354 ELEMENTS OF PHYSIOLOGY 



life on account of acquired nervous habits, dusty and ill- 

 ventilated rooms, deformity of lungs due to restrictive 

 clothing, or from singing during the time their voices 

 are changing or attempting tunes beyond the compass of 

 their voices. 



641. Culture of Voice. Voice culture is often more of 

 a straining than a training. Its mechanical nature is re- 

 vealed by the term " voice building " (whatever that may 

 mean) used by some singing teachers. The pupil is taught 

 to raise the soft palate and depress the larynx, etc. (see 

 Figs. 230, 232). Rigidity of the muscles of chest, neck, jaw, 

 and larynx results and self-consciousness assumes charge. 



When the singer does not listen" too closely to his own 

 voice, the muscles are more likely to be free from rigidity. 

 Muscles in this condition are perfectly dominated by the 

 mental state ; this applies to both tone and gesture. Breath- 

 ing exercises which call for a rigid, over-filled chest destroy 

 this flexibility. 



CONCLUSION 



642. Thus we see with reference to the care of the voice, 

 as with taking care of the health in general, that overcare 

 and too much effort have an effect opposite to that in- 

 tended. We must trust largely to the natural tendencies of 

 our wonderful organisms toward sound health and perfec- 

 tion of function. If we exert great effort and attempt very 

 much interference, we are likely, in our ignorance, to do 

 more harm than good. We do not even know what life is. 

 When we say that life consists of activity of the cells, we 

 are simply stating the limitations of science. The power 

 which causes this birth, growth, and destruction of cells 

 is beyond our comprehension. We know nothing of the 

 mechanism occurring in the protoplasm of the cells. All 

 that the wisest can say is : 



" In Nature's infinite book of secrecy 

 A little can I read. 1 ' 



