=Duality of Man's Nature=
I.--DUALITY OF VOICE
DUALITY OF
VOICE
AN OUTLINE OF ORIGINAL
RESEARCH
BY
EMIL SUTRO
AUTHOR OF "THE BASIC LAW OF VOCAL
UTTERANCE."
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
NEW YORK AND LONDON
The Knickerbocker Press
1899
COPYRIGHT, 1899
BY
EMIL SUTRO
Entered at Stationers' Hall, London.
The Knickerbocker Press, New York
"There is nothing in our composition either purely material or
purely spiritual."--MONTAIGNE.
[Illustration]
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I.--INTRODUCTION 1
Comments of a Distant Reviewer 15
Fragments 22
Basic Law of Vocal Utterance 37
The Voice of the Œsophagus and its Vocal Cords 41
II.--THE HUMAN VOICE 44
Introspection 50
Making Parts Rigid 56
Extirpation 59
Movements of the Tongue 61
Simple Sounds 66
Posterior Surfaces 68
Inspiration--Expiration 77
Diaphragms 80
III.--IMPRESSION--EXPRESSION 83
The Phonograph 88
Stuttering--Stammering 92
Cathode of a Vocal Sound 103
IV.--OUR MOTHER TONGUE 110
National Traits of Character 112
The American Nation 120
Centripetal and Centrifugal 124
Rotation of Centripetal and Centrifugal Action 130
V.--NATIONALITY AND RACE DISTINCTIONS 137
Idiomatic Expression 141
Origin of Anglo-Saxon Race and Idiom.
Origin of German Race and Idiom.
Relationship Supposed to Exist as between the
German and English Nations 148
Language and Motion 151
Difference in their Mode of Breathing as between
Anglo-Saxons and Germans 159
Rise and Fall, or Rhythm 160
Stress 174
VI.--PHYSIOLOGY OF VOICE IN RELATION TO WORDS 178
Significance of the Term "School" of Singing 187
Breathing 198
Song, Singers, and Physiology 210
INDEX 223
[Illustration]
DUALITY OF VOICE
[Illustration]
DUALITY OF VOICE
AN OUTLINE OF ORIGINAL RESEARCH
INTRODUCTION
By the time this book will appear, nearly six years will have elapsed
since I discovered the voice of the œsophagus, and almost five since I
published a preliminary account of this discovery in a book entitled
_The Basic Law of Vocal Utterance_.[1] This discovery, though the most
comprehensive and far-reaching of any that has ever been made, not
only in regard to the voice, but in regard to the better comprehension
of our nature and our entire human existence, has remained as unknown
to the world as if it had never been made. Yet some day, when its
importance is recognized, it will take rank in the annals of the
history of the human race as second to no other discovery that has
influenced and shaped human thought in the proper recognition of the
origin and the nature of man, spiritual as well as physical, his
abilities and his limits, and his relative position, influence, and
destiny in the economy of the universe.
[1] Edgar S. Werner. New York, 1894.
I have spent so many years of arduous labor on these investigations,
and have become so thoroughly convinced of their truth, that I have
ventured to make these assertions without the slightest compunction,
or fear of final contradiction. Although the facts involved in these
matters entitle me to these declarations, I would not have overstepped
the bounds of modesty in so far as to make them had not my first
experience forced upon me the conviction that the path of modesty in
matters of this kind is not the one to success. I was so impressed with
the exalted position of science, and so apprehensive of my own powers,
that in my former publication I as much as apologized for my temerity
in telling the scientific world things of which it did not have any
previous knowledge. These last four years, however, have so enlarged my
views and given me such a firm grasp and insight, that I no longer fear
any man's judgment. I would, on the contrary, heartily welcome honest
and competent criticism, being convinced that the same would not and
could not but strengthen my position.
As a matter of personal gratification, I am indifferent to success; but
I think the time has come when these matters should not continue to
remain with me alone, but should become the property of all, not for
my sake, nor simply for that of science, but for the sake of truth,
and the benefit of mankind. Had my previous statements been given
the consideration they deserved, other persons, in all probability,
would have made _some_ of the many discoveries, at least, that it
has now been my privilege to make single-handed. Still, the field is
inexhaustible; that which I have discovered being but an index hand to
that which is still to be discovered. Having no reason to doubt but
that I am a properly organized member of the human family, I consider
myself entitled to speak of my personal experience as in like manner
applicable to every other member of that family.
Having found it expedient to frequently address the reader in a
"direct" manner, using the personal pronoun "you" in so doing, I must
ask his pardon for this liberty. In thus addressing him, I trust we
shall be in better rapport; all I shall have to say thus becoming,
in a manner, a confession as from author to reader. While I confide
in him and make him participate in these vital discoveries, I want
him to confide in me, in so far as to take it for granted that all I
shall say is truthfully meant, and that it has been arrived at, not
superficially, but only after the most searching and long-continued
investigations. We will thus become partners in a research as great
as any that has ever agitated man's mind, or filled his soul with
things of great moment. Having penetrated into matters which have
heretofore been considered as occult, or inaccessible to man, my mode
of proceeding will be found interesting as a guide to others wanting to
pursue similar investigations.
