Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-12-04

W ny some SHY ARC AtAhS AouA
Masters.
Cruel word that one, "persevera-
ton" 1t Is a condition. however,
and not q theory. Most persons know
perseverat ton when they see ii or hear
it. Sad to tell, they have not been
taught the name.
The persistent repetition or continu-
alton of some kind or other of use
less activity, after all call for the ac-
ton has ceased, is called "a persevera-
tive tendency" or preservation. DR..
william Silliman Foster, of Clark
University, has devoted especial at
tention to this condition.
Every idea or thought you possess
has a tendency to make itself felt"
or known. In most instances you
are able to suppress this and push
the image or thought into Its proper
place.
If. however, too much attention Is
given to any idea, its tendency to
assert itself becomes as much Of
pest as the so-called precocious
youngsters. who should be seen and
not heard. With perseverance and rep
st;tion an obnoxious child or some
other "butinsky," such as a per
severant idea" may so besiege you
that when other reflections, memor-
les or ideas are of relatively no i'm
portance persistence, or strength, the
"perseverant" Idea bobs up serenely
to your dismay and chagrin.
Ideas That VIII Repeat.
Thus, Miss Gertrude W, who is
an aerophagic, or air-swallower, con-
stantly belches-voluntarily. Of course
after she has unconsciously swal-
lowed a gulp of air. She says: "Ex-
cuse me" each time she belches This
has been going on for fifteen years
now. She is not aware that she says
Tex cuse me-" or that she gulps down
air and then belches OF her own ao-
cord. My friend, Rupert Hughes. thus
named his farce after he heard Miss
W-'s excuse me" for the ninth
time the first day he saw her
Miss W-'s trouble Is an extreme
instance of triple preservation. She
is not a lunatic. She Is not mentally
or physically Ill. She has no nerv-
GUS ailment. She is only afflicted
with a triple entente "perseveration."
Entirely against everybody's will
many ideas, actions and thoughts
boomerang into consciousness. An
old song with stupid phrases and
plebelan melody, uninteresting peo-
pie, unpleasant occurrences and es-
pecially the same mistakes constantly
recur.
This helps to explain why most
people persevere and persist In per-
petuatinR the mistakes and deficient
knowledge with which they started
out in life. Old nurses use the dis
carded and useless methods OF their
badly taught childhood. Doctors,
bankers. soldiers. merchants, lawyers,
pedagogues, magazine editors and
others do the same.
Teaching Ideas "Their Place."
When you see a popular speaker
tumble the button on his wRistcoat
as he delivers q fervid grafton, ten
chances to one II you were disposed
to do evil you could have prevented
his speech by cutting on all the but
tons. His association Of finger
funbling, speech making and flights
of fervor are associations mixed with
a perseverative tendency.
Go-caIled flxed Ideas or obsessions
are not prcserveratlve unless they
manifest themselves In some way.
Mr.. H is viotim OF persevera-
ton.
He has. of course, been called a
"neuraethenic," a lunatic, a "psy-
chsesthenic," crank, an imag1na-
tive fellow full of nerves" and all
of the other makeshlft terms that try
to effect flank movements around an
accurate diagnosis.
Every time he crosses a long
crevice, crack or car track he stoops
down and picks up a pebble or stick,
II one Is present. This perseverative
tendency is now, since it's mental
mechanism has been held UP to the
light in a fair. way to be cured.
II must be plain that cure can
only be effected by driving back where
It belongs into inconsistencies tho
repetition Of inappropriate and use
less habits.
The girl with the air-swailowing.
belching, vocal 'excuse me" will be
put upon the high road of improve
ment il she begins to educate her
thoughts simultaneously with her
muscles. Tho particular kind Of edu-
cation is not material. 1t should,
however, have to do with the de-
velopment of broad and useful knowi-
edge as we'll as muscular control and
skill. After all. II is a matter Of will
power and firm substitution OF some
thing adequate. adaptable and worth
while, for what Is much the same as
fishing in tho air, sowing seeds on