New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-08
SOME "NENTAL ACCIDENTS"
A MAN WHO LIGHTED MATCH TO SEE IF THE

GAS WAS BURNING.
A literary who is a victim OF absent-mlndedness
says that frequently after he gets into PED lie lies
awake and wonders why. lie Is conscious that some
thing is wrong, but cannot determine what IL Is.
Finally in desperation lie gets up, looks around and
discovers that the gas burning lie turns 1t out ana
goes promptly to Sleep The strange part OF TINS
falling is that he not infrequently has the same ex
perience and one would suppose when he found himself
wakeful in a lighted room his first thought would be
OF the lighted gas. This and few other examples
which are now recalled to indicate that literary
men are very likely TO be extremely absentminded
and suffer most from this falling Immediately after
having concentrated their minds upon their writing or
close reading.
One man has trouble in keeping his manuscript
sheets in order. After writing one sheet he Is likely
to toss it aside among old bits or discarded writings
He writes an extremely fine hand and In correcting
his manuscript he IS forced often TO rewrte whole
page. In such cases he tears up the old page 10
keep it from getting mingled with the others. AT
times however, after rewriting a sheet, with the
corrections which lie wishes to make, he innocently
up the manuscript and replaces the Old snec'
precisely where IL was, and Just as II was before
Later when lie discovers his old friend or enemy, say
page 49, he IS surprised 20 find that has not been
changed when he tanced that lie had completed his
work il not occurring 10 him at that moment that he
really had rewritten the page, but had again destroyed
1t.
A very remarkable case Of mind which leads 10
certain action by force OF habit when the thoughts are
elsewhere is that of another writer whose workshop
is on the second floor of his house. lie sits up late
every night and first thing he does after finishing
his writing or studying is to go down stairs and turn
ont the gas in the hall lie forgets to do this
Recenty however. lie went to the head OF the stairs
thinking Of work upon which his mind had been
intent lie was conscious in vague way Of '.avins
difficulty in finding his way down the stairs. When he
reached the hall lie affected by strange feeling
Of bcwilderment He perfectly aware that lie had
come down stairs to put out the light, but when he
raised his arm lie could not find the chandelier. The
room was I'm darkness Still his mind mechanically
urging that the light be put out and at the same time
actively engaged with other thoughts, lie could not
comprehend that some one else had turned ont the
light for him. strangest of all his next act. He
actually struck match, that by its light he could
see il the gas really were not burning lie then
turned on the aas, lighted it. put it out again and
went to bed 1t did not to him until the next
morning that he had done anything stupid, as lie
innocently expressed it to his wife.
There does not seem to be any treatment or dis
cpIlne which will benefit this peculiar mental neglect.
one man knows perfectly that his falling in this
direction is that he has trouble in finding his ties.
They are always kept in particular drawer, and he
does not forget that lie should put on his tie
But while aware that his ties are in one drawer
onIy lie will look in the first drawer which
his hand touches and then go opening and
closing others until no finds the right one Again,
when his mind has selected certain tie to be worn
nm that day. lie will over several Of them, that
nartcular one included wondering where it Is Hc
has been known to call his wife after doing this and
IN AL, her TO nick out his blue and white his
polka dot or his black silk tie. In this case
his mind IS so far away from every thing except the
general idea of black tie that when the specific
blacl, ties lies before him the brain impression Of
general black tic does not give to be replaced
by the more marked impression, this certain black
tie
II is not essential, however. that these men
always in such confusion mentally When their
brains think of that certain black tie 10 go back 10
that example again, there Is trouble ut all. 1t
s the fart that man mechanically will do certain
things while his mental activity Is excrcd in an en-
trely different direction that causes the trouble.
Often the man who cannot find his ties is suddenly
hrourht hack b the present when his hand touches
rho wrong drawer. lie then instantly opens the
right one.
II YOU are are absentminded, you will find, If you
watch Yourself provided your abscntmindcdness will
allow YOU TO watch YOURSELF. that this IS so, though
you seldom stop 10 notice II. one thing moro on
this subject. II sbsent-minded mans wife oid
not sympathize with him. he would indeed be LUCK
Ices creature But, By the law OF compensation, as
il seems, absent-minded men are unusually fortunate
in marrying sympathetic women. Perhaps IL IS Se-
canse tiey often seem 50 like children that Their
wives are so generous with them In fact, many
wives speak OF their husbands abSenGInndedhcsS WIN
something like motherly pride