In the beginning, it was all brought about by my simple desire, being
a German, to speak the English language in the precise manner in which
native-born persons speak it. For this purpose, I unwittingly pursued
the same course which has been pursued by many others under similar
circumstances; namely, that of introspection. Having been indefatigable
in this course (which others must not have been), after pursuing the
same for some time I was startled by unforeseen discoveries. They were
phenomenal, and far beyond any previous design, hope, or expectation.
After this, my original endeavor to speak the English language
idiomatically correct became a matter of secondary importance. My
eyes once opened, I _continued_ to persevere in this course, and thus
succeeded in penetrating deeper and deeper into matters heretofore
deemed inaccessible to man.
Having pursued investigations by means of introspection now for a
number of years, it has become an easy habit with me, and I can
recognize and pursue processes by which results are obtained through
_inner_ motive powers, almost as plainly as such by which results are
obtained through visible and tangible means. The facts thus observed
and recognized as truths have become so numerous as to be almost
overwhelming, in number no less than in importance; so much so, that
I scarcely know where to turn or where to commence, to be able to
communicate them all to others in due form and sequence. These facts
are not temporary, but are constant; in so far as they can be conjured
up at any time and under any circumstances, and are always of the
_same_ nature. They are of an entirely reasonable, practical, and, for
the most part, mechanical nature; and are explanatory of the exercise
of our faculties and functions, spiritually as well as materially. That
these observations mirror actual proceedings going on within us for the
production of vocal utterance, of breathing, motion, and locomotion,
and the exercise of various other faculties and functions, it will be
my endeavor, by actual demonstration, to prove through this and future
publications.
For the purpose of enabling others to pursue a similar course of
studies, I shall take especial pains to point out my course of
proceeding as plainly as I can--such course with me having been
entirely rational, positive, and direct, and without in any sense
disturbing my ordinary mode of existence. The course pursued in
physiologico-psychological studies, in fact, does not differ greatly
from that pursued in the study of purely psychological subjects, which
is also carried on by means of introspection, though it is of a more
positive nature.
When the following was first written (it is nearly two years ago now),
I intended, at an early date, to publish a short treatise on the
subject of the voice only. Since then, however, the same has assumed
greater and greater proportions, embracing many other subjects. Still
I have deemed it best not to change this introduction in consequence
thereof.
Though not quite ready for another publication (the subject is so great
and my knowledge so inadequate), I do not know that I should have
_ever_ been _quite_ ready, but for several incidents, all happening
about the same time, which have induced me to break the silence I
have observed since the publication of my book, _The Basic Law of
Vocal Utterance_. These incidents, though in themselves apparently
insignificant, have impressed me with the belief that I owe it to
the public and myself to say something in explanation of what I have
already said, and to add thereto (partly, at least) what has since been
ascertained.
In the November, 1896, number of _Werner's Magazine_, I noticed the
following:
"A good example of the inadequacy of expressional terms in
discussing vocal topics is shown by Mme. Clara Brinkerhoff
and Mr. Emil Sutro. Mme. Brinkerhoff has been a contributor
to this magazine, and has addressed musical bodies, for many
years. Mr. Sutro is author of the book, _The Basic Law of Vocal
Utterance_. Both of them maintain that the voice is something
more or other than an expiratory current of air set into
vibration by purely physical agencies. Mme. Brinkerhoff thinks
that the voice is the utterance of the soul, and that the soul
has its seat in the solar plexus. Mr. Sutro scoffs at the
theory that the voice is only out-coming air vibrated at or by
the cords situated in the larynx. He thinks that the ligaments
under the tongue also serve as vocal cords, and that speech
is the product of vibrating ingoing air as well as vibrating
out-coming air. Just what they think the voice is neither of
these persons makes clear to others. Their failure to express
their thoughts, however, should not be taken as proof that they
have not caught glimpses of truths of the greatest importance.
Still, our impression is that their concepts are too vague
to be put into intelligible language even if the expressional
terms at hand were adequate. But, all things considered, the
fact still remains that discussion will continue to be largely
useless so long as one person does not know what the other
person is talking about."
In addition to all this, the proceedings of various societies in New
York alone, judging by their reports also contained in the November,
1896, number of _Werner's Magazine_, which is of unusual interest
throughout, show how great is the interest which, at the present time,
centres around this matter of the voice. In place of saying the "truth"
in matters of the voice, as contained in my book, it would, perhaps,
be more correct to have said, "the first ray of light that has ever
penetrated the gloom and the mystery surrounding the nature of the
voice." In _Werner's Magazine_ it is stated:
"If Mr. Emil Sutro's book, _The Basic Law of Vocal Utterance_,
be right, then other writers on vocal science are wrong. His
statements are startling and revolutionary. He claims to have
discovered a new vocal cord and to be able to prove that speech
sounds are the product of inspiration as well as expiration.
