The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-20
Something
On This
SEEING THINGS nv DAY.

compared with the way boy sees
things with his eyes wide open. things
that are not 30, at that From the time
he ID four or five years old that power
to see tho unseen. to make images of
11nrissble things, Is perfectly rfotous.
Two facts about him seem to contra
dict each other. One Ia that his acute
senses make very accurate ooserya-
tions OF real things; the other that his
Active Imagination knows no bounds.
IT IL not hard work. either; II does
itself In that case we call II passive
i imagination. There Is something in
4 him like wings and they insist on fiy-
ing He does not yet care where they
take him. So they fit from point TO
point. az they will. without restraint
or direction from reason or will. After
awhile he will be able 10 hold that
sight on an object az long as he
wishes and his imagination viii enter
on new phase. At first the things
he remembers attract him most. and,
for that reason, some have called II
mere memory; yet 1t is something
more. But when he begins to take
charge of II, we say 1t liz active i'm
agination. And perhaps here Is where
we can appreciate Binet's remark that
II is the faculty of creating roups
OF images which do not correspond to
any external reality" This day dream
ing Is not wrong either. He has to do
1t. whether right or wrong, though he
may do II in q right or a wrong way.
In that first stage be In always turn
ing something into something else more
10 his. liking. a. when little Billie.
standing by the post, began to turn
an unseen faucet and catch unseen
soda water In his real cup. making the
hxz with his iips and to call out:
Come on, boys: it's my treat" and
every boy saw what Billie saw and
drank hts soda water. till they came TO
Joe, who showed that he was a freak,
by snearitng out: Nav; you amt got
no soda water; 20 know you amt" He
changes toys into soldiers and has
them fight each other. makes his Sis
tiers fairies and another little girl
queen. He says, II am a coachman,"
and he Ia one. One minute he 10 Theo-
dore Roosevelt at the head OF his Rough
Riders, and the next minute the same
dashing leader, charging the hpppe-
potaIni In Africa. The TRANSPORTATION
scf dogs into bears and cats into tigers
ID no trick at ALI
- " can easily rnisunderstand him.
We must not fail to recall tho story,
told 30 often, OF that small boy, whose
reports of what we saw distressed his
good mother till she finally forbade
any more such talk on penalty. But 1t
was not long till he came running In
with: 20, mamma saw a great big
black bear out In the orchard" His
sister was called and said 1t was only
- little black dog. His mother took
him to her room and said: "Now,
Ned. go In there, shut the door, kneel
down and tell God what you have
done and ask him to forgive you" In
few minutes he came out with a
bright face. And did you tell God
and ask him to forgive you 2" she ask
ed. Yes. mamma" he answered. 'and
he said the first time he saw that dog
he thought 1t was bear. too"
After he ts seven or eight he sees
things more In groups and connec-
lions. and still later. in his teens. his
reason and purpose take charge of the
AertaI thing. Sometimes they succeed
In killing 1t, and. In that case, he is
dead. from that time on. The reason
the Wrights and Curtiss and Hamil-
ton and the other flyers can navigate
the air is that they have been doing 1t.
In imagination. for long time. SO
It Is the magical power that begins,
when he is very young. and stays with
him till he dies, or till his heart dies.
IL Ii his Aladdins lamp whose rays dis
close all he wishes and changes
stones into crystals; "FortunatuE'
purse that holds the treasures Of the
uniyerse."
1t is the mother of his mirth. the
spring OF his smiles. It Ia closely and
casually related to a saving sense of
humor. That is why boy In Kansas
City rose from his seat In crowded
street car when fat woman entered
and said: Gentlemen, / viii be one of
three to get up and give this lady
i seat" Even his unconscious humor
lows from this source. as when the
-trauher Estd: Tommy. VINO do you
think scold too muchT' Cause you
nit kinder fretful teaching school. !
1'pose," was his haAfst reply.
That In one reason why he enjoys
the present so much and anticipates
the future SO eageriy--he sees so much
in them. And. 1t may be added, that
n the reason he can endure the pres
ent. when older people treat him so
Hnjustly on the ground that he 10 only
= boy. and II makes no difference how
he Is treated. In one respect, he 10
like moses, who endured because he
naK tha invisible
There In no other way 10 explain
bow he can do 10 much--he sees it be-
forehand- Mr. Ferris was told that
by the laws of mechanics no such
wheel was possible. but after long
study. he suddenly saw that wheel.
with his minds eye. an he sat in res
tRnram In Chicago: and then building
II was the easiest part OF 1t all. Won
10itke was in bed when the word
came that France had declared war,
and he quietly told the messenger to
look In certain pigeon hole for sew
erA kilograms and said, Send them"
Then he went TO bed. He had fore
seen II all and had every plan made.
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