The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-16
THE SAVAGE AND CHILD.
Or. LIndey SAYS They Have But Little
Idea of Association of Ratios.

DR. Lindley spoke on Memory" at 2
O'Clock, and after discussing the points
brought ont in the lecture of Friday,
said in substance: A more important
association by similarity is the asso-
citation by perceived similarity of re-
lation. When we think of metaphors
in language some of them suggest as
sociations of subtle relations rather
than of simple resemblance. Through
Shakespeare this is to be found, like
Now is the winter of our discomfort
made glorious summer by the sun Of
March, This form of association goes
along with very high form of devel-
opment. The savage and child have
very little idea of this association Of
ratios. This similarity of relationship
is at the base of poetic and scientific
inspiration, as in the case of Newton
and the apple and of Watt and the tea
kettle. The finer associations do not
come so frequently as others Creation
comes only rarely in the mind The
ordinary man has mind full of con-
tiguous associations, his is a prosafc
mind.
There have been those who say that
the cardinal distinction between man
and animal minds is here. That ami
mails do not perceive similarity. This
thought does violence to evolution.
however, but may have value.
At times we have to direct our flow
of thought. and it is irksome. Usually
it takes form for itself, but when we try
to direct it we find that we must APP
ply ourselves assiduously to the one
topic or there will be side lines.
As an experiment, let US take a topic
and put down what it suggests. If we
take Hamlet for example, it may sug-
gest the play and the characters in it.
and there will probably also be side
line Sometimes there will be a blur,
then wealth of ideas. We follow a
train of thought by threading our way.
We have to select and select again.
Thought zigzags. The old myth that
some thinkers go straight to the point
thought at, has been exploded.
There are few forms of unusual as
sociations which have been noted. One
is the association of numbers with form.
Cation got together a great many of
these forms. Children sometimes can
not remember the form of number as
it is used to think of it, Cation says
these number forms are to be found in |
in 80 of the adult males and in 10 of
the adult females. Mr. Phillip of Clark
university has gathered a great quanti-
ty of number forms here in Worcester,
People who have these number forms
cannot see how those who haven't them
can get along without them in remem-
bering numbers. There are number per-
sonffications. Some numbers are liked
better than others. Twelve has almost
always been very much liked, and
some think of it as king
There are color associations. The
novels have colors, and the consonants
sometimes. In 1873 color associations
were first discovered. The vowels may
be any color, but in some cases the con-
sonants are purplish black. There are
associations of color in musical notes.
Generally the low notes are dark and
the high notes light colors.
There have been three attempted ex-
plantations. One is that children get
the colors from the colored alphabets,
but this is not good, as in many cases
there is no history of there having been
colored letters used.
There is a physiological explanation.
The psychological explanation is that
it is caused by an emotional bond be-
tween the senses of sight and hearing.
Cation was the pioneer of the time of
association. He walked along the
street for certain distance and no.
ticed every object. He kept these ideas
in his mind until he could get two as
sociations to one topic, and then timed
himself. He found that associations in
this were about 90 per minute This is