The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-03-19
Mysteries ca the Mind.

There is no subject 80 important
for all OF na 70 s.aay as the constitu-
ton Of our minds. Some Of the most
remarkable and inexplicable pheno-
mena Of the mind relate to the power
Of memory. I!
a very curious side light is thrown
upon this matter by s sentence at the
close OF letter from the famous as-
tronomer, Otto Struve, to Dir. WI.
Husssy Of the Lick Observatory, pub.
lished in the latest number Of the
proceedings Of that celebrated insti-
tuition.
The letter was written in acknowl.
edgnent Of the receipt Of q COPY Of
Mr. Hussey's volume Of observations
on the double stars originally disoov-
cred by Struve. At the close Of the
letter the venerable astronomer says:
Il must ask your pardon that in
answering your letter L make use Of
my mother tongue-the German. For
merly it was very easy for me to write
English and to speak it, but now it
would be severe task fe- g man
standing in his eighty-third year"
This is in accord with the common
experience that people Of great age
remember more clearly the events Of
their youth than those of later life.
But it might be supposed that this
tendency would not hold good with
the requirements made by mind Of
more than ordinary power, like that
OF Strive, in its period Of greatest
activity.
1t would be interesting to know
whether this is o common experience
with those who have in the course
OF their lives acquired the ability to
| write and talk with ease in some other
language than their native speech.
Of course, disuse always weakens
ones hold upon language, and per-
con may, in that manner, even for
get his mother tongue, but Struve
says nothing Of this, and ascribes his
loss Of command over English entire.
IL to his advanced age, averring that
great effort would now be- required
TO write language which formerly he
wrote with ease.
May not the tendency Of the mem
ofy in the latest years of life tc re.
cur 80 youthful scenes and impress
sions furnish sufficient explanation
Of the childiehness Of old age7 All
OF the nobler faculties Of the mind
must, in greater or less degree, be
dependent for their existence upon
the material supplied by the memory.
A man with absolutely no memory,
though in full possession Of his reas.
oning powers, would be unable to
manifest any intelieotr strength,
and the general character Of our men
tai operations must always be large.
ly, il not manly, governed by what
memory presents to the mind. So,
in extreme age, Ewhen the only pic.
lures in memory's gallery that re.
main clear and distinct are those i'm
pressed in early youth, the entire
frame Of the mind becomes cast in q
corresponding mould.
In some instances the vagaries Of
the memory may supply an explana.
ton Of apparently supernatural OCCUR.
renoes. We find case Of that kind
in story related by the celebrated
DR.. John Abercrombie:
A lady suffering from an incurable
disease was sent from London into
the country. but, feeling death ap.
prosoh, she begged that her infant
daughter be brought from the city 70
see her. The child was taken to he,
mothers bedside, there was an affect
ing scene Of parting, and the two
never met again.
Ae the child grew up she had NO
recollection whatever of her mother.
When she had beooms woman, one
day by mere accident, she entered the
room where the parting had occurred
and was at once strangely agitated.
She said, by way Of explanation: 81
have distinct impression Of having
been in this room before, and that
lady, who Icy in that corner, and
seemed very i'll, leaned over me and
wept."
The singular persistence and the
stimulating power Of early memories
are we'll illustrated by another story,
told by Dr.. Benjamin Rush, the fam
ous physician who signed the Declara.
Il >G