The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1914-12-04

other .'butinsky,' such as a ''persevera
other reflections, memories or ideas are
Of relatively no importance. persistence,
or strength, the ''perseverant' idea hobs
up sereneIy to your dismay and cha
grin.
Thus. Miss Gertrude W, who is an
aerophagic. or air-swallower, constantly
belches-voluntarilys of course-arter
she has unconsciously swallowed a gulp
of air. She says: Excuse me" each
time she belches. This has been going
on for fifteen years now. She Is not
aware that she says Excuse me. or
that she gulps down air and then
beiches of her own accord. Ny friend.
rupert Hughes, thus named his farce
after he heard Miss VS. excuse
me" for the nth time the first day ne
saw her.
Miss VS. trouble Ia an extreme In
stance OF triple preservation she IL
not a lunatic. She Is not mentally or
physically i'll. She has no nervous all
ment She is only afflicted win a tripie
entente. '.perseyeration.
Entirely against everyoodys VIII
many ideas, actions and thoughts
boomerang into consciousness. An Ola
song with stupid phrases and plepeian
melody, undressing people, unpleas-
ant occurrences and especially the same
mistakes constantly recur.
This helps to explain why most peo-
ple persevere and persist In perpetual
ing the mistakes and deficient knowl-
edge with which they started out IN
life Old nurses use the discarded and
useless methods of their badly taught
childhood Doctors. bankers. soldiers.
merchants, lawyers, pedagogues. maya
zine editors and others do the same.
When you see a popular speaker
tumble the button OF his waistcoat as
he delivers fervid grafton. ten chances
to one II you were disposed TO do evil
YOU could have prevented his speech by
cutting of all the buttons. His asso-
citation of finger fumbling. speech
making. and flights Of fervor are asso-
Citations mixed with perseverative ten
dency.
so-caIled fixed ideas or obsessions are
not perseverative unless they manifest
themselves in some way. Mr.. H Is
a victim of pereseveration.
He has, OF course, been called
''neurasthenic," lunatic, A -psychaes-
thenic,t" crank. an imaginative fellow
full Of nerves" and all OF the other
makeshift terms that try to effect flank
movements around an accurate dag
nosis.
Every time he crossed q long crevice.
crack or car track he stpops down and
picks up a pebble or stick II one is
present. This perseverative tendency IL
now. since its mental mechanism has
been held up TO the light, in fair way
TO be cured.
II must be plain that a cure can only
be effected by driving back where II be-
longs into inconsistencies the repeti-
ton of inappropriate and uselss habits.
The girl with the sir-swallowing.
belching, vocal excuse me" will be
nut upon the high road of improvement
II she begins to educate her thoughts
simultaneously with her muscles The
particular kind OF education is not ma
terial. 1t should. however. have TO do
with the development OF broad and use
fu' knowledge as we'll as muscular con-
troll and skill. After all. II Is a matter
Of will power and firm substitution of
something adequate, adaptable. and
worth while. for what is much the same
as fishing In the air, sowing seeds on