The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-10-29
THE AoseNrmINoeD WOMAN.


several AtEhmtht4 20 frnfo AHut She
IL Not, as She Fears. Insane.
A lady who hastened to explain that
she is "not a drinking woman" that she
is "not 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 a glaring exception to the world Of
sensible people and that her performance
is not TO ne taken as an indication that
sne is losing her mind.
It ought 10 be the easiest Ching ia the
world TO convince this uecdlcssiy alarm
ed lady ihat in the light of the many
and notable examples Of mental lapses
her experience is rather 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 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 a moment
Of accusing such people Of a marked
tendency toward insanity or Of iudmat-
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, win even pass their own door.
A further interesting and consolng
thought is the fact that the profoundest
thinkers afford the most numerous illus
trations of absentmindedness Scien-
fists, literary men, college professors.
| lawyers-in short all classes of people
who are Of a studious profession-me
noted for such eccentricities The wise
professor, with his head crammcd 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 a man of this kind. Professor
Smell, of Amherst, was another Pro
fessor Walter Houghton, the historian,
is a third. 1t is related Of Professor
Houghton that in leaving his room to
| pass down long corridor and thence to
the street he invariably raised his UNI
| brella unconsliou Of the smiles of the
| amuseu spectators.
Samuel I, Glover, for many years the
| bright ornament of the st. Louis bar.
was notoriously absentminded. He
would enter a restaurant, order q
| luncheon and fall into a brown study
over law case. After the luncheon
had been served he would pick up the
check, pay the cashier and walk ont,
leaving the food untouched, entirely un-
mindful of the fact that his stomach was
still unsatisfied. Mr.. Beecher has related
stories in which thought preoccupation
has played him pranks, and has laughed
as heartily as anybody over the mister
| tunes.
In view Of the thousands of expert
ences that might be cited in evidence Of
the extent Of absentmindedness, 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