Part 28

Baron Mengen, a celebrated ventriloquist, says of himself, that to make sounds appear muffled or to come from a distance he presses his tongue against the teeth, and thus "circumscribes a cavity between the left cheek and the teeth, in which cavity the voice is produced by the air held in reserve." He furthermore adds, that it is necessary to well manage the breath, and to respire as seldom as possible.

The ventriloquist must understand the difference between vocal and other sounds, as embodying the distinction between _ventriloquism_ in its highest development and mere _polyphony_. Mere sounds, that are not vocal sounds, can be produced in the vocal tube apart from the larynx. Some of them are of a definite and uniform pitch, while others are mere noises, such as rustling, whispering, gurgling, snoring, and many others. On the contrary, phonation, or the production of voice, is a result of actions taking place under mechanical laws of acoustics, combined with the physiological laws of muscular movement. The pitch of the voice essentially depends on the tension of the vocal ligaments, the loudness of their vibration, and the quality depends on the form and size of the vocal tube and the organisation of the larynx. The form and size of the vocal tube may be altered by dilating or contracting the pharynx, by dilating or contracting the mouth, by contracting the communication between the pharynx and the mouth, by altering the form of the mouth's cavity, and in other minor ways; and it will be found that each of these modifications of the vocal tube confers a peculiarity of quality to the voice.

The mimicry of mere sounds will be found by the young practitioner to be a comparatively easy matter, and he may soon be able to entertain his friends with fairly accurate imitations of the buzzing and humming of flies, bees, wasps, and other insects; of knife-grinding, of sawing and planing of wood, of falling objects, of cats mewing, of dogs barking, &c. &c. Instructions as to how to imitate these various sounds would be of little use; each one must find out for himself. In fact, an ear acutely perceptive to the nice distinctions of sound is about the only real qualification needed for the attainment of success in the practice of _polyphony_, as distinct from _ventriloquism_.

In treating the higher part of the subject, which deals with these illusions in which the voice counterfeits sounds, and also represents them in such a manner that they appear to issue from their appropriate source, some further remarks are needed on the questions of _direction_ and _distance_ of sounds. A little way back we repudiated the idea that ventriloquists threw their voices anywhere; and we return now to the subject to explain away the delusion, or rather the ignorance out of which the idea has grown. Man does not hear the distance which a sound has travelled; he only judges the distance from experience, by comparing the loudness with which he hears with the known distance and corresponding loudness of similar sounds. Experience proves, as previously stated, that error is generally the result of attempting off-hand to decide either the distance or the direction of an unknown sound. Bearing in mind, then, that near sounds are louder than distant ones, sounds having the same pitch, quality, and duration, may be produced with a graduated reduction or increase of loudness, which, falling in succession on the ear, will suggest to the mind a varying distance of the sound's source. The young practitioner should put this theory into practice, and, at the same time, imitate the sounds of voices and objects heard at different known distances. By these means he will the more readily be able to reproduce such sounds when they are required to form some part of his entertainment. For his encouragement he should also remember that slight defects in the imitation of distant voices and sounds may be expected to pass without question. Further, if the _distance_ from which a sound has travelled is rarely accurately judged, the would-be ventriloquist will be still further encouraged by learning that the judgment as to the _direction_ whence a sound comes is still more fallible. It is notorious, for example, that a person in a house cannot, by the noise made by an approaching carriage, judge with any degree of certainty whether it is coming from the right or the left. The direction whence a sound comes seems to be judged of by the right or left ear receiving the stronger impression; but this, of course, can only be when the sounds come from the level, or thereabouts, of the ear; if above, this mode of judgment, however accurate it may be made by practice, fails; hence it is that professed ventriloquists make so many of their unseen characters speak either from above or below the audience. The practice of holding an apparent conversation with some imaginary person, or persons, on the roof or below the floor, almost invariably forms parts of a ventriloquial entertainment, the performer indicating, either directly or indirectly, the direction from which he wishes his audience to believe the sound is coming. Directly, by asking questions such as "Are you up there?" "Are you down below?" or indirectly, by holding the hand to the ear and straining, as if listening for sounds from above or below, as the case may be. By these and similar means, before a sound is produced, the audience will be prepared to expect it to come from the suggested direction, and the ventriloquist has merely, by his adjustment of the vocal loudness, to indicate the necessary distance, when the error in, or want of judgment of the audience, will complete the illusion which he has thus already commenced. It has been observed by careful students of the art that the effect which is produced on sound by its travelling a distance from any direction is--

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

2. That its pitch remains unaltered.

3. That its quality or tone is somewhat softened.

4. That its duration remains unaltered.

5. That human speech is somewhat obscured, chiefly in the consonant sounds.

It is very necessary that the student should study and bear in mind the full meaning and bearing of these five observations, and that his

