Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-10-12

{to EcDSlEI iuiEi oVO''fE - .S'A''ih -
Sometimes hearing is not. Tbe az Cannot
be trusted implicitly. The err hath phsa
toms as the vision hath" but tie lhautoms
of sound arc far the most common. En@
frequently after days voyage il d steam
ship people hear for hours after the ihrob ot
the engine, as they say, in their heads ~
But this is fancy. Granted Bli. we 10 hear
it.
So, walking in the night far from town,
but near railway station, the train may bo
heard stopping, then going on, and the sound
getting fainter and fainter till ii is almost
impossible to believe that it is really heard.
Then some trihe attracts the attention and
the sound is gone. No il is not there it is
again. And for few moments there is no
deciding whether this is on echoiD Inc mind
Tor rather the earl of tbs former sound or q
fresh train becoming audible In another
instant it comes TO nothing, or else the new
train rushes up.
Many years ago, when there were more
shepherds then there a:c now on the Wilt
shire downs, it was commonly known that
most of these men always knew ahen the
guns were being fired q. Portsmouth,
which is due south OF this somewhat
elevated range OF bare downs, and
fully 40 miles from them. The aged
vicar of village thereab0uts used to cay
that be frequently heard them during his
youth and middle age when once The sound
had been pointed out TO him. He would not
have known what it Was himself. it was
somewhat like the distant shooting ofstones
from 9 cart, or the remote rumbling Of
thunder, but it was not very like either
And when the shel herds had called his st.
tention to it, he had sat down with them
and listened and discovered how regularly
it was timed, or what bursts there were OF
1t, till bis reason had been quite convinced
that it could be nothing else, Perhaps the
Portsmouth guns can be heard even better
there now than formerly, for some of them
are much heavier but it is only an expert
enced ear to which the sound has any sig
nificance.
There are places also about so miles north
Of Plymouth in which the aound of guns is
audible.
This old clergyman lived six miles from
Marlborough. One of his neiehbors, whose
parish was about mile nearer, has often
verified the shepherds story, and felt an in
terest in it. He had not taken it ;cr CT iso-
lated fact, but had proceeded to make
observations US to what else he could
hear. He must certainly have had
O keen as we'll as q trained sense
of hearing. He often said that when
the London coach came into Marl
borough (which was in the dead of tins night
he could, if it was still night, hear it ad-
vanciDg up the hill on which Marlborough
stands and he could hear il stop at the
principal inn to change horses-tour horses,
of course-and then for a considerable dis
tance he could hear it go again. This was
before the days of railroads, in the old coach.
ing times.
The ear is more trusty in catching new
sound than in letting an old one go; and
the slightly sharp noise of horses hoofs is
more distinctive than the duller rumble of
distant train. The greatest proof of fine
bearing in this case was the first catching
the sound of the oncoming COACH.
1t is matter ofuniversal observation that
sounds are better heard at night. The
breaking of waves on the coast, or water
fall, scarcely noticed at noon, will at night
be loud enough to disturb & light sleeper.
But no solid reasons, only the fancied ones,
that at night there are no other noises TO
interfere, and that we have nothing elee to
do but to listen, are commonly given as &C.
counting for the fact
The voice of the nightingale is certainly
far louder, sweeter and more impressive in
the night. So is the humming of insects
Jean IngeloU IN Cool Words.