Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1893-04-07
DIAL PERSONALITY.
RESIDUAL PHENOMENA OF THE MIND
IN SANE PEOPLE.

of the Sleeping hihu'
Evidence is not wanting to show that
what we call personality is an extremely
,o,nnley thing. the sum of subsidiary per-
Qualities which now shift and change
like the figures in a kaleidoscope, and
,yain becoming sharply defined under
some abnormal condition crystalline into
two or more distinct groups of elements,
which alternately sleep and wake or
oven coexist. These complex elements
NAV be so unstable, the groups compos-
inc them constantly breaking up and
forming new combinations. that the idea
of multiple personality does not natural
" attach itself to them; it is only when
they become stable, and especially when
aarb exhibits well defined conscious
ness that we begin to think of such
thing But besides the abnormal and
diseased conditions which cause such a
separation or disqualification there are
other conditions in which in appears
somewhat less distinctly. To one class
oF these / desire to call attention very
briefy-to that embracing what MAY be
called cases of residual personality.
Residual phenomena of all kinds are
particularly interesting and instructive
especially those where the few things re-
naming in group after many have been
removed differ widely in their collective
properties from those that have been
taken away, while these latter are not
in any way distinguishable from those
of the sum of both before the division
This is the case often with residual per
sonalty Nothing is more common than
for group of elements in what we call
person to he differentiated in one of
various ways, leaving behind a residual
proup differing altogether in its charac-
teristics, though the differentiated group
represents to US and is considered to
be Identical with the original person.
The commonest method of such differ
entiation is sleep The elements of
sleep are, as it were, substracted from
the normal personality but there is
usually left behind a very curious some
thing-illogical, credulous, fantastic
whose nightly experiences the whole re-
united person recollects in the morning
as dreams. The next commonest case l.
that of the absentminded person. The
major part of the person being absorbed
in mental processes Of some sort, the re-
sidual person lives its own separate men
tai life, thinks, feels and wills by itself
and perhaps carries on a train OF proc
esses which is continuous with proceed
ing train carried on under similar cir
cumstances the day before
This residual person may act very
mechanically. The reunited person may
fail to recollect what its acts or thoughts
were and be surprised to find how it has
been making use of his limbs while he
what he vainly regards as the one un
alterable ego--has been absorbed in
thought But. on the other hand. it may
be perfectly conscious and may carry
on an entirely different train of thought
of its own Almost always. however, 1t
is eccentric and betrays a weakness at
one point or another
For instance, a suburban resident
whom we will call A, is accustomed on
landing at the New York side OF the
ferry to abandon the mechanical task of
walking to his office entirely to his resid-
ual personality and to give up the major
part of himself to thought. The two per
sonalties act often with perfect-always
with practical--sep theresidual
person being quite equal to the low task
of eyading vehicles, steering clear of pass
ersby and turning the proper corners
When the office is reached and the two
persons again become one, it is often a
difficult task to remember any circum
stances Of the walk.
On one occasion, however, A left the
Aston library on Lafayette place, as he
supposed, intending to walk down Gin
ton place To do this he must turn first
to the left, then to the right and then
again to the left He turned once to the
left, and after some time became dlmly
conscious that he had walked for long
time, and that the place for the second
turn had not been reached.
Coming to himself. he found himself
far down Broadway. Tracing back his
course mentally, he discovered that he
had been in the Mercantile library in
stead of the Astor. His first turn there
fore had taken him down Broadway, and
he of course did not reach the place for
the second Mark now the peculiaritles
of his residual person. 1t knew just
where it was to turn and in what direc-
ton, and had sense enough to be uneasy
when it did not come to the proper place
to turn, but it had not intelligence
enough to know that it was on the wrong
street Its mind was too weak to be
trusted further than it was accustomed
to go, This residual person, in short
was about on par with a harmless idiot
Again, B, New Yorker, is walking
along absorbed in process of thought
when his residual personality sees his
friend G approaching. 1t is not aston
ished, for he is near C's lodgings, but as
the person supposed to be c comes near
er, it sees that he only slightly resembles
Z. He has on shabby clothes, and his
face is entirely different. The natural
conclusion would be that the person ap
preaching was not G. The residual per-
son, however, does not argue thus. 1t
concludes that G has greatly changed,
that he has become poor and that his