ITS THE PHILOSOPHY 



fame tone ; but the ear eafily makes the diftIn(SlIon. The 

 immenfe variety of fenfations, arifing from the organs of 

 fmeUing, of tafting, and of hearing, enables animals to judge 

 concerning the nature and fituation of external objefts. By 

 habit we learn to know the bodies from which particular 

 fpecies of founds proceed. Previous to all experience, we 

 could not diftinguifh whether a found came from the right 

 or the left, from above or below, from a greater or a fmaller 

 diftance, or whether it was the found of a coach, of a drum, 

 of a bell, or of an animal. By catching cold, I once had a 

 temporary deafnefs in my left ear. I was furprifed to find 

 that I had loft the faculty of perceiving the fituation from 

 which founds proceeded. If a dog barked on the left, I 

 thought the noife came from the right. This circumftance 

 excited my curofity : But, upon recollection, 1 knew that 

 my left ear was deaf j and that every found I heard was per- 

 ceived folely by the right j and, confequently, I difcovered 

 the caufe of the deception. 



Hearing enables us to perceive all the agreeable fenfa- 

 tions conveyed to our minds by the melody and harmony of 

 founds. This, to man at lead, is a great fource of pleafure 

 and of innocent amufement. But fome men are almoft total- 

 ly deftitute of the faculty of diflinguifliing mufical founds, 

 and of perceiving thofe delightful and diverfified feelings 

 excited by the various combinations of mufical tones. Moft 

 men derive pleafure from particular fpecies of mufic. But a 

 mufical ear, in a refi:ri6ted fenfe, is by no means a general 

 quaUfication. An ear for mufic, however, though not to be 

 acquired by ftudy, when the faculty itfelf is wanting, may be 

 highly improved by habit and culture. Bufix)n, after exam- 

 ining a number of perfons who had no ear for mufic, fays, 

 that every one of them heard worfe in one ear than in the 

 other •, and afcribes their inability of difi:inguifliing mufical 

 <exprel]jon to that defed. But a mufical ear feems to have 



