Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-01
JAu-MADE AUrHoRs
Solitary Confinement That Stimulated
Literary Activity.

q
IAN excerpt In The Star recently ON the
fact that prisoners In European prisons had
written during their confinement books
which had made them afterward famous.
and that men who were already famous
had produced books while in confinement
which had added to their literary laurels, !"
said Washington student of psychology,
is not as remarkable as 1t may appear
at first sight. though 1t forms an excellent
illustration Of the psychological phenomena.
The most famous American instance is
that Of Thomas Paine who, though an un-
believer, was a devout patriot. and who
wrote The Age of Reason while In prison,
While the most recent OF note Is that OF
tho western college professor who. while
undergoing sentence for a felony. wrote
a work on mathematics which has since
become one of the standard books in the
schools OF this country.
Upon Thomas Paine's release from prison
he resumed his patriotic labors in behalf
of his countrymen: upon the release OF the
which had brought about his first incarcera-
ton only to find himself again In the tolls
OF the law-the psychological action In
each of these Numerically opposite cases
being the same in effect
Advanced as we are In science and civili-
zation 1t Is still too early to discuss, ex-
cept in an academic way, the theory or
thought isolation: the public mind is not
phenomena except with incredulity and dert-
sion, precisely as aerial flight, the utfliza-
ton of the electrical fluid over copper
wire and the transmission of the human
voice over the same medium Of communities
ton over long distances were once received
Both of these phenomena are now com
monplace facts without limit as to the
ultimate results-it will in time be so with
the phenomena Of thought isolation and
thought transmission. 1t may be centuries
before 1t will be demonstratable fact that
the psychological saying that thoughts are
things will be proved true, but It Will
come as surely was the cellular theory
demonstrated into fact, and thoughts Will
be as susceptible Of isolation and demon
stration as the cells of the brain and OF
microbes which produce disease.
1.-THE instances of the prisoners l nave
cited prove this. Sight and action being
restricted to the crcumscribed space or
prison cell and four bare walls certain OF
the brain cells generating thought remain
SO dormant that they might as well pc
nonexistent SO far as their utilization Is
col cerned. Other of the brain cells are
then aroused Into activity, the thought gen.
Grating process proceeds along new ana
heretofore dormant lines. and with paper
and pencil the convict transcrfbes these
heretofore dormant thoughts upon paper,
and book is the result-a result which
could not have been produced had the hrst
mentioned thought generating process been
in active ascendancy over the latter py
reason of the complete utilization OF the
full power of the individuals thought ca
pacity by freedom of action.
This ascendancy and dormancy OF
thought is further illustrated by the fact
that Paine resumed his patriotic enorts,
problems in calculus for those of defeating
the ends of justice, and the psychofogicai
phenomena presents an interesting. IL
trife deep, study in both instances.