Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1893-04-30
MENTAL ACCIDENTS.
Queor Things That Happen to
Absent-Minded Mon
sult or IIabit-A Faiiln: That Is
Common to Literary
IcnoIc.

4 literary man, who is 4 victim Of abb
observation-disclosures, says that frequently
after he gets into bed he lies awake
aud wonders why. lie is conscious that
something is wrong but cannot deter
mine what it is. Finally, in dcspcra-
ton, he gets up, looks around and dis
covers that the gas is barning. IIc
turns it ont and goes promptly to sleep.
The strange part of this failing is
That he not infrcqucntly has the same
experience, and one would suppose
that when he found himself wnlicful IL
q lighted room his first thought you'd
be of the lighted fEas. This and Il Faw
other examples which arc now recalled
seem to Indicate that literary mcn arc
very likely to be extremely Gbscnt-mind-
cI and sutfcr most from this failing
Immediately after having concentrated
their minds upon their writing or close
reading.
One man has trouble in keeping his
manuscript sheets in order, s::vs the
New York Tribune. After writing one
sheet he is likely to tos it aside among
old bits or discarded writings. lie
writes IN extremely fine hand, anal in
correcting his manuscript he Is forced
often to rewritc 4 whole page In such
cases he tears up the old page to keep
1t from getting mingled with the 9th
crS. 1T times, however, after rcwr;;-
ing n sheet, with the corrections which
he wishes 20 make, he innoccntly tears
M the new manuscript and replaces the
old sheet precisely where il YVES AMI
inst ais it was before.
Later, when he discovers his old
friend or cncrly, say page fortv-ninc,
he IS surprised to find that it has not
been changed when lie fancicd that he
had completed his work, it not occur
ring to iiln ut that moment that he real
~ had rewritten the page but had again
destroyed it.
a very remarkable case of n mind
which leads To certain action by force
of habit whcn the thoughts are else
whcrc Il that OF another writer whose
"wO"llSiIop" is on the second floor of
his house. lie Sits NJ late every night
and the first thing he does after finish
rig his writing or studying is to go
downstairs and urn out the gas in tic
hall. lie never forgcts to- DO this. Re
Gently, however, he went to the head
of the stairs thinking of some work
upon which his mind had been intent.
lie was conscious in Il vague way Of
having difficulty in finding his waydown
II stairs. When he rcac!lCdth hall he
was affected by II strange feeling of be-
wildcrrncnt. lie IVA perfectly aware
that he had conc downstairs 10 put or:t
II light, but when he raised his ar:n
he could not find the chandelier. Iha
room was in darkness. Still, rs his
m!nd was mechanically urging that
the light bc put out and 1T the same
time actively engaged with other
thoughts, he could not comprehend that
some onc else had turned out the light
for him.
Strangcst of I'll was his next act. lie
actually struck a match, so that by its
Night he could see If the gas really were
not burning. lie thea turned on the
gas. lighted il, put il out again and went
To bed. 1t did not occur TO him until
the next morning that he had done any
thing stupid, as he i~nnoccntly expressed
IL to his wife.
There does not seem to be any treat
ncnt or discipline which will benefit
his peculiar mental neglect. One man
fnows perfectly that his failing in this
Erection is that he has trouble i'm fnI-
ng his ties. They are always kept in
particular drawer and he does not for
ct that he should put on his tic. But,
S.!iIc aware that his ties arc in one
.rawcr only, he will look in the first
irawcr which his hand touches and then
- on opening and cloSin. others until
lc :ildG the right one. Again, when
his mind has selected 4 certain tic 10
fN Nt.n,.ft an fl,,N ,1,,. l. ...1
tcvcral OF them, that particular one in
eludcd, wondering where it Is.
lie has been known to call his wife
alter doing this and to ask her to picI:
oat his "bluc and white" or his 'poll,a
lot or his "blacli silk" tic. In this
Ease his mind il SO far away from every
thing except the general idea Of "blacl,
tic" that when the specific "black tic"
lies before him the brain impression Of
general black tie does not give way
TO be replaced by the more marked i'm
precision, this certain black tic"
IL is not essential. however, that these
mon are always in such confusion mon.
tally. When their brains ti,inl; OF ..tLnt
certain black tic," to 20 back to that
example again, there Is no trouble nj
nil. II IL the fact that a man mechanic.
ally will do certain things while his mcn-
tai activity Is e;;crtcd in an entirely diff
fcrSnt direction that causes the trouble.
Often the man who cannot find his tics
is suddenly brought back to the present
when his hand touches the wrong
drawer. lie then instantly opens tho
right one.
IT you arc nbscnt.mindcd You will find
II you watch yourself provided Your
Observation-Disclosures will allow Won To
watch yoursclf that this Ia so, thourh
ron seldom stop To notice il. One thing
more on this subject. II an absent
minded mans wife did not gympathise
with him he would indeed be u lI,cklcss
creature. But by the law OF cornpcnsa-
lion, ms IL seems, abscnt.rnindcd mon
are unusually fortunate In marrying
sympathetic women
Perhaps IL Is because they often sccm
30 like children that their wives nrc so
generous with them: in fact many ,yiyc.
"pcals of their husbands abscnt-mind.
cdncss with something like mothcrly
pride.