THE EAR. 263 



have a voice, but man alone speaks in the sense now alluded 

 to. Some animals, it is true, have been taught to pronounce 

 a few words ; but they express no thoughts by these sounds. 

 It is believed that no sufficient reason can be drawn from 

 mere organization, why man invariably should possess, 

 and animals invariably want the power of speech. If we 

 consider speech simply as a medium of the reciprocal ex- 

 pressions of present feelings to the little society of citizens 

 and friends of which we are a part, even in this limited view, 

 of what inestimable value does it appear ! To communicate 

 to every one around us, in a single moment, the happiness 

 which we feel ourselves, — to express the want, which we 

 have full confidence, will be relieved as soon as it is known, 

 — or to have the still greater privilege of being ourselves the 

 ministers of comfort to Mants, which otherwise could not 

 have been relieved by us, because they could not have been 

 discovered, — when the heart which we love is weighed down 

 with imaginary grief, to have it in our power, by a few sim- 

 ple sounds, to convert anguish itself into rapture, — these are 

 surely no slight advantages ; and yet compared with the bene- 

 fit which it affords to man as an intellectual being, even these 

 are inconsiderable. By means of language, spoken or writ- 

 ten, the opinions which are perishing in one mind, are rising 

 in another ; and often, perhaps, at ihe last fading ray of the 

 flame of genius, that may have almost dazzled the world by 

 excess of brilliancy, some star may be kindling, which is to 

 shine upon the intellectual universe with equal light and 

 glory. 



Questions. — 1. What are the parts employed in the production 

 of the voice? 2. How is the sound produced ? 3. What is the most 

 wonderful part of the mechanism of the voice ? 4. What is said of 

 the divisions and subdivisions of the glottis in sounding twelve notes .'' 

 5. What is speech ? 6. Wliat is said of the voice of animals ? 



LESSON 120. 



The Ear. 

 Trun'cated, divided. Sen'tient, perceiving. 

 The ear is adapted in an eminent degree to the purpose! 

 it is designed to execute ; and it oiTers an inviting eubject 



