The sun., 1893-06-11
BY MENTAL PHOTOGRAPH.
OkTHlRINE AIKEN,S FAIR PUPIIs
DISPLAY MhRTELs OF MEMORY.

Upon the Revolving BI.ckbosrd C.urst
by Their Quick Eyes and Menori.ed.
There 10 q game. much in vogue a few
years ago. whore number OF objects In com.
mon use are put upon a table. and the players
In the gape are allowed to look at the objects
for q specified time. i've seconds. perhaps,
at the end OF which time they are required,
without again looking at the table. to give
list OF the objects seen. Out OF twenty five or
thirty objects the average person will be able
to recall perhaps dozen. The test is one not
30 much Of memory as Of perceptiveness and
concentration. and he who is best able to force
and hold his mind to q 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 Aiken's
school for girls at Stamford last week saw
this test in very difficult form performed By
the scholars not for any prize but as an OK.
hibition OF part OF the regular routine work.
Instead Of q table there was revolving black.
board. the side toward the audience being
blank. On the other side were tho following
figures in a column: 347, $500. 1900, 10000.
| z. In front Of the blackboard sat the forty
| schoolgirls, each one with her eyes fixed un.
| waveringly on the blank side Of the board 40
II every hope OF her Ito was centred
In that black space. Tho commencement
guests behind tho girls were talking and
| whispering. new arrivals were coming into
| the room. but not one pair OF girlsh eyes
| turned away from tho objects In front for q
second. If a train OF cars had suddenly
| plunged through the doorway It wouldn't have
made any difference Those girls proposed to
keep watching that blackboard until some.
thing happened. 1t happened presently. Miss
Aiken. who had been standing by the hoard.
lifted her hand and gave 1t a twirl. The side
with tho characters on was visible for per-
haps half second. certainly not more. To
the unframed eyes OF the visitors all that was
apparent was a tumble OF lgures.,
Now tell me what, you saw, said Miss
Aiken. a. a. che stopped the board with tho
Without an instant's hesitation the girls
from the teacher. .recited them backward
tbe e ssFd Ms Een wsose on h
twelve figures: The board whrIed and the
girls gave the hGures Tst in in q single numbers.
on afn e n The
sna asked 4 he might gt give the s,i sShoo
gave him piece Of chalk.
II Will write you some music" he said to tho
..%1 number q them do" said Miss Aiken.
swiftly Now. what's on there p no demand
There was silence for. a moment. Then a
pretty: browne eyed Grl in the front row said:
Ssysr ~ %ipd +. n that" said the professor
kSsss II ,ssS !, G51sd l6s tI%n hs,i dozen voices
dozen sSho9rs feps
nftf esae
he. You could not ever have seen It before.
for wfotS # down out OF my head. 1cannos
Miss Aiken then took charge Of the black
each square she wrote an 1unber a1hser or symbol
symbols flashed into the girls minds in the
fraction Of a second. Reginning at the upper
and an the girls answered Then she asked II'ts for
them backward. AS the girls named thema
s e Of ns
on; Mics Aiken then gave them more dif1-
Tell me what is in the square under double
A., she said to a tall girl on the front scat
sSst fhs sas dPffsssPlH fss tssoe
"Ninety-seven" said q dozen voices, while
sasptity. Miss aiEe en- gave them % minute ai'se 70
other exercises the scholars were were required
cd @ and them read Then Miss Aiken wns rsad Snr
paragraph OF ninetean lines from a morning
Sight those forty 9rs eaety re1ss ons
With her eyes bent on the reader. listening
Il sna sss sH5s
they Sss tie word for
cphers were written on the boar'i in 40 order
second that the whrling brought them in sigh.
her Of indeterminate and mixed-pp circles
sopped ts a' SSHls Tstsons sns
them. Another arrangement Of a smaller " e
1s M Shoush n taere was Sna ee t4e
sGlnly no time for conscious enumeration.
Thls was In % one way tho most remarkable
After the EXERCISES Ws Miss Aiken said to the
zrls enjoy It ss much as II i were 2 game. It
. simply % q matteI Of PRACTICE; and any ono
sons to the scholars: not giving them any text
fnf fnd 5FsSare them to eSe next day
,Iercise 10 to read them a paragraph PHI from m
'oms 'Soms beok and month later to REQUIRE it qi
os the he.
Don't YOU ma that in tho te' bacR e Board ex
rSi.e ths PaPls M forget as readily as they ac-
mo: memory memo s sesas slts to follow as conse.
0 Of
'ee that they rem em6er perfectly" ''D "o''1
There vii! be private exhibit at Chicago of
Mss Aiken's method: This method she has
written n small book upon. and tho method
las been adopted In some Of the Boston
chools. Miss Aiken does not call 1t II memory
ystem. but system OF mind training upOn
which memory follows naturally
some hours after the exercises were overths
Aiken and one Of the girls who had heen con.
pieuous IN the exercises for the readiness OF
IeE al answers as well as for her beauty. Miss
'uniPs memory. The reporter produced tie
isgraIn OF the, thirty squares which he had
what Is In the square to the left OF tho
ottom right-hand corner square" ?" he De.
:, The minus sign."' returned the girl readily.
:, 4 mhe one above thatf" asked the reporter.
Two to the right2" was the next question,
~ ne girl couldn't be caught that way.
There isn't any" she replied smilingy.
That's the edge Of the thirty squares"
Finally she went through he xyhnIa