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Speaker 1: Training the ear. The sense of hearing is one of

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the highest of the senses or channels whereby we receive

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impressions from the outside world. In fact, it ranks almost

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as high as the sense of sight. In the senses

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of taste, touch, and smell, there is a direct contact

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between the sensitive recipient nerve substance and the particles of

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the object sensed, while in the sense of sight and

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the sense of hearing, the impression is received through the

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medium of waves in the ether in the case of sight,

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or waves in the air in the sense of hearing. Moreover,

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in taste, smell, and touch, the objects sensed are brought

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into direct contact with the terminal nerve apparatus, while in

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seeing and hearing the nerves terminate in peculiar and delicate sacs,

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which contain a fluidic substance through which the impression is

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conveyed to the nerve. Proper loss of this fluidic substance

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destroys the faculty to receive impressions, and deafness or blindness ensues.

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As Foster says, waves of sound falling upon the auditory

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nerve itself produces no effect whatever it is only when

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by the medium of the endolymph. They are brought to

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bear on the delicate and peculiar epithelium cells which constitute

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the peripheral terminations of the nerve, that sensations of sound arise.

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Just as it is true that it is the mind

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and not the eye that really sees, so it is

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true that it is the mind and not the ear

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that really hears. Many sounds reach the ear that are

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not registered by the mind. We pass along a crowded street,

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the waves of many sounds reaching the nerves of the ear,

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and yet the mind accepts the sounds of but few things,

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particularly when the novelty of the sounds has passed away.

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It is a matter of interest and attention in this

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case as well as in the case of hearing. As

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Hallick says, if we sit by an open window in

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the country on a summer day, we may have many

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stimuli knocking at the gate of attention. The ticking of

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a clock, the sound of the wind, the cackling of fowl,

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the quacking of ducks, the barking of dogs, the lowing

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of cows, the cries of children at play, the rustling

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of leaves, the songs of birds, the rumbling of wagons,

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et cetera. If attention is centered upon any one of these,

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that for the time being acquires the importance of a

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king upon the throne of our mental world. Many persons

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complain of not being able to remember sounds or things

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reaching the mind through the sense of hearing, and attribute

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the trouble to some defect in the organs of hearing.

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But in so doing they overlook the real cause of

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the trouble. For it is a scientific fact that many

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of such persons are found to have hearing apparatus perfectly

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developed and in the best working order, their trouble arising

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from a lack of training of the mental faculty of hearing.

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In other words, the trouble is in their mind, instead

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of in the organs of hearing. To acquire the faculty

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of correct hearing and correct memory of things heard, the

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mental faculty of hearing must be exercised, trained, and developed.

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Given a number of people whose hearing apparatus are equally perfect,

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we will find that some hear much better than others,

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and some hear certain things better than they do certain

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other things, and that there is a great difference in

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the grades and degrees of memory of things heard. As

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Kay says great differences exist among individuals with regard to

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the acuteness of this sense hearing, and some possess it

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in greater perfection in certain directions than in others. One

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whose hearing is good for sound in general may yet

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have but little ear for musical notes, and on the

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other hand, one with a good ear for music may

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yet be deficient as regards hearing in general. The secret

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of this is to be found in the degree of

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interest and attention bestowed upon the particular thing giving forth

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the sound. It is a fact that the mind will

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hear the faintest sounds from things in which is centered

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interest and attention, while at the same time ignoring things

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in which there is no interest and to which the

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attention is not turned. A sleeping mother will awaken at

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the slightest whimper from her babe, while the rumbling of

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a heavy wagon on the street, or even the discharge

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of a gun in the neighborhood may not be noticed

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by her. An engineer will detect the slightest difference in

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the whir or hum of his engine, while failing to

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notice a very loud noise outside. A musician will note

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the slightest discord occurring in a concert in which there

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are a great number of instruments being played, and in

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which there is a great volume of sound reaching the ear,

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while other sounds may be unheard by him. The man

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who taps the wheels of your railroad car is able

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to detect the slightest difference in tone, and is thus

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informed that there is a crack or flaw in the wheel.

