The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-02-14
MENTAL ACCIDENTS.
Queer Times That Fl ppen 20
Absent-Minded Men.

Queer Times That Fl ppen to
Absent-Minded Men.
| Mechanical Activity of the Mind as q Re
suit of Habit-A Faiinc hat Is
Common to Literary
People.
A literary man, who is a victim of alb
sent-mindedness, says that frequently
after he gets into bed he lies awake
and wonders why. He is conscious that
something is wrong but cannot deter
mine what it is. Finally, in despera-
ton, he gets up, looks around and dis
covers that the gas is burning. He
turns it out and goes promptly to sleep.
The strange part of this failing is
that he not infrequently has the same
experience, and one would suppose
that when he found himself walzeful in
a lighted room his first thought would
be of the lighted gas. This and a few
other examples which are now recalled
seem to indicate that literary men are
very likely to be extremely absent-mind-
ed and suffer most from this failing
immediately after having concentrated
their minds upon their writing or close
reading.
One man has trouble in keeping his
manuscript sheets in order, says the
New York Tribune. After writing one
sheet he is likely to toss it aside among
old bits or discarded writings. He
writes an extremely fine hand, and in
correcting his manuscript he is forced
often to rewrite whole page. In such
cases he tears up the old page to.keep
it from getting mingled with the 9TH
ers. At times, however, after rewrit-
ing sheet, with the corrections which
he wishes to make, he innocently tears
up the new manuscript and replaces the
old sheet precisely where it was and
just as it was before.
Later, when he discovers his old
friend or enemy, say page forty-nine,
he is. surprised to find that it has not
been changed when he fancied that he
had completed his work, it not occur
ring to him at that moment that he real
ly had rewritten the page but had again
destroyed it.
A very remarkable case of mind
which leads to certain action by force
of habit when the thoughts are else
where is that of another writer whose
workshop" is on the second floor of
his house. He sits up late every night
and the first thing he does after finish
ing his writing or studying is to go
downstairs and turn out the gas in the
hall. He never forgets to do this. Re-
Gently, however, he went to the head
of the stairs thinking of some work
upon which his mind had been intent
He was conscious in vague way of
having difficulty in finding his way down
the stairs. When he reached the hall he
was affected by a strange feeling of be-
wilderment. He was perfectly aware
that he had come downstairs to put out
the light, but when he raised his arm
he could not find the chandelier. The
room was in darkness. Still, as his
mind was mechanically urging that
the light be put out and at the same
time actively engaged with other
thoughts, he could not comprehend that
some one else had turned out the light
for him.
Strangest of all was his next act. He
actually struck match, so that by it's
light he could see if the gas really were
not burning He then turned on the
gas, lighted it, put it out again and went
to bed. 1t did not occur to him until
the next morning that he had done any
thing stupid, as he innOcently expressed
it to his wife.
There does not seem to be any treat
ment Or discipline which will benefit
this peculiar mental neglect. One man
knows perfectly that his failing in this
direction is that he has trouble in find
ing his ties They are always kept in a
particular drawer and he does not for
get that he should put on his tie. But,
while aware that his ties are in one
drawer only, he will look in the first
drawer which his hand touches and then
go on opening and closing others until
he finds the right one. Again, when
his mind has selected certain tie to
be worn on that day, he will run over
several of them, that particular one in
cluded, wondering where it is.
He has been known to call his wife
after doing this and to ask her to pick
out his ''blue and white" or his ''polka
dot" or his 'black silk tie. In this
case his mind is so far away from every
thing except the general idea of ''black
tie' that when the specific "black tie"
lies before him the brain impression of
general black tie' does not give way
to be replaced by the more marked inn
preston, this certain black tie"
1t is not essential, however, that these
men are always in such confusion men
tally. When their brains think of ssthat
certain black tie" to go back to that
example again, there is no trouble at
all. 1t is the fact that a man mechanic
ally will do certain things while his men
tai activity is exerted in an entirely diff
ferent direction that causes the trouble.
Often the man who cannot find his ties
is suddenly brought back to the present
when his hand touches the wrong
drawer. He then Instantly opens the
right one.
1t you are absent-minded YOU will find
II you watch yourself provided your
Observation-Disclosures will allow YOU to
watch yourself) that this is so, though
YOU seldom StOD to notice r. Ono +l;n,.