## action should be guided thereby, remembering that the ventriloquist

imitates the sound, _not as it is heard at its source_, but as it is heard after travelling from its source to the ear, that is, _as it strikes the ear_. A skilful ventriloquist will effect his imitations without any scarcely perceptible movement of his lips, jaws, or features; but when such movements are absolutely necessary, he will contrive not to let the audience see them, by turning away for the moment, his face from the audience, sometimes even not showing so much as the profile. With a little practice it will soon become easy to speak without moving the jaw, and it is the movements of the jaw which disturb the features. The labial sounds, such as _b_, _p_, _m_, when the jaw is thus fixed, can be made with the slightest possible motion of the lips. During ventriloquy, the lips and jaws being always more or less open, this slight labial movement generally remains unnoticed, unless special attention be directed to it. Practice, too, should be made to produce all the modifications of the voice without distorting the features or moving the lips more than is absolutely necessary.

The preceding outline of the philosophy of ventriloquism is sufficient to exhibit the nature of the art, and we will now proceed with a few hints as to how certain sounds are to be produced, premising, however, that they will not be numerous, as no definite rules can be laid down.

A bass and somewhat sepulchral tone is produced in the lower part of the throat, in much the same manner as when attempting to gurgle, except that the lips should remain closed, and the head kept in its natural position.

The greater the distance from which a sound has apparently to come, the nearer must the tip of the tongue be brought to the front of the mouth, the greater must be the contraction of the muscles, and the articulation must be made in the upper part of the throat.

The natural voice may be easily disguised by wearing a pair of pince-nez spectacles, with a very strong spring. The spring pressing on the air-passages of the nose will considerably alter the tone of the voice.

To make the sound of a voice appear as coming from the other side of a

## partition, or through a door, it is only necessary to open the mouth

slightly, to fix the jaws fast, to draw back and roll the tongue, and then to speak; the sound then, instead of being formed in the mouth, will be formed in the pharynx, and appear to come from beyond such material as may be indicated by the action or natural speech of the performer.

To imitate the sound of the same voice after the door has been opened, or the partition removed, requires somewhat different management. The voice must not, of course, be altered from the original pitch, but must be made in another part of the mouth. To do this, the lips should now be tightly closed, one corner of the mouth (that away from the audience) should be drawn downwards towards the ear, the lips opened at that corner only, and the words to be spoken breathed out of the opening so formed.

To make a sound seem as coming from a distance is accomplished in a similar manner to that in which a sound is made to appear as coming from the other side of a door or wall, except that according to the distance from which the sound is represented as coming, must the palate of the mouth be thrown more or less back towards the pharynx, when the sound will be reflected in the cavity so formed, and appear to come from above or below, or according to the direction in which the ventriloquist holds his mouth and face. The voice, of course, may be made to come nearer or to recede, according to the varying size of the cavity described.

A ventriloquist should always have in his mind the knowledge that distant or muffled sounds are more or less indistinct, and as certain consonant sounds are ventriloquially difficult to utter, they may safely be slurred over, rather than risk the success of the illusion by moving the lips. For example: if the imitated voice is to be made say, "See what you are doing there, you bad boy," it should be spoken as if the labial consonants were omitted, and as if it were written "See 'ot you're doing there, you' ad whoy." A little careful preparation will soon enable the performer to dispense with such consonant sounds as those mentioned, except for his own natural voice.

As a general rule, it may be said that insect-sounds are produced more by the lips than the throat; but most sounds that are not phonetic may be produced in various ways, and the discovery of them must be left to the imitative powers of the reader.

It has already been observed that ventriloquism will be found of great service in making entertainments of parlour magic, clairvoyance, and the like more lively. It is related of Comte, the celebrated French conjurer, that ventriloquism added a great charm to his performances, but that he made the chief use of his powers in that direction when on his travels, as he found that they served as puffs for his public entertainments, and were a great help in attracting crowds. At Tours, for instance, it is stated he induced the people to break in four doors, to rescue a man supposed to be dying of hunger. At another place he renewed the miracle of the prophet Balaam's ass, by making a donkey, carrying an exceedingly stout man, complain of his excessive weight. Upon another occasion, at a fair, Comte saw a countryman driving a pig in order to offer it for sale. The pig was so fat that it could hardly move, and the following dialogue took place:--

_Comte_: "What's the price of your pig, my good man?"

_Man_: "A hundred francs, sir, at your service."

_Comte_: "The price is too much; seventy francs is abundance."

_Man_: "One hundred francs is the price, neither more nor less; take the pig at that or leave it."

