Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-01-03

are trained through the will, they
should be trained chiefly BY giving the
student complete things 70 do-thlngs
10 work at which Involve an the powers
OF mind and body The verbal memory
and the memory for sounds tastes. and
smells Is best trained hi early life. and
can be successfully trained az this time
by repetition. though repetition alone ~
a very Imperfect method The power to
learn words and 20 recall bare facts
decreases after the age Of II. but the
power 10 associate end to reaIrange
old knowledge in newer and better
ways goes on increasing until old age
impairs the faculties.
CULTURE or THE IMAGINATION,
THE IMAGINATION IL the most prac,i-
cal III the powers Of the mind II 10 NOT
the highest power, but the highest
powers are dependent upon il for their
materials. The use Of the Imagination
In creative effort and the formation OF
ideals has not always been dlstln-
giished. IN the past from the abuse OF
this power IN phantasy or day dream
ing. The former requires cQnceNtla-
ton, the latter goes on without yQlun-
tpry effort. the f,rmer has a definite
purpose: the lattel Is without aim.
Since these activities were not dlstln-
guished, and since idle dreaming was
known 10 be harmful IA tendency, II
was thought that the imaginative pow
err should be sternly repressed and not
cultivated By exercise Even today
most people suspect the worth Of an
imaginative child. The true view, how
ever Is that this faculty Is the queen
OF me mental powers, and It's due exer-
else matter Of the highest importance.
Perceptions are the materials with
which the imagination wOrks--lhey are
the seeds which blossom In Imagination
and bear fruit IN action. We can only
imagine such things as we have per-
ceiyed The imagination can no more
mork without abundant perceptlonal
material than the lsraeltes could make
brick without straw. The material Is
always abundant IN Utah--streams,
clouds hills, forests, landscapes,
flowers, rocks, the constellation, sun
sets, starlight dawns, are always at
hand, hut they need to be pointed out
and somewhat studied IN early youth
in order to be available In later life as
the materials with which TO work The
more clear-cut are the images preceiy-
ed, the better the material the magin-
alton has to work with. What are the
best studies for eultlvating the imagln-
atom Geography, rightly taught. not
merely map studies, drawing, memoir
lzlng. but descriptions, pictorial repre-
sentation. Imaginary journeys, etc, His
tory ard the natural sciences come next.
Oral descriptions and story telling are
excellent. So, to describe anything or
to paint or draw from memory But
practice In writing Is the best. II given
10 descriptions and narratlonsi or the
working out OF a plot. So to read half
story, and to imagine the rest Of H.
and TO see picture Of every battle we
read Of of every village hill, dale, or
river.
One OF the best OF all exercises is 10
liken one thing to another In metaphor
or similie. The supreme power Of the
Imagination Is to create an ideal An
ideal Is perfect object, character or
perfectly beautiful,
than which we can imagine nothing
better The perfect object is imagined
by the mechanic before he can even
make an imperfect one, A picture is
imagined b ythe artist before he begins
20 paint the perfect hero or heroine,