The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-08-23
DUAL PERSONALITIES.
A Gentleman From Hawaii Dis
cusses The Intricate Subject.

cusses The Intricate Subject.
Mr.. EDITOR: l have read with
much pleasure Mr.. A. E. Boswick's
article on "Dual Personalities"
published in a recent issue of the
ADVERTISER, and, like most persons
that take an interest in this subject,
feel interested in anything that can
throw any light upon this difficult
and intricate branch of knowledge.
And when we consider how little
We are acquainted with those mar
velous faculties with which we are
endowed, and how far beyond all
the knowledge of man are those
mysterious agencies which consti-
tute the human mind, we feel
thankful for any scrap of informa-
ton which can help US to a better
understanding of this subject. But
the fact is this discovery Of Mr..
Boswick is no discovery at all, as
it has been well known for long
time past that a great many per-
sons possess this dual personality,
and not only in a slight degree, as
remarked by Mr.. Boswick, but offs
powerful a nature as to make 1T
difficult to distinguish the residual
from the normal person.
Indeed it has been found that
some men can not only per-
form two distinct and separate
mental operations at one and the
same instant of time, but have also
been known to perform some of the
most difficult mental and physical
operations when in a state of uncon-
seriousness, or when they were so
lost in thought as to become uncon-
scious of what they were doing. 1t
is only fair to remark, however,
that although we were acquainted
with this strange anomaly, still we
must give to Mr.. Boswick the credit
of finding a correct name for this
residual phenomenon, or dual per-
sonality, as he calls it.
But to return to the subject we
find that although the mind may
often possess this remarkable power
of double consciousness, it has not
the power to portray them both
with the same distinctness, for
while one may be sharply and
clearly defined, the other will
generally be obscure and shadowy,
except in some very exceptional
cases where the residual person
seems to change places with the
normal person. Mr.. Boswick' s
idea, however, seems to be that
this residual person, is an ever
present, all-watchful sort of being,
who takes upon himself the duty
of taking care Of us, in spite of our
selves. This is a pretty thought il
nothing more, but we have reason
to believe it can do all that he
claims and a great deal more be-
sides; indeed we have heard of it
performing such deeds as would
astonish the greater part Of man
| kind.
This dual person, or faculty, or
whatever it may be called, seems,
however, to have more duties than
the care of us. For instance, we
find that most persons can read one
thing and think or reason of anoth
err. Here are two distinct subjects
treated at the same instant of time
and of both of which the mind
must be conscious. Now if the
perceptive faculties and reason car
be performing their duties at the
same instant of time, it is natural
to suppose that the other faculties
can do likewise.
We may amuse ourselves with
these speculations, but at the
same time we know nothing, no.
can all the boosted wisdom of the
world teach US anything in regard
to how this combination of the
matter of the brain produces in US
thought, or even a knowledge o
the external world.
GEO. OsBoURNE.
Kukaiau, Hamakua, Hawaii,
| A,,0uct 10 1909