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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1913)
-Copyright, 1911 by the Star Company. wat Britain Rights Reserve. Why We 1DST FORGET To Keep from GOING INSANE THE child who, when asked what memory la, re plied. "It's what you forget with " was much nearer right thanH generally supposed. We do actually forget far more than we bring Into con sciousness, and that is what Is called memory. There Is no memory sense, nor does memory consti ' jtute a special faculty of the human organism. The physiological explanation of memory Is not difficult, but Its method of working Is far from being so simple. Every Impression plants a memory, or, to speak in the words of the scientists, every nerve agitation has am effect upon the growth of the nerve-strand and changes the brain cells at the centre to which the nerve runs. An act of memory is simply making the nerve-strand and cell work backward and reproduce what was Introduced Into It from without " You see a friend to-day and talk with him, and when In the evening you are asked, "Well, whom did you see to-day?" the very question brings up the pic- Mental Power Depends Upon NOT CONTINUALLY REMEMBERING All We See and Hear ture of that friend. At the same time the cells of the brain that were engaged, in the conversation begin to reproduce the thoughts uttered then you are remem bering the conversation. But you had forgotten even that you had met this friend until asked the question, and had probably not thought of what had been discussed until you recalled his name and thought of the Ideas that had been ex changed with him. The entire brain Is filled with these memories, or, rather, each cell has an impression which it is ready to reproduce when called upon. It might be compared with the disk of a phonograph which has received mil lions of impressions, and when the proper place is reached by the needle (that is, when we call upon that cell to utter its impresston) It echoes what was re- celved possibly twenty or thirty years ago. All this time the cell has been holding Its thought, waiting to be called upon to reproduce it This thought while kept ready for reproduction is what science calls "below the threshold of consciousness." We had the thought, but were not conscious of it until it was raised to the level of consciousness. What then, makes the difference between good memories and bad? Why Is It that one person can re member easily and another forgets absolutely? Why Is the forgetful person unable to bring back to con sciousness something which passed through his brain years before? Let us see. There Is a great difference between brains. Their physical matter is precisely the same, as far as science can determine, but the power of reproducing thoughts varies between individuals and In the same Individual at different times. The power of reproduction Is in proportion to the distinctness and depth of the first impression. Some persons have a power of receiving Impressions more vividly, and, of course, these reproduce more perfectly. While you are young the train Is not filled with Impressions; yon are eager for every new thought and you concentrate your attention upon each thought as it is received. This power of concentration seems to be like an engraver's tool which marks the ideas of thoughts more deeply on the disk of memory, so that when called upon for repro duction they emerge clear and dis tinct, not foggy or confused. The gaining of the power of con centration is a matter of training. One person can read a book ln a room where many are conversing, while another person cannot read a line. The former has the power of perfect self-direction, and shuts off the sounds of conversation, fix log his whole mind upon the words he is reading; the other lacks that power. Th$ person who has this perfect control will remember for years what the other forgets almost overnight There is another line of training which goes te make the perfect memory, and that is training in ob servation. Some persons do not see what Is going on about them because they do not fix their minds upon It Others, as we say, "take It all In" and they keep tt as well. Thereason that the old person says 1 can remem ber what happened twenty or thirty yean ago better HOW YOUR MEMORY WORKS. Vlom (did you "Too have completely forgotten your friend nnlil some chance remark brings the memory of your last meeting with him to conscions life In your brain. The reproduction of this Impression In turn revives your forgotten promise to send him a book.' than what occurred day before yesterday is easily explained. When he' was young the cells of his brain and his nerve-strands were fed with good red blood and were at the height of their activity, so that It was easy for a thought to make a permanent Impression. Houses That Follow the Sun a i0 build a house with southern exposures ' I on all sides sounds a great deal like ' making a regal coach and four out of a pumpkin and some mice, as in Cinderella, bnt this Is really done. Of course the im possible is not performed, and so all the sides of the house do not have a southern exposure at the same moment The answer Is simple enough, however. , These houses rest on a sort of turntable, and may be turned about at any angle or entirely around. A long while ago one or two