Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-01-16
FREAKS OF THE MEMORY
Queries by University Students Supply
Data on Physical Phenomena.

The queer freaks of memory are a
constant puzzle to those Who study
psychlcni phenomena. Who has not
lvun driven 10 the verge 81 distraction
By the total Inability tn recall name
when the occasion TOT Huch teinen-
brnnce was past had the missing name
Hash into the mind apparently OF IL
own volitlunI The year ists has lust
closed. but how many of ~ can recall
readily tho chief Incidents Of the last
ten months. and sny accurately In what,
month they occurcd7 Try II and see.
Great minds have wrestlcd 10 ma an
explanation for the prankH that m"tn-
Org plays. and have had to give up the
cfiort. In the course % a Hyrtoinntlc
attempt tn arrive at some understand.
ing with regard 10 the wonders OF
memory a valuable ANA antique body ~
Testimony has been obtained. The fol-
lowing questions nave been put 10 900
American university students and pro.
foaaionni persons. i5i being men und
forty being women. The answers
are here given with the qucHtionHi
question i.-Mhcn you cannot recall a
name you want, does II seem TO come
back spontaneously without being sug-
g.atcd by auy perceived association OF
IDEAS 10 this n per cent answered.
mo" ana NJ per cent Yes"
q. s-Dnua such recovery ever come
during nioopg 80 this ~ per cent an
Hwcred NO aud q per cent yes"
Some examples nrc given.
I-Thia morning | tried IN recall the
name Of character had read ~ the
night before In one of SCOTS novels,
and failed. taught class. ANA
walking home IN the afternoon al the
names REQUIRED To me without cffurt,
Ill tricd tn recall tho name of u
book. Gave Il up Half an hour later.
white talking OF something else, blurtod
II out without conscious volitlon.
q. a.--On seeing u sight or hearing a
sound fur the FIRST time. nave you ever
fclt that you had seen or heard the
same before fif'y'nino per cent an
The action of unconscious memory
during sleep h illustrated by further
qucrieai
q. DIDO you drcamg Nlnty-four per
cent answered "NoH."
q. b.-Can you wake at a given hour.
determined before golng TO sleep, with
out waking NJ many times boforoi
Fifty-nino per cent answered mo
q. 6.-lf you can, how about failure7
Sixty-nine per cent seldom failed. 20
per cent often.
q. 5.-Do you come direct from ohll-
WON Into consciousness SiNty-f0ur pei
cent answered Yves" ana 10 per cent
"sradually' =.
Examples;
III had to give medicine every two
hours exactly 20 my wife. am sound
sleeper, but FOR xix weeks I woke M
every two hours and never missed CIV
Ink the medicine
III am always awake I've minutes
before the hour 1 set the alarm.
I'LL had had little sleep for ten
days and went 10 bed at ., asking To be-
called al midnight, l fell asleep at once,
rose and dressed ne the clock struck
~. and could not believe had not been
called.
A strange phenomenon has come TO
Hight In the course of the Inquiry into
the mystery OF memory. II has been
discovered that hy gazing steadily ne
"a crystal, consciousness N partly lost.
Into the void thus produced those who
have practiced crystal gazing flnd that
there enter unhidden, forgotten inci-
dents and lost memories. To give few
instances A lady In crystal gazing saw
bit Of dark wall covered with white
floyers She was conscious she must
have seen II somewhere, but had no
recollection where, She walked over
the ground she had Just traversed ana
found the wall, which she had passed
unnotlced.
She took out her bank book another
day. Shortly nftcrWnrd SHE was gazing
at the crystal and saw nothing but the
number one. She thought II was some
back number. hut, taking M the bank
book. found 10 her surprise II was the
number Of the account.
Al another time She destroyed lot
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
town. and found It was right.
a lady sat In room to write whore
she had sat eight years before. She
felt her feet moving restiessly under