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. By com­pressing these cords, however, and by shutting off the sound by means of different positions of the tongue and jaws, or by forcing it explosively against the hard palate, the voice is given the peculiar characteristics necessary for all distant effects. But the work of those who use mechan­ical figures is done almost entirely in the forward part of the mouth, just behind the teeth, and in the nasal passages. The ventriloquial voice has its own modifications, such as "near distant," "farther distant," "above to level," "level to below," etc., all of which have their distinctive qualities of pitch and character. In the second part of this work the method of forming the ventriloquial voice and of lending to it these modifications will be fully explained.

Before proceeding further, however, it is well for the student to have some knowledge of the structure of the vocal organs as directly related to voice production and preservation.

Passing from the known to the less known we will first consider the mouth which, aided by the lips, shapes the sounds originating in the throat into words. It has a fixed roof formed by what is known as the hard palate, and a movable floor made up of the tongue and lower jaw. When the mouth is closed the tongue comes in close contact with the roof; and back of the hard palate, communication with the nasal cavity (leading to the nose) and the pharynx (back part of the mouth) is further impeded by a curtain of flesh, the soft palate. At the rear of the base of the tongue is a lid, or valve, the epiglottis, which covers the windpipe and protects it in the act of swallowing, the food passing down at the back of the throat. Below this valve is the glottis, composed of two semicircular membranes, forming a small oblong aperture which can be dilated or contracted at pleasure, and by the various vibra­tory motions of which the tones of the voice are modified. Below this, and at the upper part of the windpipe, is the larynx (commonly known as Adam's apple). This is composed of four pieces which have the power of playing into each other or of moving together.
Like the bellows of an organ, the lungs furnish the air which is forced up the windpipe and through a chink in the larynx where the sound is produced, the vocal cords vibrating in much the same manner as the reed of a musical instru­ment to which the larynx may be compared. The tone then passes up into the pharynx, where it is modified at will, and, arriving at the mouth and lips, is shaped into intelligible language.

There are also various cavities in the head and cheek bones which connect with the back part of the throat, or pharynx, and serve as a kind of sounding-board for the tone. This is the reason the voice is changed from its usual resonant quality when a person has a cold. All these cavities are covered by a sensitive membrane which, when swollen and inflamed, diminish the space of the cavities, thus altering the character of the tone.

Of course the pitch is regulated by the tension of the vocal cords. The tighter they are stretched the more rapidly they vibrate and the higher and more shrill the sound; and, per con­tra, .the more they are relaxed, the slower the rate of vibration and the lower the pitch. The different positions of the cords are determined entirely by muscular actions under the control of the will. In the ordinary act of respiration, the air passes through the larynx and vocal tubes without a sound, because they are relaxed and at rest and their relations to each other are not therefore favorable to tonal production.

The quality of the voice depends on the struc­ture of the larynx and the size and form of the vocal tube. The ventriloquist alters the natural quality of his voice by dilating or contracting the mouth; by contracting the passage between the back part of the throat and the mouth so as to separate them into almost distinct chambers or by widening the opening so as to throw them into one, this being done by means of the soft palate; and by altering the form of the cavity of the mouth by means of different positions of the tongue.

In taking up ventriloquism, the student should be careful not, in his eagerness to get ahead, to strain or overwork the vocal organ in any way, for he will only delay his progress by so doing, and perhaps might permanently injure his voice. Especially should this caution be observed by boys who have reached the period of their lives where the voice changes and finally takes on a deeper and more manly tone than the childish treble which has hitherto distinguished it.
Occurring usually at about fifteen years of age, sometimes a little before, this period, which is a critical one for the voice, lasts from one to three years, during which the vocal organs should not be overtaxed in any way. While the physiolog­ical changes are taking place in the throat which brings about this alteration of tone, the voice often breaks badly or is accompanied by great hoarseness and is sometimes lost entirely for days and even weeks at a time. The altera­tions chiefly affect the larynx, or so-called Adam's apple, which often becomes noticeably prominent.

