Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-02-12


Tired, 1t Is Really His stomach
That Is Diverted or Some other vi
tai Point That Is Weakened.
Every man should have impressed
upon him the fact that the human
brain is capable of absolutely unlimit-
ed development. 1t can be developed
more easily, more permanently than
the muscles. Like the muscles, it is
developed by exercise, but unlike them
there is no limit to its possible develop
ment and there is no age limit to the
growth of mental faculties.
If you go to a certain hotel in Chi
cago you will find at the door of the
large dining room a colored gentleman
who takes your hat, overcoat and UNI
brella. He gives you no ticket. When
you walk out again, TO your intense
amazement he hands you your prop
erty, Identifying you among hundreds
of other guests and Immediately as
sociating you with the proper hat and
coat.
In big store in Twenty-third street,
New York city, a small negro lad, II
or 10 years old. works for a living.
One day at that store this writer asked
for book apparently seldom pur-
chased Various dignifed white men
were asked about the book. They
thought that they did not have it, but
to make sure they asked the colored
boy. Without a moments hesitation
he pointed out certain balcony on
the east side of the store and told ex-
actly where the small volume could be
found Every one of the thousands
of books in that store was located in a
definite spot in that young Negroes
mind, despite the fact that he probably
had seen the insides of very few of
the volumes.
The two instances quoted are not
unusual. They indicate merely the
most superficial sort of development of
one particular mental faculty, that of
recollection. A more remarkable in
stance of such development was shown
by Houdin, the French prestidigitator
He could pass shop window contain
ing perhaps scores of different articles,
cast a glance at the window as he
went by and enumerate without error
everything in it from that one glance
Some men learn a score or more of
languages.
human brain has never taxed even to
the slightest degree the actual capacity
of the mind.
No matter to what extent you may
train your mental faculties, no matter
how much you may use your brain, you
will still be like the man who has spent
5 or 6 cents and has a million dollars
in the bank.
We are justified in believing that we
are destined to marvellous mental
achievements in the future, when we
consider the Instrument of thought
that has been given to us and which
is so little used at present.
A scientist named Meinert calculates
that the gray matter of the brain con-
tains 6O0O00.O00 cells.
That in itself seems quite complicat-
ed. If we only had one thought stored
away in each cell, we would know
quite good deal.
But you must remember that each
cell is divided into several thousand
molecules separately Invisible.
Every one of these molecules con-
tains many millions of atoms. IN
questionably each separate atom plays
its part in the working of the brain.
Figuring on a very modest basis, you
find that your brain contains $4,000
OOO, 600, OOO, 100000 separate atoms.
The theory that the atom is an indi-
visible particle of matter, which is in
dicated by it's name, meaning uncuti-
BILE, is only theory not by any means
demonstrated. There is no reason to
believe that there is any limit to the
universe in the direction of bigness or
littleness. What we call an atom may
be in effect an indivisible particle of
matter or it may be a small universe
in itself. However this may be, don't
you think that with a brain organized
as above you ought to be able to deyel-
op good deal of mental energy and
be quite free from any worry about
overworking the machine which has
been given to you to do your thinking?
When a man thinks his brain is tired,
it is really his stomach that is overfed
or some other vital point that is depict
ed or overloaded. Keep the rest of
your body in good condition, and your
brain will never feel any amount of
work that you will be able to give it
New York Journal.
The Practical Joke.
The practical joke is a remnant of