such experiments were tried; but these turn-table cottages did not seem to be practical. Now, however, quite a number of villas have been botlt In Munich and seem to be quite popular. The solid foundations do not move, natur ally, but the villas rest upon these founda tlons with proper turntables, so they may be turned about A villa built upon a little knoll or hill can thus be made to follow the sun around all day, having sunlight in the same room from sunrise to sunset or the villa may be turned around so that the sun may be In the kitchen during the forenoon and in the living room during the afternoon. For invalids who need to be In the sun con stantly such an arrangement allows them to , rest in their chairs or hammocks on a veran da from morning until night, with the added attraction of a change in the landscape every little while. These houses are, of course, only villas, or like our small bungalows, and were first built as a novelty. Now a number of experts are studying them to see if it will not be possible to build something after that pattern for use of patients in a tubercular colony. M YOU MIGHT TRY- To Remove Match Marks. ARKS on kitchen walls, which have been caused by carelessly striking matches on them, will disappear If rubbed with a bit of lemon and then with a clean cloth dipped In whiting. After wards wash the Burface with warm water and soap then wipe with a clean damp cloth. To Remove a Glass Stopper. WIEN the stopper of a bottle has become fixed and will not move, if It Is soaked in vinegar for a few hours and then worked gently, it will come away quite easily, and there is no danger of breaking it Preventing China From Chipping. HOUSEHOLD china is apt to get chipped at the taps In the kitchen. j Cut two Bmall pieces from some old garden hose or rubber tub- i ing, and slip one over each of the faucets at the sink. This will prevent such accidents. , which can be recalled at any time by the exercise of the will or by the call of other similar thoughts. But -when a person Js old It is as If the wax on the disk of memory bad become hardened and the impression made by a thought does not go very deep, and. as a consequence, recollection is difficult or Impossible. , No one can explain all about the action of memory, but It is plain that we are forgetting most of the time sinking our thoughts below the threshold of conscious ness, to lie there until wa feel the need of calling them, up to consclpua life. This is perhaps the most wonderful power of our brains. If we were continually conscious of all that we had ever seen or thought our minds would be in a tumult and we should go insane. As at present constituted the mind calls up only what it needs to remember, and for the time forgets all else, thus making it possible to work logically and fix our thoughts upon one subject at a time instead of upon many million. This arrangement also gives the greater part of the brain cells time to rest, for if all worked together the expenditure of nerve energy would be so goormous that no organism could stand it We want to remember everything when we want to and not all the time, and the well-trained mind does precisely that, It does not go "wool gathering," letting thoughts arise at random, as they do in dreams when the will is quiescent What we call memory Is the most wonderful com bined activity of brain cells and nerves, but training, at many points will make It possible even for the aged to receive as vivid Impressions almost as the young, and certainly to do far more with the stored-up memories than the untrained mind. Training comes from exercise you can not think too deeply. What Flowers Do for Weary Brains I t HE3 eyes and the brain of the busy man. I no matter what kind of work he follows, become weary and need rest Just the same as any other part of the human body. Nothing has been found In the wide world that win give weary eyes and a tired brain more Immediate rest than a few moments gazing on a pretty bed of bright colored flowers. The contrast is so great from that which has occupied the organs until they were well nigh exhausted, and the effect is simply marvelous. Flowers in the home divert the mind and rest the weary eyes of the housewife and mother. A boquet in the sick room aids in keeping the mind off the disease, and often starts the brain on a new channel of thought that puts the patient on the road to recovery. Flowers in the office, or on the desk of the weary clerk or stenographer, will produce such a telling effect that by actual compar ison more work Is accomplished by those whose eyes and brains are rested by the presence of those gifts from nature.- Artists visit the parks and gardens to study the flowers, and their orbs are wonderfully toned up by tha refreshing glimpses of the colors in nature, and no artist has ever been successful who does not study colors in the beautiful flowers. It will pay any student, or anyone deeply engrossed In thought along any particular line which Is apt to make the brain weary, to have a pot of bright flowers on the desk. Teacfaiofl Girls to Be Sportsmanlike By Jease F. Williams, they are building up character. It Is a sub- - R.J i..t-..