Morning journal and courier., 1892-09-07
The Romance OF Memory.


The spparition of Santiago which 40
oheered Cortez in his critical hour, the
cross In some skies, the crescent in others
| flor Is not the Holy Land MohAmmedsn to
this dayD have had their counterparts in
periods yet further removed from those
which We denominste the dark ages All
history is no doubt largely frescoed with
pictures from the same free hRnd-a dis
trsught Mnemosyne, bewildered by the
thunderings of Eris OF Bellona. This er-
rant divinity is potent not only In large
collective bodies, but frequently comes to
the individual, and among his genuine
"reminiscences interPolates q quasi memory
which has all tbs color and movement Of
reality. Nor does this happen solely in
cases where we might be led to expect 1t
from the individuals known excitability
of temperament or vivscity of imsgins-
ton.
A scientific man of the most unrelent-
ing prscticability, q Scotch Presbyterian,
whose religious creed and all his concep,
tions of the supernatural sprsng rather
from his recognition of the demands of
honor in kesping pure the hereditary faith
than from any personal conviction, used
to say that the mnst intensely vivid rec-
ollection of his life related to his child
hood In the Highlands OF Scotland. Go
ing out with the nurse each evening to
view the sunset from commanding crAg,
the two used to stand looking down upon
the fragrant and mist-laden vale far be-
low. Thus they would watch The dinly
outlined figures of shepherds calling to
each other and to their tiocks with pine
and voice; all this mingling with the
scream of bittern and c1rlew, till the in
terwoven threads of sound seemed to
match the gloom of the heather. 1t was
then, as the twilight faded into the gloam-
ing and the "passion" died almost into
darkness, that he saw faint lights, as of
something burning in the heather about
him. Standing brsathl-~sly still, holding
the old nurses hand, he would loak at
these fairy circles (fur SO he heard them
called), while she. in low, grooming voice,
such as was probably used by Lochiel's
wizard, would describe the scene which
passed before his .eyes-numbsrlsss fairies
clad in medieval gsrb, the wee men in
knightly attire, the wee women in kiriles,
with flowing hair of the most approved el-
fin fashion. These moved through strange
fantastic dances to The measure of wild
music, aided or informed by the low, mo-
notonous grooming of the old witch and
slmousr of ghost stories, his nurse.
Dark night fell upon his exhausted spir-
it, and, weary with all he had seen, he
was carried home to bed. With the cheer
full materislism of science the grown rsn
would readily explain this, which he
termed "memornid of childhood" the
elfin troop and their costumes were made
of the heather whibh Glanced in the soft
breeze in fairy msss," or were suggested
by the Groom of the old witch; the music
for their fantastic rounds WAS lent BY the
cadenced utterings of shepherd pipe, the
bleatipgs of the sheep, aud the scrg of
the mountsineer, with an orchestra of
wind-strIck mountain pines. Yet. not
withstanding this explanation, the man
of science, through a long life of practi-
cal and prosaic industry, Elways main
tanned the vividnsss ani realism of the
quasi memory thus indeIibly recorded On
the mind of childhood.