---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Merrill, Harrison R.
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 33
number: 3
published: 1930-01
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: "Harrison R. Merrill, “Dr. Harvey Fletcher: Friend of the Listener,” *Improvement Era* 33, no. 3 (January 1930): 198–200."
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3303unse
  transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers.
  identifier: improvementera3303unse
start_page: 198
end_page: 200
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1930-01)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3303unse
  publication_year: 1930
  note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1930, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# Dr. Harvey Fletcher: Friend of the Listener

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^r. Harvey Fletcher Friend of the Listener" <By PROF. HARRISON R. MERRILL - i DID you hear that? — But pshaw, pictures don't talk!" It was probably your grandfather or even your father, or it might perchance have been you if you are out of your teens, who made that exclamation when some clever vaudeville actor or magician on the stage presented a "talking" picture, faked of course. For in those days — let me see, how long ago could it have been — pictures did not talk. But they do now, and very well, indeed. Who performed the miracle? Of course no one man did it, but there are men more to be credited than others. Standing in the front rank of these are those in the Acoustical Research Division of the Bell Tel- ephone Laboratories of which Dr. Harvey Fletcher, formerly of Provo, is director. ^THIRTY years ago next fall A when Harvey Fletcher, then a mere "unrough" youth registered at Brigham Young University as a high school student, his name went down on the register among scores of others. No one knew that a genius who was to help revolution- ize the world of sound — or should I say hearing — had set his feet upon the long trail leading to world distinction. During his college career, young Fletcher assisted in the laboratories of the school while it was in session and went out with surveying parties during the sum- mer. In that way he paid his own expenses and in addition acquired a genuine and lasting interest in the physical world around him. It was while he was in college that he, in con- nection with Professor J. E. Hickman, put on in the Utah stake taber- nacle, as many a college student of physics has done or might do, an experiment with the Faucault Pendulum. This was but the begin- ning of his experimental activities. One problem followed another in rapid succession until he found himself working over time on his laboratory experi ments. A! D R. Harvey Fletcher is the in- ventor of the Audiometer, a scien- tific device for measuring one's hearing ability. This device is a product of the Western Electric Company and has been used by physicians and surgeons for many years. It has recently been perfected so that now, by means of ear phones, one hundred school children can have their hearing tested at once. Most of the large up-to-date school systems employ this scientific method of finding whether or not children can hear normally. Salt Lake Public Schools have for many years employed this device. S an indication that great oaks from small acorns do grow in actual life, it is interesting to know that Dr. Fletcher declares it was the small stipend paid him for his work in the laboratory, which as- sisted him in paying his expenses through school, that probably cre- ated in him an interest in physics. After finishing his work at B. Y. U. he went on in his chosen profession to the heights of a Ph. D. degree granted by the Univer- sity of Chicago. Later he re- turned to Provo to teach, where he inspired many another young man Dr. Harvey Fletcher, nurse and Patient with Audiometer and he responded, for he was pre- pared. He knew that with the vast resources of the Bell Tele- phone Laboratories behind him, he would be able to follow his dreams into the unknown in a manner that would be impossible at home where funds were not plentiful. CINCE 1916, with millions of money behind him, he has been following out his theories with splendid results. His work has been largely in the field of acous- tics, where he has become a world authority. Only last year he was elected president of the Acoustical Society of America, perhaps the to follow the "gleam" in the field highest honor_ that could be paid to of physics. When the Bell Telephone Lab- oratories began casting about for men to carry on their important problems of research, Harvey Fletcher was already well known a man in his field of labor. Among the membership of this society will be found many of the greatest names in the world of acoustical science. Sixteen patents have been issued in the field of science. Though he from the U. S. patent office in his was hidden among the mountains name. A number of these inyen- of far off Utah, these men knew tions are used for our daily enjoy- all about him. They sent the call ment of the radio, the phonograph,

