The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-07-31
WHAT WE DO WHEN WE TALK.
A Little Boys Answer to q Seemingly
Simple Question.

A Little Boys Answer to a Seemingly
Simple Question.
If should ask you what it is yon do
when you walk You would very likely
say it was foolish question, and one
you could answer without stopping to
think. Bit 1 am quite sure you could
not. Indeed, you would have to think
q good while to find aplain and simple
answer even to that simple question.
Try it, and see if it is not So If should
ask you what it is you do when YOU talk
YOU would have still more trouble in
giving the answer, and you might not
be sure even of what the question
means. asked it of little boy only
ten years old short time ago. and l
will tell you how he answered it,. You
may like to see if you can solve the one
about walking as we'll as he did this one.
The question is like good many
others that might be asked; it is about
something which we are so familiar
with that we think we know all about
it, when really we have never taken
notice of it, because it is SO familiar.
You will remember the old problems
that so many people have had to give
up, about how COW gets up on to her
feet, how long horses head is from
the top of his ears to his nose, and the
like? Now, if we 'stook notice " as
we go through the world. -e could
answer such questions as those, or az
this one about talking. without much
trouble. But, as it is, we look at and
think of things just enough to ''get
along,n as we say, and rarely stop to
consider them and see how they are,
and what they are. This boy said,
what you would probably say, that he
did not see what the question meant
told him that II the question were ex-
planned to him he would see what the
answer should be at once. and wished
him to think it out himself. He said
no more about it, but when | asked
him, after day or two. if he had any
answer, he replied that:
Talking is making noise"
s.Yes," said /, but when / pound
on this table with stick, that is max
ing a noises too. and do you call that
talking?''
..Well, should say not" said he.
.sTben making a noise can't be all of
the answer, can it?n
sNo." he replied, s.but you do make
. noise when you talk
Certainly, and SO You can put it
down for the first part OF the answer,
that when we talk we make NOISE"
After another day or two l inquired
again what he had thought of about my
He replied: ~ think the noise you
make must be in-in-I can pronounce
the word, but know what it is-ingibls,
or something like that
Ineligible, you mean," / said;
"and that's good answer Talking
must be ineligible, else / shouldn't
think we could call it talking. But
did you ever hear a telegraph instru-
ment ticking as message was being
sent over it?n
"Oh. yes he said, I've often heard
them.n
ssAnd was not that noise ineligible
to the man who was reading the mes
sageP"
sWhy, yes,n he replied.
"Then talking must be more than
making an Ineligible noise you see.
But now we have two parts of our
answer. First, it is making noise,
and second the noise must be one that
is ineligible
Again I waited several days, and
when questioned him the next time
he was ready with the answer that
the noise must be made with the mouth.
That's right, / told him; land now
you seem to have the whole answer.
Putting the three parts together, you
see that talking is making an intelli-
gible noise with the mouth; or, giving
It more simply, it is making with the
mouth noise, and by noise we mean
of course number of noises that 9TH
ers can understand. You have done
pretty well, too, TO get so good an an
swer. for really think it is not an easy
question for boy only ten years."
OF course one might say that people
talk with their fingers, or by signs, and
make no noise, and do not use the
mouth. But. if You think a moment,
you viii remember that when we speak
Of such talking we always add: with
the fingers" or s.by signs" and when
We say simply talking we mean
what the boy have told you about de-
scribed.-L. C. Dana. in Golden Rule.