Prof. E. W. Scripture contributes an article entitled “How the
Voice Looks” to a recent number of the Century. Professor
Scripture is director of the Psychological Laboratory of Yale
University, and if his views are accepted there promises to be a
revolution in vocal teaching. The illustrations tell some
curious stories. Here is one statement from the experimenter:
Not long ago I stated these facts to a well-known clef club, and
supported them by the curves of German vowels sung into and
traced from a phonograph by Professor Hermann, of Königsberg; by
pictures of spoken English vowels obtained in a different way by
Professors Nichols and Merritt, of Cornell; by analyses of
Finnish vowels by Dr. Pipping, of Helsingfors; by direct
observations of the vocal cords made by Dr. Musehold according
to a new method, and by the results of other investigations. The
statements were received with a dismay mitigated only by
incredulity. One member even remarked that such views “would, if
true, knock all our theories of voc