The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-07-11
QUICK AS A FLASH.
MARvELs or MEMORY DISPLAYED BN
GIRL SCHOLARS. ..

Nunerais. Letters and Improvised Music q
Upon Revolving Blackboard Caught b, /,
Ksen Eyes and Instantly and Perma I
nentiy Msmerixed. y
There 10 q game, much In vogue a few q
years ago, where number Of objects II
common use are put upon table, and the
players In the game are allowed to look al
the objects for q specified time-hve sec
onds porhaps--at the end of which time J
they are required without again looking al
the table to give list of the objects seen
Out of Is or 80 objects the average person Z
will be able to recall perhaps dozen. The
test is one not SO much Of memory as OF
perceptiveness and concentration, and hi
who Is best able to force and hold his mind
to a consideration Of the various objects
will win the prize for the most complete list [
Those who were present at the commence |
ment exercises of Miss Catharine Aikcn'i
school for girls at Stamford saw this test /
in very difficult form performed by the
scholars, not for any prize, but as an exhi \
bition OF part of the regular routine work /
Instead Of a table there was a revolving /
black board, the side toward the audience
being blank. On the other side were the !
following figures in column, SAT, $500
1900, 10000, I. In front OF the black board
sat the 10 schoolgirls each one with hei
eyes fixed unwaveringly on the blank side
of the board as II every hope of her life was
conferred In that black space.
The commencement guests behind tht
girls were talking and Whispering new ar
rivals were coming into the room, but not
one pair of girlish eyes turned away from
the object in front for second. II a train
of cars had suddenly plunged through the
doorway, 1t wouldn't have made any differ
ence. Those girls proposed to keep watch
ing that black board until something hap
pened. 1t happened presently. Miss Aiken
| who had been standing by the board, lifted
her hand and gave it a twirl. Tho side
with the characters on was visible for per
haps half a second, certainly not more. Te
the unframed eyes of the visitors all that
was apparent was tumble Of figures.
"Now tell me what you saw" said Miss
Aiken as she stopped the board with the
blank side outward.
:. Without an instant'B hesitation the girls
named the numbers In order. Then Mt a
word from the teacher recited them back
ward. This was only starter, however
On the rear of the board Miss Aiken wrote
a number of 10 figures. The board whired
and the girls gave the figures, first in sin
gle numbers, then by tens, and finally
backward. At this point German music
professor in the audience, who was inclined
to be skeptical, got up and asked il hi
might give the school test. Miss Aiker
invited him to the blackboard and CAV
him piece of chalk.
~ will write you some music, he said t,
the girls you understand musicS"
"A number of them do" said Mis-
Aiken. They will answer your ques
tons"
The professor wrote two bars of music
both treble and bass. Then he whirled tn
board swiftly. Now, what's on there?
, he demanded.
3 There was silence for moment. Then
! pretty, brown eyed girl in the front ROY
3 said, II think could play it"
5 Never mind that" said the professor
,, what key is it inT"
"B fat" cried half dozen voices.
"What is the timer
u Common time" dozen scholars reptile
% at once. Then they went through the tw
!; bars naming every note correctly. III
y professor was amazed. ut is very eXtrao
% binary" said he. You could not eve
. have seen 1t before, for wrote 1t down OF
" of my head. cannot understand it."
81 Miss Aiken then took charge of the blacl
7 board and marked out 80 squares on it.
10 Dol, such as x, "a, =, a, J, and others.
'. Then she turned the board, and all tho
10 symbols flashed into the girls minds in Il
l.. fraction Of a second. Beginning at Il
v upper left hand square she asked for eat
h. character and the girls answered. Thu
she asked for them backward. AS the gin
vi named them reporter who was prese
n wrote them down, purposing to try n lit
" test OF his own later on.
-, Other exercises the scholars were
70 quired to write down after the black boa
20 was whirled and then read. Then Mi
y Aiken read a paragraph of 10 lines from
Il. morning newspaper At the end of t
", reading they repeated the paragraph wo
~ for word.
OIL What Miss Aiken calls "unconscio
-. counting" was the next exercise, A nu
n. Der of ciphers were written on the board
he no order or arrangement, In the infinite
is NAL part of a second that the whrli
brought them In sight they looked to t
IS reporter simply like number of indet
81 inmate and mixed up circles. For aug
!, he could tell there might have been 40
W them or only seven. But before the boa
X had stopped the girls cried thirteen"
mt The ciphers were then turned toward {
,re audience, and there were just 10 of the
nd Another arrangement of a smaller NUM-
re- of Ciphers WAS then tried, and the girls
III N it correct, although there was certainly
.; time for conscious enumeration. This v
al. In one way the most remarkable perfor
H. ance Of all.
After the exercises Miss Aiken said
re. the reporter; I'VE have Commute eS
the else in this sort of thing every day, and
lai girls enjoy it as much IA il it were gaI
eS 1t ia simply a matter of practice, and I
Ie5 one can do it after time. Often read
AN lessons to the scholars, not giving them
ion textbooks, and require them to reCite n
End day from what has been read. Anot
form Of exercise is to read them paragr
as from some book and a month later to
VIII aure it of them. They recte it often W
ia, out break When lectures are give
,as. never allow the girls to take note u
.ors the lecture is over. Then there's some
low id writing for time"
lyii Some hours after the exercises were
ten. the rcporter met at the railroad sta
au- Miss Aiken and one of the girls who
been conspicuous in the exercises for
readiness of her answers as well as for
-, Beauty. Miss Aiken suggested that tn
: .h T.. porter test the pupils memory. The
to porter produced the diagram of tbs
atm. squares which he had taken down and
e in pared to floor the fair pupil.
rgo. what is in the square to the left OF
re- bottom right hand corner square" he
Eous manded.
'Ld tL, 1.-THE minus sign" returned the girl.
~, r,a5 1.-THE one above thatf asked the repo
nge Twenty. five"
Ionr "rwo to the right" was the next {
he. ton, but the girl couldn't be caught
mily way.
IT. There isn't any" she replied smilil
That's the edge of the 80 squares"
Finally she went through the who
gag. naming the character in each, while IL
port, porter followed with his diagram,
rick, She didn't make mistake.-New
: one Sun.
They --
table ~ ,,t