Preface - Ventriloquism is almost as old as the world, or at least as old as intelligible spoken language, but just when and where in the dim and misty ages of the past it had its origin will forever re­main unknown. Unlike other arts it was not brought to perfection through the slow develop­ment and accretion of years. From its very nature it must have sprung into existence full grown, like Venus from the sea.

Introduction - Unlike the poet the ventriloquist is not born, but is evolved by persistent practice. This is contrary to the notion held by many persons even in these enlightened days, who believe that the ventriloquist comes into the world with a vocal apparatus differing from that possessed by humanity in general—in fact, with a "double throat" by which he is enabled to project his voice into space and have it explode anywhere at will, much as a dynamite bomb explodes away from the source from which it is hurled.

I. Voice Production - The word "ventriloquism" is made up from two Latin terms, "venter," the belly, and "loquor," to speak—literally speaking from the belly ; but in a sense the word is not well chosen. The sounds evoked by the ventriloquist have their origin in the back part of the throat, and of course cannot by any manner be forced below the vocal cords which create them.

II. Explanation - As I have already stated, ventriloquism is not a gift; it is an acquirement. It is based upon the difficulty the ear experiences in judging cor­rectly the direction of sound, and the ease with which it may be misled in this respect. A little experiment will illustrate my meaning.

In a company of people let a willingly disposed person be blindfolded and seated in the middle of the room.

III .Near Ventriloquism - The chief difficulty presented to the learner of Near Ventriloquism is caused by the necessity of keeping the muscles of the lips and face immov­able. While carrying on a dialogue with his "dummies," the ventriloquist usually addresses his questions to them in the ordinary voice; but when the figures seem to answer there is no movement discernible of the face and lips, the mouth remaining nearly, but not quite, closed and the lips parted in the natural manner of an interested listener.

IV. Caricature Voices - The study of Near ventriloquism and the ac­quirement of the Punch voice leads to the con­clusion that the attainment of this branch of the art is not merely the employment of natural speech with still lips, but is in fact the use of a more accentuated speech than that ordinarily employed in the portrayal of eccentric character on the stage.

V. Construction Figures - Having progressed thus far, the student will no doubt begin to consider seriously the desira­bility of burdening himself with a family—a ventriloquial family—with the idea of either pur­chasing outright what he needs or of making such figures for himself.

At the outset, however, I would state em­phatically that unless you are a natural mechanic and also something of an adept at wood carving you would better wait until you can either pur­chase the figures required or can pay for having the heads made by a professional wood carver.

VI. Puppets - To the ventriloquist who first conceived the idea of using a mouth-moving figure should be erected a monument, not only for the entertain­ment and amusement his ingenuity has afforded to countless thousands, past and present, but for the employment he has given to numerous figure makers and to hundreds of entertainers who would never otherwise have been able to style themselves ventriloquists. But, alas! he is not known to fame and so must forever remain un-honored and unsung.

VII. Ventriloquism Drone - As has already been stated in Chapter II of this work, the illusion produced by ventriloquists is the result, primarily, of an acoustic phenome­non—the uncertainty of the sound's direction; and, secondarily, of a habit acquired of speaking without moving the facial muscles.

Those ventriloquists who, without accessories, seem to possess the power of throwing their voice almost anywhere, succeed therein by utilizing the principle of acoustics that has already been explained.

VIII. Voice-Throwin - Having succeeded in attaining the proficiency necessary to make the ventriloquial drone prop­erly, it is essential, in order to proceed intelligently, to consider the effect produced upon sound by its transmission from a distance.

As we have already seen, ventriloquism is lit­tle more than the imitation of sounds, not as heard at their source but as they are finally sensed by the ear; and the more accurately one can analyze the characteristics of these auditory impressions the more nearly can he come to a correct reproduction.

IX. Trunk or Closet - If the student has faithfully practiced the ex­ercises given in the foregoing instructions, he should by this time have acquired considerable facility in the actual work of ventriloquizing, and no doubt will be eager to add to his accom­plishments the power of fetching a voice from a box or trunk and through the walls or ceiling of a room, and even from the cellar.

X. Other Voices - From the box or closet illusion it is an easy step to the production of the voice overhead, from through a wall or under the floor, although in attempting either of these effects there are several striking points or essentials to be care­fully observed.

For the voice on the roof you do not use the drone pure and simple, although you retain the same formation of the vocal organs.

XI. Approach Voices - Any of the voices already mentioned may be merged into one another, thus enabling the man on the roof to climb down, the man in the closet to go away on a level, and the man in the cellar to ascend to warmer and more comfortable quarters.

The roof voice, you remember, is pitched high and exploded against the hard palate.

XII. Entertaining - If the student has faithfully followed the pre­ceding instructions he should by this time have attained considerable facility in the imitation of near articulate sounds as employed with figures, and have developed considerable capacity for creating the distant sounds that form the art to which was originally applied the term Ven­triloquism.

XIII. Vocal Imitations - Polyphonism, in its entertainment sense, is the imitation of sounds other than speech, such as the humming of bees, the bleating of sheep, the lowing of cattle, the braying of a donkey, or the noise made by planing, sawing, the drawing of a glass of soda, etc., many of which cannot be made ventriloquially, and so form no deception as to the source from which they emanate.

Dialogues - The following dialogues present a variety of suitable matter for ventriloquial use and for all occasions. Of course it is always best to have fresh material, but very few ventriloquists are able to originate what is required for the pur­pose, and the student especially is usually at a loss to know what to use and where to obtain it.

Popular hand-books - Some books are designed forentertainment, others for informa­tion. This series combines both features, This information is not only complete and reliable, it is compact and readable, In this busy, bustling age it is required that the information which books contain shall be ready to hand and be presented in the clearest and briefest manner possible.

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