New-York tribune., 1903-01-18

known HelmhOItz theory assumes that the vocal
chords resemble membranes musical strings,
and that they produce notes composed Of a
fundamental tone and overtones with the pitch
relations ], 2, 3, etc. and that the chest mouth.
etc. reinforce certain of the overtones by reso-
nance. Close study of the results obtained by
this tracing method. however disprove this
generally accepted theory The voice curves
show cOnclusvely that for males. at least in the
chest register the voweIs consist of series Of
sharp puffs Of air, that there are no overtones
for the vocal cavities to resonate TO, and that
the vocal cavities respond with tones that
totally independent of the larger tone in respect
to pitch. The HeIrnhOltz theory would be true II
the walls OF the mouth. throat etc. were hard
like brass; Jut it is not valid, because they are
soft. This has been clearly Illustrated by a
vowel machine at Yale. in which pUffs Of air
are used to produce tones in various resOnators-
When brass resonatGrs are used they do not
sound unless they have the relations the
| number of puffs required by the Helmholtz the
DRY; when cavities of soft modelling used
| they respond to puffs of any number second.
This theory comedies with that advanced by
Garcia, the great vocal teacher, over twenty
years ago. and viii ultimately revise all
cepted notions of the methods Of correcting
faulty chord action by adjustment of the mouth
The chords themselves must be trained TO send
forth such explosions will produce the re-
quired effect.
Definite records of the actual sounds Of speech
are certain to open up another important field
of research 1t Will, for instance greatly sim
pIify the problem which confronts all speakers
of strange language. the fundamental truths
of pronunciation being gathered from this spe-
cial study 1t will also make possible the scien-
tifc analysis of the emotions of sorrow. anger,
fear etc. in a speakers voice-a possibility that
is expected be of the greatest practical aid TO
singers, public speakers and actors who wish to
study the methods used by former prominent
| exponents of those varied arts The rapidly dis
appearing Indian dialects of the United States
have given ethnoIOgists and phiIOlogists much
uneasiness, the opportunity 70 study the char
| acter of these languages is rapidly passing away
A movement is foot to catch these dia-
Iects on gramophone records in the near future
and then to transcribe the voice curves 70
paper. In this way complete library of the
actual dialect utterance would be collected and
preserved for future students. A viii be
sent out next summer equipped with apparatus
to catch and record the Indian dialects of the
West.
Still another branch Of the psychological work
has, perhaps. more practical application than
most of the other departments DIT. Churchill IS
now carrying on experiments in the line of dis
covering a perfectly safe color to be used in
railway signalling. At present only green, red
and white signals can be used with safety. owing
to the difficulty Of distinguishing quickly and
always without error the other colors Yellow
lights for instance. are often mistaken for white
or red under bad weather conditions in railroad
yards, blue fcJ green, etc. To find new color
or combination of colOrs that would Immediately
be seen and understood by locomotive engl-
has long been the desire of railroad superli-
tendents The attempt is now being made 70
select the particular hue of yellow which IS
most quickly and surely distinguished from
red. green and white. When this has been
definitely settled the proper yellow for railways
can be prescribed. a still further problem IS
that of selecting the four Colors that are most
readily stinguished from one another IL Is
probable that the red viii have 70 be- modified III
the direction of purple. The apparatus used i'F
experiments along this line is simple. Inc sup
ject is seated a chToLOscope which exposes
the color at a given instant. after a period OF
darkness. He instantly presses an electric ou'-
ton when he sees and recognizes the Color 'ne