The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1893-04-22
DUALITY OF THE MIND.

The Man Whose Two Brains Are Equal Is
the Napoleon of Life.
Duality of the mind in it's marked
character is ever before us; there is not
a single work of imagination portray
ing human character in which the
duality is not eXemplifed. F%ictionist
and poet live upon it; and ! noticed
recently that one of the most analytical
and r~elastic writer's of fiction in France,
and one of the most popular, NJ. Guyot,
recognizes not only the art, but the sci
ence of the method. In describing
one of his imaginary characters, or
more probably n real character trans
formed from the ordinary daily life
into his pages under n false name, he
explains quality on the same principle
that Wigan did long before him. He
is dealing with Il man who has two
brains-brains which are not of the
same mould, and he writes his char
acter from this standpoint, with all
the vigor of a master in literature and
h precision of a man of conscience.
Wigan was of opinion that no single
person has the two brains exactly bal
anced. lie considered the most pow
erful mind was hat in which the two
brains, both being healthy, were near
est to each other in capacity; but he be-
lieved that that was also n good condi-
ton in which m brain took the
leading part, and in which the
stronger, lent the stronger it's as
sistance. A mind sustained in this
manne was n strong for endurance,
and one that was able t undertake.,
with certainty of successful work, the
most difficult and hazardous labors.
The minds of men like Cromwell,
Washington, Wellington, Franklin,
would be of this last-named cast; while
the minds of the giants of intellect, of
Napoleon, Newton, Columbus would be
constructed on two brains of equal
power, both in unison in their capacity
and will for action.
In common life the two brains act
together with sufficient unity to main
tain the mind in IA fairly balanced
state, but there are conditions in which
the divergence is so considerable that
balance is broken, and then there is
what we call insanity. Wigan sums up
the argument in n very clear manner.
He says: II think it may be assumed
without risk of contradiction, that the
fact OF each brain being perfect and a
complete instrument of thought is
abundantly proved. That each, while
In health, corresponds in action with
its fellow, is obvious from the fact
hat this unison and correspond
ence give only one result, as in the
case of two eyes producing single
vision. That when, from any cause,
n brain is disordered, a dis
crepancy in the two processes of
thinking takes place. That the healthy
brain (aided by the action of such of
the organs of its fellow as are not af-
fected by the disorder which disturbs
the others) can, in nearly nine hundred
and ninety-nine cases in a thousand,
according to the usual proportion in
this country, control all manifestations
of morbid emotions or judgment, but
that the ~thousandth case is the mad
man." The balance is sufficiently pre-
served on the grand scale to prevent the
intrusion into the world of an excess
of insanity. At the same time there is
a wide range of diversion, short of OBJ
viousA destruction of balance. Heredi.
tary here plays a leading part-Dr.
Richardson.