Ruth Ann Ryan, age 13, of Galveston, Tax., for her question:

WHO WAS FIRST TO PRACTICE VENTRILOQUISM?

Ventriloquism, which is the art of making the voice seem to come from someplace away from the speaker, can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians, Hebrews, Greeks and Chinese.

Perhaps ventriloquism explains the "speaking statues" of Egyptian history and the oracles of the Greeks. It is very possible that some ancient priests could "throw" their voices.

For a long time people believed that a ventriloquist spoke from his stomach. The word, as a matter of fact, comes from the Latin words "venter," which means "belly," and "loqui," which means "to speak."

Actually a ventriloquist forms his works in his larynx, and not in his stomach. Before he starts to talk, he takes a very deep breath. Then while he talks, he lets the breath out very slowly through his throat, which is almost closed. His tongue is pulled back into his mouth and only the very tip of it moves. He is careful not to move his lips or face.