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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ary signification with which the word is enriched. Instead of 

 provoking a single idea, each word provokes two — the idea of the 

 object named, and one or several colors ; likewise a phrase awak- 

 ens, besides a collection of images, a series of colors. On hearing 

 the simple words, " I am going into the country/' a person with 

 colored audition has a complex image of a trip to the country, 

 and sees besides passing before the eyes of his imagination a suc- 

 cession of colors which in a subject taken at random might re- 

 solve itself into white, red, black, red, white, red, red, red, red, 

 white. 



This description may lead us to suppose that useless suggestions 

 of color are an obstacle to the march of thought and might some- 

 times prevent persons from clearly comprehending the meaning 

 of words and of reading. This case, fortunately, has not as yet 

 presented itself ; for the bands of colors do not constantly hold the 

 first place in consciousness. When it is necessary to attend to the 

 meaning of the words we neglect the colorations, do not remark 

 them, and no longer perceive them. To perceive them clearly, and 

 particularly to describe them, special attention is usually requisite, 

 contemplation, a state of reverie, or a desire to enjoy the beautiful 

 subjective colors, the appearance of which is usually accompanied 

 by a vivid feeling of pleasure. 



Besides the vague, undefined, and formless color-images which 

 are most frequently provoked, the color is perceived by many per- 

 sons in a form suggested by the vowel and corresponding with its 

 outline. The language commonly used by such persons to describe 

 their impressions does not always take note of this peculiarity. 

 They simply say, "A is red." This means, in the present case, 

 that when one thinks of the letter a he can not represent it other- 

 wise than under the form of a letter painted in red. This variety 

 of colored audition is more refined than the preceding, and also 

 more complex ; for it can not be found in an illiterate person, and 

 supposes that one knows how to read. Mr. Galton has published 

 five or six observations of this kind with figures. 



Persons who have colored audition and who are cognizant of it 

 easily recognize the nature of their subjective impressions. They 

 regard them as personal associations with nothing mysterious 

 about them, and some even seek for their causes in the most com- 

 monplace and trivial circumstances. But if we cause them to 

 describe their way of hearing, we perceive that they involuntarily 

 attribute to these associations much more importance than they 

 say they do. It appears that most frequently the idea of color 

 suggested by a word is referred, not to the word itself, but to the 

 external object designated by the word. There results from this 

 the interesting consequence that as there are words designating 

 some object of a red color which, on the other hand, provoke by 



