The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-06-28
FREAKS or MEMORY.
QUEER FRANKS FOR WHICH THERE
is NO ACCOUNTING.


Gazing Steadily ut a Crysta1-For-
gotten Incidents Recalled.
The queer freaks Of memory are
constant puzzle to those who study
psychical phenomena. Who has not
been driven to the verge Of distraction
by the total inability to recall name
when an effort was made to do so and
when the occasion for such remem-
brance was past had the missing name
fash into the mind apparently Of its
own volition?
Great minds have wrestled to find ar
explanation for the pranls that memory
plays and have had to give up tAe
effort In the course of systematic at
tempt to arrive at some understanding
with regard to the wonders of memory
very valuable and unique body of
testimony has been obtained The fol-
lowing questions have been put to 200
American university students and pro-
fessional persons, 151 being men and
40 being women The answers are here
given with the questions:
Question When you cannot recall
name you want, does it seem to come
back spontaneously without being sug-
gested by any perceived association of
ideas7 To this II per cent answered
"No'' and 81 per cent eyes.
Question 2.-Does such recovery ever
come during sleep7 To this II per cent
answered ''No'' and % per cent eyes. >
Some examples given:
/. This morning tried to recall the
name of character I had read of the
night before in one Of Scott novels and
failed / taught class, and walking
home in the afternoon all the names re-
CURED to me without effort.
2. | tried to recall the name of
book Gave it up Half an hour later,
while talking Of something else, blurted
it out without conscious volition-
Question S.--On seeing a sight or
hearing sound for the first time, have
you ever felt that you had seen (or
heard) the same before? Fifty-nine per
cent answered eyes. .
The action Of unconscious memory
during sleep is illustrated by further
queries:
Question 4.-Do you dream? Ninety
four per cent answered eyes.
Question 5.-Can you wake at given
hour determined before going to sleep
without waking up many times before? :?
Fifty-nine per cent answered eyes
Thirty-one per cent answered '3No. .
Question eff you can, how about
failure7 Sixty-nine per cent seldom
failed; 25 per cent often
Question do you come direct fom
oblivion into consciousness Sixty-four
per cent answered eyes and 16 per
cent Gradually. I"
Examples:
/. I had to give medicine every two
hours exactly to my wife. I am very
sound sleeper, but for six weeks woke
up every two hours and never missed
giving the medicine.
g. I am always awake five minutes
before the hour I set the alarm
| 8. I had had little sleep for ten days
and went to bed at 9, asking to be
called at midnight. fell asleep at
once rose and dressed as the clock
stuck IL. and could not believe had
not been called
A strange phenomenon has come to
light in the course Of the inquiry into
the mystery Of memory. It has been
discovered that by gazing steadily at q
crystal consciousness is partly lost In
to the void thus produced those who
have practiced crystal gazing find that
there enter unbidden forgotten incidents
and lost memories To give few in
stances: A lady in crystal gazing saw a
bit of dark wall covered with white
flowers She was conscious she must
have seen it somewhere, but had no
recollection where. She walked over the
ground she had just traversed and
found the wall. which she had passed
unnoticed
She took out her bankbook another
day. Shortly afterward she was gazing
at the crystal and saw nothing but the
number one. She thought it was some
hack number, but, taking up the bank
book, found to her surprise it was the
number Of the account.
At another time she destroyed let
ter without noting the address. She
could only remember the town. After
gazing at the crystal some time she
saw ..S21 Jefferson avenue She ad-
dressed the letter there, adding the
town, and found it was right.
A lady sat in room to write where
she had sat eight years before. She felt
her feet moving restlessly under the ta-
BILE and then remembered that eight
years before she always had footstool
| It was this her feet were seeking.
Psychical research brings to light
many cases of similar strange tricks Of
memory. It is easy to find instances
shat serve to deepen the mystery. 1t is
not so easy to give an explanation The
cleyerest men who have attempted to