The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-14


into the present once more and might
perhaps have abandoned my psychical
studleS, but for another little accident
which greatly altered the whole course of
my existence. BY this time / think I
had almost exhausted the memories of my
childhood, and would have given up puz-
zllhg out any more such details, had not
Prof. PontifeX, the famous biologist come
20 dine one night, as he often did at our
house in Curzon street
My father, as every one knows, in spite
OF his military ideas, had scientific tastes
he dabbled in butterlies-and Pontifex
was Just the sort of man whose union Of
science with a tincture Of bonhommle OK
actly suited HIM. In the course of dinner
the professors talk turned on his then IA
nous theory of Inherited Memory. He
maintained that what was essential aud
central in the transmission of faculties by
plants animals to their offspring was
above all things a form of unconscious
knowledge How does the egg know
what to do when 1t begins to develop into
chicken?' he asked in his rhetorical
way. why, that very protoplasm which
forms the egg, as Weismann has shown,
was once part and parcel of an ancestral
organism-and not Of one alone, but of
many successive parental organisms. 1t
and it's parents are portions of the same
mass; your egg subsumes in it's very
structure the memories of many previous
fowls at all stages of their existence So
II remembers what il did when it was in
an egg before, and proceeds to build itself
up, as it always built itself up, into the
bones and muscles of a living chicken"
Very curious said my mother, discuss
ing the subject. These things are so
mysterious"
DO you think it can remember its an
cestral life then?" / asked, much interest
ed.
mot corecio,,el,, >, a., 49,, e,....,- r,,,-,.
ed, with his restrained smile; "but uncon-
sciousy, yes. Oh, yes, I'm sure of it.
Consider the facts. 1t and its parents
were one Whatever has happened to
them has happened to it. All the changes
and notifications ever made in them are
automatically registered and transmitted
to posterlty in the very structure Sand
matter of the germ. The egg rebuilds their
form in every mlnutest detail. And how
can it rebuild save by inherited memory"
Very true" said my mother. Have you
seen Salvini?"
Can this unconscious memory become
conscious?" ! asked. Say, by an effort
of will such as we often make when we
try to recall a name or face we have more
than half forgotten"
prof Pontifex," said my mother,
breaking in quite eagerly, don't encour-
age Walter in these folish fads. I'm
sure l can't tell whatever is going to be
psychical researcher"
Nonsense, Louisa" said my father.
You confuse the issues. Prof. Pontifex
is talking science. What do you say to
that. Pontifex? Could this unconscious
memory be b rought up into conscious
ness?'
The professor paused, and fortified him
self with half a glass of dry champagne
"Wen. that's not an easy thing to answer
off-hand," he said. "Of course in the
lower animals, what we call instinct IS
Just such unconscious inherited memory
rising up into consciousness. The cue
lIoo knows how to lay its egg in another
birds nest the spider knows how to build
its web; the beaver knows how to con-
struct its dam; the bower bird knows
how TO decorate it's grotIo-all by pure
exercise of inherited memory. But wheth-
er anything analogous to these animal fac
ulties occurs in ourselves after we've once
built up our brains and bodes-that's
quite another question"
You don't think" 1 interposed, "a man
could so train himself as to remember in
dividual or particular episodes in the lives
of his parents?"
Might be deuced awkward for the par
ents," my father murmured coldly below
his mustache, fixing me with his eye after
a fashion he had which always frightened
me-
What nonsense you talk, Walter" my
mother put in, quite angrily. Il wonder
you encourage him in such ideas DIR. Pom
tifex."
Well, I don't quite know" the profess
sor said slowly, poising an olive on his
fork, and going on with his argument
IT'S just conceivable, perhaps; just con-
ceivable. We have inherited memory of
what is common to the race-how to
breathe, how to move, how to take our
first sustenance; but then, that Inherited
memory can come TO us through our par
ents alone; and it's possible, quite posi-
bic, an exceptionally constituted mind
might be able to recall even particular
and parcel of its parents. You see, Lady
and growing until it becomes so big that
parts; the consequence is that each of
amoeba as the other one. There's no dis
tinction here of larger and smaller halves
of parent and child, as we call them i'm
higher organisms"
Tn not an amoeba," my mother an
swered coldly, "nor, believe, is Sir Arch
ibalds''
The professor said no more, for he was
a wise man, and he knew when to be
silent. Indeed. in his character as a dis
tinguished epicure. he was right to hold
his tongue, for our house in Curzon street
was famous for its curries, its wines, and
its music; and my mother made il a rule
never to ask anybody who displeased her
once 10 come again to dinner.