Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-05-10
FREAKS OF MEMORY.
QUEER FRANKS FOR WHICH THERE
IS NO ACCOUNTING.

Some Instances of the Singular Eff
fccts Produced Upon the Mind by
Gazing Steadily at n CrystaI-For-
gotten Incidents Recalled.
The queer freaks of memory are a
constant puzzle to those who study
psychical phenomena Who has not
been driven to the verge of distraction
by the total inability to recall a 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 voli.ion?
Great minds have wrestled to find an
explanation for the pranks that memory
plays and have had to give up the
effort. IN the coursc of a systematic at
temp. to arrive at some understanding
with regard to the wonders of memory
q very valuable and unique body of
testimony has heen obtained. The fol-
lowing questions have been put to 200
American university students and pro
fessional persons. ISL being men and
40 being women. Tho answers are here
given with the questions;
Question When You cannot recall
a name you want, does it seem to come
back spontaneously without being sug-
gested by any perceived association OF
ideas? To this II per cent answered
''Nc' ard 81 per cent Yes.
Question 2-Does such recovery ever
come during sleep? To this II per cent
answered mo" and % per cent Eyes. -
Some examples given;
1. This morning l tried to recall the
name of a character 1 had read of the
night before in one of Scott's novels and
failed. ! taught a class, and walking
home in the afternoon all the names re-
CURED to me without effort.
g tried to recall the name of q
book. Gave it up Half an hour later,
while talking of something else, blurted
it out without conscious volition.
Question 3.-On seeing n sight or
hearing sound for the first time. have
you ever felt shat you had seen Cor
heard) the same before2 Fifty mine per
cent answered ''Yes. -
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 "Yes.
ThiHty-one per cent answered mo. I"
Question eff you can, how about
sailure2 Sixty-nine per cent seldom
failed; 25 per cent often.
Question do you come direct from
oblivion into consciousness Sixty-four
per cent answered Yes and 16 per
cent Gradually.
Examples:
1. had to give medicine every two
hours exactly to my wife. 1 am very
sound sleeper. but for six weeks woke
I'D every two hours and never missed
giving the medicine.
2. l am always awake five minutes
before the hour 1 set the alarm.
3. l had had little sleep for ten days
and went to bed at 8, asking to be
called at midnight. 1 fell asleep at
once. L rose and dressed as the clock
stuck 12, 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. 1t has been
discovered that by gazing steadily at a
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
where. She walked over the
ground she had just traversed and
found the wall, which she had passed
1nnoticed.
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 1921 Jefferson avenue" She adj |
dressed the letter there, adding the |
own. and found it was right.
a lady sat in a room to write where |
she had sat eight years before. She felt |
1er feet moving restlessly under the ia
Die 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. 1t is easy to find instances
hat serve to deepen the mystery 1t is |
,ot so easy to give an explanation The |
:ieverest men who have attempted to
20 SO have had to admit defeat.-Wash-
PoSt