The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1876-01-12

! halted at the gate for q moment.
and then, seeing no prying policemen
concluded to walk the length Of the
lot once or twice before ! entered the
house. bad just goE opposite the
curtain which was drawn up, and /
saw the form of the Professor. In a
moment be perceived me, aud, open
ing the window, be called to me. Al
bis invitation | entered the study,
not by the door, but by clsmbering
through the window, which was but
q few feet from the ground. Warm
as tho night was, a bright fire was
burning in the CRATE, and from the
strange instruments and apparatus
lying on The table and about the
room | concluded that the Professor
had been experimenting. He was
unusually cordial, invited me to a
seat, and opened the conversation
with a few commonplace remarks.
We must have talked for nearly an
hour, when / inquired how the
Phenician exiles were getting on.
"a Gg for Fenish," exclaimed the
Professor, II am engaged in much
greater scheme. | have made a dis
coyery that will be Of inealculable
benefit to mankind"
Indeed" | asked" what is il?n
The Professor sat on one side of
the table | occupied a place opposite
him. For q mom,nt be was silent,
aud then glsncing around the room
aud giving a preparatory cough, be
spoke as if addressing his class at the
college:
"You are familiar" said be, with
the faculty called memory sense
that varies in each individual. 10
men it deals with generalities; with
women it is mostly coguizant Of
specialties. For instance, a woman
will remember the matrimonial ring
and exact cut of a garment worn by
another person, while a man will on
ly recall that the person in question
either looked well or badly. In a
history class of both sexes the f.
males will soonest commit and re-
member longest the dates. But they
readily forget what the males viii
remember lOngest-the general effect
of the occurrences that happened on
those dates"
This is simple memory, but there
is another faculty akin to it, vet of a
finer and more subtle description.
You are sitting in front Of your win
dow on a rainy day. You have
nothing to do, and you ere listlessly
looking out at the passing people
Every one carries an umbrella. A
woman passes on the opposite side Of
the street; her umbrella coDcea!s her
face, and a long waterproof her fig
ure. She is one among many. You
merely notice that she is passing,
and take 10 cognizauce Of her gait or
peculiarities. As o 0 as she goes
beyond the range OF your vision no
more memory Of her remains than il
she had never passed that way. That
same afternoon, Is you are going
home, you meet the same person in
the street car, and, without remem-
bering her, ~ius;inctively know her.
You cant tell where you have met
her, and are not sure that YOU ever
did.
There IS still a finer sense than
this. An incident occurs, q very
trivial one NAV be, but YOU feel con-
fdent aud SURF that the same thing
has happened before, aud that YOU
know il then as well as now. The
theory Of metempsychosis may ac'
count for it in part, but it does not
satisfy. There is something beyond
it; a subtitle sort Of refined sense, and
what it is all savants have puzzled
over. Fairfield. Lecky, Owen. have
studied the subject and and have
been forced &c give it up as beyont
their powers. In the case Of thu
phenominal mind-reader, who seem.
to have this unknown and unnamed
sense in q high degree of develop
Inent, Professors Dyman, Thatcher
: Marsh, and others, whose attainment
! are undoubted, confessed ,hemselve
, utterly at q loss for a season. Pro
: fessor Croker said the nerve cur
rent is some mode Of force corelativ
3 with electricity That expressio
| nearly foreshadowed my discovery
The cause for all of this mystery j
found in nervous galvanism."
d During this lecture-like talk | ba
been watching the Professor closely
! His eyes had increased in b%rillianc
o until they fairly sparkled, and hi
hands twitched as if be bad lost a
control of them. Several times
was on the point of smiling inc-edI
lousy, but the object of my Wis
prevented me. When the Profess
IS paused in bis talk it was in suca
.e manner as TO imply that some remar
0 from me was expected, so / sal
"WeI?n
le WELL echoed the Professo
"a you seem TO doubt the truth of m
L proposition. / will prove its reliab;
ity."
He began collecting the apparatl
On and putting it in order. Three lor
I'd glass rods | had noticed upon Il
D, table fitted into a metallic cap an
nt formed q tripod Adjustable in heigt
p a steel band about a feet in diamete
TO which were attached screws
that the size could be con.racte
l was produced from a drawer, and
at it an insulated wife was fastene
IT. As soon as these arrangements we
. perfected the Professor said, Nv
b. you be kind enough to sit in ii
chair?"
h For an instant the thought that t
Professor had some sinister mott
flashed through my mind. but | d
ie- not dare displease him, and thinkil
a of Clio | sat in the chair pointed
af- me. ! noticed that the legs of Il
ct chair terminated in glass knobs, al
on that it was placed at some dis,an
its from the other articles of ~furnitul
We After | bad seated myself. the trip,
ad was placed owe me and the ste
Id ring or band was adjusted about n
ni- head, the end of the wire leadi
lis fromit being connected with a G
DC vanometer. The Professor watch
70 the latter instrument closely.