and trainers of the voice have worked out methods for the proper use of all these sets of muscles.  A man who throws his breath from the top of his chest and does not use the great bellows that reach down to his diaphragm can get little carrying power.  So with the throat:  if it is stiff and pinched the tones will be high and forced, and listening to them will tire the audience nearly as much as making them will tire the speaker.  Finally, the expressiveness of a voice, the thrill that unconsciously but powerfully stirs hearers, is largely a matter of the resonance that comes from the spaces above the mouth and behind the nose.  A humorous singing teacher once declared that the soul resides in the bridge of the nose; and the saying is not so paradoxical as it sounds.  Lessons in the use of all these parts, and faithful practice in the exercises which go with them, are essential for any man who wishes to make a mark in public speaking.

With the use of the voice, though less essential, goes the position and bearing on the platform.  It is not necessary to insist that the more natural this is, the better.  If you can wholly forget yourself and think only of your points, the chances are that your attitudes and position will take care of themselves.  Only, before thus forgetting yourself, form the habit of talking without putting your hands in your pockets.  You ought to need your hands to talk with, if not as much as a Frenchman or an Italian, yet enough to emphasize your points naturally.  The mere physical stimulus to the eye of an audience in following your movements will help to keep their attention awake.  Every one who has tried lecturing to a large class knows how much easier it is to hold them if he stands up and moves a little from time to time.  Learn to stand easily and naturally, with your chest well expanded, and your weight comfortably balanced on your feet.  If it comes natural to you, move about the stage slightly from time to time; but be careful not to look each time you move as if a string had been pulled.  In attitude and gesture the only profitable council is, Be natural.

For all these matters of preparation, both of what you are going to say, the use of your voice, and your attitude and action on the platform, be prepared for hard practice with competent criticism.  It is a good plan to practice talking from your outlines with your watch open, until you can bring your speech to an end in exactly the time allowed you.  The gain in confidence when you go to the debate will in itself be worth the time.  Again, practice speaking before a glass to make sure that you have no tricks of scowling or of making faces when you talk, and to get used to standing up straight and holding yourself well.  What you see for yourself of your own ways will help you more than the advice of a critic.