The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1907-01-24
development than the objective.


therefore, cannot associate the alb
stract with the concrete; hence, the
cerebral notifications of thought in a
child produce only admiration, aston
ishment aud pain. Unable to associate
the past with the present, all new play
things are subjected to rigid outside
inspection utilizing all the senses, and
If this does not prove satisfactory, it
proceeds to take out the insides and
squawk.
Undoubtedly, the first impression
recorded in the cerebrum of the human
brain is the infantile wall; it is the
originator of the neo-pallial folds that
constitute self-consciousness and men,
ory and comes under the head. of an
terror associations or subjectiveness,
altho it is never reflex act.
Every impression transmitted by the
nerves during the initial growth of the
neO- -pallium is stimulated by conscious
ness, producing voluntary muscular
contraction whose resulting movement
is manifested by cry. In child, the
voltaic negative of this cry is the local
lzing center of all reserve energy be-
longing to the various senses, and it is
the only impression that can, at this
stage of it's intellectual development,
be recalled from memory; in fact, it is
the only one registered. Where we
| dwell on past associations in silence,
the child dwells on his by yelling,
evincing in this manner both his joys
and pains and proving that while he
thinks thoughts he cannot distinguish
between them. With the growth of
obstacles in the nerve centers-by this
| mean vibrations that have attracted
the nerves but whose action in passing
was not perceptible to the senses re-
ceivlng them, thus preventing their
transmission-a radical change takes
place in the heretofore inaccessible
corpus callosum. Duplicate impress
siOns irritating the external nerve dia-
pbragms and cOalescing with the
undefinable matter held in the nerve
centers, vitaliZe, overcoming all pre-
vious reaction and enter the cerebrum
as perfect thoughts; that is, perfect in
construction.
| With the increase of these vOltaic
negatives the neO-pallial folds extend,
and the child from helpless automa-
ton rapidly develops into an intelli-
gent thinking machine. Altho he is,
at this period, capable of consciously
associating ideas, his tactile develop
ment. is still far below that of an an.
thropoid ape of his own age; and were
it not for his tendencies to laughter,
he could not be classed higher than a
congenital idiot. Laughter in a child
is the first outward Specification of his
intelligence, but contrary to the gen.
eral belief he does not, voluntarily,
control the nerves producing it. He
laughs because he thinks thoughts:
because the vast number of these
thoughts secrete reserve energy, stimu-
lating muscular depression and central
reaction upon the entrance of new
one. Their constant multiplication
enables him to form his own opinions,
to distinguish right from wrong and to
make comparisons that are radically
and grotesquely at variance with his
accepted views or beliefs. That is why
he laughs.
Laughter, genuine merriment, is the
natural excrement of living psychic
matter; the safety valve of reason, as
it were. It consumes reserve energy
that would otherwise prevent diversi-
fication of thought by concentrating
its entire force on one idea, gradually
submerging reason thru the interme-
diate stages of hypochondria preceding
insanity.
Literally, there is no sRch thing as a
new thought reaching the cerebrum of
an intelligent person after his twenty
fifth year. He only records associa-
tions of things belonging to a single
root; he sees, feels, hears, tastes and
smells the material substances of an
old impression in new form. Ninety
per cent Of all Impressions registered
in the neo-pallial folds of the brain of
the most intelligent man could be
traced to the mineral, vegetable and