The Lake County star., 1877-11-29


carver In wood, instead of being spoken
of as that helpless burden, the cripple
Rubi. ~
The Speed Of IdeaS.
1t is familiar idea that there are
quick witted people and slow witted
people, but 1t Is rather Q startling addi-
ton to the notion that the peace
Of mind may be measured by inches
and a clock, and dthat II we could estab-
lish a mental EPSON or Goodwood, we
could find q certain number, and no
more, Of men and women who could
pretend to-" enter" for the cup. Mr..
Francis Carton, #. r.. S., In his address
as President Of the AnthrOpOlogical
Department of the British Associa-
ton, this year, treated of this matter
with his usual originality, rs branch
OF the study :" of those groups Of men
who are sufficiently similar in their
mental characters to admit of classifi-
cation" What singular fact I'm IL
iustration Is the following, to which
he calls attention:
There exists-well recognized by as
tronomers "a phenomenon called
common observations of the exact mo-
ment when a star travels across the
fine vertical wire intersecting the field
of view of q telescope, some observers
always anticipate the event, and others
allow it to pass before they succeed in
noting 1t. This, Mr.. Gallon lsays, is
"by no means the effect of inexperi-
ence or maladroitness, but IL Is a per-
sistent characteristic of each individ-
ual, however practiced In the art of
making observation he may be-" The
difference between the time of q mans
noticing the event and that of its ac-
tual occurrence Is called "persOnal
equation" and II Is carefully ascer-
tanned for every assistant in every la
bratory, and is published along with
its observations. It is not too much to
say that the magnitude of q mans
personal equation thus indicates very
fundamental popularity of his consti-
tuition.
In q similar way, measurement
may be made of the length of time
taken tn receive an idea and act upon
it, by exhibiting a signal, and calling
on the observer to press q stop as
quickly as he can on seeing 1t. A little
time Is always lost in this process, and
still more appreciable interval, II
there be any alternative, such as q
black or white signal to be observed.
A series of such experiments, made on
q considerable number of persons, of
both sexes and of different ages,
statures, classes and natiOnalities,
would, we think, afford interesting and
not wholly useless results. In the
first place, account should be taken of
the obvious advantage possessed by
short people, In the lesser distance
which their sensations and yOlitions
have to travel along their nerves to and
from their brains-the velocity of such
travelling not exceeding the rate of an
express train.
Mr.. Gallon says that this fact ac-
counts for the superior quickness of
small animals In evading blows. Sure
ly, he might add that 1t offers an ex-
PLANTATION Of the proverbial dullness
and imperturbability of giants, and of
the special animation and sharpness
generally observable In little men and
little women. Between five feet and
seven feet and half there may well
be the proportion of two to three in the
rate of transmission of perceptions
from the foot to the brain and ii this
needs to be doubled by q return mes
sage down the motor nerves from the
brain to the foot ito deliver a kick,
the result would be that just double
the time Is needed by the big man as
by the little.
The same reason of course holds
good (if 1t be good at all) with respect
to the superior vivacity Of ponies over
horses, terriers over Newfoundland
dogs, and generally of all small breeds
of animals not too much dwarfed for
vigor or full development. Children
naturally loose the benefit Of their
small stature from want of full COM
mand and correlation of their faculties.
1t Is the opinion of Prof FIower-ex-
pressed in his splendid Hunterian
Lectures on the Osteology of the Ex-
tinct Mammalia"-that the large ami.
mails of the earlier epochs were all
slow of motion, and stupid, cOmpara-
lively to modern beasts. A mastodon
and one of the Prince of Wales
Nepaulese pony elephants may well
have had u very different mental
pace"
But we have lost this ciew of COM
parative size, whatever 1t may be
worth, when we seek an explanation
of the difference, still better marked
than those above noted, which exists
between men Of various nations and
Of the various classes of these nations.
Sandy from Scotland, John Bull from
England, Taffy from Wales, and Pat
from Ireland, travel mentally at PAGES
comparable to walk, trot, canter,
and gallop. The first, even IL he be
q very learned and able Scot indeed,
when he ats down at london diunor
parry es hnas b1 tSs dn oi two
ignorant Irishman, will keep pace,
tdnt bien que NAL. and scent joke in
the air, even If IL consist In allusion to
something of which he never heard in
his life.