Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-10-18
Divide tie Attention.

OAe oi INC couInOu ways Ill which
the trouble arises is the mischieyous
practice of trying to do several things
at once, or to divide the attention.
A scholar will insist on having several
books open on his table before him, and
he unconsciously forms the habit of
spreading first his mental perceptions
and then his thoughts over wide field,
and of taking in the largest possible
number OF objects. At the outset this
Is habit Of physicomental sight, then
1t becomes habit of the intellectual or
ganism or 1t may begin as an intel
lectual exercise, and afterwards come to
be. In purely physical way, sensory.
Literary men often establish the DIS
tressing condition described, by work
which requires continual reference to
books or papers, and the clearing in
mind of large number of data for
the purpose of collation.. 1t is probable
that DIR. johnson, the great lexicogra-
pher, formed his habit of post-:ouchIng
In this way. Men whose mental work
consists In managing" may contract
the same habit if they are themselves
stationary-sitting in chair at par
ticular desk, while books, papers or per-
sons crowd in upon them. Another
and very diisimilar class of minds,
which, instead of being worried by a
multiplicity of brain work, have so little
to occupy their attention that their con-
sciousness forms habit of dallying
with the details of every little thing
that fails in Its way, suffers the same
malady. So long rs the habit is purely
mental it exerts mischievous effect on
the mind and lowers the tone of its in
tellectuality but it does not generally
attract attention until, OF unless, it ex-
tends to the senses; then the evidences
of doubt declare themselves, and the
mental state, finding expression III acts,
is rapidly confirmed. Tho evidence of
one sense is 10 longer sufficient to con-
vince the consciousness. What is felt
must be seen. what is seen must be felt
what has been done with one form OF
attention, acting through a particular
sense, must be repeated with another
form and sense. The victim of this
habit is not sure he has turned the key
properly in the lock unless he hears it
click, or he must see 1t turn or carefully
examine tine door to convince himself
that it is really shut. After time he
has to do this seyeral-it may be a num-
ber of-tlmes, c. g., three. seven. or
nine. So it is with everything. As he
walks along the streets he must touch
the posts or ratings, because the evil
dence of sight alone is not sufficient to
convince him of their tangibility. To
confirm visual impression Of separate
stones in the paving of the footpath, he
must tread on the centre of each. If he
misses one he must go back, or if the
process has not been properly performed
it will have to be repeated. Cases differ
widely in the particular manifestation
of this peculiarity, and it may occur Ii
any degree, ranging from mere resi-
fancy about leaving things to the eccen
tric acts l have enumerated. The trou
BILE is, however, the same under all its
divers forms and varieties. l do moi
mean to imply that the consciousness
knowingly reasons to the proposition
that corroborative evidence must be pro
cured by the application of additiona
sensory tests, but that is the method III
stinctively taken to remove the doubt
and it throws light on the nature OF th'
the neurosis. The consciousness Ii
doing work for which it is untitled, an'
it does it in fussy and clumsy fashion
which occasioned much needless effor
and is IN itself distressing.