually crossed. He then played on a bugle and sang several songs. His friend soon returned, and with eager delight exclaimed, “O, ----, such glorious music fills the air, just where the curses used to be heard!” The neighbors came rushing down to hear it, and some fell on their knees, praying. They said, “the angels have driven the devil away.” Mr. ---- then asked what were the songs they heard. His friend described them correctly, and said he understood even the words, one of them being the famous Marseillaise, another a German song; the foreign words made the ignorant more sure that the sounds were supernatural. Mr. ---- then played on the bugle, and sang again the same songs, while his friend stood by; but his friend said the music was not equal to that he had heard below, where the sounds had really seemed heavenly.

The peculiar configuration of the river banks had concentrated the sounds, and the distance and the water had softened them.

The person who related this anecdote to me said that he and his friend had often tried the experiment. Nothing would convince the more ignorant neighbors that the sounds were occasioned by merely natural causes. A love of the supernatural is strong within us, and sometimes leads us into grave mistakes.

=GARDENING, FLOWERS.=

We, as a nation, are not a happy, home-loving people. The “spirit of unrest” pervades all classes.

This enterprising, uneasy spirit, has been, and is of benefit to us, as a comparatively new country, in settling and breaking our wild western lands.

But the time has come when it is well to curb that spirit, and cultivate all quiet, home-loving influences.

Therefore we beseech you, parents, to begin in earliest infancy to cultivate a love of the beautiful in nature; give your little ones flowers; and as soon as they are able to play in the garden, give them a little spot of their own to dig in; and when they can understand the process, give them seeds to plant, and some few flowers to cultivate. We can tell you of a happy cottage home, where the children, from earliest infancy, have lived among flowers. Each had their tiny garden, with spade, hoe, trowel, and watering-pot. The father and mother would also assist with their own hands in training vines, roses, and shrubs, in artistic beauty. The good father never went to his counting-room without some flowers in his hand, or in the button-hole of his coat, the valued gift from the tiny garden of one of his darlings. Years passed and fortune favored them, but they never would exchange their cottage home, with its vines, trees, and shrubs, for all the stately mansions in the town. And as the daughters married, and the sons left to seek their fortunes, they would look back with intense longing to their loved home; and joyous were their meetings around the home Christmas tree.

On Sundays they always, even in midwinter, ornamented their social table with flowers, for they are God’s smiles. Therefore, my friends, we speak from observation, and from seeing the effect of an opposite course. If you wish to lessen your doctor’s bill, and give the beauty of robust health and happiness to your children, girls or boys, give them a garden, and let them plant, weed, and water it. If your children bring you even a simple field daisy, express your pleasure to them, and let them not see you cast it aside.

A well cared for garden displays--and displays to good advantage too--the love of home, domestic taste, a wish to please, industry, neatness, taste, and all the sweet household virtues that create a _happy_ home.

Horticulture confines itself to no rank, and it may form the amusement or the pursuit alike of great and small, rich and poor; only the kind of garden we choose, and what we do with it, must depend on our circumstances.

Teach your boys the use of a pruning-knife, and how to graft; then give them some trees to experiment upon. You may save them from dissipation, by giving them a taste for horticulture. It is a happy, health-giving employment.

Decorate even your barn with graceful vines. The poorest house can be made an agreeable place by transplanting a few of the many simple wild vines. It is not natural to love intensely a stiff, ungainly object.

We have often thought, as we have roamed about the farming districts of New England, and have seen the many great, stiff, square houses, with not a graceful tree or flower to relieve their nakedness (though now and then a syringa, or lilac bush, or cinnamon rose, and perhaps a stately old butternut, may be seen), the sons and daughters of those households will surely emigrate. Utility is our hobby. Some farmers think it waste time to plant a flower, as it yields no fruit.

Remember the old saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” You that dwell in a city, strive to have a small spot in the country to which you may send your children in summer, to roam at will. We heard a little child, in urging her mother to go into the country in vain, cry out, “It is too, _too bad_, mamma. We know God did not make the city for little children, because he loves us.”

Do not waste your money at fashionable watering-places. Even in early years, take your children to the woods and let them see nature in its wild state. There is nothing like a day in the woods for refreshing us all, in body and mind. The wild music of running brooks is so lulling, the birds carol their “native wood-notes wild” so sweetly, the strange blended odor of the damp mould, the leaves, the wild flowers, and the prospect of the distant meadow, are so delightful; the play of the sunlight through the dense foliage, and on the sylvan walks, is so beautiful, and the quiet is so marked, after the hum and roar of a city, that the mind is tranquillized, and both you and your children will be nearer to God, and nearer to one another, for every hour thus spent. Our whole country is full of wild beauty. Spend your spare money in decorating your homes with trees, flowers, and shrubs. The influence upon your children will be far more beneficial.