The significance of this is apparent when it is realized that
all vocal authorities, heretofore, have taught that voice
is vocalized expiration, and that speech is this vocalized
expiration articulated into words.
"The author draws a sharp distinction between the air taken
for life-purposes and the air taken for speech-purposes. He
says that vital breathing can and should go on independent of
artistic breathing, and that the two processes need not and
should not disturb nor conflict with one another. He combats
the theory that the lungs are a reservoir of air, which in the
vocal act is pressed against the vocal cords of the larynx,
thereby producing tone, which is resonated and modified by the
parts above the glottis. He maintains that it is a physical
impossibility to give sufficient force and rapidity to the
lung air to put muscular and cartilaginous tissue into tonal
vibration,--that this force and this rapidity can come only
from the internal atmospheric pressure, and that, therefore,
preparatory lung inhalation for voice-purposes obstructs rather
than aids the vocal act. He gives a new explanation of the
formation of speech sounds, and offers various novel theories.
"Many readers will hesitate to accept his views, yet as long as
vocal science is still in a formative condition and involved in
so much chaos and uncertainty, any attempt at a solution should
receive careful consideration."
I have cited this able review in full, written by one whose life has
been one act of devotion to the solution of these questions, as it will
at once introduce the reader into the drift of my investigations as far
as they had advanced up to that time.
I have continued to steadily devote myself to the further prosecution
of my investigations, never publishing anything, scarcely ever speaking
on this subject to any one. The subject appeared to me so great and so
far above my ability to master it that I, at first, looked around for
assistance among those I deemed most likely to be able to render it.
But no one had any assistance to offer, no one scarcely seemed even to
comprehend what I was after. Thus, at last, almost in despair, I made
up my mind that I must undertake this task single-handed; and I have
been at it, scarcely without interruption, ever since.
Meanwhile, the play of "Much Ado about Nothing," or "The Farce about
the Larynx," continued to go on bravely all over the world. I have
watched it with a sense of pity, rather than amusement. It appeared
to me, more than anything else, like a game of blind man's buff,
in which _all_ the participants were blindfolded; my own horizon,
meanwhile, being illumined by roseate tints representing continuous new
discoveries, like a May morn before the rising of the sun.
The voice has been treated as a separate mechanical issue, while it is
the outcome of a series of both physical and spiritual issues. While
the old school is reproducing, in its minutest details, the _dead_
branch of a tree, I am portraying, in its majestic proportions, the
broad expanse of a _living_ oak.
These anatomical details may interest scientists; they are valueless
to the singer, as he has no control over the movements of the larynx.
He need but "attack" his note in the right way, and all these muscles,
sinews, cartilaginous tissues, etc., will fall into line, involuntarily
and unsolicited.
Now that I am offering innumerable _proofs_ in corroboration of my
assertions, I want scientists to take these matters _seriously_, and
not to look upon this book, also, as some may possibly have felt
inclined to do in regard to my previous publication, as a "scientific
curiosity" merely. There are no greater problems before the world
to-day than are treated here.
During all these years of unrequited labor, which extend far beyond
the day on which I made my memorable discovery, my personal affairs
meanwhile constantly suffering, with but one notable exception _no_
hand was held out to me in succor. In view of this fact (and it is the
experience of many who, in the privacy of their souls, are struggling
after the light), I want to ask this question: With all the noble
institutions for _learning_, why are there none to assist those who
are attempting to solve questions _to be taught_ for the benefit and
advancement of mankind? True, there are scholarships and fellowships
for students, but they are not available to persons advanced in years
who have duties to perform and families to support. When successful in
the end, their reward--if there is any--often comes too late to be of
any practical value.
Such would be the case with me should any material acknowledgment come
to me now, having of late attained to the leisure I had so much longed
for, thanks to my previous labor and a brave son's devotion and valued
aid and assistance. No man, however, will ever know how long I have
been kept under the ban of purely materialistic endeavors, while these
higher things were occupying my mind and clamoring for recognition. A
sum equal to that representing a single day's expenditure for _falsely_
teaching matters connected with the voice, alone, the world over, not
to speak of other matters of still greater importance, would have
sufficed for a number of years, if not for a lifetime, to place me
in a position to devote myself exclusively to the exposition of the
correct principles underlying these important subjects. As it has
been with me, no doubt it is and always has been with many others in
different fields of research.
Since the publication of my previous book, I have had four years of
continuous experience, during which the statements therein made have
been strengthened and enlarged, so that I am now ready to support
them with an endless array of proof. That book, however, was the
beginning of what some day will be regarded as a greater movement in
the right direction than any previous one, for attaining an insight
into nature's occult work in creating, developing, and sustaining the
living organism, and the exercise of its faculties and functions, more
especially _man's_ faculties and functions. The subject, however, is
of so subtle a nature that it cannot be treated like a mathematical
problem or a chemical analysis; still, I shall do the best I can with
such means as are at my command.
