THE VOICE. 235 



duced in the mouth and throat; if, however, a vocal sound 

 be added, the sigh is changed into a groan. 



15. Ventriloquism is a peculiar modification of natu- 

 ral speech, which consists in so managing the voice that 

 words and sounds appear to issue, not from the person, 

 but from some distant place, as from the chimney, cellar, 

 or the interior of a chest. The original meaning of the 

 word ventriloquism (that is, speaking from the belly), in- 

 dicates the early belief that this mode of speech was de- 

 pendent upon the possession and use of some special organ 

 besides the larynx and mouth ; but at the present time, it 

 is known that it is produced by these organs alone, and 

 that the sources of deception consist on the part of the 

 performer, in the dexterous management of the voice, to- 

 gether with a talent for mimicry; and, on the part of the 

 auditory, in the liability of the sense of hearing to error in 

 respect to the direction of sounds. The ventriloquist not 

 only seems to " throw his voice," as it is said, or simulates 

 the sotind as it usually appears at a distance with but lit- 

 tle motion of the lips and face, but he imitates the voices 

 of an infant and of a feeble old man, of a drunken man 

 disputing with an exasperated wife, the broken language of 

 a foreigner, the cry of an animal in distress, demonstrating 

 that the performer must be proficient in the art of mimicry. 

 Ventriloquism was known to the ancient Eomans and 

 Greeks ; and it is thought that the mysterious responses 

 that were said to issue from the sacred trees and shrines 

 of the oracles at Dodona and Delphi, were really uttered 

 by priests who had the power of producing this form of 

 speech. 



15. What is ventriloquism ? Indication of the original meaning of the word ? 

 How are the ventriloquous sounds produced ? 



