Mr. Dugald Stewart, who has written an interesting article on
ventriloquism in the appendix to the third volume of the "Elements of the
Philosophy of the Human Mind," has, we think, taken a very imperfect view
of the subject. He not only doubts the fact, that ventriloquists possess
the power of fetching a voice from within, but "he cannot conceive what
aid the ventriloquist could derive in the exercise of his art from such an
extraordinary power, if it were really in his possession." He expresses
himself "fully satisfied, that the imagination alone of the spectators,
when skilfully managed, may be rendered subservient in a considerable
degree to the purposes of the ventriloquist;" and he is rather inclined to
think, that "when seconded by such powers of imitation as some mimics
possess, it is quite sufficient to account for all the phenomena of
ventriloquism of which we have heard."
From these observations it would appear, that Mr. Stewart had never
witnessed those feats of the ventriloquist where his face is distinctly
presented to the audience--a case in which he must necessarily speak
_from within_. But independent of this fact, it is very obvious that
there are many imitations, especially those of the cries of particular
animals, and of sounds of a high pitch, which cannot be performed _pleno
ore_, by the ordinary modes of utterance, but which require for their
production that very faculty, of which Mr. Stewart doubts the existence.
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