Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-12-06
Senator Beck's Faculty.

Talking about peculiarities of mems
minds, beard Senator Beck tell queer
story the other day." said a gentleman
to some friends, the other nig ht. 1--WE
were Gil discussing the same subject
that is up now, when Senator Beck re-
marked that he thought popularity of
his brain had done him great deal of
harm in his life. i first noticed it, said
the Senator, when l was boy going to
school in Scotland. had strict old
preacher for tutor, and, with a num-
Der of other boys, went to the par
sonage to be educated. One night
1 was very sleepy, and still had a
long Latin lesson to get off. l tried
hard to learn it; but almost before was
aware 1 would be doing. At length
read the exercise through in a half
dreaming condition, and with the Latin
all in tumble in my head, l went to
sleep. Iawoke the next morning with
my brain thoroughly clear, and, strange
to say, all the antiquities of my difficult
lesson were made plain, and l read the
Latin without balk. The same thing
happened second time, and l again
found that when went to sleep with a
confused idea of my lesson, learning it
while half doing, awoke with all my
knitted points unravelled. 1t became
my custom after that to read my tasks
over just before going to bed, and never
failed to have them in the morning. My
strict old tutor, saw that never studied,
and thought one of the other boys was
helping me. At length he gave me a
page of Livy to translate, and told me
if did not have it for him the next
morning he would fog me. He then
forbid any of the boys to come near me
and watched my actions. l read the
lines as usual before going to sleep, and
sure enough the next day 1 had them
pat as you please. He never troubled
me after that. Well, the year passed
by, till l began to put too much faith
in it and depended almost entirely
upon my mysterious helper. Some
time ago phrenologist came to examine
my family's heads, and they all went
wild over him. Ipaid no attention to
their talk, though my wife urged me to
give the man trial. One day, however,
he met me, and was so persistent that l
at length sat down to him. He said that
he would examine my head for three
dollars, and give me chart for five dol
lars. told him three dollars was all l
would throw away, and he began to
name my characteristics. At length he
said: "YOu have one faculty that is fully
developed. 1t is spirituality. You have
that faculty developed to a marked de-
II do
dunn. Your mind is capable of working
separate from your body-that is, it can
perform mental labor while the body is
at rest and knows nothing of it. You
sometimes solve difficult problems
while you are asleep, and wake
up in the morning without
knowing that you have been at
work ''Here is five dollars" said /;
"a man who knows as much as Won do
deserves it." My strange faculty.
continued Senator Beck, whether it is
spirituality or not, is growing weaker.
can hardly explain the action of my
mind during these abnormal spells. l
see the lines and words before my
minds eye, and, without knowing the
process, or, indeed, being aware of any
process, l work on the problem
You remember John Sherman's
anccdote of Beck continued the gen.
tleman. Beck was working day and
night on the Tariff bill, when a member
wondered how he got any rest. Oh
said Senator Sherman, who was present,
Beck rests himself when he makes a
speech A man who can work when he
should rest himself may be pardoned if
he rests when he should work. Louis
CiIle COurier-JOurndL.