The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-09-01

you possess powers OF Derc2p{lOn
above the average. 1t is an absolute
fact that nine men out of ten cannot
tell ofEand how many buttons there
are on the garment they put on every
morning and take off every evening
says PearSon's Weekly.
This is just one of these things which
eNemplities how absolutely most people
fail to cultivate their powers Of obser-
yation. Here is another:
4 watch is fairly familiar object.
yet if you are asked whether the num-
bers on the face correspond with the
Roman numerals what would you say?
Ninety-nine persons out of 4 hundred
would answer Eyes" Yet the ninety
nine would be wrong The symbol for
four is rot the customary w., but
Hi.
One could multiply SUCH instances to
almost any extent. It is safe to bet al
most any man except an architect that
he does not know how many stairs
there are in any particular flight in
his own house. even though he has
climbed them thousands of times.
1t is not that we have not the faculty
of remembering such facts. That we
do possess this is proved by the COM
paratively astonishing feats of men,
ory each Of us performs daily in his
or her especial line of occupation.
A cook will carry in her head hun
'dreds OF different recipes. a shipping
clerk hundreds Of addresses. a shep-
herd can recognize in an instant sim
gle individual sheep out of a flock of
several hundred. The mischief is that
so few Of us train our powers by OBJ
servation outside our own particular
lines
Perhaps nowhere is this better e1em-
plifiad than in courts of law.
In recent murder case a man sus-
pected OF the crime was seen on the
road near the house by three different
persons. One. 4 sweep. said that the
individual was rather short and stout.
had beard and musiache. and wore
a dark suit of clothes and bowler
hat. A second witness. a woman. de-
-clared that the man was above me-
dium height. had a black beard and
whiskerS. but no mustacha, and wore a
cap. OF his clothes she was not sure,
but thought they were light in color
The third witness. Il young laborer.
was positive that the man was short.
thin. elderly, had gray beard and
mustache, and wore brown coat and
corduroy trousers. Luckily for the
cause of law and justice. it eventually
turned out that the suspect was inno-
cent. for the real criminal was after
wards discovered.
Motor car cases furnish some instruc-
tive reading as to the value Of evi-
Ie2ce. 4 driver was charged last
gear at Brentwood with driving at ex-
Gessive speed. Two policemen de-
clared that the FIVE and half miles
between Brentwood and Ingatestole
were covered in eighteen minutes.
Questioned as to the color Of the car.
one policeman said that it had rod
panes: that owner pointed out that his
car was dark green. Yet he was con-
victed and fined.
There is no point IN which average
human judgment errs more completely
than in the estimates Of distance,
length, depth, height and speed. An
amusing proof of this was recently
Offered by the Mayor of c certain south
country town.
Edmund Davis. well-known motor
ist, convicted of travelling at excessive
speed in the borough in question, made
AN offer to give $500 pounds TO the
poor of the town il the Mayor could es-
innate his speed within two miles an
hour On three successive trials. But
the Mayor, 10 doub1. mistrustiag his
powers, Gid, not even reply to Mr..
Davis sporting challenge.
An interesting experiment WAS trie,i
at Berlin IN December last. with
view to throwing light on this ques-
ton of the conflict CT evidence. Its
originate: Was the we.l-Gnown Profcs-
sor Won Lisz-
He got up y quarrel between two of
the pupils in his CLASS OS StuCa1-tS.
Only the two pupils ard TIE professor
knew that the quarrel was 10 take
place. 10 the twelty-ti,ree other per-
sons in tie room the Whole affair canc
as total surprise.
The quarrel. it was arranged, was to
take place in two parts, Grstly. the cx-
change OF abuse AMI a2cry ep:thets;
secondly. tie use Of 4 pistol and walk
ing stick. The pistol was. Of course.
loaded only with blank cartridge.
5. At the time appointed tie quarrel
took place amid tremendous excite
nent. The professor succeeded in put
ting a stop to i: ana getting hold Of The
smoking pistol.
At the enI of tho hour he told his
class that tie quarrel had been i sham
one. but a:,icl tie youEg nen to col-
slider it as real. \ week later he iec-
tured ca the difficulties Of evidence.
nj , ,fterv-,r6 tcOI, j., Driyata the teSti-