Recently an acquaintance who is interested in vocal culture asked me
how I was getting along, and I answered, telling him something like
what I have said in the preceding. He replied:
"That is the trouble with you Germans. This is a live world, a
practical world; we want facts, results--something we can turn to
account and make use of."
This impatience (and who can blame those who are suffering, or those
who, being young and talented, want to be led into the right path)
throws the door wide open to all kinds of charlatanism--charlatanism
which is honest and charlatanism which is dishonest, the former, being
more readily trusted, often working the greater harm. The best teaching
for the present, in default of a science, is that which is based simply
on experience; the pseudo-science now being taught being worse than no
science at all.
While the exercise of speech is next to universal with all men, no one
has any idea of _how_ it is exercised; the wisest being as much in the
dark as the least informed.
This is what so eminent a man as Oliver Wendell Holmes had to say on
the subject in one of his lectures, delivered not many years before his
death:
"Talking has been clearly explained and successfully imitated
by artificial contrivances. We know that the moist membranous
edges of a narrow crevice (the glottis) vibrate as the reed
of a clarionet vibrates, and thus produce the human _bleat_.
We narrow or widen, or check or stop the flow of this sound
by the lips, the tongue, the teeth, and thus _articulate_, or
break into joints, the even current of sound. The sound varies
with the degree and kind of interruption, as the 'babble' of
the brook with the shape and size of its impediments--pebbles,
or rocks, or dams. To whisper, is to articulate without
_bleating_, or vocalizing; to _coo_, as babies do, is to
_bleat_, or vocalize, without articulating. Machines are easily
made that bleat not unlike human beings. A bit of India-rubber
tube tied around a piece of glass tube, is one of the
simplest voice-uttering contrivances. To make a machine that
articulates, is not so easy." [The Italics are Dr. Holmes's.]
It is not the _humorist_ Holmes, however, who has said this, as one
would suppose that it was, but it is the writer, scientist, and
thinker, who was in dead earnest when he gave unto the world this
"definition of the gift of speech."
Any comment on my part would but weaken the sense of the ludicrous
this "explanation" of so great a subject, even from a mere mechanical
standpoint, must arouse in the reader. Yet Dr. Holmes's "explanation"
is not any more preposterous than that of many other scientists of the
present day.
Teachers have said that, not being a teacher, I could not know anything
about the voice. As if _they_ had the sole patent right to the voice,
and others held their voices but from them, in fee! I, however, took
the liberty of looking into my own voice and trying to find out whence
it came and what it was made of. It is not much of a voice, to be sure;
yet it has the common attributes of all voices. Besides, I should
like to know who, in truth, _is_ a teacher. He who over a narrow path
follows the footsteps of others, or he who strikes out boldly for the
root and the truth of a matter, and, disregarding precedents, goes down
to the very bowels of the earth, if need be, to bring it to the surface?
The knowledge of even the best of us is not much more than some froth
on the surface of the well of truth. Yet that froth is all these timid
souls have dared to examine. They have not had the courage to dive
down deep into its fathomless flood. Many a truth has been taught by
those who had been considered innocent of any knowledge thereof. I
am one of these "innocents," and, on the whole, am not sorry for not
having been imbued more with the knowledge, or supposed knowledge, of
the present day.
We are so much the slaves of habit that we become reconciled to any
condition, almost, no matter how undesirable or absurd it may be. Thus
biological science has been going along in a rut for centuries, but
little having been ascertained of vital importance; nor could this
have been otherwise, considering the modes of investigation. I was
not surrounded by so many trees that I could not see the woods. My
perspective was as clear as a bird's, that soars above and beyond the
smoke of the city and the dust in the eyes of the heirs of generation
upon generation of anatomical and physiological research, burying
beneath its lumber the clear insight of the soul. Thus, ignorance with
me may indeed have been bliss. Yet I do not want to place myself in
a position as deprecating science, having the highest appreciation
for all its endeavors. I deprecate science only in so far as, dealing
with matter, it attempts to draw inspiration therefrom as to spiritual
issues; and the voice certainly is a spiritual issue.
The following appears in the _Encyclopædia Britannica_, under the
heading of "Animal Magnetism":
"Mr. Heidenhain, after stating that in conformity with the manner
in which one muscle is affected, others become similarly affected,
proceeds to say: 'Probably the reflex excitement would extend still
farther, but I naturally consider it out of the question to try
whether the muscles of respiration would become affected. It is easily
understood that such experiments require the greatest caution and may
be very seldom carried out.'"
Valiant Mr. Heidenhain, brave explorer on a new and "dangerous" field
of research. This is the _Ultima Thule_ which any of these bold
adventurers have endeavored to reach. _My work began where theirs came
to an end._ Though I have not reached the "North Pole," I have gone far
beyond anyone else.
