New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-12
MEMORY ROVER, HE SAYS
Has No Special Home in Brain.
Professor BergsOn Asserts.
VERBS EASY TO REMEMBER
Past Always Preserves Itself,
French Philosopher Tells
Columbia Men.

How and where memories are Kept IN
tho brain was discussed by Professor
Henri. Rcrgsou. I'm tho fourth Of his series
Of lectures on spirituality and Liberty
at Columbia University yesterday AFTER
man Varrs he said. are the words most
easily remembered lie reviewed tho ei-
Tort of science 20 localize memories III
certain lobes ~ the brain. These enor's'
h. ,,fd had completely failed. as autop-
,,os IN tho bodies OF patients who had
suffered from aphasia frequently reNeaieu
80 loslons while other autopsies showed
LESSONS 70 have existed in IN" brains OF
r,or,o who had never cAp'reh0c'
aphasia III.
..Tlc impression man aitilc''n WI"
,rrasia gives s. not that or a man Iroi"
,,bor, certain memories nave been 'o'n'
a. would doubtless bo tho case u mem
o,ios wore localized in specific sections
-, ,hc brain" he said. but rather mat
~ a man who can't put his hngc' o"
Tho particular memory that hc wants.
Norcover. such patients always forget
words I'm the following order-proper
fHa.
and this would indicate that memories
arc no, preserved In particular s''uon9
., tine brain. for II they were II IS ln'on-
ccivablc that these sections could al"aN >
no injured N IN. same order. All OF when
would lead Us 20 suppose that the io'' VI
tho brain f. 10 evoke rather than 10 con
serve memories.
Tho question now arises. n memories
,rcn', kop, in the brain. where are they
kepto' And this reduces itself to inc
question How are they kept but 10
ask how the past is prescribed Is 10 IN
ply that 10 could he destroyed We tenn
10 look ON tho brain as an instrument
I'm which IL is preserved. But Is II neces-
sary 10 think that IL has 10 ne preserved
When We pronounce the last word OF a
sentence. the whole sentence is present
to our consciousness. though most OF II
is mast. We don't have TO imagine any
mechanism to preserve the first part OF #.
Suppose that sentence lasted all my life.
more than hfty wears. ] would see moth
ling more extraordinary in its presence To
nv consciousness. no more reason 10 look
| FOR box. FOR a cerebral mechanism. in
which 10 store the first part Of It, than
would In tho case % the shorter sentence.
The past always preserves itself, though
We may not be conscious OF IL.
This of course is peculiarly evident
when men suddenly face death: at such
times the totally of their past is present
! 10 them I'm IT'S smallest details. The real
problem is not how the past preserves
Itself but how part Of Il is present 10 "
and part is forgotten. The brain IL an
organ OF foreet'uness. a. well as OF
memory: IL masks the past. hut allows
that part OF il which can illuminate the
situation I'm which We find ourselves 10
CLEAN through the mask. II is a filter
which permits that part OF the past which
T. useful 10 rs TO foW into oar conscious
ness.
More precisely. 1t is an organ Of sem
sation and movement. II enables us 10
feel and To act. II contributes to memory
bv placing our body in the attitudes de-
manded by given situations: once those
attitudes are taken the memories which
can contribute 10 their effectiveness glide
automatically into our consciousness.
Verbs are most easily remembered be-
cause they picture action: they suggest
the mental attitude appropriate 10 action.
and a. action is the most useful OF things
10 us il IL into such an attitude that the
past most easily inserts itself.
An idea IS what we find in conscious
ness when We suddenly check a train OF
thought thinking. however. is a continual
change I'm the direction OF consciousness,
and the function OF the brain is to select
from these changes all that may he useful
20 the situation in which the body finds
itself: Il Is like the baton of a man lead
ing an orchestra. which mimics from the
flow and splendor OF the symphony all
that can he expressed In action The
changes in tho brain are no more Identical
with thought than the waving OF the stick
| IL identical with the music. The brain
traces a small part OF mental life-the
mart that has 10 do with action and the
pa n that has to do with feeling; there is
no equivalence between brain and mind.
Brain IS the point by which mind inn
| PRESSES itself on matter. II is to mind
what the edge of a knife is to the blade.