Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1913-11-21
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 81, 1913.
ELLEN,
or
Whisperings of an Old
Pine.
UOr TIT
ELLEN,
Vol. Ill.

We give below extracts from the ar
ticle headed ELLEN, or Whsperings of
an Old Pine" published in Nature,
one of the leading English Scientific
Magazines of London, England, Septem-
Der a, 1915
1.-The old Pine notices again." said,
''that the Author uses the words sonor-
Gus vibrations instead of Sound?"
Yes" she replied, "a fraud always
has to be nursed to keep it alive. If
the theory was sensible, that is, if it
was true, the author would have used
the word Sound. But the theory being
erroneous, if he habitually used that
word, it would kill the theory, because
constantly calling attention to its alb
surdities, and want of foundation. And
besides it is asking too much of anyone,
however devoted he may be to the prin-
ciples or want of principles in Science,
to word an error in plain terms. Sound
is something that we all have ideas
about, and would have great many
more if we were not misled: but sonor-
Gus waves are entirely mythical, and
therefore good refuge for those con-
sidering an erroneous hypothesis.
THE membrane of the ear has moth
ing to do with the making of sounds.
Its function is to assist in their delivery
1t is, too, part of the machinery which
conveys sound to the auditory nerve
THE whole subject of the graphic
phone record Ellen will discuss later.
We recognize that Sound which was
uttered into the Megaphone, and entered
the Graphophone, has made in the par
ATTN and wax cylinder of the graphic
phone, series of indentures. And if
an appropriate instrument passes over
this record, the record will repeat the
sounds rhich made ii, that is, the sounds
uttered into the megaphone. And that
means Sound is made by Sound; the
same as tree, all trees or flowers, all
flowers, make other trees, and flowers
from their seed. And the same is true
of an infinite number of things, includ
ing animals.
The making of the Photograph rec,
ord is thus described
Speaking into the mouth-piece in &
distinct and deliberate voice, and at the
same time turning the cylinder by
clockwork or by hand, the sonorous vi
hra tinnc cd TO Eel,
cord themselves on the foil in the shape
of minute indentures. When the sen
tence has been spoken the disk anC
stylus are drawn aside, the cyinde
turned back to its starting point ant
the disk and stylus again placed in tn
position they first occupied. Once NOR
rotating the cylinder, the stylus rise
and falls as the now embossed fol
passes beneath it, and the motion give
to the stylus is communicated to tn
disk, [diaframl and thence to the al
around. The air is thus thrown into
state of vibration similar to that t
which the words originally gave rise.
"This explanation of the action O
sound in a photograph is entirely Ell
roneous. The monograph has bee
superseded by the graphophone, bu
the action of Sound in each is PRACTICAL
the same. The sound made into tn
megaphone moves by its own motiv
power, and thus enters the graphophont
where it comes in contact with tn
di afram. to which is fastened shar
tool called the stylus, that cuts a groov
in the paraffin and wax of the revolvin
cylinder; into this grove the particles {
sound enter, forming small depression,
named Ladentares, that, when struck b
an instrument called the reproduce
throw off sound similar to that uttere
into the megaphone, and thence col
Quoted into the graphophone
but why are these similar to I'll
sounds uttered into the meg aphone, O
indeed, why are any sounds produced?
"The Indentures are made" she r.
piled, ''by the sounds spoken or sur
into the meg aphone, which sounds pa
through a rubber tube to the recorde
the stylus of which, sharp instrumel
fastened to the diafram of the r
corder, cuts groove in the paraff
and wax, into which the sounds mat
into the megaphone are conducted