M.I. h supposes, h>r it is well-known, that in the case of \-. 

 Inn 11 blind too, often a rather developed sense for symnntiv 

 li.is b-vii c>bMT\vd, which evidently seems to have developed m 

 romurtion with their sense for touch. It thus appears highly 

 probable that the peculiar preference for vertical symmetry is 

 intimately connected with the movement of the extremities, and 

 would thus finally be explained by the vertical symmetry of the 

 ly as a whole. Mach himself brings forward against his own 

 jlanation of the above mentioned preference for vertical sym- 

 trical figures, an argument which seems unjustified in this 

 tion, by pointing to the fact that our hearing-apparatus 

 has a vertical plane of symmetry, and notwithstanding this 

 le melody and its "mirror-image", as played on a suitably 

 ranged piano, will absolutely differ from each other acoustically. 

 )r the right ear does not hear the sound-waves in any way 

 ler than the left ear does, so that the comparison with the 



of visual observation is evidently a wrong one. 

 However, the explanation which connects the established prefe- 

 ice for vertical symmetrical figures with the vertical symmetry 

 the body and the movement of the extremities, cannot be 

 msidered to give a final explanation of the aesthetic action of 

 le symmetrical arrangement in general either. In fig 2 on page 3 

 have a symmetrical figure, which does not possess any planes 

 symmetry whatever; notwithstanding this, the aesthetic impres- 

 >n is undeniably present here. This leads to the conclusion 

 lat this action is merely caused by the fact of the regular 

 Petition as such. In my opinion the influence of this is a double 

 le. For in the first place this repetition helps to intensify the 

 rimary visual impression, even if this be only an indifferent 

 le, so that the rather feeble psychological reaction of it now 

 >mes into consciousness with much sharper outlines. And secondly, 

 le final impression will correspond with the one which the observer 

 irbitrarily expected beforehand, from his notion of the regular 

 ^petition of the primary impression. The symmetrical arrange- 

 ment thus appears to represent one of the numerous means by 

 which mental, action is facilitated, and an economy of energy is 

 obtained. However I have mentioned these views here only as 

 an instigation to perhaps better ones, -- not because I think they 

 bring a final explanation of this complicated matter. *) 



] ) Similar views on the aesthetic action of symmetrical arrangement have 



