shriek. And to hear two women "argue" sometimes it may be
truly said that we are listening to a "caterwauling." That is the only
word that will describe it.

But if one of these women is sensitive enough to know she is beginning
to strain in her argument and will lower her voice and persist in
keeping it lowered the effect upon herself and the other woman will put
the "caterwauling" out of the question.

"Caterwauling" is an ugly word. It describes an ugly sound. If you have
ever found yourself in the past aiding and abetting such an ugly sound
in argument with another--say to yourself "caterwauling,"
"caterwauling," "I have been 'caterwauling' with Jane Smith, or Maria
Jones," or whoever it may be, and that will bring out in such clear
relief the ugliness of the word and the sound that you will turn
earnestly toward a more quiet way of speaking.

The next time you start on the strain of an argument and your voice
begins to go up, up, up--something will whisper in your ear
"caterwauling" and you will at once, in self-defense, lower your voice
or stop speaking altogether.

It is good to call ugly things by their ugliest names. It helps us to
see them in their true light and makes us more earnest in our efforts
to get away from them altogether.

I was once a guest at a large reception and the noise of talking seemed
to be a roar, when suddenly an elderly man got up on a chair and called
"silence," and having obtained silence he said, "it has been suggested
that every one in this room should speak in a lower tone of voice."

The response was immediate. Every one went on talking with the same
interest only in a lower tone of voice with a result that was both
delightful and soothing.

I say every one--there were perhaps half a dozen whom I observed who
looked and I have no doubt said "how impudent." So it was "impudent" if
you chose to take it so--but most of the people did not choose to take
it so and so brought a more quiet atmosphere and a happy change of tone.

Theophile Gautier said that the voice was nearer the soul than any
other expressive part of us. It is certainly a very striking indicator
of the state of the soul. If we accustom ourselves to listen to the
voices of those about us we detect more and more clearly various
qualities of the man or the woman in the voice, and if we grow
sensitive to the strain in our own voices and drop it at once when it
is perceived, we feel a proportionate gain.

I knew