In the light of these facts, it need hardly be reiterated that boys who take up the practice of ventriloquism at this period should be extremely careful, as the efforts required tend to bring about an unusual degree of sensitiveness in the throat and lungs. For this reason the chest should be kept warmly covered to guard against sudden variations in temperature. A traveling ventriloquist whom I once saw kept a band of flannel constantly around his throat, except when on the stage, but this is neither necessary nor de­sirable, and would indeed be very likely to make the lower part of the neck unduly susceptible to changes in the weather.

A half hour's practice a day, taken in ten or fifteen minute installments, especially at first, is sufficient to begin with, and if the student should become hoarse before that time is up, he should stop at once or he might forever ruin his chance of becoming a good ventriloquist.

It might be well for the beginner whose voice is changing to defer the practice until later, but if he experiences no special inconvenience at this time and is so strongly attracted toward the art that he is impatient to begin, he should proceed very carefully and discontinue the practice upon the least sign of vocal strain or weariness. In some boys the change from youth to manhood is so gradual as to be hardly perceptible, in which case the voice is not so easily injured; but it is always best to err on the side of extreme care in the use of so delicate and perfect an instrument than to carry vocal exercise of any kind to excess. In my own case, although my voice retained its clearness and strength during this period of change, I did not begin the study of ventrilo­quism until I was at least seventeen, and it was two or three years later before I gained confi­dence enough to give exhibitions in public.

Adult students whose voices are already fixed need not be so careful, although even to them the advice about stopping upon the first sign of hoarseness is applicable. Loud conversation, loud reading, immoderate laughter, rapid walk­ing and running causing the breathing to be much accelerated, tend to fatigue the vocal organ and are therefore imprudent actions to any one pursuing a course of training directly dependent upon this organ for its ultimate success, like sing­ing, oratory and ventriloquism.
Now just a word as to the care of the throat before passing on to the actual work of ventrilo­quizing. A gargle of tepid or cold water, begin­ning with tepid, aids and strengthens the voice, while hot water will take out any soreness that may result from the exercises. A cold compress applied to the neck over night works wonders.

This may be made by dipping a piece of cotton cloth into cold water, wringing it, and after fold- ing into a convenient size, binding it around the throat under a strip of flannel. All so called cough drops should be avoided. If the throat feels dry and harsh, half a teaspoonful of glycer­ine a few minutes before beginning will lubricate it, and any hoarseness before beginning may be broken up by sucking a lemon.

It is also a good thing to daily massage the throat by bending the neck back until the space between the shoulders is touched by the back of the head. Resuming the natural posi­tion, turn the head and touch the top of the right shoulder with the chin and do the same with the left shoulder. Then beginning in the notch just above the breast bone rub or knead from below up to the lower jaw with a light pressure, yet firm enough not to slip on the skin.

Of course I need hardly add a word as to the importance of keeping the teeth clean by brush­ing them at least once a day, after every meal if convenient, to preserve them and keep the mouth sweet and wholesome. I would also recommend a daily lung bath in order to strengthen and de­velop the lungs, which will not only give one added power for vocal elicits of any kind, but will also improve the general health.

Standing in the open air, or in a room before an open window, take a long, deep breath through the nostrils until the lungs are well filled, then open the mouth and slowly expel the air. After a few seconds' interval repeat the process and continue in this manner for ten minutes. By ex­tending the arms straight out before the body and raising them above the head as breath is taken, the exercise is made more effective. It is also a good idea, after filling the lungs, to hold the breath for an instant and lightly slap the chest four or fivetimes to quicken the circulation of the blood in that region.

Now we are ready for the actual beginning, which we will take up in the next chapter. Many students start out bravely, but soon tire of the practice and give it up; others practice inces­santly and their ill-considered efforts cause an uncomfortable feeling in the throat in a short time which compels them to desist; others, again, are easily discouraged before they have fairly begun, and because they do not succeed almost immediately in obtaining the effects desired, they think they never will be able to learn; but those who go about it in the right way, using intelli­gence and discretion in the frequency and amount of their practice and remaining patiently content to become perfect in one thing before taking up the next, invariably succeed. According to the old Irish saying, "Patience and perseverance got a wife for His Rev'rence " and so it is with ven­triloquism or in fact with anything worth learn­ing, either for amusement or profit; and this art is productive of both, whether one takes it up simply as a hobby or avocation or with the de­termination to make it a means of livelihood.