If your children wish for money to purchase seeds and flowers for their gardens, if possible, give it cheerfully. It is far better so spent, than in dress and toys. Let them plan their own gardens, and experiment as much as they please. A very pretty fence can be made round such gardens by a number of stakes of equal lengths, pointed at one end to drive into the ground, square at the top, and painted green. Then place them at equal distances around your garden, and bore holes about six or seven inches apart for the twine, which should be brown linen. Pass the twine through the holes, in lines all around the garden. Plant vines which run rapidly, such as Cypress Vine, Madeira Vine, Nasturtium, Maurandya, Barclayanna, Dwarf Convolvulus, Mountain Fringe, &c. By midsummer your simple fence will be very beautiful.

Having spent many years in cultivating flowers, perhaps a few practical directions from our own experience may be of service to our readers. And we will give some excellent suggestions taken from a famous florist.

1.--HOW TO PLANT SEEDS.

We often think, because the seed we plant does not germinate, that we have purchased poor seed, when the fault is in the manner of planting.

Nearly all kinds of flower seeds require transplanting, therefore it is best to plant in boxes, pots, or hot-beds. Old cigar boxes are convenient, and are easily handled, but first bore holes in the bottom of the boxes, and in your pots or boxes place either broken clam or oyster shells, or pieces of old flower pots, as a drainage; then take light, rich earth and sift it or rub it carefully in your hands, to be sure there are no lumps; some bake the earth to destroy any insects which may be in it, but it answers the same purpose to pour boiling water upon it. After you have filled your boxes or pots with this prepared earth, sprinkle your seed carefully over it, and sift over them light soil sufficient to cover them, moisten them with warm water, and place the box where there is but little light, and throw a piece of paper over the top. Some use a piece of thick flannel; if you use flannel, water your seeds without removing it, until your seeds have sprouted. A warm place will start them best. Let them remain thus several days, till the seeds have a chance to swell, before you give them much light, and keep the earth moist (a sponge is excellent to water them, as it does not disturb the position of the seeds; also use warm water); as soon as you see they are sprouting, give them light, and air, if not too cold, or else the plant will not have strength to grow well. Hot-beds are the best, and can be made with but little expense, by taking some old box; and if you do not possess an old window-sash, you can purchase one of some builder for a trifling sum of money, and fit it to your box by nailing strips at the sides; dig a place the size of the box, and two or three feet deep; fill it with horse manure, mixed with straw, which is the most heating; then sprinkle soil over the top about six inches deep; place your box on the top, carefully heaping the earth around the outside, and your hot-bed is made, in which you can start your seeds and slips by either placing your boxes or pots in the earth on top of the manure, and plant your seeds and slips in them, or as many prefer, planting in the soil of your hot-bed. After your seedling plants are of sufficient size to transplant, if you first transplant them into small pots, you can easily plant them in your flower beds without disturbing the roots, and the plants will not require covering; you must first dig a hole and pour water into it, then carefully slip the plant, dirt and all, from the pots, and place into the hole made for it, and press the earth tight around it. Of course they must remain in the pot till they are well rooted. In raising slips, you need to mix in full half common scouring sand with the soil, and they must be shaded from the light several days.

All who care for flowers will desire to raise verbenas, as they blossom all summer. If you wish to raise them from seed, they should be sown in February or first of March. One secret in raising fine verbenas is change of soil. It would be better to plant them every year in a different location, but if you renew the soil it will do to plant them twice in the same bed, but never three years in succession. Indeed, flowers as well as vegetables need constant change of soil; they soon exhaust the earth. Seeds are better that are raised in locations distant from the place where they are to be sown. Flowers soon deteriorate if you continue to plant over and over from seed raised in the same spot; that is one of the reasons why seeds from Europe are generally preferred by florists. Japan Pink seed should be planted in March, in order to have them flower the first year; they are hardy and blossom also the second year. Pansy seed should be planted as early as Verbenas. Ten Weeks’ Stock, Phlox Drummondi, Double Zinnias, Lobelia, Petunias, Portulaca, Salpiglossis, Candytuft, Larkspur, &c., should be planted in April. If you desire to raise Picotee or Carnation Pinks for the next year, and Canterbury Bells and Fox Gloves, sow in April. Sow Asters of all kinds the last of April or first of May. Some of the climbers, such as Maurandya Barclayanna, Tropæolum, commonly called Nasturtium, Cypress Vine, Thunbergia, &c., need transplanting, and better be sown early. Sweet Peas should be sown in the open soil about three inches deep, early in April. It is better to soak the seed in warm water before sowing. When they have germinated, and as they begin to climb, fill in earth around them, and water now and then thoroughly with soap suds. Mignonnette should not be transplanted; sow the seed in the open soil the first of May. Candytuft and Sweet Alyssum are hardy, and the seed can be sown out of doors; but if you have once had them, they will come up self-sown. Look over your beds in spring, and take up such plants, when you have the soil prepared and beds made, then you can plant them back again where you desire. Joseph’s Coat is a very brilliant plant; its leaves are all shades of green, red, and yellow; the seed can be sown either in or out of doors by the first of May, also Golden Calliopsis. Balsams will grow better if the seeds are not planted till the second week in May, out of doors.

