MECHANICS OF SOUND AND HEARING

Sound is a vibration due to motion in the air, in solids. It is believed that insects record the sound vibrations. Bats, it has been estimated, supersonic vibrations, one-millionth of a vibration.

Some ears strain more in high registers, others, more in low. All ears strain on strange sounds. We must relax the aural nerves so that strain will leave for both high and low registers.

According to Dr. Bates, all the special senses: seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing, touching, are on the same ganglion network, and react simultaneously to relaxtion or tension: you relax one, you relax all; you tense one and you tighten all.

Therefore, effective ears need all the other special senses built up because all are dulled.
The first and easiest way for one who is hearing to stop straining is to learn to play, almost a lost art to day.

THE MENTAL SIDE OF HEARING
To interpret sight and sound, the brain needs but a hint from the signals of eye and ear. Generally, sounds coming over imperfect hearing nerve paths can be deciphered and developed by the trained mind which fills in parts of the pattern of familiar speech to interpret the meaning.' It is this interpretation of the vibrations registered that needs speeding.

We have all had the experience when hearing-someone speak, of calling, "What? I didn't hear!" but before the remark can be repeated, the brain has interpreted and we know what was said. than the human ear can detect. And it is on skull record that through bone conduction of the boy with no hearing apparatus learned to receive and interpret vibrations of sound to the equivalent of eighty-five per cent of normal hearing.

There are two sorts of deafness:
1. Conduction deafness. Interference of the vibrations to the Organ of Corti, the sensitive plate of the ear.
2. Nerve deaffiess. Failure of the Organ of Corti to carry the vibration it receives to the brain; hence no sensatism of hearing can take place.
3. There are hearing instruments built to remedy conduction deafness but, with education person can be taught to use and develop even dim hearing. With nerve deafness, the Organ of Corti may be actual lift stimulated by relaxation of those nerves.

NERVE STRAIN IN HEARING
Both poor vision and poor hearing make tense nerves. Therefore, each needs relaxation as one defect increases the other. Just as strained eyes are sensitive to bright lights, so strained ears are supersensitive to loud noises and recoil from them. Sounds that do not bother normal ears do bother the defective ear because it hears so many sounds, all distorted, confusing and irritating. Hence, ears need quiet and rest periods just as eyes need the darkness of palming.
Often, dull ears can be trained to adapt themselves to the distortion of speech even though many of its vibration frequencies have been lost due to the ear's inability to perceive them. Even though ears are unable to perceive all the vibration frequencies of speech, they can be educated to adapt themselves to these distortions. Then by stimulation of the process of ear-mind co-ordination, the aural centres of the brain can be increased in sensitivity, thus training the ears to distinguish the basic sound elements From the superfluous overtones that are so called.

STEPS, TO IMPROVE HEARING
Ear training consists of two things: tamula on of the aural nerves by exclusion of all sound, ear-palming; second, stimulation of the mental tal interpretation of the vibrations registered. This means the evocation of mental images or memory and imagination of what the sound should be like. For example; if the ear is too deaf to hear the tick of a clock held against it, let someone tap the rhythm of the ticking on the head above the ear to give the mental image. This gives the brain the pattern to aid the ear.
Check each ear on'a watch or clock to see how well or how poorly you hear before training. Palm your ears and remember sounds. Just as memory of familiar things seen improves vision, so memory of sounds formerly heard improves hearing.

MENTAL PICTURES OF SOUND
Did you ever see a grandfather clock? Remember 'the sound of the solemn tick-tock at each pendulum a low, sharp, fine click in perfect timing?

Can you recall the ringing of church bells on a clear Easter morning? Were there bells of two churches sounding different tones and rhythms, sometimes alternately, sometimes clanging at the same moment dissonance? Or maybe they were chimes musical on and intoned a phrase of some hymn. Did you ever stand beside a water and listen to the water pouring over the andin into the depths below?

Many sounds to think about: the rattle of dry leaves as you walk through the woods in the tumn, the rustle of the silver maple or quaking pens before a rain, the brisk whirr of a lawn mower summer lawns. Now, you think of some sounds. Ouai will find it entertaining and it does stimulate caring.

The aural nerves are stimulated by the rest derived 001 palming. The nerve centres in the brain that interpret sound are enlivened and ready to act when a and approaches.
Take down your hands and again listen to the watch or clock. You will find your hearing more acute.

PROCEDURE
It would be most advantageous to have a few lessons from a teacher skilled in aural training. You can, however, do much for yourself.

1. Measure to the best of your Ability on a watch or clock or pian tone, the aural acuity of ; power of each ,ear, ford to date and farthest distance at which
2. the ear at an angle to allow the warm, penetrate as deeply as possible. If the no sun, use a strong bright light.
3. Palm the ears thoroughly, fitting the hands closely enough to forma vacuum when they are pulled away. Fifteen-minute, ear-palming periods can be indulged in as you read with a book propped up before you.
4. These are simple introductory steps toward improved you hear
5. Indulge in eyes in the good for
6. Let the hot the relaxing drills described for the art of the book. These just a shine into the a holding action and Deafness
7. The student's own ingenuity I can devise many sounds and ways of using and extending the were to hear and to interpret sound vibrations. Many have improved their hearing ability by these directions one, practising regularly and daily. A teacher skilled this method of ear training would of course give many cuts and aid greatly but many persons who were of hearing have reported, hearing ability thousand further help.
8. Before palming listen to a clock, watch or piano tone. Afterward, uncover one ear and listen to the same sound. See in the intensity of the vibration or the distance has improved. If the aural nerves are alive, most ears can detect an improvement.