_Comte_: "Stay (and approaching the animal); I am sure your pig is more reasonable than are you. (Addressing the pig) Tell me on your conscience, my fine fellow, are you worth one hundred francs?"

To which the pig was believed to reply in a hoarse and hollow voice: "You are a long way out; I'm not worth the half--I'm measled, and, if you buy me, you will be taken in."

Finally, we would recommend our young friends to practise those few sounds we have mentioned, and others will soon come naturally; to bear in mind our observations as to sounds from a distance and from various directions; and before attempting anything like a set entertainment, to write out beforehand and to rehearse over and over again the dialogues to be introduced. Strange sounds may sometimes be tried, secretly, in order to try the effect on others; but care must be taken, if ever ventriloquism is used for practical joking, and the nerves and feelings of those against whom the joke is to be directed well considered, or mischief may attend what would otherwise be perfectly innocent.

FOOTNOTE:

[2] A coin or other article may be as easily palmed as a card, and in the same manner, except that the muscles of the hand found between the fleshy cushions at the root of the thumb and little finger will be found most convenient for holding such articles as a half-crown, a glass ball, or a cork. Still smaller articles may be held securely and secretly between the bottom parts of any two of the fingers.

FIRESIDE FUN.

During the long winter evenings, when families are assembled together for the Christmas vacations, pleasant and profitable hours may be spent quietly sitting round the fire and indulging in such mental games and pastimes as will be explained in this section. The English language is composed of words of various construction, and it is our intention in the few following pages to describe some of the many ways in which combined amusement and information may be obtained by exercises in word and letter puzzles; to speak of the different kinds of acrostics, enigmas, charades, rebuses, and the like, and how they are made; to give a few examples of each; and generally to do what we can to help wile away pleasantly some of those hours which, it is feared, in some circles may hang heavily for want of that specific instruction which it will be our object to impart. Moreover, we will treat here of authors, cities, rivers, countries, mountains, and other matters, so that fair opportunity is offered to our young friends to turn to account such knowledge as they possess; and it is hoped that they may be encouraged to seek further information on the subjects that these various subjects give rise to.

DECAPITATIONS.

There are English words in abundance which, being shorn of their initial letter or syllable, form other words of different meanings. Such words will be considered under the heading of "Decapitations." It will always afford amusement and interest to an assembled company if some one of their number selects an appropriate series of words, and gives an impromptu arrangement, in prose, doggerel verse, or good rhyme if he can, of the several significations of the various words thus arrived at, leaving others to puzzle out the series of words from the descriptions given. In propounding the puzzle, in this and in other cases to be hereafter described, the proposer should exercise his wit and ingenuity in making it as amusing as possible. A judicious play upon words is always appreciated, and sure to cause mirth; indeed, the maxim "that the worse the pun the better the joke" should be borne in mind and acted upon when indulging in "Fireside Fun."

We proceed with a few illustrations of "Decapitations," the appropriate solution being given after each puzzle:--

My whole is a word of one syllable, and expresses a species of grain. Behead me, and you make me very warm. Once again, and at meal times I shall be called into requisition. And yet again remove my initial letter, and I remain a simple preposition.

_Answer_: Wheat, heat, eat, at.

My whole is but an atom when complete; You'll find it both in light and heat. Behead me once, and you behold A pleasure ground for young and old. Decapitate again, and you will find I long ago preserved mankind.

_Answer_: Spark, park, ark.

I have used all my whole this puzzle to frame, But if you behead me, then murder you name; Behead me again, and not dead as supposed, For I still live and breathe, but am much indisposed.

_Answer_: Still, kill, ill.

As an illustration of "Decapitation" of words by syllables rather than by letters, we give the following:--

My whole is significant of dissolution. Behead me, and I am a school exercise significant of construction. Behead me again, and I denote the place attained by the exercise.

_Answer_: Decomposition, composition, position.

My whole is unbearable. Beheaded, I am bearable. Again beheaded, I am easily moved. Once more beheaded, I remain a solid piece of furniture.

_Answer_: Insupportable, supportable, portable, table.

The following words, among many others, are suitable for "Decapitation":--

Abate (bate, ate); abundance (bun, dance); abroad (broad, road); bail (ail, _il_, French for he); bland (land, and); clout (lout, out); discomfort (comfort, fort); draft (raft, aft); drear (rear, ear); drill (rill, ill); drink (rink, ink); dwell (well, ell); encompass (compass, pass); invalid (valid, lid); chair (hair, air); seat (eat, at); shire (hire, ire); slate (late, ate); and so forth.

CURTAILMENTS AND RETAILINGS.

Here we find an enlargement and modification of the "Decapitation" series of puzzles, obtained by varying the endings as well as the beginnings of words, or by varying the endings only. From the examples given it will be seen that it is legitimate to make these variations in different ways. The first examples involve the removal of final letters only to make words of different significance.

