Show 4 SOME FREAKS OF THE MEMORY Queries of University Students Supply Sup-ply Data on Physical Phenomena Washington Post The queer freaks of memory are a constant puzzle to those who study psychical phenomena Who ha not been driven to the verge of distraction by the total inability to recall a name when the occasion for such remem brancewas past had the missing name flash into the mind apparently of its lash own volition The year 1898 has just volUon closed but how many of us can recall readily the chief incidents of the last ten months and say accurately in what month they occurred Try it and ee eeGreat minds have wrestled to find an explanation for the pranks that memory mem-ory plays and have had to give up the or gve I effort In the course of a systematic attempt to arrive at some understanding I understand-ing with regard to the wonder of memory a valuable and unique body of memor testimony has been obtained The following I fol-lowing questions have been put to 200 American university students and professional pro-fessional persons 151 being men and fortynine being women The answers I are here given with the questions Question 1When you cannot recall a name you want does it seem to come you without being back spontaneously wihout being i suggested by any perceived association of ideas To this 1 per cent answered No and SI per cent Yes Q 2Does such recovery ever come during sleep To this 17 pet cent answered swered No and 2S per cent Yes Some examples are given First This morning I tried to recall the name of a character I had read of the night before in one of Scotts novels nov-els and f le I taught a class and walking home in theafternoon all the names recurred to me without effort Second I tried to recall the name of a book Gave it up Half an hour later while talking of something else blurted it out without conscipus volition tion tionQ 3On seeing a sight or hearing a sound for the first time have you ever felt that you had seen or heard the i same before Fiftynine per cent answered an-swered Yes The action of unconscious memory during sleep is illustrated by further queries Q 4D you dream Ninetyfour per cent answered Yes Q 5Can you wake at u given hour determined before going to sleep without with-out waking up many times before Fiftynine per cent answered No Q 6If you can how about failure Sixtynine per cent seldom failed 25 per cent often Q 7Do you come direct from oblivion obliv-ion into consciousness Sixtyfour percent per-cent answered Yes and 16 per cent Gradually 0 < > < Examples FirstI had to give medicine every two hours exactly to my wife I a a sound sleeper but for six weeks woke up every two hours and never missed I giving the medicine SecondI am always awake five minutes before the hour I set the alarm ThirdI had had little sleep for ten days and went to bed at 9 asking to be called at midnight I fell asleep at once I rose and dressed as the clock struck 12 and could not believe I had not been called A strange phenomenon has come to light strauge te course of the inquiry into lght mystery of memory I ha been discovered that by gazing steadily at a crystal consciousness is partly lost Into the void thus produced those who have practiced crystalgazing find that there enter unbidden forgotten incidents inci-dents and lost memories To give a few instances A lady in crystalgazing wall covered with saw a bit of dark wal white flowers She was conscious she must haVe seen i somewhere but had no recollection where She walked over the ground she had just traversed and found the wall which she had passed unnoticed She took out her bankbook another day Shortly afterward she was gazing at the crystal and saw nothing but the number 1 but taking up the bankbook bank-book found to her surprise it was the number of the account At another time she destroyed a letter let-ter without noting the address she could only remember the town After gazing at the crystal some time she saw 321 Jefferson avenue She addressed ad-dressed the letter there adding the town and found it was right A lady sat in a room to write where she ha sa eight years before She felt her feet moving restlessly under the table and then remembered that eight years before she always had a footstool It was this her feet were wa foottool Ii seeking Psychical research brings to light many cases of similar strange tricks of memory I is easy to find instances that serve to deepen the mystery I is not so easy to give an explanation I The cleverest men who have attempted to do so have to admit defeat II I I |