Page:Letters on the Human Body (John Clowes).djvu/68

48, that the true hearing of what your friend says to you will depend on the manner in which it is received by some interior faculty! For all speech, you must have observed, is made up, or consists of, two parts, viz. outward expression, and inward sentiment, which inward sentiment again consists of two parts, viz. one part affecting the understanding, and the other the will. Of course, the speech cannot be said to be completely heard, unless it be heard as to both its constituent parts. Suppose then, that whilst your friend is speaking to you, your mind (which is the proper organ of hearing) is intent upon other concerns, and therefore uninterested in your friend’s conversation, is it not possible, and even probable, that you will, in such case, receive only one part of his speech, viz. the outward expression; whilst the other part, viz. the inward sentiment, will not be received, thus not heard, because not attended to? Thus you will, at one and the same time, hear and not hear, since you will hear only an impulse on your bodily organ of hearing, but will not hear the impression intended to be made on your mental and only proper organ of hearing.

But it may be that the sentiment, contained in your friend’s discourse, was designed to affect, not only your understanding, but also your will, by requesting