COMMENTS OF A DISTANT REVIEWER
This entire subject is of so subtle a nature that I must warn the
reader to be patient in its study and careful of his judgment. Should
the present work, however, also fail to elicit the attention of
my fellowmen, some thinker, perhaps, of a future generation, upon
discovering a copy of this book on the dusty shelves of an antiquarian,
while looking over its time-stained leaves and after struggling with
its vernacular, may be struck with some remark coinciding with ideas
arrived at by himself and other scientists of that day, and while
commenting upon his "find," may possibly deliver himself thus:
"As the nineteenth century of the Christian era was drawing to a
close, a citizen of the (then) youthful country of the United States
of North America published a book which contained disclosures far in
advance of his time and generation--truths, in fact, concerning life
and the exercise of our faculties and functions, which, if properly
understood, might have eventually led to even the solution of the very
mystery of the soul. Though science at that remote period had made
marvellous strides forward, its endeavors were mostly of a utilitarian
character, or consisted of efforts to explain phenomena from a strictly
materialistic standpoint. The author of this book, however, by dint
of a combination of extraordinary circumstances, which induced him to
search for causes of phenomena within, in place of outside of himself,
had succeeded in breaking through the barriers which had, theretofore,
separated phenomena which were called 'natural' from those which, by
the majority of mankind, were still supposed to be 'supernatural,' or,
at least, unexplainable, unknowable, beyond the ken of man.
"He was thus enabled to penetrate more deeply than any one ever had
before into the knowledge of the mysterious forces which engender and
sustain organic life. Had he been properly understood, the compass of
human knowledge would have been greatly enhanced, and the race itself
liberated from the narrow limits to which it had been confined by the
scientists almost as much as by the theologians (by the doctors of the
body almost as much as by those of the soul) of his day. Some writers
of that period delighted in depicting a state of affairs several
centuries ahead of their time. The changes which were supposed to have
taken place, however, had reference to material developments only, and
did not contemplate any advancement of a purely spiritual nature.
"Though the founder of the Christian religion, and other men of a
high order of intellectual and moral insight, had laid down rules
for 'deportment' which to a great extent still govern the world; in
regard to a spiritual insight, the dearth, the waste, the discord, the
distraction, the unrest, the 'Weltschmerz' (as the Germans called it),
the despair of science, which knew but and dealt but with the baser
part of our existence, unable to penetrate into the higher, was then at
its height. The 'miracle' had ceased to exercise its influence over the
intellectual classes, and knowledge had not taken its place.
"This writer, however, through his discoveries, had opened up the
way--made a beginning--to a penetration of science into the realms of
the spirit; and a substitution of faith based on _facts_ for one based
on tradition and fancy only. Religion and science, having been factors
of a different, almost antagonistic, order, thus at that early period
already might have become reconciled and united through _knowledge_; as
to some extent, though by different means, they have become since.
"In thus gaining more knowledge, more light regarding the motive
powers which govern our existence, the shackles which had overwhelmed
the soul would have long since fallen to the ground, and a _truly_
brotherly spirit would have prevailed among all classes and peoples
in place of much of the prejudice, the insincerity, the overbearance,
the animosity, the cruelty, and the insanity even of the believers in
(or inheritors of) one spiritual theory (often misnamed religion) as
against those of another.
"The world's thought, just previous to that time, had made great
strides forward through the recognition of the laws of _evolution_,
which culminated in one master mind, through great elaboration and
by citing numerous examples, assigning cogent and necessary reasons
therefor. The world should have been ripe, therefore, for this _greater
movement_ which it was now called upon to face; a movement which went
beyond the mere recognition of phenomena and penetrated into _a priori_
causes. Strange to say, it either could not or would not understand;
being still bound by fetters which held it in a vise-like embrace of
previously conceived ideas as to the impossibility of penetrating into
matters of this nature, and which prevented it from even _testing_ the
numerous proofs offered by this writer as to the correctness of his
assertions. His investigations, if properly understood, would have
brought spirituality _home_ to us; they would have made it accessible
to us. It would have ceased to be a phantom, and would have become a
reality, a friend on whom we could count, in place of a mysterious and
incomprehensible stranger.
"Beginning with discovering the dual nature of the voice, the writer
of this book opened up the way to the comprehension of the mystery of
man's dual nature in _all_ its relations. He made the discovery that
the œsophagus is of equal importance with the trachea in carrying on
the process of respiration and in exercising the faculty of vocal
expression; that for these purposes œsophagus and trachea are to an
equal degree directly amenable to the influence of the atmospheric
air; that the dual nature of organic beings in general, and of man
in particular, is represented by the hemispheres of the thorax and
the abdomen; that the former in its entirety represents spiritual
and the latter in its entirety material issues; that the trachea and
its branches on the one hand, and the alimentary canal on the other,
respectively represent these issues more directly; that the fusing
and blending of these issues has for its result the phenomenon called
life; that the severance of these issues has for its result the
phenomenon called death; that there are thus positive limits, place,
and surroundings assigned to material and immaterial issues within the
sphere of our bodily existence, and that combined they pervade our
entire system; that all phenomena of life, especially all phenomena
of a spiritual nature, and among these more ostensibly those of vocal
utterance, owe their origin to these issues momentarily joining hands;
that in so doing there is a transitory fusion, which for an endless
number of purposes is brought about in an endless number of ways.
