Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-04-02
THE PHonooRAPH,s POWER.
It Proves That Monkeys Can Talk an
Solves some Acoustic Problems

It Proves That Monkeys Can Talk and
Solves some Acoustic Problems.
The account Of the experiments re-
Gently made by learned professor at
the Smithsonian institution in deter
mining the meaning of the various
sounds of the simian tongue Is of ex-
ceptional interest says the Pittsburg
Dispatch. This gentleman has, with
extreme patience, succeeded in record
ing upon the photographic cylinder
many times repeated, the chatter OF
monkeys; and after careful practice OF
the sounds thus obtained he finds that
on repeating them he can make him
self understood by the animals. As it
is but natural to suppose, it is only
sounds expressive of sensations COM
mon to ourselves and our four-footed
brethren that have as yet been recog-
nized and defined; sounds. for instance,
that express cold, hunger, fear, and
other of the feelings more frequently
experienced.
The value, however, of such inves-
legations as these from scientific
standpoint can hardly be overestimated.
They will unquestionably result in the
following out of an entirely new line OF
speculation and research in the near
future. This novel use of the phono-
graph is an interesting confirmation of
the fact that the more or less marked
tendency of many scientific discoveries
Is toward special applications undream-
ed of when the offspring of the in
ventor's ingenuity was first made known
to the world. What at first is regarded
as an ingenious toy frequently becomes
a necessary adjunct to our civilization.
Photography for considerable time
seemed to have little use other than
that of ministering to the vanity of the
favored few who could afford to en-
ploy ii, now it is used in every branch
OF science and art, and is, indeed,
absolutely indispensable. The pnono-
graph was long considered wonder
full but comparatively useless play
thing and doubts are still expressed
of its ultimate practical value for tho
purposes for which it was originally
designed, but there can be no question
that this invention, like many of its
predecessors. is destined to open out
fresh fields of investigation and develop
new wonders in many and widely
varied directions.
Some very interesting facts havo
been lately established which points to
the possibility of the use of the pho
nograph in the solution of certain
problems involving musical acoustics.
About two years ago, when Dr. Wange-
mann, Mr., Edison's representative,
was exhibiting the monograph before
the young German emperor at his
palace in Berlin, record was about to
be made of performance of the royal
orchestra DIR. Wangemann suggested
certain changes in the position of the
instruments which experience had con-
vinced him were more favorable to the
blending and recording of sound than
their ordinary disposition. The leader of
the orchestra was horror-stricken at
the idea of such an unheard of innova-
ton; the emperor at once commanded
that it should be done and the record
was made. The result so pleased the
emperor that at the next royal concert
the strings, woodwind, and brass were
placed a la monograph. The record.
ing of the subtlest quality or the soul
of the human voice, the monograph
has not yet attained to, but for in
dicating the purely technical capabil-
tiles of the vocal organ it possesses re-
markable possibilities.
When in Paris DR.. Wangemanu
called on Nine. Marchesi, the celebrat-
ed teacher of singing. and suggested
that the monograph might be used for
vocal teaching and rendered possible
certain distinctions and shades of tone
which often escape the unaidod ear.
Nine. Marchesi ridiculed the idea, say
ing that her thirty-fve years of tuition
had been none too much to give her
right ideas on the subject, but she
could trust herself sooner than the new.
tangled instrument. Dr. Wangemann,
however, gained permission to call the
next day, when twelve of the artists
pupils sang plain scale, ascending
and descending, into the phonograpl,.
Nine. Marchesi was perfectly astound.
ed with the result, for on listening in
the record she perceived inequalities
and inaccuracies of tone which had
escaped even her keen ear.