All the flowers we have mentioned are desirable, even in a small garden; of course there are hundreds of varieties of even annuals, but unless you have a gardener it is impossible to raise them all, for it is desirable, even in a small garden, to have some flowers raised by slips, or bought from some green-house, such as Fuchsias, Double Feverfews, Scarlet Geraniums, Bouvardias, Heliotropes, Rose Geraniums, Lemon Verbenas, Monthly Roses, Hardy Perpetuals, &c. Hardy Perpetual Roses are desirable in every garden, they grow so thrifty and blossom all summer, and with a little covering will live out all winter, and if they are showered often, early in the spring, while the dew is on the roses, with whale-oil soap suds, using a syringe to shower them, it will prevent the usual damage done by the slug. If you have a shady, moist place in your garden, there you can plant your Lily of the Valley, Double Blue English Violet, Forget-me-not, and Pansy.

Fuchsias also require some shade. Heliotropes and Geraniums will bear enriching more than most plants; frequent waterings with guano water are excellent. A table-spoonful of guano to a gallon of water is sufficiently strong. It also improves Pansies, Fuchsias, and nearly all plants except Roses. Soap suds is better for Roses and Verbenas, at least according to our experience. Nearly all plants make a finer show in a garden arranged either in beds, each variety by itself, or in clusters. Before planting your garden in spring, it is well to carefully consider the nature of each flower, and arrange your garden so that each flower can be displayed to advantage; never plant promiscuously; it is astonishing what a difference landscape gardening will make in the general aspect of even a small place. It is quite as desirable as to arrange the colors in a picture to harmonize. Even an old stump of a tree can be made beautiful by planting vines around it, or by scooping out the top and filling in soil, and planting Nierembergia, Lobelia, Double Nasturtium, Variegated Myrtle, &c., in it. Those we have mentioned blossom all summer, except the Myrtle, the leaves of which are as beautiful as many flowers.

If we ladies would spend less time on our dress and in arrangements for the table, and take that time for working in our gardens with our children, we should not only make our homes more attractive, but we should gain in health and strength. Early every spring call a family council to decide the arrangement of your flower garden. Let your boys have a place to raise vegetables as a pastime. Encourage them to diligence by promising to purchase all they will raise; in that way they can earn money to give to the poor, or for their Christmas presents; even children will take far more pleasure in giving what they have really earned with their own hands.

2.--THE QUEEN OF FLOWERS, THE ROSE.

This beautiful flower deserves especial attention, and is truly called the Poet’s flower. A rose is the type of beauty in women. A lovely maiden is called a rose-bud. A beautiful matron compared to a rose in full bloom. Its delicate and refreshing perfume is always welcome to an invalid. It adorns a bride, and is a tribute of love in decorating the lifeless remains of our loved ones.

Volumes could be written upon the beauties of the rose. A child can cultivate this beautiful flower. If you do not possess any ground, there always will be room for at least one pot with a rose in your own room.

Roses can be classified under three general heads.

No. 1.

Those that bloom only once in a season, such as Hybrid China, Provence, Sweet and Austrian Briars, most of the mosses, and all climbing varieties that are hardy in New England and the Middle States. We do not advise our young friends to cultivate this class, unless they have large gardens. Madame Plantier is the only variety which we retain in our garden. This rose is a profuse bloomer, and one of the most perfect white roses grown. We will mention some of the desirable climbing varieties which can be used for “Pillar Roses.”

Queen of the Prairies, deep rose color.
Baltimore Belle, blush white, blooming in large
clusters.
Russeliana, crimson shaded to pink.
Madame d’Arblay, creamy white.
Gem of the Prairies, carmine, blotched white, very
full.
Superba, flesh color, clusters immense.

No. 2.

THE HYBRID PERPETUALS, OR REMONTANTS.