"He discovered further that the larynx, previously supposed to be the
_only_ instrument for the production of sounds, has its counterpart
in the 'replica' (the 'larynx' of the œsophagus), located beneath
the tongue and represented by the frænum linguæ and surrounding
cartilaginous tissues; that no vocal sound can be produced except
by the coöperation of the larynx with the replica. He discovered
the circulation of, and the origin of vocal sounds, and many other
important issues.
"Through his discoveries, if properly recognized, _all_ the sciences
dealing with life would have been placed upon a new and far more
reasonable and comprehensible basis than they had rested upon before.
"These discoveries would have tended to undermine the basis of every
materialistic school of philosophy, and to place those with spiritual
and ideal propensities upon higher and firmer ground. Had they been
properly appreciated and further expanded by others it would have
eventually become possible to develop _all_ our faculties to the full
extent of their ability, and to correct faults, errors, and defects
caused by wrong education or heredity, through the application of laws
at the very root of our existence; laws which were then, and in fact to
a great extent are to this day unknown.
"It may, in fact, be said without exaggeration that his discoveries,
which were all made within a period not exceeding five years,
outweighed in importance all other discoveries combined relating to
physiologico-psychical issues made previous to his time."
I can see many a reader smile after perusing the foregoing, and perhaps
saying:
"Here is a Jules Verne of a new type come to deal with a novel subject."
Yet the time will come when the reader will cease to smile, and look
upon these matters _seriously_. I do not mean, however, to throw down
a gauntlet to science on these momentous questions in _a vaunting
and reckless spirit_; but come as a petitioner rather, asking it to
investigate.
My time and generation are but like a flash from the orb of eternity,
but the laws I have discovered are as eternal as that orb itself. With
all the scientific investigations now going on, there has not even an
approach been made which might have led up to them; nay, not a hint
or a hypothesis, even, leading toward the same. Science, in fact, had
nothing to do with them; the first man might have made them almost as
well as the latest. They are all grappling with matter, while I have
grasped the spirit that is in, yet above, all living matter.
In making these discoveries I have bent a sail upon the crafts
of physiology and psychology, which have been aimlessly, almost
hopelessly, drifting on the shallow waters of the examination of
isolated material phenomena. This sail will enable them to reach the
broad expanse of the ocean, where they will be able to make soundings
in its deepest waters.
Professor Huxley declared that during his fifty years of experience as
a student and teacher not one thing really _new_ had ever come under
his observation. Had he lived to become acquainted with these facts I
feel confident he would have declared them to be new.
The venerable Professor Virchow, the other day, in an address before
the International Congress of Physicians at Moscow, made use, in
substance, of these words: "The cell is immortal--there must have
been a previous cell for its generation. On this fact as a basis
(ascertained by the aid of the microscope) the science of the coming
century may securely rest."
And he set this down as the greatest achievement of science in respect
to the recognition of the phenomena of life. Yet there is nothing
more fallible than the microscope in ascertaining facts regarding
the knowledge of life. It may to some extent reveal the essence of
_matter_, but it is not given to it to assist in recognizing the
principles which govern life and the _spirit_ of life.
FRAGMENTS
This book, in a sense, is a personal narrative, and necessarily must
be so, giving an account, as it does, of observations in experiments
upon myself. In making these experiments I have endeavored to treat
myself impersonally, as a subject, so to say, placed at my disposal
for experimental purposes; my ego having been the object as well as
the subject of my investigations. In occasionally speaking of the
results thus obtained in a eulogistic manner, this should not be looked
upon as self-praise, therefore, but rather as an impersonal mode of
describing what has come under some one's observation--this "some one"
being myself. I want to place the matters I have observed before the
reader in the right light, and do not hesitate to say or fear to say
just what I think to be the truth. If I were to wait for others to say
these things the reader who does not comprehend their latitude as I
do might have to wait a long time before he could grasp the subject
in its entire importance. I want to say this much as an apology and a
vindication for frequent indulgences in apparent self-eulogism.
I have another motive for making such remarks; viz., the desire of
rousing the scientific world from its apathy regarding these matters.
These laudatory remarks may wound its pride, and possibly arouse its
ire,--more especially in view of their coming from a layman,--and
thus induce it to study these matters, if but for the purpose and
with the view of controverting them. I would hail such an endeavor
with pleasure, not having the slightest fear of its ability to
successfully controvert any of the vital facts I have ascertained, and
whose correctness I expect to prove by a great array of facts with
accompanying proofs.
