SOUNDS FROM INANIMATE NATURE. 349 



of an approaching storm ; the footfall of a solitary pas- 

 senger on the road ; the tinkling of a. cowbell, heard 

 now and then from a neighboring field, — all these are 

 dependent on the stillness and darkness of the night for 

 their influence on the mind. 



It is evident that the charm of all these sounds is ex- 

 alted by the imagination. A person who has not cultivated 

 this faculty is deaf to a thousand pleasures from this 

 source that form a considerable part of the haj)piness of 

 a man of sensibility. Music has no advantage over other 

 sounds save its greater power to act upon the imagination. 

 To appreciate the charm of musical notes, or to perceive 

 the beauty of an elegant house or of splendid tapestry, 

 requires no mental culture. But to be susceptible of 

 pleasure from what are commonly regarded as indifferent 

 sounds is the meed only of those who have cherished the 

 higher faculties and the better feelings of the soul. To 

 such persons the world is full of suggestive sounds as 

 well as suggestive sights, and not the whisper of a breeze 

 or the murmur of a wave but is in unison with some 

 chord in their memory or imagination. 



