Here you will learn How to develop, train and use your memory
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CHAPTER X.
TRAINING THE EAR.
The sense of hearing is one of the highest of the senses or channels whereby we
receive impressions from the outside world. In fact, it ranks almost as high as
the sense of sight. In the senses of taste, touch, and smell there is a direct
contact between the sensitive recipient nerve substance and the particles of the
object sensed, while in the sense of sight and the sense of hearing the
impression is received through the medium of waves in the ether (in the case of
sight), or waves in the air (in the sense of hearing.) Moreover in taste, smell
and touch the objects sensed are brought into direct contact with the terminal
nerve apparatus, while in seeing and hearing the nerves terminate in peculiar
and delicate sacs which contain a fluidic substance through which the impression
is conveyed to the nerve proper. Loss of this fluidic substance destroys the
faculty to receive impressions, and deafness or blindness ensues. As Foster
says: " Waves of sound falling upon the auditory nerve itself produces no effect
whatever; it is only when, by the medium of the endolymph, they are brought to
bear on the delicate and peculiar epithelium cells which constitute the
peripheral terminations of the nerve, that sensations of sound arise."
Just as it is true that it is the mind and not the eye that really sees; so is
it true that it is the mind and not the ear that really hears. Many sounds reach
the ear that are not registered by the mind. We pass along a crowded street,
the waves of many sounds reaching the nerves of the ear, and yet the mind
accepts the sounds of but few things, particularly when the novelty of the
sounds has passed away. It is a matter of interest and attention in this case,
as well as in the case of hearing. As Halleck says: "If we sit by an open window
in the country on a summer day, we may have many stimuli knocking at the gate
of attention: the ticking of a clock, the sound of the wind, the cackling of
fowl, the quacking of ducks, the barking of dogs, the lowing of cows, the cries
of children at play, the rustling of leaves, the songs of birds, the rumbling of
wagons, etc. If attention is centered upon any one of these, that for the time
being acquires the importance of a king upon the throne of our mental world."
Many persons complain of not being able to remember sounds, or things reaching
the mind through the sense of hearing, and attribute the trouble to some defect
in the organs of hearing. But in so doing they overlook the real cause of the
trouble, for it is a scientific fact that many of such persons are found to have
hearing apparatus perfectly developed and in the best working ordertheir
trouble arising from a lack of training of the mental faculty of hearing. In
other words the trouble is in their mind instead of in the organs of hearing. To
acquire the faculty of correct hearing, and correct memory of things heard, the
mental faculty of hearing must be exercised, trained and developed. Given a
number of people whose hearing apparatus are equally perfect, we will find that
some "hear" much better than others; and some hear certain things better than
they do certain other things; and that there is a great difference in the grades
and degrees of memory of the things heard. As Kay says: "Great differences
exist among individuals with regard to the acuteness of this sense (hearing) and
some possess it in greater perfection in certain directions than in others. One
whose hearing is good for sound in general may yet have but little ear for
musical tones; and, on the other hand, one with a good ear for music may yet be
deficient as regards hearing in general." The secret of this is to be found in
the degree of interest and attention bestowed upon the particular thing giving
forth the sound.
It is a fact that the mind will hear the faintest sounds from things in which is
centered interest and attention, while at the same time ignoring things in
which there is no interest and to which the attention is not turned. A sleeping
mother will awaken at the slightest whimper from her babe, while the rumbling of
a heavy wagon on the street, or even the discharge of a gun in the neighborhood
may not be noticed by her. An engineer will detect the slightest difference in
the whir or hum of his engine, while failing to notice a very loud noise
outside. A musician will note the slightest discord occurring in a concert in
which there are a great number of instruments being played, and in which there
is a great volume of sound reaching the ear, while other sounds may be unheard
by him. The man who taps the wheels of your railroad car is able to detect the
slightest difference in tone, and is thus informed that there is a crack or flaw
in the wheel. One who handles large quantities of coin will have his attention
drawn to the slightest difference in the " ring" of a piece of gold or silver,
that informs him that there is something wrong with the coin. A train engineer
will distinguish the strange whir of something wrong with the train behind him,
amidst all the thundering; rattle and roar in which it is merged. The foreman in
a machine shop in the same manner detects the little strange noise that informs
him that something is amiss, and he rings off the power at once. Telegraphers
are able to detect the almost imperceptible differences in the sound of their
instruments that inform them that a new operator is on the wire; or just who is
sending the message; and, in some cases, the mood or temper of the person
transmitting it. Trainmen and steamboat men recognize the differences between
every engine or boat on their line, or river, as the case may be. A skilled
physician will detect the faint sounds denoting a respiratory trouble or a "
heart murmur" in the patients. And yet these very people who are able to detect
the faint differences in sound, above mentioned, are often known as "poor
hearers" in other things. Why? Simply because they hear only that in which they
are interested, and to which their attention has been directed. That is the
whole secret, and in it is also to be found the secret of training of the
ear-perception. It is all a matter of interest and attentionthe details depend
upon these principles.
