Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-01-09
WHERE MYRIAD MEMORIES DWELL.
Wonder Talk About the Brain and the
Pictures 1t Contains.


did IL ever occur 10 YOU 10 tkink
how many millions Of millions of
memories are stored away in Your
braInph asked learned man OF
Washington Star writer. Memories
are commonly thought OF as things
possessing neither form nor substance.
but psycho-physical science to-day con
| sidcrs that each memory is an actual
thing with shape aud structure OF
its own. Dwelling ia the region of
the mind the memories are preserved
aud constantly nouris ied by tic oxy-
gen OF the blood which surrounds
them in the delicate capillary vessels.
''Jhe places where tue different kinds
Of memories are located arc not dis
tinct tracts separated from one another
by definite boundaries. From this
notion sprang the deusiUn called
'phrenOiOgy' They are scattered
about all over the con"ouiCd surface
Of the brain. Yet there are corners
| where memories Of the same kind are
thlckly crowded. Low down on each
side of the head above lhc ears are
grouped images OF sounds. Tacrc are
all the old nursery rhym college
| songs. sUnatas. ami opera, that have
delighted US. Near by are the
words Of our mo her tongue. They
live deep in the folds of a iis>urc. called
| 'Silyiu'.' in tie third frontal canvaiu-
| ton. All tne verses Of our childhood,
of which we have NOT thoGgl; for
years and years. are there. The front
corner of tue 'spcuoidal lobe Is the
seat Of smell, perfumes. anh Odors.
| pleasant aud disagreeaOlc. The part
of The brain beneath the back OF the
skull low down is full Of images, aud
glows with colOred pictures Of all
| kilais. There arc dear old faces OF
our friends; there are the landscapes
and all manner of ins,auccus paolo-
graphs of former sights and expert
| ences.
Behind the bOny wall OF the fore.
head thoughts II a more abstract order
are throbb!ng. There ere philosophical
reflections and mathematical problems.
On top Of the head, where il rounds
| OF toward the back, arc 10 Gc found the
| movements of our limbs in their most
| complicated combinations. Ia like
manner al the memories aud ideas are
arranged aud distributed. IGc mind
may be considered rs an immense en-
pire of innurerable spirits that live to-
| gether in the narrow space Of about a
! quarter Of cubic foot. Spirits they
are. because they are psycujcai exist
ences. Yet at tho same time they are
material realities, having living forms
OF bodily presence, sustained by the
nourishng currents Of the blood
This vast spiritual empire iu the
human brain is eXceleully provided
with telegraph lines for inicrcommuni-
| cation. Thus are formed what we
call associations of ideas. II it hap
pens that certain number OF ideas AS
sociatc themselves together so as to
form something new, like an invention,
or poem, the discovery or inspira.
| ton is ushered into our consciousness
| as il from without. Is il to be won
! dered at that the poet the artist, the
! prophet are under the impression that|
! they are the instruments merely in
the hands of greater one than them.
! selve.?
voluntary motions of the body de.
! pend upon the memory pictures ia the
/ gray matter of the brain. When a
| frog has been deprived Of its cerebral
( hemispheres it will not make any
| movement of its own accord: in fact.
/ il cannot, because all its memory
! pictures have been taken away. 1t en-.
/ joys good physical health. II turned
/ on its back it will rise to its feet; il
irritated it will make TWO or three Jumps
with a view of escaping. When thrown
/ into tue water it will swim until il
touches the wall of the basin, then il
will creep up the edge and remain
there. All these motions are simple
refexes produced by corresponding
i~si'-ii@n-W Wiihnut irriialiun here il
no moyement-no voluntary aclon
whatever A brainless frog lfft 10 it.
self will remain quietly on the spot
where it has been placed, as il asleep;
il will take no food belravs no con.
sciousness of hunger or thirst, shows
! 10 sign Of fear. and unless artiiicially
fed. will in time dry up like mummy
all because its memory pictures have
been taken aray. The great novel
/ ist struck wonderful truth in psyeh-
ology when he wrote the story OF
The Haunted Man whose wish that
he could be deprived of recollection
| was granted by the Shadow"