Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-01-14
1T DIDN'T SETTLE 1T.
Learned Discussions ON Question of
the B~raln-Three Views of
thu. Mutter.

There was not a large attendance at the
meeting of the Greenwood Club last even
ing. but a paper indicating much learning
and research was read by +. ]. Reed upon
the subject: The Brain-A Palimpset and
Il Sensorium." The brain was first COM
pared to those ancient parchments from
which the original writings were removed
and fresh writings placed thereon, these
operations being repeated frequently in
some cases. yet experts We're able to de-
cipher all the various writings which had
ever been upon the scrolls. The essayist
believed the brain acted in some such way
and told of wonderful examples of the
memory recalling long forgotten impress
Sions.
The theory was also advanced that the
mind is able to receive intuitive knowledge
or impressions from within or. even clair
voyant knowledge, and theA fact was
touched upon that all modern learning is
but a repetition of the lost knowledge CT
the old races of the East-knowledge which
in many lines has not yet reached the per-
lection to which the scientists and philoso-
piers of old had carried ii. The speaker
instanced theories of mind and matter now
being evolved as new which careful reading
Will show were accepted long before the
Christian era. Astronomical knowledge,
philosophical theories. even evolution itself.
were instanced as showing these facts.
The wonderful work OF the brain in we'll
enCe. inspiration and even prophecy. We're
gone into at length, and the esSayist adj
vanced the theory that even musical compo-
Sition is not creation at all, but simply the
ability to hear divine harmony as it has
always existed throughout space and al
ways will exist.
DIR. Brown discussed the subject. and H.
Illustrated his remarks with a specimen of
the human brain. The doctor disagreed
with Mr.. Reed in the proposition that i'm
pressions are effaced from the brains sur
face and new impressions put on in their
place. His theory was that there are about
1,G1.WO.@W memory cells in the human
brain, "A sufficiently large number to keep
every impression received during life in its
own proper place. entirely insulated from
every other impression: that when the
memory cell Is Vibrated by the same i'm
preston. u second or more times, it gives
10 the sensorium the activity which causes
memory to assert itself.
Professor Greenwood also discussed the
question briefly. and differed with both
the other speakers. He said the cells or
atoms of the brain are continually chang
ing. old molecules being cast out and new
introduced. so that in a few years at the
farthest the entire matter {. the brain Is
changed. SO memory could not be the
reading of partially effaced impressions
like the writings on the ancient parchments.
because the entire parchment has
changed. So. too. the memory cells which
we had a few years ago are all gone. new
gray matter has taken the place of the
old: yet the impression. the memory re-
mains.
work remained as wonderful and as I'M
explained at the close of the meeting as a.
the opening. yet the paper and discussion
We're most interesting.
The next meeting of the club will be de-
voted to the question OF Tree Planting