Los Angeles herald., 1892-10-26
THE ABsENTMINDED WOMAN.


Several Arguments to Prove That She
Is Not, az She Fears, Insane.
A lady who hastened to explain that
she is mot a drinking woman" that she
is mot addicted to the use of drugs" in
short that she has no habits that would
tend to impair the intellect, cites an ex-
perience that has caused her much dis.
quietude. Briefly told and in her own
language, she event down town and
forgot to put on either hat or bonnet"
This bit Of mental alteration has SO
haunted, worried and generally upset
her that she appeals for relief-some-
thing in the nature of citation of similar
cases that may convince her that she is
not glaring exception to the world Of
sensible people and that her performance
is not to be taken as an indication that
she is losing her mind.
1t ought to be the easiest thing in the
world to convince this needlessly alarm
ed lady that in the light of the many
and notable examples Of mental lapses
her experience is rather pleasantly
distinguishing characteristic and not a
terrifying malady. If she has followed
the daily papers or has read the floating
bits of biography she must have noted
the many strange stories Of great men
and women remarkable for their absent
mindedness. In fact, the preoccupation
of the mind has led people into many
absurd experiences and has made them
the subjects of many oft told jests.
But nobody would think for moment
of accusing such people of marked
tendency toward insanity or of intimat.
ing that the brain was softening. The
explanation would be that the mind is
so concentrated on what happens to be
occupying it at the moment that all
other things are subordinated. For ex.
ample, people wrapped in thought will
be carried beyond their railway station,
will walk several blocks out of their
way, will even pass their own door.
A further interesting and consoling
thought is the fact that the profoundest
thinkers afford the most numerous illus
trations of observation-disclosures. Scien-
fists, literary men, college professors
lawyers-in short, all classes of people
who are Of studious professionally
noted for such eccentricities. The wise
professor, with his head crammed full
of the inspiration of the study, is the
butt of the students and the practical
folk that enjoy the bewilderment into
which his preoccupation leads him.
Professor Sophocles, of Harvard univer.
sity. was man of this kind. Professor
Smell, of Amherst, was another. Pro.
fessor Walter Houghton, the historian,
is third. It is related Of Professor
Houghton that in leaving his room to
pass down a long corridor and thence to
the street he invariably raised his um.
brella unconscious of the smiles of the
amused spectators.
Samuel T.. Glover, for many years the
bright ornament Of the st. Louis bar,
was notoriously absentminded. He
would enter q restaurant, order a
luncheon and fall into brown study
over law case. After the luncheon
had been served he would pick up the
check, pay the cashier and walk out,
leaving the food untouched, entirely un.
mindful of the fact that his stomach was
still unsatisfed. Mr.. Beecher has related
stories in which thought preoccupation
has played him pranks, and has laughed
as heartily as anybody over the misfor-
tunes
In view of the thousands of expert
ences that might be cited in evidence of
the extent of absentmindedn it would
appear that the lady who pranced down
town bereft of her bonnet has no reason
to fear that she is also to be bereft of her
reason A Thousand Bloomingdales
could not accommodate the lunatics in
her stage Of disease. New York World.
A Cure for Rheumatism.