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Show Human Civilization Epitomized in Attention I fiBBMBTTEKTION!" cries the orderly to hla men jfe I) and ln that single word of command, If re-1 re-1 Q cent research prove true, ho epitomizes xJ I human development. m M Prof Angelo Mosno, professor of physl- ology In the University of Turin. Kays that jH lvgCt9ylajyJ the Index to a man's intellectual capacity and his rank In civilization is the quality jH and quantity of attention he can pay. And in this Idea ho perhaps but elaborates the views ot the Immortal Darwin, jH who considered attention the most Important of tho facul-ties facul-ties for tho development of human intelligence, and who told a story of a- man that trained monkeys to aot ln plays. Tho man offered to give double the price if ho wer allowed to keep three or four of tho monkeys . fow days before making his selection. When asked how he could tell ln so short a time whether a monkey would turn out a good actor he replied that It all depended on the degre of attention which the animal gave to what was done in its presence. If, when he. was teaching it anything, Its attention was easily distracted, as by a fly or other trlfl. IH all hope of instructing it had to bo abandoned. Blood and Brain Activity Awakeneo , Much importance has been attached to the circulation of tho blood In the phenomena of attention, and Prof. Mosso is among those who investigated the movement of tho blood ln the human brain, showing tho mechanism by jH whloh the afflux of blood to tho brain ls Increased during attention. He convinced himself that the blood la not the first and most Important factor lo psyohlo activity. The brain cello contain substances sufficient to provide for the operations of consciousness without there taking placo any sudden modification ln tho afflux of blood. His obaor-vatloas obaor-vatloas of persons ln sleep who bad an aperture ln th cranium showed him that consciousness Is established bo-fore bo-fore any alteration takes place ln the circulation of th blood within tho brain, jH Why Germans Bump Each Other. In clinching his final argument that attention la a criterion of olvlllratlon Prof. Mosso begs us " to observe & crowded street in Germany on a holiday or market day. Tou will easily distinguish the peasant by tho disturbance ho makes and the awkward way he runs against you. Tho Italians ln tho densest crowd never come ln collision with any one. Tho German peasantry do not get out of tho way because they cannot. Their brain does not act with jH sufficient rapidity for them to glvo prompt ordors to thoir muscles to avoid every new figure that unexpectedly ap-pears ap-pears on their field of vision. They cannot chongo thoir direction swiftly a. thing which comes easily to an Italian of no more or evon less education. "And why ls this? Eecauso with thv German tho jH crowded city ls a product of modem times; becauso tho people come down from tho mountains and distant hills where thore ls nothing penned up in a little space. The Italian, on tho other hand, is heir of a culture which has flourished for thousands of years, which has been devol-oped devol-oped ln cities; he posscssos tho nerves of his progenitors &nd is prepared for rapid changes." |