(-. .i .i tn. t t r. . . conscious building. We do not preach loyalty Read Instructor of the Physical Department of to tte,r co,lege themBelve8j Columbia University, words, but by object lessons. IT Is the spirit behind the game rather than For instance, we never give up playing a proficiency In the sport itself that we make "ame because one or two important members the cardinal principle In our athletios at 01 te&m flave fUd us. We play the game Teacher's College. It Is sportmanship rather eve knowing we have no chance to win. We than records for which we strive. But do not have Played match games of baseball with misunderstand me, we go In to win and do, but onIy flv members of the team in the field, the winning Is of secondary importance to the We would &lay 14 wltn aly batter and pitcher formation and development of character. rather tnan lve u How doe" this teach Many of the most valuable lessons of life are loyalty Suppose a game of baseball was taught on the athletic field: self control, cour- scheduled for a certain Saturday afternoon, age, courtesy, loyalty, responsibility. 11 happens to be a delightful October day and ' , . . , A1 , .... , several of the team prefer to go to the theatre The girl who learns these lessons while play- or to shop or have made engagements of Ing baseball or basket ball is victorious, al- some sort that preclude their being at the though she never makes a home run or a goal. same. We develop athletes, but more than all "we na "tu l c"ee hey fln " " game was played without them and probably Jevelop character on our athletlo fields and lost to the visiting team. "But why did you In our gymnasiums. This is, of course, not not postpone It?" they will ask. And they get te.. The athletio training for boys has long tnelr flr8t les80D- In responsibility when we ex leen based on this principle. plain that we were in honor bound to play the vwuwyio. game because we had promised to. We had as The general belief that girls are not sports- a team, as a unit, assumed a responsibility and manlike, that they are poor losers, that they we neld to !t- Tnls teaches those who stayed i not alwava "dIrt the nmi" fa not ntlr! away loyalty responsibility, and to those tjo not always play the game is not entirely who went bravely lnto wnat they knew woul(, true. Fundamentally, girls and boys, men and be a losing game it teaches courage. It is, by aomen are not unlike in this respect Many the way, only at the beginlng of the college Sf the same attributes are in both sexes, but year betore the new students have the real they lie dormant through lack of cultivation i came as the result of an unusual play, but she falls. She does not meet her responsibilities, you see. This is forcefully explained at the time and not only the girl herself, but her team mates receive a lesson in loyalty and re sponsibility which will affect their future ao- A. J i 1 .4... . - uoq on ue auwetic Held as well as in Ufa er use. sportmanahlp is one of these quali ties. Girls have had no chance to develops It Man has played games for centuries. may weaken our side in a contest but those left to bear the brunt never refuse to "play the game." Loyalty is shown In other ways. Personally I do not think that too much can be made of But Just what is sportmanship T Can it tnls characteristic. My philosophy is that so be defined or Is It an elusive something that ag aa per80n ls meniber of any organisa- '' i v, iin . . . . . , tlon, be it a team, a college or what not, ho we feel but can not logically explain or define? 8hould be abBolutely loyal Bln word and aeedi True sportsmanship cannot be defined in words, should show loyalty under the most trying con- the man, the person. Is really the deflnatlon ditions, should not "knock" his fellows or his of the word. For instance, we say that the leader aQd should support his organization ,imninn VfT , . u with all his prowess. This is the kind of tennis champion. McLoughlin, is a thorough ,oyaltjr w try t0 teftca at Columbia to our sportsman, but we do not really put in words girls. : Just what we mean. Wo feel, however, that What ls it that brings a boy or man to the he is a man of courage, couftesy, loyalty and football -field or to the diamond every day, . , . , . . . even when he knows that he ls not going to truth, that he Is a good loser, a kindly victor. piay and that, perhaps, he may never have a that he has great self-control; else he would chance to play in a big game? What ls it that not occupy his present high estate. brings him to the Bide lines day after day . dressed in his playing clothes? What keeps Therefore, when. we speak of sportmanship him from cutting away and having a good time ; we have la our minds not the definition of the town? Loyalty to his class, his team, himself. ' word but the figure of a man representing it Thls 'eeling of loyalty and responsibility is wr a ,oi, j. .v.. " strong in girls; the Irresponsibilities have, W do not think so much of what records the however been of a vastiy different nature for man has made but of what he ls. The athlete's centuries and it takes sometimes months of' triumph" over speed and space, his ability to training to make them realize that there is a throw straight and far, his prowess on the responsibility In play as well as In work, that gridlronj.re not foremo.t in our mind, when t&SSSSSSi. W"' we speak of his sportsmanship. I ben0V6 that with every opportunity comes - It ls this spirit, therefore, that we keep ever responsibility. The worker, the