Evening star., 1923-01-23

little bored, despite a. polite effort
to stimulate attention.
Answers Many Questions.
The second characteristics is shown
by the vigorous volleys of questions
which are fired at me directly l fin
ish my lecture. That is somewhat
rare In France. And the questions
put are almost always Intelligent. and
prove that, not only have the queS-
TONERS fuzzy grasped what I have
said, but are eager for me to develop
certain aspects of the subject or to
explore side issues the possibilities
ana Importance or which they have
peen quick to seize upon. In this
respect-and this is. perhaps. third
characteristic-Am do not seem
TO suffer from that kind of nervous
ness which is better described as
elf-consciouSness or bashfulness: L
nave only encountered one bashful
person at my lectures over here-and
he was mere mani AS a rule, I
ma Americans put their questions
with directneSS and concision, in a
voice audible all over the hall, with
no discernible trace of timidity. 1
nave been struck also with the order
and discipline they SO readily show.
whenever number of questions hap
pen to be put simultaneously, tumble
and confusion are avoided by a quasi
automatic perception of the most in
the floor is Immediately abandoned
by the others tacit consent. Little
details, perhaps, but they denote char
acter.
In general. / find that / was not
mistaken in believing. even before l
sailed from France. that the Ameri-
can temperament is peculiarly re-
SponSive to the creed of autosugges-
tion. Take my hand-clasping test,
for instance. Simple as it appears
a ra iS-- TO hnF nf
pie in France and England fail to
, grasp the elementary principle under
lying it, and the conflict in their own
minds mars the success of the dem
, onstration In America, however, l
have had comparatively few failures,
because the American mind is sensi-
tive to ideas of psychological
analysis.
Serenity of Audiences.
Perhaps this same sensitiveness is
responsible for the serenity of Amer
| lean audiences. ] can think of no
better word to convey my meaning.
1t is not merely idle tranquility.
| There is a sort of self-watchfuiness,
self-control and conscious considera-
| tion for others which surprises me
| and compelS my admiration at each
of my lectures. There is an amaz-
! ing absence of that buzz of conver-
1 sation, of laughter or (worse) gig
Cling. of rattling of chairs which are
| the annoying features of most pub
! lie meetings in Europe. Above all,
! there is none, or very little, of the
eXasperating chorus of coughing
! which hitherto 1 believed to be an
! inevitable accompaniment TO all lee
| lures, concerts or theater plays
| Only once in America have I noticed
! the plague, and then it was in a very
! mild form. ] conclude that not only
do Americans possess an innate re-
spect for the rights of others to hear
and enjoy, and of the lecturer or
concert-giyer or artist to do their
part without annoyance, but that
| they have also come to penetrate the
| principles of autosuggestion, and to
know that when a person coughs in
| public hall it is not because he or
| she needs to cough, but simply be-
! cause some one else has conveyed
J the suggestion by coughing. awaking
an unconscious response in others.
| Contagion, it is usually called. 1t is
really a wonderful confirmation of
! the theory of autosuggestion.
! Copyright, 1928, United States, Great Brit
ain. Canada and South America. by North
American Newspaper Alliance and New York
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