Middletown transcript., 1899-01-28

fects Produced Upon the Mind by
Gazing Steadily Mt a CrystaI-F'or-
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 name
when an effort was made to do SO and
when the occasion for such remem-
brance was past had the missing name
flash into the mind apparently of its
own volition2
Great minds have wrestled to find an
explanation for the pranks that memory
plays and have had to give up the
effort. In the course Of systematic at
tempt to arrive at some understanding
with regard to the wonders of memory
a 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 1.-When you cannot recall
name you want, does it seem to come
back spontaneously without being sug-
gested by any perceived association of
ideasf To this II per cent answered
mo" and 81 per cent stYes. .
Question 2.-Does such recovery ever
come during sleep2 To this II per cent
answered INC" and % per cent sYes. /"
Some examples given:
l. This morning tried to recall the
name of character I had read of the
night before in one of Scott novels and
failed / taught a class, and walking
home in the afternoon all the names re-
CURED to me without effort
2. tried to recall the name Of a
book Gave it up. Half an hour later,
while talking of something else. blurted
it out 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 before? Fifty-nine per
cent answered ttYes.
The action of unconscious memory
during sleep is illustrated by further
queries
Question 4.-Do you dream2 Ninety |
four per cent answered 'sYes"
Question 5.-Can you wake at given |
hour determined before going to sleep
without waking up many times before1 |
Fifty-nine per cent answered eyes.
Thirty-one per cent answered stNo.
Question eff you can, how about |
failure? Sixty-nine per cent seldom
failed; 25 per cent often
Question 7.-Do you come direct from
cSlivion into consciousness2 Sixty-four
per cent answered eyes" and 16 per
cent Gradually.
Examples:
l. 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, I had had little sleep for ten days
and went to bed at g.. asking to be
called at midnight I fell asleep at
once. rose and dressed as the clock
stuck 10, 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
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 a few in
stances: A lady in crystal gazing saw
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 a let
ter without noting the address. She
could only remember the town. After
gazing at the crystal some time she
saw 1881 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-
bic and then remembered that eight
years before she always had footstoo1.
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. It 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.
mn