The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-09
AN OLD PROBLEM.
The Habit of Waking Ones Self at a Given
Hour-A Useful Faculty"
-Aplin Dana.

The habit of Walking Ones Self at a Given
Hour-A Useful Faculty"
American Architect.
An old problem of the Psychologists has been
revived by letter to La Nature, written by
French business man, who mentions that for
years he has been in the habit of waking him
self at any hour in the Snorning that he Wishes
simply by lmpressing 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 Evening
Post in speaking of his letter. says that Ma
poleon is related to have had the same faculty
but adds that its existence has never been veri
lied. We imagine that this experience is
not so rare as the Evening Post sup
poses, and that person need not be a
Napoleon to be favored with this useful
faculty" We have very distinct recollection
of many instances i'll which we have ourselves
tried the experiment with success and at one
time when it was necessary for considerable
period for US to wake certain days of the week
at very early hour, to take the first train to
the place where our services were then needed,
we had an opportunity of studying the circum-
stances under which this peculiar species of self
control is most easily exercised During this pc
Rod we found no difficulty in waking regularly
within ABOUT five minutes Of the time necessary
to enable us to reach the train comfortably al
though for portion of the time this involved
getting up long before daylight; but we discov-
cred, also, that in order to wake with pre-
quietly untilit arrived it necessary to look
at our watch just before going to sleep. If we
neglected this precaution we were apt to sleep
uneasily, waking first nour or more before
the proper time and allowing ourselves in conse
quence only short maps afterward until the
proper minute arrived for getting up. What
ever part of our mind it might have been that
took charge of waking US seemed to begin its
count of the hours from the time at which we
composed ourselves to Sleep and if we did not
inform ourself of this our unconscious reckon
ing was cOrrespondingly uncertain, and the
effort to wake vague; but if we took clear note
of the time in the evening we could sleep peace
fully through the whole of the allotted interval
sure OF being aroused at or very near its expira-
ton.
Another condition of waking we found to be
the occurance of some small external event,
Though which, it were, the internal effort
could take effect upon our senses very
tri1ing circumstance flutter of a leaf out
side the window, the chirp of bird. or any other
of the unnumbered sounds of early morning
was sufficient, if it happened at the right time,
to wake us by sort of Haagnifying process
which at that momefe gave the power of start
ling us t,y a noise which would at other times be
unnoticed but without such sensible impression
we think we should not have walked. In fact,
on one or two occasions we remember 20 have
been impressed with dim consciousness of
waiting for something to happen before waking
and moment later trif1ing sound would open
our senses with a little shock, To the necessity
of waiting for this impression small as it might
be- we were disposed to attribute the varia-
ton of minute or two either way from the ex-
act moment assigned for waiting, which might
otherwise be kept with exact punctuaity.