New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-05
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
A BOOK ON THE MEMORY.

MEMORY AND ITS CULTIvhTIoN; BY syy,bor ~
Edridgeoreen. NJ D., F. X p >. T, oc-
Color Blindness and Color Percep"o'' ="
tavo pp. 81 D. Appleton 4 Co
A number Of good reasons have been offered
nv scientists of the present day for discreo''ine
,ha o,dtin,e phrenologist. The varying 'hicN-
moss AZ the skull the impossibillty Of seeing the
oonvolutions Of the brain. and the uncertaiht!
as to the amount of gray matter conceales Win
,r GRO only q few of the obstacles 10 faltn III
tho nossibility of sizing a man up by ieeHhs
~ ria "humps" Nevertheless. there Is a grow
tho d,snosit,on among even conservative Writers
In reeord 70 the brain to believe that certain
n,ental faculties have definite seats or passes OF
o,arat,on in that organ. The authorizes ma!
M, entirely agree IN the assignment OF these
mowers 10 their proper places; but at least 'he!
are IN harmony in supposins tha' most WI
untarv action originates In the gray matter Oh
cort!cal layer of the brain
Beneath the cerebrum in each heHispherc'
there is a small mass Of mixed gray ana "h'e
material which the anatomists call the corpus
stratum" and just back OF 1t is announcer hho"H
as the optic thalamus." The precise 1uncuoh
of these members Of the delicate structure ID
closed In the human skull 1t has been haio ioi
the experts to determine. DR.. neutrality-suspicious.
,b,nLs that he has found out. He regards them
&c ,b. seat Of memory But having distin-
guished between those acts which consist merely
OF recording impressions OF outside Things cor
sensory memories) and those which are asso-
ciated with outgoing mandates to various mus
c,es 1or motor rnemories) he makes ii clear that,
IN his opinion the former phenomena occur IN
the two thalami, and the latter In the striati'
Even among those who may hesitate TO accept
the authors views on this point there VIII pe
no question az to the immense importance OF
the memory in everyday affairs. and OF the pos
sibrity OF improving its efficiency Inc ADVICE
which he gives TO the cultivation Oh 'ha'
faculty. in his closing chapter. is really ihue-
pendent Of his anatomical theories ana u.s. III
the main. simple. ineligible and full OF COM
r,on-sense Here are a few Of his hints. abbre-
waited: Concentrate attention on a SUBJECT when
receiving impressions. so that they may be
vivid and lasting: have definite. fundamental
idea about each thing observed: don't 90 100
much into details. at first revive all former I'M
nrcssions on a subject when studying 1t afresh;
use as many faculties as possible In observing d
thing: work when your nervous force Is aoun-
sert en- that the impressions will be irtense'
ane. after reviving any fact with difficulty
note tho clew or association by which you finally
got hold Of it.
Incidentally though at some length. Or. FL
dr,dge-Green takes up the other mental guam
tiss which we possess. on the whole. he thinks
the catalogue made up by the phrenoiogists
fairly accurate one. However he ooup's
whether there is special faculty OF "conJu-
sality" as distinguished from "amativeness' or
whether inhabitiyeness sublimity. human ma
ture" and "agreeabeness' are strictly element
AIRY traits They seem to him to be either com
pos,te or OF doubtful character And friend
ship" he regards as a poor title for fondness
for conpanioaship. He thinks socially would
~ hot