Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-08-10
OUR ALL-SEEING EYES
By II. AddingtOn Bruce

tn HE eye is admittedly the most important OF
our sense-organs. But also it is sense
organ of whose great possibilities most OF
imperfectly aware.
We know, sometimes to deep regret, that
we frequently misinterpret the evidence of our
eyes. Things think we have seen occurring IN
a certain way later proved to have occurred
quite otherwise.
So common is this experience that many peo-
pie bitterly insist that the eye is one of the most
badly constructed and one of the most limited OF
human instruments.
Actually the trouble is not with the eye but
with its users. They need training in the devel-
opment of observational ability. And even SO,
though they do not know it, their eyes accurately
perceive the things which afterward they report
inaccurately.
More than this, so powerful is the human eye
and so intimate it's connection with the mind, there
is reason for believing that everything that comes
within the eyes range is faithfully reported to the
mind, and is remembered by the mind:
Not everything seen, of course, can be voluntar-
lily recalled into conscious remembrance. Our fire.
quent forgetfulness of what we know we have seen
proves the contrary.
On the other hand there is ample proof that
we see much that have never been aware OF
seeing. And whatever we do see is seen by our
eyes with Photographic exactness.
This has been established through certain in
teresting phenomena related to hypnotsm, auto
matte writing crystal gazing, and other processes
for tapping the subconsciCus.'
For example looking into a crystal one day
Young woman in it the figures 3244. These
meant nothing to her, until it later demon
strated that she had that day changed a bank note
thus numbered.
She could not remember having paid any par
ticular attention to the bank note. Consciously
she had not even glanced at its number.
But her eyes, quite evidently, had seen it in
all its details, and had helped her mind make a
subconscious record Of it,
To another woman it became of importance to
recall the date and the amount of check that hal
once passed through her hands. She could not do
this until friend suggested that she try crystaI
gazing.
Almost at once she in the crystal, as 1t
fol MIR ranh Of
ing besides the date and amount, the name OF the
bank on which it drawn, the signature of the
maker of the check, and the number in the
corner
third person, hypnotized and given paper
and pencil was able to write a detailed and error
less account of the appearance and dress of a
stranger with whom she had casually chatted for
not more than two minutes.
The color and material of his suit the posi-
ton of the pockets his coat the number of but
tons on it, the pattern of his tieevery detail was
correctly given.
Yet this same person, before being hypnotized,
could recall only that the man described wore
CLOTHES of some dark color
Decidedly the eyes can give us-and unknown
to ourselves do give .us-far more information
than we consciously obtain from them. Some day
perhaps shall learn how to obtain much of this
additional information without resorting to such
artificial aids as hypnotism, automatic writing, and
crystal gazing
Copyright, 1917, by The Associated Newspapers).