Complete, I am a privilege exclusive, By many sought with hope illusive; Curtail me, and for sacred use I'm claimed; Once more, and your own head you've named; Curtail again, in Erin's Isle I then abound, And if again you venture, a father will be found.

_Answer_: Patent, paten, pate, Pat, pa.

Curtail a patriarchal dwelling-place, and find the number of that council in ancient Rome of which Appius Claudius was the chief.

_Answer_: Tent, ten.

Curtail the miser's treasure, and it becomes grey with age or white as the frost on the grass.

_Answer_: Hoard, hoar.

A monarch curtailed becomes to all a blood relation, said by Hamlet to be less than kind.

_Answer_: King, kin.

Curtail that organ which is said by some to be the seat of all emotion, and there remains one of the five senses.

_Answer_: Heart, hear.

In many words the final letters, particularly the last three, when standing alone, do not, unless re-arranged, express a word conveying sense or meaning, but by an easy and simple re-arrangement or transposition can be made to do so. This may be seen in such words as--

Sword, word (_ord_ transposes into _rod_). Scent, cent (_ent_ transposes into _ten_).

Puzzles of this class are usually included among "Retailings," and the above examples of "sword" and "scent" are examples combined of both Decapitation and Retailing.

Again, in other words, the finals can be made to express two or more words of different meanings, as--

Fowl, owl (which also transposes into _low_). Scant, cant, ant (which also transposes into _tan_).

The following is a combined Decapitation and Retailing puzzle, the retailing being effected by a transposition of the letters:--

Strike my whole, and 'twill give you a light. Behead and retail me, I'm the gossip's delight. Behead me once more, and your heads I'll adorn; Once again, and I'm left at last all forlorn.

_Answer_: Match, chat (_atch_ transposed), hat, at.

Many words of more than one syllable may be treated under this puzzle, by lopping off the original ending and substituting some other which will make a word of an entirely different meaning, thus:--

Retail what is needed to bury the dead,^a With that on which doctors rely for their bread;^b These together combined should be bright and clear, And be taken for breakfast without any fear.^c

_Answer_: ^a Coffin, ^b fee, ^c coffee.

We will now give a few puzzles founded on one or more of the previous examples; but our young readers will find that "Retailings" offer a much wider range of words from which to select than do "Decapitations." More fun, however, will be obtained by combining the two. The word _transpose_ is used in some books instead of _retail_; but _transpositions_, properly so-called, will be treated later on:--

Complete, I am common, Beheaded, I am a ceremony, Retailed, I am a head-dress.

_Answer_: Trite, rite, tire.

Complete, I am a servant, Beheaded, I am an apartment, Retailed, I am an extensive waste.

_Answer_: Groom, room, moor.

Complete, I grow within a field And pleasant pasture often yield; Decapitate, a suitor then Is quickly brought before your ken. Behead again, I am a word Oft on the cricket field is heard. Restore my head, cut off my tail, To name a spice you will not fail.

Behead me now, and you will find The master passion left behind. Complete me as I was before, Put on my head, my tail restore, My second letter take away, An envelope I am, you'll say. Now, if you but curtail once more, I'll show an inlet on the shore.

_Answer_: Clover, lover, over, clove, love, cover, cove.

A word expressing bitter hate My total does disclose, 'Tis shared alike by small and great 'Twixt those who still are foes. Now change the scene, take off my head, A lady comes to view, A sweeter name may ne'er be said Than this, if tales be true. Decapitate once more, and lo! Small insects now appear; Retail at once, in French 'twill show Whence daylight comes so clear. Restore, take off my head again, And now in winter I am chiefly seen, But in summer, too, I'm cooling when Your lips are parched, I ween. My whole restore, yet not my tail, Transposed, then I will name What we in justice cannot fail To designate a claim.

_Answer_: Malice, Alice, lice, ciel, ice, claim.

Complete, I am shrill; Beheaded, a musical instrument; Beheaded and transposed, I denote equality.

_Answer_: Sharp, harp, par.

Complete, I'm in a difficulty. Behead me, and I show signs of grief. Once more, and I am a useful seed; Again, and I am what philosophers name our ancestors. Transposed, I am a vegetable.

_Answer_: Scrape, crape, rape, ape, pea.

Complete, I am a reproof. Beheaded, I am a portion of land. Beheaded again and transposed, and I become the lot of all humanity.

_Answer_: Chide, hide, die.

Complete, I am without rule or method. Beheaded and transposed, I am a mythological true friend; Again, and I give expression to sounds of grief.

_Answer_: Random, Damon, moan.