When I first began to make these studies, I made numerous notes as new
features happened to present themselves to my mind. I have encountered
no inconsiderable difficulty in sifting this material so as to present
my experiences in as connected and consecutive a manner as possible.
In this, however, I have only partially succeeded; nor have I been
able to altogether avoid repetitions. For these shortcomings I must
plead a want of time. For some time past, however, my experiences have
accumulated so rapidly that I have ceased to take any notes whatever,
trusting to my memory that these mental notes may be recalled at the
proper time. No doubt some things, even of importance, have thus been
lost sight of. Still, while pursuing similar studies, they may in the
course of time turn up in some one else's mind.
In looking over some of my notes I have found things which I have
deemed worthy of preservation. I let some of these follow in a
promiscuous manner. This, it must be admitted, is not in accordance
with scientific usage. But I am not a scientist, simply an amateur;
and take advantage of the privileges this fact gives me. If I were to
conform to strict scientific rules and "etiquette," years might elapse
before I could get these matters into proper shape. It will always
remain a mystery to me, however, why these things should have come to
me at all--so unworthy, so unadapted to their proper exposition. In
order to do them justice, they should have come to one complete master
of his time, young, strong, possessed of a wide range of knowledge and
a deep insight.
I will now let follow some of the matters I have spoken of:
My personality and my work must go together, until others relieve me
of the latter by making it _their_ work to the same extent that I have
made it mine. You cannot separate the fiddle from the fiddler, neither
having any significance apart from each other, except by the fiddler
perpetuating that which the fiddle produces--the composition,--by
writing it down, thus transmitting it to others. This I am trying to do
by this book.
No doubt some of the things which have come under my observation in
some form or other are already known to science, and are, therefore, a
corroboration, or an explanation, only, of things already known. With
me, nevertheless, _all_ is original; and I may therefore justly claim
that if any of these matters have been discovered before, I, at least,
have _re-discovered_ them.
If I were an institution possessing a guaranty of continued existence I
might value the present lightly, knowing a future would come when these
matters will be fully understood. Being a creature of the present,
however, which may be turned into the past--especially at my time of
life--at almost any moment, these matters should become known at the
earliest opportunity; some of them being of so subtle a nature that
they may require personal explanation and illustration. They have been
hidden from us in the past; should they fail to be made known now, _the
same opportunity may not arise again for centuries_.
* * * * *
I do not claim any special sagacity over others for having made these
discoveries, and disbelieve altogether in miraculous interposition. Yet
I do not want to be prejudiced in any direction.
We are surrounded by the mysterious and the miraculous; and that which
is called "natural" as a rule is far more mysterious than that which is
called "miraculous."
"Truth is stranger than fiction"; which is undoubtedly true. We can
imagine that only of which we have at least _some_ knowledge, but there
are realms of truth beyond us of which we have _no_ knowledge. Besides,
these revelations are of so extraordinary a nature that I cannot
altogether close my eyes to the fact that I _may have been led on to
them_ by agencies beyond my personal power of volition. I will cite but
one reason why such an idea might be justly entertained by me.
That which originally led me on to these investigations, as already
mentioned, was the simple desire to speak the English language just as
native-born persons speak it. Although I eventually became aware of the
fact that this was next to impossible, yet I persisted in this endeavor
to such an extent that I spent far more time on it than it would have
deserved had I been _convinced_ that I would be finally successful.
Again and again I said to myself, "This is a foolish, absurd, unworthy
undertaking for a person of intelligence"; the next minute I was at
it again, trying to utter this sound or pronounce that word in the
"correct English fashion."
I want to ask, What was it that impelled me to thus persist, almost
against my wish, will, and better insight? When, after many years
of this almost wanton endeavor, I discovered the dual nature of the
voice, I could not help but think that an influence beyond myself had
been exercised to impel me to persist in these efforts, which were
then crowned with a success of a different order, and far beyond any
previous expectation. _I then found what I had been after unknown
to myself._ To simply say I was "infatuated" would not explain this
strange adherence to what for a long while looked like a vain and
hopeless undertaking.
I am aware that for me to say, as I have just now said, "I cannot
altogether close my eyes to the fact that I may have been led on by
agencies beyond my personal power of volition," may expose me to
ridicule in the eyes of some persons; besides being a contradiction to
my other convictions. Yet I say so deliberately and am quite willing to
abide by the consequences. It is a case of the duality of our nature,
which impels me to take a naturalistic or biogenetic view of things in
one direction, yet forces me to take a spiritualistic or abiogenetic
view of them in another direction. I do not comprehend those who under
_all circumstances_ are capable of pursuing either the one direction or
the other.
* * * * *
I might say I have been on a prospecting tour to a _new_ country, where
I found the outcroppings of numerous veins of precious ore. These veins
are _true fissure veins_, penetrating, as they do, into the very bowels
of the earth; and it will take centuries to exhaust them in all their
_dips, spurs, and angles_.
