The Washington times., 1928-04-06
Mysteries of Life
i ExpOunded By
PhilOsophe
BY George IA. Dorsey,
Ph.D., LID.
! CHApTER "a

AL processes OF thought fuflc-
Ai0n through reflex arcs which
become conditioned. especially In
childhood, and which tend to be-
came habits. We learn to think
logically Just a. we learn to
speak correctly or TO behave de-
Gently. Z may think wen, may
shave Well-who shall say? My
way OF shaving and my way OF
thinking are my ways: the ways
have learned; they are my
methods of response to certain
stimuli III certain situations.
may change both tomorrow; some
one ii always iaventing new ways
oe adjustment, new ways to ex:
cite human protOplaam 20 change
Its shaving soap.
New, thought also. Why not!
We have new foods, new scandals,
new songs. new elements, new
diseases, new laKors. new glands,
new logic. New things to think
about. The new grows out Of the
old las corn grew out Of wild
grass, or as q submarine grew
Out Of endless discarded models.
or as chemistry grew out OF
alchemy, OF as q poem grows out
Of fryings.Out OF word combina.
lions. Trial and error.
The point n that there Is no
thought without muscular or
kIandular activity: this is true
whether the stomach thinks hum
ger. the dreamer thinks air.
castles. the prisoner thinks Tree
dom, or the maiden thinks OF her
lover. Thinking Is q bodily act.
a. Is coughing or scratching one
head. During thinking energy IS
consumed. mechanism II involved.
and as i rule, the whole body
Is interested and IS listening In.
Can We listen fiji. can we reaA
thought as we can test DiOod1
Only when we can see Il. as
poem. as picture, on the golf
links. behind the counter. at the
hallot box. BY works. Overt and
explicit action. Money talks also.
But suppose no money II forth.
coming. how can we know what
hs thinks shout 1t? Overt ex.
plicit behavior Is easily enough
detecfed and il often Of less con-
sequence than the implicit re-
pcnse. ! ask you to lend men five
dollars. You hand It over. That
Il an explicit act. But your i'm.
pIicit reaction may he Of Tar
greater consequences to Tlie: YOU
may think me d cheap slEaite ana
decide to cut me from your list
A. you give no sign Of such re-
solve, I cannot know that my
LEND me- has cost no much
OF course, IL you have looked
Il or muttered It in thought,
may be able to read your face
or your lips. ! may even suspect.
with no overt sign on your part,
that my request has moved you
to more than II involved In hand
ing over the bill. i question you;
YOU deny that there Is anything
the matter WITH you.
Al ne ali do at times. Az the
run-In suspect does. His lace
IL perfect mask for innocence.
His seIf-possession is complete.
He - wrongly suspected; He is
innocent! The "third-degree"
often breaks the mask and up
sets the self-possession. More
often the third-degree fails or il
not available.
Many methods have been tried
cut to read minds that would
not be read, TO detect an implicit
response where the overt side
had only been suspected. All
these methods 20 on the tustifi-
able assumption that what the
fndiyidual does registers in the
individual dynamic mechanism.
Apply the proper test: the mech.
anism will yield its secret.
An extreme case win illustrate,
the methods. Suppose I return
unexpectedly to my store some
night, to discover my partner in
some questionable act. We quarrel.
And ] kill him. Then cut his
body up and dispose Of 1t In the
furnace-an extraordinarily diff.
cult thing to do. but suppose that
i succeed.
The anger which prompts MUIR
der is an emotional impulse.
There VIII be occasions and stu
ations In which I shall have to
Be man Of iron to keep my
emotions from betraying me.
Charged with the crime, they
might lead to changes In my
respiration and vasomotor or
ganization; even to increased
euger in my blood and urine.
AOr in my reactions to words.
woodwork has devised an emo