The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-11-08
THE AssenrMlNpep WOMAN.


Several Arguments TO Prove That She
Is Not, as She Fears. Insane.
A lady who hastened to explain that
she il mot drinking woman" that she
10 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 went down town and
forgot to put on either hat or bonnet. Y
This bit OF mental alteration has 30
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 q 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 a pleasantly
( distinguishing characteristic and not =
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. lii 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 a marked
tendency toward insanity OF 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 vii
be carried beyond their railway station
will walk several blocks out of theil
way, will even pass their own door,
A further interesting and consolins
. thought is the fact that the profoundes
thinkers afford the most numerous illus
! trations of observation-disclosures. Scien
: fists, literary men, college professors
lawy eIF;--in short, all classes of people
!, who arc OF u slndious professionally
noted for such eccentricities. The wist
. professor, with his head crammed full
!, Of the inspiration of the study, is tn,
butt of the students and the practicn
folk that enjoy the bewilderment int,
q which his preoccupation leads him
I Professor Sophocles, of Harvard uniyel
: sity. was man Of this kind, Professo
;. Smell, of Amherst, was another. Pro
n fessor Walter Houghton, the historian
is third. 1t is related of Professo
Houghton that in leaving his room I
o pass down long corridor and thence (
t Tie street he invariably raised his un
r brelln unconscious of the smiles of tn
amused spectators.
Samuel 4. Glover, for many years til
o bright ornament of the ST. Louis bai
.e was VIGOROUSLY absentminded. II
e. would enter restaurant, order
luncheon aud fall into brown stud
over law case. After the luncheo
so had been served he would pick up I'll
III check, pay the cashier and walk on
he leaving the food untouched, entirely Ill
mindful of the fact that his stomach WI
still unsatisfed. Mr.. Beeeher has relate
:, stories in which thought preoccupatic
y has played him FRANKS, and has laughc
ID as heartily as anybody over the misfo
st tunes.
10 In view of the thousands of expel
~ ences that might be cited in evidence
A. tine extent of observation-disclosures it Won
Of appear that the lady who pranced dow
~ town bereft of her bonnet has no reasc
Be to fear that she isalsoto be bereft of Ii
be reason. A Thousand Bloomingdal
~ could not accommodate the lunatics
W her stagaof disease, New York Worl