Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-04-16
CURiosITfEs or xExORY.

greatly extending the ordinary meaning
Of the term, and Of indicating the relations
Of the resenfive mental faculty in the sys-
TEN Of nature In this view, every organ
OF plant or animal has q memory. The
Topped tree, the wounded limb, the face
marked by the virus OF the smallpox, all
have memory, and one as retentive SIS
that Of the brain-cells, 20 the record oi
whose ntarvelously-d delicate modifca-
tons we generally, and properly enough,
limit the name The characters In which
sill organic changes are written may be
said 10 be indelible. The scar of deep
wound, though IL may become less
marked with age, Is never effaced. SINH
larry, In brain not disorganized by in
Jury or disease, the records of memory
are stereotyped. To recall them To CON
scionsness may be wholly beyond our
power: we may think that they are lost TO
us forever, till something occurs 20 alter
10 an inappreciable degree the minute
nerve cells, and thus TO tear off the veil
which hid from US the thoughts and
events of the past.
Ii Is well known that in the agony of
drowning the veil is sometimes stripped
off The tablets OF memory, and the in
scriptions again made legible to con-
seriousness In the following case, mar.
rated by Oliver Wendell Holmes, the re-
vival Of the impression led to very prac-
tical result: A. held bond against
Ii. for several hundred dollars. When it
became due, he searched for IL, but could
| not find it. He told the facts to b., who
denied having given the bond, and init
mated fraudulent design on the part of
A, who was compelled 10 submit 10 the
loss and the charge against him. Years
| sfterward, b. was bathing in Charles
| River, When he was seized with cramp
| and nearly drowned. On coming 10 his
senses he went to his bookcase, took out
| book, and from between its leaves took
out the missing bond. In the sudden
picture of his entire life the putting the
bond in the book, and the book in the
bookcase, had been wildly represented.
Ones feelings Of justice are only partly
| satisfied by learning that the bond was
paid with interest. In case mentioned
| by DIR. Abercrombie, il would be difficult
| to give any feasible explanation OF the
revival Of the impression, unless on the
| IIibernian assumption that person may
remember what he never knew. A boy,
| at the age of four, received fracture of
| the skull, for which he underwent the
operation Of trepan. He was at the time
In state OF perfect stupor, and after re.
covery retained no recollection either of
the accident or the operation. AT the
age of fifteen, during the delirium Of a
fever, he gave his mother correct de.
scription of the operation and the per-
sons present at il, with their dress, and
other minute particulars. He had never
| alluded To 1t before, and no means were
| known by which he could have acquired
| a knowledge of the circumstances.
The foregoing are examples of exalta-
| ton OF memory under the conditions of
| injury or disease affecting the organ OF
| thought. But these reproductions OF the
| long. vanished forms Of the past not In
| frequently take place in perfect health.
| In many cases, the only taing wanted 70
| revive an impression is some link OF
association, either of place or circum-
stance. The story of young Montague,
whom q chimney-sweep had stolen, and
| whose aristocratic birth was ut last dis
covered by his recognizing his old nurs-
cry room, into which he had descended,
/ is an illustration true to nature OF the
recurrence of former impressions from
associations of place. A very striking
instance Of the revival of an early i'm
preston, to all appearance wholly oDliter-
ated from the memory, through the per
son being placed in the situation which
| originally gave II birth, is mentioned by
DR., Haslam. A lady taken to the country
| In the last stage of an incursble disorder
requested that her youngest child, a girl
| about four years OF age, might be sent
| for TO visit her, which was accordingly
| done. The child remained with her
mother about three days, and then re-
turned To town. She grew up without
any trace or recollection Of the visit, or of
her mother, or of the name of the village
in which she had last seen her. After
growing up TO majority, she had occasion,
along with DIR. Haslam, who had attended
her mother in her last illness, to visit
the house in which her mother died,
without knowing IL to have been SO.
On entering the room where her
mother had been confined, her eye
anxiously traversed the apartment, and
she said: ~ have been here before;
the prospect from the window Is quite
familiar TO me, and remember that In
this part of the room there was bed, and
a sick lady, who kissed me, and wept."
An illustration from the realm of fiction
will occur to the reader In the case OF Guy
Mannering. His return to the scenes OF
MS Cnll0nOOu 0Wakens uhln Ot Tenllnis-
cences which ccnduce to the development
of his history and legitimate claims. But
there are other associations equally pow.
erful with those of locality TO awaken
the long dormant forms Of the past. A
troop OF cavalry which had served on the
Continent was disbanded In York Sir
Robert Clayton turned out the old horses
in KnRvesmire to have their run for life.
One day, while grazing apart from each
other, o storm gathered, and when the
thunder pcaled and the lightning flashed
they were seen TO get together In perfect
order as ii they had their old masters on
their backs. The following case is hardly
one of revived memory, but Is given sim.
ply to illustrate the ludicrous effect Of
malaprop presentation Of an idea which
had shortly before been strongly impressed
on mind perhaps slightly affected with
post prandial exaltation. 1t Is related OF
Wharton, the Professor Of Poetry in Ok
ford, that after partaking Of a Sunday
dinner with Q friend he repaired TO his
service at the church. On his way he
was powerfully saluted with the cry of
"Live mackerell" During the singing
Of the psalm he slumbered In the pulpit,