The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-11-22
THE CITY Develops
The Voice better
Children Who Live in
Crowded Centers Gain
Vocally.
DR. DAMROSCH'S IDEA
The City Child Has Better
Opportunities Than The
Country Child.
DIR DAMRosCH's IDEA

Do country or city children have
the sweeter voices? The average per-
son will answer at once that the chill
. dren who are reared in the quiet of
the country, in the stiffness of the
4 fields and forests, necessarily have a
voice advantage over those who
must live in the noise of grinding
and squeaking wheels, the elevateds
whining screech, the milk cars
pounding, and the tramp of feet and
the incessant voices all night on the
streets. The country advocates
point to the silence of the snowy
morning in the felds-a thing un-
known in New York, even between
and 8 O'Clock in the morning, when
still is heard the dash Of the fire en-
CINE, the changing of the trolley bell
and the cyclonic passing OF the
train.
Those who believe the country
voice the better contend that chill
n dren Of the city must shrill their
Al messages through fog OF noise ana
Il seek an unmusical note which shall
VI bv its tridencN hew its way through
VI 4he eoueaks of the city and it's deep
a or basso profundo rumble. Scientists,
moreover assert that below and
v above the musical scale are musical
notes that are simply noise to mum
dane ears, and that still beyond this
noise, especially in great cities, are
vibrations which the human ear can
not record at all and does not hear
sort of kind provision Of nature
to shut off from human endurance a
wide range Of nerve-splitting shrieks
"A and growls which would make life a
81 constant purgatory Of noise. They
instance as evidence of noises which
the ear does not record the fact that
whistles have been made which a
II Cog can hear at a distance, but which
4 are entirely silent for the human
Z ear.
And on analogous lines persons at
tribute the mournful bowling of dogs
in the stiffness to the dogs distrusS
of noises not heard by their mas
tiers. AS another illustration Of sub
aural sounds, they point to the fact
that both in town and country the
crashing Of such a machine as the
solar system through space the birth
pangs Of new worlds, make no sound
heard Of humans. And there are
those who hold that the noises Of the
great cities, even If unrecognized
Anevertheless exercise psychological
effects on the inhabitants.
All these noises-heard and I'M
" heard-the. defenders Of the country
voices urge, have direct effect or
the musical ear. and on the voice In
singing and speaking. They argue
that the ear Of the city dweller has
+ Ito accustom itself not to hear noises
In support Of this they instance the
experience Of people who live righ'
r by an elevated road. At first tht
rumble Of the trains is unbearable
4 but soon they grow used to it; thu
ear becomes so accommodated tina
the noise is no longer noticed. Ant
I in this accommodation of the cal
drum and auditory nerves agains
r noise they assert, the hearing pow
a ers, the sense Of musical graduation
sthe feeling Of what Is sweet and true
III nOIc, dI6 dlSO 1SOlIlCWlitbb
Yet the average city dweller after
his vacation will assert that there Is
no noise in the city so ear-splittlne
and nerve-r tracking as the lusty crow
ling of ROSTERS in the stiffness of ear
q Nv dawn, or the milk call of he cali
separated from the COW. de gusti-
bus non est dlsputandum" applies
( also to noise in the country, city peo-
! pie say, and come back to the lula
by of fiat car wheels to sleep.
DR.. Frank Damrosch, for years di
rector Of music in the public schools
Il. and now head of the peoples chora
union and the institute of musical ar
was asked whether in his experience
the country child had the bettel
voice. Dr. Damrosch said:
1T would appear to me that thu
city child and the city dweller shoulC
have better voices, as rule, thai
their country cousins, for many rea
sons. In the first place, countr.
children have to call over create
distances than do city children
& city child knows that it is hopeless
try to call to a friend more than
block away, or to try to talk aroun
n corner, and doesn't strain his vote
in the attempt. The country child, G
HE other hand. calls frequently to hi
Fellows or to the cattle across lots, owe
81 long distances, and is very liable
r,se strident tones in his call, In m
work with city children in the schoo
have come into contact, I suppos
WIFI 100000 or 100000 city children
voices. l found that many did n
know how to use their vocal organ
and sang with closed Threats or pusl