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The Improvement Era for January, 1930 199 the telephone, and the "talkies." This wizard of sound, assisted by his staff, has made the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak again after having through accident or opera- tion lost their vocal organs. Elec- trical appliances have been devel- oped to aid these unfortunates. Dr. Fletcher has many scientific articles and one book to his credit. The book published only recently is "Speech and Hearing," an im- portant contribution to science and art. \\7HEN asked what he looked upon as being his greatest contributions to the welfare of the world, he gave the following four : 1. Guidance of a group that has done the fundamental research work which has made possible the present good quality of speech and music reproduction from the radio, talking pictures, and the phono- graph. 2. Invention of apparatus for testing the hearing of school children and instituting a program of annual surveys among them. It is expected that when this pro- gram gets into full swing, it will save hundreds of thousands of per- sons from becoming deaf. 3. Work with Professor R. A. Millikan which showed very definitely that electricity is atomic in nature. 4. Contribution to the theory of hear- ing for which he received the Louis Levy Medal. Dr. Fletcher has traveled the road of science from the bottom to the summit and well beyond the apparent summit that existed when he began his journey. In fact, in a very real sense, he has pulled the summit up after him. He is still a Latter-day Saint in the finest sense of the term, not yet too wise to believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ or to follow the lead of the boy prophet, Joseph Smith. Upon being asked what his attitude to- ward the Church was, he replied in a characteristic fashion: "I have been president of deacon's quo- rum, president of elder's quorum, president of ward M. I. A., stake superintendent M. I. A., president of the New York branch ten years." Upon being asked what his present attitude is, he replied simply, "I am teacher of the adult class in Sunday School." His atti- tude toward the Word of Wisdom was expressed thus: "I have been and am an observer of it as pertains to tea, coffee, tobacco, and liquor. It has been a great asset to me. People generally respect me for it." AST year I met him in the halls of Brigham Young University. He had with him his son and daughter who were registering at O, NE of the unique characteristics of Dr. Harvey Fletcher is his ability to transmit his enthusiasm to others. While a teacher of physics at the Brigham Young University, he in- spired a number of men who have also achieved eminence in the field of physics. One can think of at least six Latter-day Saint boys who have secured their Ph.D. in physics and are now scattered throughout the country and filling important re- searching positions in this field. They are as follows: Dr. Carl Eyring, Professor of Physics at the Brigham Young Uni- versity— now on leave of absence doing research work at the Bell Telephone Company Laboratories in New York City. Dr. C. Ray Olpin, also with the Bell Telephone Laboratories. Dr. Joseph C. Carroll, director of the Physical Laboratories Stan- ford University, Palo Alto, Cali- fornia. Dr. Milton Marshall, Professor of Physics, Brigham Young University. Dr. Wayne B. Hales, Professor of Physics, Weber Normal College. Dr. Vern O. Knudsen, Professor of Physics, Southern Branch of the University of California, and con- sulting expert in acoustics. The above are just a few of the many results of Dr. Fletcher's in- fluence while at the Brigham Young University. New York City Schools. First use of the Phonograph Audiometer. Supt. District, center; Assistant, right; Dr. Harvey Fletcher, left the school. A little surprised, I asked him why he had brought them to the "Y". He gave three reasons: "1. Because there is no place in the world where a more desirable attitude to- ward life can be cultivated. We consider this more im- portant than scholastic train- ing.^ "2. We wanted them to become better acquainted with their grandfather and grand- mother, and to feel their in- fluence. "3. We wanted them to have the experience of living in a community where most of the people are 'Mor- mons.' T RECENTLY had the pleasure of visiting Dr. Fletcher in his spacious office high up in the Bell Telephone Laboratory building, over- looking the Hudson river and the great New York docks. He received me graciously and spent an hour chatting about school days and in telling me OF a little of the work in which he is engaged.

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200 The Improvement Era for January, 1930 I found that he has control of a budget for research purposes larger than that available to many insti- tutions of higher learning and that he has working under his direc- tion a highly trained staff of scien- tists and experts. I was given a demonstration of the artificial larynx that has made it possible for more than fifty men and wom- en to resume vocal communication with their fellows. I also had a demonstration of the ear-testing of children by means of electrical apparatus which measures audibil- ity very definitely in various pitches and volumes, which Dr. Fletcher believes, will be of paramount im- portance in saving the hearing of hundreds of thousands of people. The hard of hearing all over the world as well as the voiceless have found relief in instruments evolved in the laboratories of this unique institution and, of course, the end is not yet. T\ R. Fletcher and his acoustical division have won the title, of Friend to the Listener, there is no doubt of that. He is now living with his family in Flushing, Long Island. Though he is rated among the world's leaders in acoustical research work, his most recent recognition being the appointment in October to a place on a committee of eleven scientists to assist in solving the noise menace of New York City, and though he is called to all sec- tions of the country to various conventions and consultations, he has remained an important and in- terested member of the Utah group in the metropolis. "Letting well enough alone" is a foolish motto in the life of a man who wants to get ahead. In the first place, nothing is "well enough," if you can do better. No matter how well you are doing, do better. There is an old Spanish proverb which says, "Enjoy the little you have while the fool is hunting for more." The energetic American ought to turn this prov- erb upside down and make it read, "While the fool is enjoying the little he has, I will hunt for more." The way to hunt for more is to utilize your odd moments. — Arthur Brisbane. More Honor for Utah Boys "T\R. ARTHUR L. BEELEY, of ^ the University of Utah, was recently honored with an appoint- ment as a member of President Hoover's White House Conference on Child Health and Protection. An energetic and useful member of the Y. M. M. I. A. General Board, Dr. Beeley is intensely in- terested in the proper development of young people, and his assign- ment to the Committee on Voca- ls R. CLAWSON Y. CAN- u NON, of the B.'Y. U. has just been appointed head of the Dairy Husbandry Department and chief in dairy husbandry investi- gation of the Iowa State College. It was from this college that Dr. Cannon took his master's and doc- tor's degree, and it was a well known fact that he was a bishop in the "Mormon" Church. In com- menting on his appointment, the tional Guidance and Child Labor is a fitting one and he will render excellent service thereon. He re- turned recently from New York City where, on December 2nd, the first meeting of the committee was held. Dr. Beeley is head of the De- partment of Sociology at the state university. For a number of years he was assistant professor of social economy at the University of Chi- cago, and his research and scholar- ship in the field of child welfare and mental hygiene are nationally known through his books and articles on the subject. He is rec- ognized as an authority in his chosen field. The testimony of our young men who have gone East and West to fill important positions is that, instead of being a bar to advance- ment, the fact that they are "Mor- mons" and are endeavoring to live in accordance with the teachings of their religion is actually an asset to them. Iowa papers stressed the fact that he was coming to them from the Brigham Young University, and Pres. R. M. Hughes was credited with the statement that Dr. Can- non was selected after they had made a canvas of the entire United States. The following excerpt from Dr. Hughes letter of appointment is interesting: "If you have any promising young men that you would want to bring on here on a fellowship, or in any other way that would facilitate your work, I would like to have you advise me, and possibly I can arrange it." Dr. Earl Weaver, former head of the Department of dairying writes: "I can say this sincerely and with- out flattery whatsoever, that you are fitted by practical experience, teaching experience and scientific training to render service in this department such as no other man in the country can render. I have known this to be the case for several years."