Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-29


''Somc ten or twelve years ago made some
experiments upon the subject of Unconscious
Bias in Walking The experiments were not
numerous, but they left no doubt In my mind
as to the cause of divergence from straight
path. My notes were sent, at my fathers sug-
gestion, TO the late Mr.. Douglas Spalding, who
was about to undertake experiments on the
curious power which animals have of finding
their way. | rather think he made some trials
with pigs but believe he never published any
thing on the subject. In stating my results
am compelled therefore. to rely on memory
only.
IL BEGAN with walking myself, and getting
various friends to walk. with eyes shut i'm a
grass field. Veal walked with amazing crook
edneSs in paths which were not far removed
from circles. I.myself and Mr. Gallon on the
first trial described circles OF not more than fifty
yards in diameter. although we thought we
We're going straight. and afterwards [ was gen
orally unable to impose q sufficiently strong
conscious bias in one direction to annu the un-
conscious bias in the other. believe we all
dlverged to the right excepting one of us who
was strongly eft-handcd
81 then got eight village schOOlboys, from ten
TO twelve years of age, and offered a shilling to
the boy who should walk straightest blindtold
Before the contest however | busted some
OF the boys walk over it, measured their strides
from right to left and left to right They were
also made to hop. and the foot on which they
hOpped was noted; they were then made to
Jump over stick, and the foot from which
they sprang was entered; lastly. they were
instructed to throw a stone. and the hand with
which they threw was noted. Each of these
tests was applied twice over
81 think they were all right handed in throw
ING a store. but | believe that two OF them ey
hahn ,artI loft
The six who are totally rlght-handed strobe
longer from left to right than from right to lett.
hoped on the left leg, and rose in jumping
from that leg One boy pursued the opposite
course. and the last walked irregulary but
with no average difference between his strides
When told to hop he hoped on one leg, and in
the repetition on the other. and ! could not
clearly make up my mind which leg he used
most in jumping. When took them into the
field. made the boys successfully take good
look at stick at about forty yards distance
and then blindfOlded them and started them to
walk. guiding them straight for the first three
or four PAGES. The result was that the left
legged boys all dverged to. the right, the right
legged boys diverged to the left and the
one who would not reveal himself won the
prize. The trial was repeated second time
with closely similar results. although the prize
winner did not walk nearly SO straight on a
second trial.
81 also measured the strides of myself and of
cOhC vi my HiCHus, anu the same cOnnpc
ton between divergence and comparative
length of stride. My own step from lett to
right is about quarter of an inch longer than
from right to left. and | am strongly right
handed.
Comment on these experiments seems need
less, and they entirely confirm Mr. Larden in
his view.
ut seems to be generally held that right
leggedness is commoncr than the reverse; this |
maintain to be incorrect | believe that nine
out OF ten strongly right-handed persons are
left-legged. Every active effort with the right
hand is almost necessarily accompanied by an
effort with the left leg, and right handed man
Is almost compelled to use his left leg more titan
the other. believe that Sir Charles Bell con-
sldered that men were generally right legged
ana sought TO derive the custom of mounting
horse from the left side from the fact that the
right leg is stronger than the other | suprest
as almost certain that we mount on that side
because the long sword is necessarily worn on
the left, and would get between our legs if we
went to the Offsde OF the horse Some of YOUR
readers may perhaps be able to tell us whether
the Chinese do not wear their short swords on
the right and mount their horses from the right
81 will not hazard Il conjecture as to WHY the
rule of the road in Great Britain and inside of
the towns of Florence and of SalZburg On. is
different from that adopted by the rest of the
world. For an armed hOrseman the English rule
is, presume more advantageous, both tor at
tack and defense"