The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1893-02-25
THr HrWAN Up'rN Avp THE MIND.


AhAAAA'A Afflhit i've NfAhul ARHNherH of
Springfield.
We copy in whole from the Springfield
Republican thefolowing interesting lecture
on the Brain and Mind" by Prof. r. Nj,
Ballet late of this county
Superintendent Ballet is giving a course
OF lectures on educational ps cholupy to
the teachers of the CITY The subject of
the lecture Wednesday afternoon was "The
brain as the physical basis of the mind "
The brain is composed Of layer of ceIlular
matter or the outer surface and S1brous
matter within. The function Of the cells
is to generate nerve energy, that of the
fbers to communicate It. All conseious
mental action takes place in the cells. the
hbers form the phi sical basis Of association
and are the Telegraph wires connecting the
cells with one another and with other parts
OF the body. While the hemispberes of
the brain have long since been regarded as
the organ OF the mind, it is only a little
over 20 years since it was discovered that
different parts of the outer gray layer per
torn different functions. We see with one
part OF this layer, hear with another part,
smell, taste and touch with still other por-
tions. Indeed IL is probable that hea, and
cold and Impressions coming from the mus.
Giles, joints aud ligameuLs of the body. ara
perceived by different parts of the brain. If
lOu draw dull metallic pOin. across the
check IL feels alternately cold and warm.
There are spots on the skin where we seem
to perceive only cold and others where we
perceive only heat 1t is supposed, though
not proved, that even heat and cold are
perceived by different sensOry nerves.
The cells with which we see have been
quite definitely located in the back lobes in
the brain, and those with which we hear of
the temporal lobe. The exact location of
the rest is not so certain as their existence
which latter is the important fact consider.
ed from an educational standpoint. The
conscious processes of seeing, hearing,
tasting, smelling, etc, are carried on In
these brain cells and not in the eve, ear, or
other sense organs. Waves of light slimu.
late the optic nerve and produce thi sensa-
tion Of color, waves of sound stimulate the
auditory nerve and produce the sensation
Of sound. This stimulation OF these cells
through sense impressions constitutes the
education of the various senses.
But we do not merely perceive with these
groups OF cells; We also remember by means
of them. When we recall the voice of a
friend, a tone, melody, or a harmony, we
do IL with the same cells with which we
hear. IN like manner we recall things
seen with the very cells with whic hive see :
tastes, OdUrs, etc, with the cells with
which we perceive tastes, OdOrs, etc. Hence
each sense has its memory, and we have
not "a memory" but memories Educa-
tionaly this means that there is no one
study or exercise which trains "Ihe mem.
Dry, as there is no one study or exercise
which trains all the senses, Each memory
must receive its 0wr special training
MemOrzlug the words Of the book used To
be defended IN school on the ground that IL
NHafr ma lH.a IL "a
verbal memory, but not the memory, for
color, sound, etc. What we comiuonl, call
'yarietiesOl memory" as found in different
persons, are really so many different memo
rie..
IL follows, also, that the means of train.
ing the memory Of any one Of the senses do
not differ materially from The means of
training the senses. More than this: These
groups Of cells, or brain ceuters," are not
only the organs OF our senses and our mem
ories, but they are also the organs of our
Imagination. / say "imaginauous, for as
We have not "a memory" but "mem
ories,' so we have not ian Imagination" 4"
but imaginations We imagine color with
the same cells with which we see and re-
call color; we imagiE tones with the same
cells with which We hear and recall tones
EducatiOuallY this means, in the first place
I that a thorough training of the senses Is
required as basis for the higher process
es which l haye just called "imagina-
tiOus3 In the second place, IL means that
there is no one exercise or study which
develupcs THE imagination"
Blindness may be caused by an injury 10
the eye, by an injury to the optic nerve, or
by a disease Of the cells IT, the brain with
which we see. A person VINO is eye-bIind
still remembers what he has seen, for the
a.
wise person who is made blind by an in.
jury to the optic nerve; bat person whose
blindness Is due to an injury TO the visual
brain center, does not simply not see, but
such person can not recall anything be
has ever seen, and cannot imagine anN
thing he has ever seen. Pathological
evidence goes 10 show that such person
does not even "see darkness" Ike an eve
blind person. 10 is interesting to note
that MIHon's blindness could not have
been due 10 an injury TO the visual brain
cells. The visual pictures in Paradise
Lost" and his sonnet on his blindness
prove that In like manner If the Had
was written by Homer and not "by some
other man of the same name" his blind.
ness could not have been due 10 degenera
tion Of the brain ceuters.
What ! haYe said of the visual centers
is true Of the auditory centers and of all
the rest Beethoven composed music after
he was deaf. His deafness must have
been ear deafness. II his auditory centers
had been Injured, his Imagination OF tone
would have been gone. But we alse dream
with the very brain centers with when We
perceive, remember and imagine ConsC-
queuty persons born blind whose visual
brain cells haYe never been stimulated,
never dream OF things visible; persons
born deaf never dream Of things audible.
In sense PERCEPTION the cells are stimu
lated by sense Impressions; Ia the process
es which we call recollection. imagination
and dreaming they are stimulated by inn
pulses from within the brain. 10 Is an
interesting question 10 determine how ong
these cells must be stimulated by sense inl-
pressiOns before the can bee aroHsed by
weaker stimulus coming from other Parts
Of the brain, Prof, Jasrow OF the uni
yersIty of Wisconsin determined this Ques-
tiou a few years ago by series Of tests on
blind persons. He tested 5s persons. Of
these 32 became blind before theF had
completed their tfth year, and not one If
these 32 dreams of things seen. Six he
came blind between the end Of their fifth
and the end Of their seventh scar; four OF
these dream of things seen and Two Of
I them not, The remaining 20, who be
came blind after their seventh year, all
dream of things seen. From this it Would
appear that it lakes al least i've years 10
educate Che brain ceniers enough 90 enable
them 90 recall, Imagine and dream, in the
absence of the strong stimulus which
auIuaa only from sense ImurasHIOuH