pages: practicalmagicia00harr.pdf, 89
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practicalmagicia00harr.pdf | 89 | THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN. 79 comes seemas to be judged of by the right or left ear receiving the stronger impression, which, however, can only take place when the sound's source is in a planc, or ncarly so, with a line passing through both ears. It is familiarly known that a person in a house cannot by the noise of an approaching carriage judge with certainty whether it is coming from the right or left. lic accu- rately judges it to bc approaching, passing, or receding, as the case may be, by the gradations of loudness, but is unable to de- cide with certainty whether its approach or recession is from up Or down the street. Enough has been stated to show that we do not hear, but that we judge the direction a sound has travilicd from its source on reaching the car." The ventriloquist indicates, either di- rectly or indirectly, the direction from which he wishes his audience to believe the sound is coming. Thus he directly indi- cates it by words, such as- Arc you up there?" "He is up the chimney, " He is in the cellar," " Are you down there?' &c., ns illustrated in the various examples. He indirectly indicates it by some suggestive circumstance, as an action or gesture, which is so skilfully unobtrusive and natural as to effect its object with- out being discovered. Thus, when the ventriloquist looks or listens in any direction, or even simply turns towards any point, as if he expected sound to come thence, the attention of 7722 auaience is by that means anstantly directed also to the same place. Thus, before a sound is produced, the audience expect it to come in the suggestcd direction ; and the ventriloquist has mercly, by his adjustment of tocal loudness, to indicate the necessary distance, when a misjudg- ment of the undienre will complite the illusion which he has begun." The effect which 1S produced on sound by its travelling from a distance, is observed to be :- (1) That its loudness is reduced in proportion to its dis- tance. (2) That its pitch remains unaltered. (3) That its quality or tone is somewhat altered. (1) That its duration remains unaltered. (5) That the human speech is somewhat obscurcd, chiefly in the (O nonant sounds. It must be remembered that the ventriloquist makes the sound, no' as it is heard at its source, but as it is heard after travelling from a dist ince. THE MEANS BY WHICH IT IS EFFECTED. Beforc entering upon the first and easy lessons, it will be as well to consider the means by which the effect is produced. The Stu- dent is supposed to have made himself thoroughly acquainted |