The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-14

tHlnk OIL nina ana BODY as one thing,
| but having two aspects.
| For moment, l shall speak Of the
| brain state causing the mind state. The
! brain is a mass of nerve cells, and the
well developed nerve cell is as delicate
" balanced as an egg. The cells are
being constantly set up by nutrition,
only to be thrown down again. II is
not at all hard to believe that the nerve
| cells are in constant motion all -hs
! time
| The second question of how mind
! controls the train of thought is an
| sWered thus When any two or more
! mental states have occurred at the
same time or in immediate sequence,
| the return of one tends to recall the
| other. Brain states tend to recur in he
order and relation in which they oc-
| Cured before. This statement Of the
principle is very general.
| The states of mind are the mind. This
may be difficult to grasp at first, but
If you think of it, it will become easier.
We are apt to think of little being
within US who stores up facts. That
| does very well for some things
but not for psychology.
/ have thus far spoken as if the
images in the mental train were as els
tinct as the cars in a freight train and
lllIhCu O1OoG lOStlIleI. llt case Is not
| so simple as that Like the parlor game
of "Dublets,' where a word is changed
to another by a change of letters, the
train of ideas is formed. The state
doesn't change entirely. In all our or
Ginary experiences we have something
of a flow A transformation more or
less gradual from one to the other idea.
The process of meditation. The
thought of the pond in the train vas
| not mental photograph, but picture
of it at all times.
Taking any familiar object, NUM-
Der of elements are united to suggest
all the characteristics in the object.
The visual image is the most promi-
nent. The tendency of the visual i'm
age of the orange is to call up the
other characteristics, while the sound
or touch would not be likely to call up
| the vision
A succession of mental states does
not correspond to a succession of pic
| lures. 1t is like a running wave, in
some parts the water rising, in Others
| falling.
| shall read a familiar stanza and if
you will say it with me, and then no
| tice what your experience is when
stop. Or. Sanford read the first stanza
Of the Psalm of Life. stopping in the
middle of the last line.)
| Now, / venture to say that most OF
you went on to complete the line. While
the images of the first line are about
in the mind, they were not in promi-
nence. You noticed as 1 read that
there were other images you have seer
at other times when you read that be-
fore.
| We might represent it by an eclipse
with the focus az the centre of atten-
ton. 1t will contain all the simulta-
neous images.
Lloyd Morgan says of the state OF
consciousness that it is so complex thai
the same state of consciousness rarely
occurs twice in the life of one person
While you may think you think of the
same thing twice, yet you cannot have
exactly the same psychic state.
The tendency of one thing to recall
another will be governed by the fire
quency with which they have been as
ISOLATED. A third habit is formed BY
witness The three are controllins
factors III the make up of associations
The first two are objective and simple
| enough. Vividness is another matter
| wish to show you by a few expert
ments the operation of frequency
What does Grover tell your" You have
| instinctively added Cleveland
1t is not possible to give an expert
ment to show you the impression OF
accident. Try that word accident
/ How many have had accidents? That
is perfectly good case of vividness
Things are associated in your min6
Lbecause they are associated outside OF
it. You have seen them so often thai
the mind calls them UP on any provo.
cation. The trains of association rur
in the same direction as they did be-
fore. AS an experiment in time, say
the alphabet forward and then back.
wards. Put up your hand at ~ anC
l shall take the time by stop watch
First time, 2.S seconds Now begin al
~" and put up hand when "a" Il
reached. This took SO seconds. The
train represented by the alphabet run.
better forward than backwards unless
1t has been practiced backwards, which
reverses the case.