Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-04-21

Perhaps the most familiar Of mysterious
sounds are those produced by the yentrilo-
quist familiar, becsnse almost every coun-
try fair is visited by one or other Of these
exhibitors mysterious, because the real
source of sound does not correspond with
the apparent. 1t lies within the province of
the anatomist or physiologist to explain how
it is that some men can speak as if from the
stomach instead of the throat, and without
any apparent movement Of the lips but the
person who can do this, the yentriloquist.
may make himself a most bewildering de-
ceiyer Of those who listen to him. Our
power of determining the exact direction
whence sound comes Is less than we usual
" imagine. Ii is said that Savile Carey.
who could well initiate the whistling of the
wind. would sometimes amuse himself BY
exercising this art in a public coffee house
some of the guests at one rose to see wheth
er the windows were quite closed, while
others would button up their coats, as if
cold. Sir David Brewster notices ventril-
oquist of considerable skill pr. ST. Gille, who
one dag entered church where some monks
were lamenting the death ola brother
S.-lculy : they heard a voice, as if from over
their heads, bewailing the condition of the
departed in purgatory, and reproaching
them for their want Of zeal not suspecting
the trick. they fell on their faces and chant
ed the De ProfWVdts. \ committee appoint
ed by the Academic des Science to report on
the phenomena of yentril0quism went with
NJ. 81. Gille to the house OF a lady, to whom
they announced that they had come to in
yestigate case of aerial spirits in the
neighborhood. During the interview she
heard what she termed spirit voices"
above her head, underneath the floor, and in
distant parts of the room, and was with
difficulty convinced that the only spirit pres
ent was the yentriloquistic voice of NJ st.
Gille. Brewster tells Of another master of
this art, Louis Brabrant, valet de chamber
to Francis l., whose suit was rejected By
the parents OF a beautiful and well-dowered
girl with whom he was in love. He called
on the mother, after the death of the father,
again TO urge his suit and while he was
present she heard the voice Of her deceased
husband, expressing remOrse for having re-
l9cted Louis Brabrant, and conluring her to
give her immediate consent to the betrothal
Frightened and alarmed, she consented.
Brabrant. deeming it desirable to behave
literally in the marriage arrangements, but
not having much cash at command, resolved
to try whether hi ventri.oquism would be
as eticaciOus with a money-lending banker
as it had been with the widow. Calling on
AMI old usurer at Lyons, he managed that
the conversation should turn upon the sub
lect OF demons, spectres and purgatory. Sud
denly was heard the voice of the usurer's
father complaining of the horrible suffer
ings he was enduring in purgatOry and say
ing that there was no way of aleyiating his
suferings except by the usurer advancing
money TO the visitor for the sake of ransom
ing Christians from the hands of the Turks.
The usurer was terrified, but too much in
love with his gold to yield at one. Brabrant
went next day and resumed the conversa-
ton, when shortly were heard the voices OF
a host of dead relations, all telling the same
terrible story, and all pointing out the only
way of obtaining relief. The usurer could
resist no longer he placed 10000 crowns
in the hand of the unsupported yentriloquist,
who of course forgot to pay it over for the
ransom of the Christians either in Turkey
or anywhere else. When the usurer learned
afterwards how he had been duped he died
of yexation. fall producers of so-called
mysterious sounds, DR.. Tyndall's sensitive
or vowel flame is one Of the most mysteri
Gus. Out of,a particular kind of gas. with
a burner of peculiar construction. the learn
ed professor produces lighted jet Of flame
nearly two feet in eight, extremely narrow,
and so exquisitely sensitive to sound that
it sings and dances up and down in response
to everything that Is said or sung, with dif-
ferent degrees of sensibiiity for different
vowel sounds. 1.-The slightest tap on a dis
tant anvil reduces its height to seven inches.
When bunch of keys is shaken, the fame
is violently agitatel and emits loud roar.
The dropping ofa sixpence into the hand
already containing coin, at distance OF 20
yards, knocks the flame down. 1t is not
possible to walk across the floor without ag-
itating the flame. The creaking of boots
sets it in violent commotion. The crump-
ling or tearing of paper,or the rustic of
silk dress, does the same. 1t is startled by
the patter of a rain drop. | hold watch
near the flame no one hears its tick; but
you all see the effect upon the flame at
every tick it falls and roars. The winding
up of a watch also produces a tumult. The
twittering of a distant sparrow shrieks in
the same the note ofa cricket would do the
same. A chirrup from distance of3O
yards causes it to fall and roar" In refer
ence to the power of the flame to respond
to poetry, the professor says The flame
selects from the sounds those to which it
can respond it notices some by the slight
est nod, to Others it bows more distinctly,
to some its obeisance is very profound, while
to many sounds it turns an entirely deaf ear. "
Chambers Journal
MrsFoRTuNEs OF THE FIRST RoBIN.-The
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