athlete, who ,. i tha. nh!oni . fa" to seiee that opportunity, shows a lack of fa the foreground In the physical education of reBp0nllbllity. on the athletio field, for In cur girl students. While they believe that they Btance, a girl may have a chance to make a , are building up stronger bodies we know that goal, she does not grasp It, perhaps because it At th begins to take an Interest in athletics she naturally wants and expects to be on one of the teams, she does not make it but is told that she may Join the practise games and that she may have a chance later to take a substitute's place. Being perfectly human, and therefore not perfect she does not take the suggestion kindly or seriously, she stays away from the games entirely or sulks along the side lines in everyday clothes rather than in her playing costume. This is one of the commonest act of disloyalty toward her classmates among the uew siuaents. There is no natural gang spirit among girls. As a child, the normal girl plays single plays, plays for which only one companion or per haps two is needed. She plays dolls, bouse, or If older, reads her story books. Boys on the contrary are natural gangsters. They love to flock together. They follow a leader naturally. This quality is in feminine nature as well as in the masculine, but It is only recently being brought forth or developed. But boys and men have had to be trained Just as much as girls, only their training has been going on for generations, perhaps centuries. The old troubadours, for instance, were sportsmen, they had the quality which we are bringing forth to-day In our girls and which is considered to be "natural" to boys. But it is not "natural." When the new Bystem of athletics became included in the schools of the country it was found that boys lacked this highest sportsmanship, they went into the game for the record alone, let come what would, not for the spirit It is but natural, therefore, that we should be going through Ahe same phase with girls, who started practically two generations later. We used In America to lay our em phesis in the training of both boys and girls upon the development f character. No mere records will suffice unless school athletics are making better citizens, from the stand points of loyalty, honesty and responsibility, they are failures. Girls learn self-confidence on the athletic field. They learn to lose sight of themselves, which la the truest self-confidence. To go Into a game with fewer members on their team than on their opponent's, and to fight bravely, gives the fighters a self-confidence that nothing else can give. The girls "find themselves" speedily under such condi tions. They have to, else they could not play. I would not say, however, that' In every In stance responsibility to others In an athletio contest presupposes a permanent sense of re sponsibility to others throughout life. This is a form of faculty psychology no longer be lieved in, but I do believe that In many cases It helps a lot The person who proves her responsibility in small things Is apt to prove them In the larger things of life. Aside from self-control, as ordinarily ex pressed, the modern system of athletics teaches a girl to take open criticism grace fully. Girls inherently resent criticism. Boys on the contrary not only take it but seem to expect it In athletics this criticism ls absolutely necessary. It is all part of the game and the girl who does not overcome her sensitiveness will never develop the true sportsmanship. But why this difference? It lies, I think. In the fact that the feminine nature makes every thing personal. Incidents, criticisms, deeds, that to a boy or man are general, are to a girl personal. "- While naturally without the gang spirit girls readily acquire it when properly led. There is nothing In life so well calculated to develop leadership as athletics. The development of leadership goes hand In hand with the de velopment of team work. I do not want anyone to think that the de velopment of the true sportsmanship means the development of a race of mollycoddles. We believe In fair play and Insist upon it, but we also play to win and play as hard as we can. Slugging? Well, slugging a not a fem inine accomplishment! We have won a good many games at Teacher's College and Barnard without It but we are by no means mollycod dles. Girls who are determined to make a goal at basketball are as emphatic in their plays as boys they forget frequently that they belong to the "gentler sex!" It is this that develops the give and take attitude. In ath letics as well as In everything else life ls a game of give and take. Girls speedily learn to take as good as they give. That there are no purely physical actions ls never more clearly proven than on the gym nasium floor or the outdoor field. Mind and body are one, else of what use to found our athletics on the higher plane? Why not de pend' solely on brute force? Neither are there purely mental acts. Our actions affect our thoughts Just as surely as our thoughts affect our actions. This is why we place sportsman ship far and beyond the winning of records. If we play a straightforward victorious game of football our mental attitude will be affected by that game for hours afterward. And this is true of dancing We have large- classes in folk and national dances, but we do not