Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-04-16
THE PHONOGRAPH's POwEp
1t Proves That Monkeys Can Talk a.,
Solves some Acoustic Problems.

THE PHONOGRAPH's POWER e
It Proves That Monkeys Can Talk A.,
Solves some Acoustic Problems.
The account of the experiments no x
Gently made by learned professor y, NJ
the Smithsonian institution in detar Il
mining the meaning Of the varion, B
sounds of the simian tongue is of ey. f
ceptional interest, says the Pittsbur, B
Dispatch. This gentleman has, with h
extreme patience, succeeded in record. &
ing upon the photographic cylinder Il
many times repeated, the chatter n II
monkeys; and after careful practice O, \
the sounds thus obtained he finds that s
on repeating them he can make him. i
self understood by the animals. As il
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 frequentv
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 discoverie,
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 it, now it is used in every branch
of science and art, and is. indeed
absolutely indispensable. The phone.
graph was long considered wonder.
full but comparatively useless play.
thing, and doubts are still expressed
of its ultimate practical value for the
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 have
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, a record was about to
be made of performance of the royal
orchestra. DR.. Wangemann suggested
certain changes in the position of the
instruments which experience had cor%
WINGED 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 la monograph. The record.
ing of the subtlest quality, or the soul
OF the human voice, the phonograph
has not yet attained to, but for in.
dicating the purely technical capaM.
tiles OF the vocal organ it possesses re-
markable possibilities.
When in Paris DR.. Wangemann
called on Nine. Marchesi, the celebrat.
ed teacher of singing, and suggested
that the photograph might be used for
vocal teaching and rendered possible
certain distinctions and shades of tone
which often escape the unaided ear.
Nine. Marchesi ridiculed the idea, say.
ing that her thirty-five 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 phonograph.
Nine. Marchesi was perfectly astound.
ed with the result, for ON listening in
the record she perceived Inequalities
and inaccuracies Of tone which had