﻿468 
  E. 
  Cutter 
  — 
  Phonics 
  of 
  Auditoriums. 
  

  

  Art. 
  L. 
  — 
  Phonics 
  of 
  Auditoriums 
  ; 
  by 
  Ephkaim 
  Cutter, 
  

   M.D., 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  Reciprocation 
  of 
  sound. 
  — 
  When 
  two 
  strings 
  of 
  the 
  violin 
  

   family 
  are 
  tuned 
  in 
  unison, 
  on 
  causing 
  one 
  to 
  sound 
  "the 
  air 
  

   around 
  it 
  assumes 
  a 
  vibratory 
  movement 
  and 
  this 
  being 
  propa- 
  

   gated 
  to 
  the 
  second 
  string 
  causes 
  it 
  to 
  vibrate 
  and 
  emit 
  the 
  

   same 
  sound 
  or 
  tone 
  because 
  each 
  aerial 
  pulse 
  communicates 
  

   motion 
  to 
  the 
  second 
  string, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  both 
  are 
  

   by 
  the 
  supposition 
  isochronous 
  each 
  succeeding 
  impulse 
  aug- 
  

   ments 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  preceding 
  and 
  this 
  phenomenon 
  is 
  

   termed 
  the 
  reciprocation 
  of 
  sound. 
  Instances 
  have 
  occurred 
  

   of 
  persons 
  who 
  by 
  modulating 
  their 
  voices, 
  have 
  excited 
  vibra- 
  

   tions 
  in 
  glasses 
  so 
  powerful 
  as 
  to 
  overcome 
  the 
  cohesive 
  attrac- 
  

   tion 
  that 
  held 
  the 
  particles 
  together 
  and 
  consequently 
  break 
  

   them 
  in 
  pieces." 
  — 
  Bird. 
  Nat. 
  Phil. 
  

  

  An 
  effect 
  of 
  air 
  vibration 
  is 
  seen 
  when 
  a 
  shrill 
  whistle 
  or 
  

   infant's 
  cry 
  produces 
  a 
  flaring 
  or 
  upward 
  projection 
  of 
  an 
  ordi- 
  

   nary 
  gas 
  or 
  oil 
  flame 
  turned 
  on 
  just 
  so 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  blaze. 
  The 
  jet 
  

   shoots 
  up 
  in 
  long 
  digitations 
  which 
  cease 
  to 
  project 
  when 
  the 
  

   tone 
  stops. 
  

  

  Green 
  in 
  his 
  History 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  People, 
  vol. 
  i, 
  p. 
  67, 
  

   writes 
  of 
  Dunstan 
  the 
  Ecclesiastical 
  statesman 
  : 
  " 
  One 
  morn- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  lady 
  summons 
  him 
  to 
  her 
  house 
  to 
  design 
  a 
  robe 
  which 
  

   she 
  is 
  embroidering, 
  and 
  as 
  he 
  bends 
  with 
  her 
  maidens 
  over 
  

   their 
  toil, 
  his 
  harp, 
  hung 
  upon 
  the 
  walls, 
  sounds 
  without 
  mortal 
  

   touch, 
  tones 
  which 
  the 
  excited 
  ears 
  around 
  frame 
  into 
  a 
  joyous 
  

   antiphon." 
  This 
  would 
  be 
  unintelligible 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  "anti- 
  

   phon" 
  which 
  means 
  that 
  he 
  sung 
  and 
  the 
  harp 
  responded. 
  

  

  A 
  thousand 
  years 
  later 
  a 
  Yale 
  student 
  sounding 
  a 
  upper 
  

   line 
  bass 
  clef 
  215 
  vibrations 
  to 
  the 
  second, 
  heard 
  the 
  A 
  string 
  

   of 
  a 
  'cello 
  in 
  a 
  distant 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  room, 
  face 
  to 
  walls, 
  audi- 
  

   bly 
  antiphone 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  number 
  of 
  vibrations. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  strings 
  vibrating 
  in 
  unison 
  within 
  

   half 
  an 
  inch 
  of 
  each 
  other 
  it 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  understand 
  why 
  one 
  

   string 
  would 
  induce 
  vibrations 
  — 
  from 
  their 
  proximity. 
  But 
  

   in 
  the 
  last 
  example 
  given 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  15 
  to 
  20 
  feet 
  

   between 
  the 
  causal 
  vocal 
  tones 
  and 
  the 
  string 
  A. 
  The 
  other 
  

   strings 
  G 
  96*7, 
  D 
  145 
  vibrations 
  per 
  second, 
  would 
  not 
  respond 
  

   when 
  their 
  tones 
  were 
  sung, 
  snowing 
  a 
  peculiarity 
  of 
  the 
  A 
  

   tone 
  vibrations. 
  C 
  64*5 
  vibration 
  was 
  too 
  low 
  for 
  the 
  voice. 
  

   In 
  a 
  church 
  when 
  the 
  pipe 
  F 
  of 
  the 
  subbass 
  sounded 
  the 
  walls 
  

   and 
  floors 
  would 
  vibrate. 
  Tunes 
  performed 
  in 
  the 
  key 
  of 
  F 
  

   went 
  with 
  a 
  vim 
  perceptible 
  even 
  to 
  listeners 
  outside. 
  

  

  These 
  examples 
  suffice 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  even 
  musical 
  vibrations 
  

   act 
  more 
  strongly 
  on 
  the 
  ear 
  and 
  induce 
  objects 
  capable 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  