resonance.

An excellent exercise for throat relaxation is yawning. It is not
necessary to wait until a real yawn presents itself, but frequent
practice in imitating a yawn may be indulged in with good results.
Immediately after practicing the yawn, it is advisable to test the
voice, either in speaking or in reading, to observe improvement in
freedom of tone.

It is not desirable to use the voice where there is loud noise by way of
opposition. Many a good voice has been ruined due to the habit of
continuous talking on the street or elsewhere amid clatter and hubbub.
Under such circumstances it is better to rest the voice, since in any
contest of the kind the voice will almost surely be vanquished.

What we need in our daily conversation is less emphasis, and more
quietness and non-resistance. We need less eagerness and more vivacity
and variety. We need a settled equanimity of mind that does not deprive
us of our animation, but saves us from the petty irritations of
everyday life. We need, in short, more poise and self-control in our way
of speaking.

It is well to remember that few things we say are of such importance as
to require emphasis. The thought should be its own recommendation. But
if emphasis be necessary, let it be by the intellectual means of pausing
or inflection, rather than with the shoulders or the clenched fist.

A very disagreeable and common fault is nasality, or "talking through
the nose." Many persons are guilty of this who least suspect it. This
habit is so easily and unconsciously acquired that everyone should be on