In view of the facts just stated, it will be seen that the remedy for "poor
hearing," and poor memory of things heard is to be found in the use of the will
in the direction of voluntary attention and interest. So true is this that some
authorities go so far as to claim that many cases of supposed slight deafness
are really but the result of lack of attention and concentration on the part of
the person so troubled. Kay says: "What is commonly called deafness is not
infrequently to be attributed to this causethe sounds being heard but not being
interpreted or recognized. . . . sounds may be distinctly heard when the
attention is directed toward them, that in ordinary circumstances would be
imperceptible; and people often fail to hear what is said to them because they
are not paying attention." Harvey says: " That one-half of the deafness that
exists is the result of inattention cannot be doubted." There are but
few-persons who have not had the experience of listening to some bore, whose
words were distinctly heard but the meaning of which was entirely lost because
of inattention and lack of interest. Kirkes sums the matter up in these words: "
In hearing we must distinguish two different pointsthe audible sensation as it
is developed without any intellectual interference, and the conception which we
form in consequence of that sensation."
The reason that many persons do not remember things that they have heard is
simply because they have not listened properly. Poor listening is far more
common than one would suppose at first. A little self-examination will reveal to
you the fact that you have fallen into the bad habit of inattention. One cannot
listen to everything, of courseit would not be advisable. But one should
acquire the habit of either really listening or else refusing to listen at all.
The compromise of careless listening brings about deplorable results, and is
really the reason why so many people "can't remember" what they have heard. It
is all a matter of habit. Persons who have poor memories of ear-impressions
should begin to "listen" in earnest. In order to re-acquire their lost habit of
proper listening, they must exercise voluntary attention and develop interest.
The following suggestions may be useful in that direction.
Try to memorize words that are spoken to you in conversationa few sentences, or
even one, at a time. You will find that the effort made to fasten the sentence
on your memory will result in a concentration of the attention on the words of
the speaker. Do the same thing when you are listening to a preacher, actor or
lecturer. Pick out the first sentence for memorizing, and make up your mind
that your memory will be as wax to receive the impression and as steel to retain
it. Listen to the stray scraps of conversation that come to your ears while
walking on the street, and endeavor to memorize a sentence or two, as if you
were to repeat it later in the day. Study the various tones, expressions and
inflections in the voices of persons speaking to youyou will find this most
interesting and helpful. You will be surprised at the details that such analysis
will reveal. Listen to the footsteps of different persons and endeavor to
distinguish between themeach has its peculiarities. Get some one to read a line
or two of poetry or prose to you, and then endeavor to remember it. A little
practice of this kind will greatly develop the power of voluntary attention to>
sounds and spoken words. But above everything else, practice repeating the words
and sounds that you have memorized, so far as is possiblefor by so doing you
will get the mind into the habit of taking an interest in sound impressions. In
this way you not only improve the sense of hearing, but also the faculty of
remembering.
If you will analyze, and boil down the above remarks and directions, you will
find that the gist of the whole matter is that one should actually use, employ
and exercise the mental faculty of hearing, actively and intelligently. Nature
has a way of putting to sleep, or atrophying any faculty that is not used or
exercised; and also of encouraging, developing and strengthening any faculty
that is properly employed and exercised. In this you have the secret. Use it. If
you will listen well, you will hear well and remember well that which you have
heard.
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