* * * * *
It will be a matter of surprise that a layman, one not of the tribe
which make science the pursuit of their lives, should have penetrated
into these mysteries. It must not be lost sight of, however, that
science, as a rule, deals with things visible and tangible, while the
voice is a sensation which, regarding its origin in the ego, cannot be
observed outside of the ego. One may by close observation trace the
origin of one's voice to its innermost channels, and thus learn much
about the subtlest characteristics of its nature, a proceeding to which
it would not be possible to subject any one else's voice. The same
conditions prevail in regard to other sensations which have also come
under my, at least, partial observation.
* * * * *
Science, as a rule, has been satisfied with the observation of results,
of phenomena, without attempting to penetrate into causes, which seemed
to be unalterably hidden from its gaze. Special features, however, of
the voice have been ably and successfully observed and described by
many eminent persons. To these I have not given any attention, partly
because they were beyond my sphere, and partly (not being a musician)
because they were beyond my power of observation.
* * * * *
In looking for the voice, anatomy in its minute examinations of the
larynx has but opened up a grave for us to gaze into. And what have we
beheld? A skeleton of the voice's body--of its soul not a trace. This
skeleton, to boot, is but a _portion_ of the mechanism of the voice;
of its other parts, equally important, science has not even known that
they were in existence. Like a palæontologist or an archæologist, I
have dug up these other parts or fragments from all around; some were
found close at hand, others quite a distance off. I have skilfully put
them together, and have thus constructed a fairly _complete_ torso, or
framework of the voice. I say "torso," though I may justly claim more
than that, having again infused the soul into it which had fled from
it; and, see, it has become a _living thing_.
That the wonderful apparatus contained in the throat is for a purpose
there cannot, of course, be any doubt. It is but partly for the
purpose attributed to it, however, and, until we better comprehend
this part-purpose, especially in view of the fact _that we have no
control over its mechanism_, it will be best, as far as singers and
elocutionists are concerned, to surrender it to and leave it with the
anatomists.
To the ultimate aim of science--the knowledge of life--I have
contributed matters of a nature deemed beyond the province of the
knowledge of man. Was it ever intended that they should be known? On
more than one occasion I have been puzzled to know whether to go on
with these investigations; whether I had a _right_ to go on with them.
Still, I was sustained by the fact that I had been _led on to them_.
For what other purpose could this have been done but for that of
making the results thereof known? They could serve no good purpose in
remaining locked up _within myself_.
It is my belief that the ordinary course of events is never interfered
with; but that _great_ events may be inaugurated by unseen agencies and
guided by unseen hands. The responsibility which has devolved upon me,
incompetent and unprepared as I am, is almost too great; still, I must
try to discharge it to the best of my ability.
* * * * *
I have no personal motive of either fame or fortune. At one time I
would have been pleased with such results; now it is too late. If not
in my day, some day, I trust, some one will read and comprehend; some
one will not mind the trouble of investigation. It is not likely that I
shall _forever_ remain the only "seeing one."
It would have been better if I had not published a line for at least
ten years. It would have taken that long to say what I want to say,
_properly_. My time is too uncertain, however, to run such a risk. My
friends are falling to the right and left by the roadside. I must be up
and doing; must make a beginning at least.
We must be satisfied with reaching matters approximately, and argue by
analogy to some extent; and also hope that others will take them up and
push them along a little farther than we have been able to do. Perhaps
in the course of time a perfect insight may be arrived at.
* * * * *
The community of man is a necessity; a separate existence, an anomaly.
We are dependent and interdependent upon one another. Man cannot
escape his fellow-man. In the remotest desert his spirit is still in
communication with him. If it were not so, who would not at times want
to flee all, escape from all?
I have but one fear--inability, for some reason or other, to finish
my work. I feel like the heroine of a celebrated German novelist,
travelling about with a trunk filled with gold, which she distributed
among the _deserving poor_ as fast as she came across them. Meanwhile
she was in constant fear lest her life should ebb out before all was
distributed, and its precious contents _lost_ to those for whom they
were intended. If there were any way of imparting this knowledge
other than by writing it down, I would gladly resort to it. But how
can I reach the few who are capable of and willing to take up these
questions, except by communicating them to the many? These "few" will
be found in all parts of the world, for these truths apply to _all_
men, independent of sex, race, or country.
* * * * *
My cry is not for recognition. My personality might be blotted out,
like that of millions of others, without its being noticed, yet, by
virtue of this trust which has been reposed in me, what a loss it would
be! My cry is for investigation and the coöperation of others, so that
this work may be carried on independent of myself. Meantime, I cannot
transfer this task to others. I must first explain all that it is in my
power to explain. I can then shift it from my shoulders onto theirs.
They must be educated up to it before they can take hold of it as I
have taken hold of it.
* * * * *