Show suggestions FOR FOE EXTENDING THE WK ayik OF BETTER AME RICAN SPEECH by mrs francella A from last week now what are the best methods of 0 extending the work of better american speech and getting it into the homes of the masses for this seems to be our great problem it we are to accomplish what we have undertaken der taken the home I 1 believe to be the fountain head ot of the stream it if wrong habits of 0 speech are acquired there it sometimes takes years to overcome over coma them and often they are never overcome even through attendance at high school and college I 1 should like to tell of a little incident in my own experience which will illustrate the effect of 0 home training some years ago working in my shop was a young lady misa aliss darling by name she had beer reared in a cultured southern home where she had heard nothing but correct english she was a marvelous saleslady words came tripping over her tongue in such convincing phrases that it was almost a foregone conclusion no customer could resist her I 1 loved to listen to her becaro ot of her ber per feat fc t diction and bebau Oe be cau that correct way v ay ot of expressing the thought was to ko spon spontaneous with her of course for this reason she c ci vid give her undivided divided hn attention to lo the subject in n hand one day I 1 heard her say this hat sits so BO wel on your lead head now I 1 had been toll that people sit but that animals and inanimate objects set I 1 have always made it a rule to have the mistakes in speech corrected in my place of 0 business and so I 1 said to miss darling 1 I think you made a mistake in grammer today to day what was it she asked you said this hat sits well on your head and what should I 1 have said she asked you should have said the hat sets well you may be right said miss darling but it sound right to me and I 1 refuse to say it sets needless to say I 1 looked the question up and found that miss bliss darling was right and I 1 was wrong of course I 1 went to her and apologized and sherald she saad sald well I 1 dont know anything about the rules but I 1 just bring myself to say it sets what a wonderful thing it would be it if every child could have such a training it if learning to speak correctly could be given to him when lie he learns to talk as aa his birthright ile he would then not have to struggle with mistakes all his hia life but would express himself naturally and freely never giving a thought to whether it Is correct or not because he knows only the correct way it if we could reach the head ot of the stream and purify it what an amazing amount of 0 time could be devoted to other worth while things it if a part ot of our minds did not have to be occupied with the vehicle the ma manner ot of our speaking what pinions would be given to thought what freedom to speech and action and so the question la Is how can we reach the homes I 1 belonged to a small club at one continued to page 6 5 suggestions FOR FOB EXTENDING THE WORK OF BETTER AMERICAN SPEECH continued from first page pace time in chicago we used to meet once a week for better american speech we would have a drill on pronunciation correct common errors in sentences and then each one would occupy about five minutes telling a story or relating an anecdote it if a mistake were made the speaker would be stopped and the mistake corrected right then and there could not each one of us organize a small group of mothers in our neighborhood and conduct a class in a similar way thus giving them the benefit of the helpful work we are getting here in a small group of ten or twelve more intimate personal and thorough work could be done and in this way individual mistakes and pet errors could be brought to the light and corrected very effectively we are always surprised to find out how many mistakes we make we usually notice the mistakes of others but are under the impression that we do not make nearly so many as they so when we begin to study and discover that our mistakes are legion i it if we really wish to imar improve ove we begin to welcome a correction for we find that it is better to be humiliated consciously once and given a chance to overcome that error than to be humiliated unconsciously all ot of our lives it if we continue in it after the home our next objective should be the school what can we d do 0 to help heli in the work there would it not be an incentive to greater effort it prizes could be given say a gold medal to the senior in each high school who does the best work in better american speech throughout his high school life every student would thus be looking forward to win ning the medal in his senior year parents would take more interest in the work and might lie be induced to collaborate with their children in connection with this MIS moa could we not get the assistance of the newspapers it if they would pil publish blish lists of words tor for diacritical markings and would publish iacoi ctet sentences correction which we ve could far furni what an extensive territory wo we could reaca eacel perhaps other clah would be willing to assist us in this I 1 do tt ft know how many high schools there ore in los angeles but a gold medal tor for each need not amount to a great dl deal of expense and it seems to me it would be money well spent and then the radio its possibilities seem almost unlimited we may encounter difficulties in getting favorable action from the managers but let us keep on trying until some work will be given over the radio every evening not line fine speeches about cor speaking but practical doork lists ot of words commonly mispronounced noun ced corrected things that would get at the tha heart ot of the trouble and banish it I 1 have a neighbor who Is entertained by jazz over the radio she also learns what to do for rheumatism how to make bread and many other useful things now it if they would tell her how to icse use the words seen and saw what a blessing it would be to her and to her four children corrections should je bo thorough if a person Is told not to say ir 1 I seen he sometimes concludes that seen like aint is a abord word that must never be used and he tails falls into the greater error ot of saying 1 I have saw these are the people we want to reach and help now if every one of 0 us would write a letter to each ot of the radio centers and thank them heln for what they did dur ing better speech week last year and ask them thein to continue the good work would not that help and it if each teacher and student in ever high school would write a letter asking for or better speech work to be give div en regularly over the radio would not that bring results ts perhaps other societies would co sperato with us it if this is a worthe cause a patriotic movement need we heal tate to 10 seek operation cooperation co in such numbers as would insure a victory there is conj on vicious stream of 0 language that I 1 should like to see sec purified it comes from the writings of such authors as ring lardner nina wilcox putnam and sam hellman I 1 wonder lif it the amusement of the readers Is worth the damage they do to our language and are they not offsetting a great deal ot of our work for or better american speech you may say yes that is one of the muddy streams but what can we do about it would it not be a consi thing and be in line with our work to put the matter squarely before the authors telling them of our objective and asking them as a patriotic duty to join us in this crusade if they must write why could they not emulate the example of 0 st paul turn about face ace and try to repair some of the damage they have done nina I 1 wilcox putnam Put naff tor for instance tells tella in one ot of her stories Bt ories how the heroine becomes a film star and marries an educated lawyer how effective it would be now it if she would write another story telling how she overcame through association with her husband all of 0 the mistakes in eng eni ilish ush she formerly made I 1 imagine she could write a far ar more interesting story than was tho the other and at the same atme time make it boto bota instructive and constructive it if you feel that this is a good suggestion why not start the ball rolling in our ow by getting up a petition I 1 and then asking the federation to support the movement and get bet the strength of the whole federation back bacic of it these authors must live of course but must they live at at the expense ot of the greatest heritage herit age our i language it if they cannot make a i living by writing correct english let them find some other employment I 1 this method might also be used in regard to the cartoonists with which some 5 om e of the school teachers are lab lorang since there is power in num j i bers why not assemble the great power of the federation that is back of us in I 1 4 this work in conclusion permit me to draw your atten attention eion to the pronunciation of one word that Is almost universally mispronounced aced it Is the word automobile A to mo bil and rhymes with noble grandma says we are right in style A ridin in our agomo bill ma she says we ought to feel grateful for fer our automo beel pa says there aint no other man kin r run un an auto like he can auntie preaches near and tar far bout our lovely touring car uncle bill says he aint seen nowhere such a good machine brother jim he keeps a braggin brag gln bout the speed of our new wagon dut cut oh it sounds so grand and n oble noble when sister sue says auto automobile mobil |