Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-12-25
AN OLD PROBLEM.
The Habit of Waking Ones Self at a
Given Hour-A Useful Faculty"

An old problem Of the psychologists
has been revived by letter to La Na-
tatre, written by aFrench businessman.
who mentions that for years he has
been in the habit of waking himself at
any hour in the morning that he wish
ed, simply by impressing upon his
mind, before going to sleep, the fact
that he must wake at that time; and
saying further that he seldom varies
five minutes from the moment which
he has assigned himself.
The New York Erening Post, in
speaking of his letter, says that Napo-
leon [. is related to have had the same
faculty, but adds that its existence has
never been verified. We imagine that
this experience is not so rare as the
EUeping Post supposes, and that = per-
son need not be a Napoleon to be IA
yored with this useful faculty" We
have a very distinct recollection of
many instances in which we ourselves
tried the experiment with success, and
at one time, when it was necessary for
considerable period for us to wake on
certain days of the week at q very early
hour, to take the first train to the place
where our services were then needed,
we had an opportunity of studying the
circumstances under which this pecul-
lar species of self-control is most easily
exercised. During this period we
found no difficulty in waking regularly
within about five minutes of the time
necessary to enable us to reach the
train comfortably, although for por-
ton of the time this involved getting
up long before daylight; but we discov-
cred also that in order to wake with
precision at the right moment and to
rest quietly until it arrived it was nee
essary to look at our watch just before
going to sleep. If we neglected this
precaution we were apt to sleep uneas-
lily, waking first an hour or more be-
fore the proper time, and allowing our
selves in consequence only short maps
afterward until the minute arrived for
getting up. Whatever part of our
mind it might have been that took
charge of waking us it seemed to begin
its count of the hours from the time at
which we composed oursef to sleep,
and if we did not inform ourselves OF
this our unconscious reckoning was
CORRESPONDENCE uncertain, and the eff
fort to wake vague; but If we took a
clear note of the time in the evening,
we could sleep peacefully through the
whole of the allotted interval, sure of
being aroused at or very near its expi-
ration.
Another condition of waking we
found to be the occurrence of some
small external event, through which,
as it were, the internal effort could take
effect upon our senses. A very trifiin o
circumstance-the tiutter of leaf out
side the window, the chirp of a bird, or
any other of the unnumbered sounds of
early morning-was sufficient, if it hap
pened at the right time, to wake us by
a sort of magnifying process which at
that moment gave the power of start
ling us by q noise which would at other
times pass .unnoticed; but without such
sensible impression we think we should
not have walked. In fact, on one or
two occasions we remember we have
been impressed with dim conscious
ness of waiting for something to hap
pen before waking, and moment later
a trifing sound would open our senses
with little shock. TO the necessity
of waiting for this impression, small as
it might be, we were disposed to at
tribute the variation of minute or
two either way from the exact moment
assigned for waking, which might
otherwise be kept with exact punctual-
ity.-A?nerjcan Archjtect.