The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-03-28


or less insane; and, second, that It is
not such a very dreadful thing to Be-
long to the "dauii-fous," after all
There Is not. as Prof Grasset points
out, any way III which to draw a dis
tingushing line between sanity and
insanity The shades. or brands. Of
one overlap and are interviewer with
the other 70 such a degree that it is
impossible to show where the one ends
and the other begins. In other words,
you. for instance. can be both sane
and insane az the same time-perfect-
~ sane on certain subjects, but insane.
Or partly SO. on az least one other.
There are SO many brands Of insanity
that fortunately not all Of US are in
sane On the same subject
Between calm, cold reason and a
transport Of passion" says Prof. Gras-
set between originality and eccen-
tricity. between nervousness and agita-
tion, between a person who is slightly
touched and one who is demented,
there are all degrees Of transition. and
It Is impossible to say where insanity
begins"
Admitting for the momeat, then,
that everybody Is more or less insane,
It is not a question Of just how insane
a person Is. but Of the particular brand
OF insanity he has inherited or ac
quired, says a writer in the New York
Sunday World.
The brands may be counted BY the
score. Some Of them are Of real value,
especially to a man OF genius. Others
are useless. harmless or detrimental.
as the case may be.
The erotomaniac. for instance. falls
in love. But that is not ALL He may
love two sisters with equal love at
the same time and, no matter how
hard he may try. he cannot make up
his mind which to marry. It is impos-
sible for him to bear the thought that
either Of the young women ne loves
should become the wife Of another.
He generally solves the problem by
giving them both up and marrying a
third.
The Dipsomaniac Class.
The dipsomaniac, who must not be
classed with the habitual drunkard
suffers from an affection which impels
him to drink whenever an attack
comes on.
Then there are the kleptemaniacs
Prof Grasset describes them as sick
people who are driven in spite OF
themselves to take what does not be-
long to them. just as we have seen
that the dipsomaniacs are driven by
an irresistible power to drink"
Among other brands of semi-insanity
may be mentioned sitomania, pyro
mania. monomania and megalomanla
which are illustrated and briefly de
scribed. Then there are other brands
which are characterized by Illusions
hallucinations, Jealousy, conceit, boast
fulness. rashness, fnertness, impulsiye
ness, timidity and many forms Of &c
centrielty
Prot. Grasset declares that from
childhood persons Of unbalanced mine
are apt to draw attention to them
selves by their precocity, their quick
ness in taking hold of everything anC
understanding it and at the same umc
by their whims. their headstrong ways
their cruel instincts, their violent anC
convulsive attacks Of anger. Wher
they become men they are queer, com
plex, heterogeneous individuals, made
lup Of contradictory qualities anc
faults They are often as highly gifted
in one line as they are lacking IN an
other. From the intellectual point o
view they sometimes possess the fac
ulties Of imagination. invention and ex
preston in very high degree; that Il
TO say they are gifted in speech, il
the arts and in poetry"
Those Who Are "A Little Of"
The originals and eccentrics shov
lack Of eauilibration to a still create
degree. These people" says Prot
Grasset, "are what the public woult
describe as little on on some on
/ subject they either have some pc
culiar habit or wear some odd styl
Of clothes or have a queer manner o
wearing their hair or of walking o
writing or speaking It may be eithe
a strange gesture. a form OF speech,
tie or a grievance. The eccentricit
Is often shown BY an imperious 3
obsessionaI tendency. as, for example
to surround oneself with birds or flow
ers or cats; to collect uninterestin
objects. particularly articles of wear
ing apparel. such as cravats, hats, foot
wear or wrappers Of every style an
color, or to be absorbed IN researche
and calculations and ridiculous inyer
tions'
But. after all, semiinsanity in som
forms has its advantages. Man
world-fam0us men-poets. mathema
ticians, philosophers. historian.
writer's, statesmen and scientists
would probably never have been hear
Of but for that one little streak Of II
sanity which lent luster and impetu
80 4Acfs .,.s,,1, n ..-.-...s4of n. 4