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One who handles large quantities of coin will have his

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attention drawn to the slightest difference in the ring of

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a piece of gold or silver that informs him that

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there is something wrong with the coin. A train engineer

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will distinguish the strange whirr of something wrong with the

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train behind him amidst all the thundering rattle and roar

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in which it has merged. The foreman in a machine shop,

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in the same manner, detects the little strange noise that

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informs him that something is a miss, and he rings

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off the power at once. Telegraphers are able to detect

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the almost imperceptible differences in the sound of their instruments

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that informs them that a new operator is on the wire,

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or just who is sending the message, and in some

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cases the mood or temper of the person transmitting it.

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Trainmen and steamboatmen recognize the differences between every engine or

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boat in their line or river, as the case may be.

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A skilled physician will detect the faint sounds denoting a

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respiratory trouble or a heart murmur in the patients. And

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yet these these very people who are able to detect

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the faint differences in sound above mentioned, are often known

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as poor hearers in other things. Why simply because they

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hear only that in which they are interested and to

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which their attention has been directed. That is the whole secret,

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And in it is also to be found the secret

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of training of the ear perception. It is all a

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matter of interest and attention. The details depend upon these principles.

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In view of the facts just stated, it will be

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seen that the remedy for poor hearing and poor memory

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of things heard is to be found in the use

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of the will in the direction of voluntary attention and interest.

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So true is this that some authorities go so far

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as to claim that many cases of supposed slight deafness

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are really but the result of lack of attention and

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concentration on the part of the person so troubled. Kay

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says what is commonly called deafness is not infrequently to

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be attributed to this cause the sounds being heard but

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not being interpreted or recognized. Sounds may be distinctly heard

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when the attention is directed toward them that in ordinary

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circumstances would be imperceptible, and people often fail to hear

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what is said to them because they are not paying attention.

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Harvey says that one half of the deafness that exists

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is the result of inattention. Cannot be doubted. There are

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but few persons who have not had the experience of

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listening to some bore whose words were distinctly heard, but

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the meaning of which was entirely lost because of inattention

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and lack of interest. Kerk's sums the matter up in

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these words. In hearing, we must distinguish two different points,

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the audible sensation as it is developed without any intellectual interference,

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and the conception which we form in consequence of that sensation.

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The reason that many persons do not remember things that

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they have heard is simply because they have not listened properly.

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Poor listening is far more common than one would suppose

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at first a little self examination will reveal to you

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the fact that you have fallen into the bad habit

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of inattention. One cannot listen to everything, of course it

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would not be advisable, but one should acquire the habit

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of either really listening or else refusing to listen at all.

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The compromise of careless listening brings about deplorable results, and

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is really the version why so many people can't remember

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what they have heard. It is all a matter of habit.

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Persons who have poor memories of ear impressions should begin

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to listen in earnest In order to reacquire their lost

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habit of proper listening, They must exercise voluntary attention and

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develop interest. The following suggestions may be useful in that direction.

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Try to memorize words that are spoken to you in

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conversation a few sentences, or even one at a time.

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You will find that the effort made to fasten the

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sentence on your memory will result in a concentration of

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the attention on the words of the speaker. Do the

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same thing when you are listening to a preacher, actor,

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or lecturer. Pick out the first sentence for memorizing and

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make up your mind that your memory will be as

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wax to receive the impression and as steel to retain it.

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Listen to the stray scraps of conversation that come to

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your ears while walking on the street, and endeavor to

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memorize a sentence or two as if you were to

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repeat it later in the day. Study the various tones, expressions,

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and inflections in the voices of persons speaking to you.

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You will find this most interesting and helpful. You will

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be surprised at the details that such analysis will reveal.

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Listen to the footsteps of different persons, and endeavor to

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distinguish between them. Each has its peculiarities. Get someone to

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read a line or two of poetry or prose to you,

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and then endeavor to remember it. A little practice of

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this kind will greatly develop the power of voluntary attention

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to sounds and spoken words. But above everything else, practice

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repeating the words and sounds that you have memorized so

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far as possible, for by so doing you will get

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the mind into the habit of taking an interest in

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sound impressions. In this way, you not only improve the

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sense of hearing, but also the faculty of remembering. If

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you will analyze and boil down the above remarks and directions,

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you will find that the gist of the whole matter

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is that one should actually use, employ, and exercise the

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mental faculty of hearing actively and intelligently. Nature has a

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way of putting to sleep or atrophying any faculty that

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is not used or exercised, and also of encouraging, developing,

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and strengthening any faculty that is properly employed and exercised.

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In this you have the secret use it. If you

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will listen well, you will hear well, and remember well

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that which you have heard.