The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1899-02-01

Gnzing steadily at CrystaI-FOr-
gotten incidents Recalled.
The queer freaks of memory nre
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 WIS made TO do go and
when the occasion for such rempm
brance was past had the missing name
flash into the mind apparently of it,
own volitionI
Great minds have wrestled to find az
explanation for the pranks that memory
plays and have had TO give NJ the
effort In the course Of systematic ut.
tempt to arrive Mt some understanding
with regard to the wonders Uf memory
very valuable and unique body OF
testimony has been obtained The fol
lowing questions have been put to 600
American university students and pro
fessionnl persons. 81 being men and
40 being women The answers are here
given with the questions
Question |. When you cannot recall
n name you want. does IL seem to ccmo
back spontaneously without being sug.
gested by any perceived association Of
ideast To this II per cent answered
mo and ~ per cent Eyes
Question 2.-Does such recovery ever
come during sleep2 To this Il per cent
answered mo" and 90 per cent "Yes
Some examples given
This morning tried to recall the
name OF character had read of the
night before in one Of Scott's novels and
failed taught class and walking
home in the afternoon all the names re.
CURED to me without effort
Q tried to recall the name of
bool, Gave it up Half an hour later
while talking Of something else. blurted
it ont without conscious volition
Question 3.-On seeing "a sight or
hearing sound for the first time. have
you ever felt that you had seen (or
heard) the same beforeY Fifty-ninc per
cent answered "Yes.
The action of unconscious memory
during sleep is illustrated by further
queries
Question 4.-Do you dreams Ninety
four per cent answered "Yes.
Question 8. Can you wake at given
hour determined before going to sleep
without waking up many times beforcy
Fifty nine per cent answered "Yes
Thirty one per cent answered mo.
Question O. If you can. how about
failurer Sixtynin per cent seldom
failed; 25 per cent often.
Question I DO you come direct from
oblivion into consciousness2 Sixty four
per cent answered Yes and 10 per
cent "Gradually
Examples
1 had to give medicine every two
hours exactly to my wife am very
sound sleeper. but for six weeks woke
up every two hours and never missed
giving the medicine
2 am always awake five minutes
before the hour set the alarm
3 had had little sleep for ten days
and went to bed Mt 0, asking to be
called at midnight fell asleep n;
/ once. | rose and dressed as the clock
stuck 10. and could not believe I 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 u
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 handbook 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 1891 jefferson avenue. She ad
dressed the letter there, adding the
town, and found it was right,
A lady sat in a room to write where
she had sat eight years before. She felt
her feet moving restlessly under the TIA
BILE and then remembered that eight
years before she always had footstoo
1t was this her feet were seeking
Psychical research brings to light
many cases Of similar strange tricks Of
memory 1t is easy to find instances
that serve to deepen the mystery. II is
not SO easy to give an explanation, The
cleverest men who have attempted to
do SO have had to admit defeat. Wash .
ington Post