Excerpt from Deep Breathing: As a Means of Promoting the Art of Song, and of Curing Weaknesses and Affections of the Throat and Lungs, Especially Consumption The following pages on Deep Breathing seem to me too valuable not to be preserved in permanent form. They were originally translated by Mr. E. S. Werner for the admirable paper which he publishes, entitled The Voice, and, after having done good service in that journal, he has kindly consented to have them appear in this form for still more extended usefulness. It may not be out of place if I say a few words in this preface on the relations of the atmosphere to life, which will serve to enforce the value of the practice of deep breathing. Where respiration is full and vigorous, as for instance in most birds, life is energetic. Where it is feeble, as in snakes and frogs, life is torpid. Man lives in proportion as he breathes, and the activity of the child is in close relation to the strength of its lungs; so, too, is the calmness, dignity and power of man in proportion to the depth and tranquillity of his respiration. If the lungs are strong and active, there is courage and boldness. If feeble, there is cowardice and debility. To be out of spirits is to be out of breath. To be animated and joyous is to be full of breath. When eager and full of enterprise, we consume large quantities of air; when weary, we yawn; when frightened, we are breathless and aghast. However well we feed ourselves, if we do not breathe enough, we do not take on good conditions, but become feverish and irritable. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.