teach the new steps that have recently called forth much criticism. Dances inevi tably affect the mental state. If one dance a Jolly folk dance, the mental attituder for the hours following it will be brighter and Jollier than if one dances a stately solemn measure. The dance may be used to induce attitudes of mind and if one knows what is desirable In the dance, one can get satis factory mental attitudes. There are still conservatives who fear that devotion to athletics means a lowering of the feminine standard, that there Is something un womanly in battling for a ball on a green field. Conventions produce such feeling. If athletics are properly coached and supervised there Is no boss of Inherently womanly traits, but real gain in qualities very desirable in woman hood. Some athletio girls are masculine, I admit but are they not athletes because they were primarily masculine In their tendencies? A girl who becomes a sportsman need lose none of her desirable feminine qualities, but . J?ay and doe l0M many that are not desirable. Hep Streak of Luck (J KNOW yon won't b!lv mo," Plaintively bgan the youn woman who was crocheting tho bedspread, Nobody with a par-, tide of common sense would believe me, but that dinner party I gavo on the isth of the month was a real party. Occasionally when I think of It th affair aeemi like on of those moving pletur dreams that cause you to wonder how on earth they made the films. "If I hadn't tried to bo io stylleh and act Ilk an etiquette book hostesa It wouldn't have been ao bad, for then my auesti could have shared my sor row with me. I made the fatal mis take of attempting to conceal my hysteria under a set smile and by pre tending that thla- world we live In ls a happy little place and that I wu having a really delltrhtful time. "I had modestly aatd when I in vited the Canatows and the Amsleye that we would have the chickens sent over from the farm In Michigan. "So when I reached homo at o'clock the night of the dinner and found the cook hanging over the front gate waiting for me with the news that the chlckena had not come I waa somewhat upaet "The atores In our aaburb cloae with great promptness at o'clock, but by doing a ilarathon I reached the butcher shop Just as the man waa locking up. There I purchased some cold storage fowls that I knew every one would recognise aa cold storage. And after my country chlckea boasts, tool DISCOVBnED. "Tearing madly through the back yon can. to the grocer's! He Uvea over his store! Get some canned oup If you have to use your flats oa him.' "Then I went back languidly to my wondering guest and kept on aotlng aa If everything was going beautiful ly. I think the hardest possible thing to do ls to act aa If nothing ia happening when people axe atarvtng to death uefore your eyee aad staring at you reproachfully. "Finally, after millions ef years, a perfectly Impassable faced aerving man, who didn't In the least look as though he had been engaged In hold ing up an honest grocer. Announced dinner1. "I thought at flrat It was my emo tion that made the soup taste ao queer, but afterward I found that the man had got a can of clam bouillon and a can of tomato aoup, and they didn't aeem to mix well. He had not noticed the unusual character of this combination In hla excitement "Then Mrs. Canstow began to be aympathetlo, which waa very hard to bear. She conveyed In the moat deli cate manner the feeling that of course she realised my dinner was a failure, but that nothing leas could have been expected, since I was the person riving It That woman has tne moat uncanny habit of alwaya having things absolutely perfect If he'd only make a failure now and SSL1 couM srow -ult 'ol ot her. The next thing that happened was ?h .1d "vsr in the pantry. John, with a resigned sigh, rose from hla seat and faded Into the back re. fro" .vTh! ,e,?:ln nn. nervous l.Ti " ot the -evening, bad let the cork of the champagne ?.tiV2p Ut ?nd ha,f in tents had escaped, so John knew If ne wanted to save the aecond bottle hed have to go and attend to it himself. Still I maintained my per fect calm and silently dared Mra Canstow to notice anything. LIKE SAWDUST. streets and alleys for fear I ahoulJ meet some of my gueata and they would notice the ejblcken lega pro truding from my bundles, I reached home and fell Into my dinner dreaa. The man I alwaya have to serve at dinners waa on hand preparing the table, and I talked with feverish brightness to the Canatowa and Ami. leya aa 7 o'clock arrived and passed. "Then my husband, whom X had not been able to warn, began signal ing to know" why dinner waa not an nounced. Jast then X was oalled to the kitchen and found the cook In a violent rage. ."Thfl seoond girl In some manner. In endeavoring to help, had thrown out the soupl It was cream mushroom aoup at that I And X nad mostly ex pected It to make a hit with my guests! ' ..,'.' "X fixed : theservlng man with a stern eye. 'Run I hissed, 'as fast as "The chicken waa like aawAna I. my mouth, and I waa firm in my be lief that the cook had put olnnamon In the aalad dressing Instead of mua tard. However, I gritted my teeth and kept my eye figuratively on the end of the evening and tried to kee! Jntrya,gnh,tn1nreUanln t0" " . 2dy 3KUnip and pia th,na- Mo of U".uhd t0 what waa thefrouble. "The gaa stove oven had blown i because the freneled cook had Teft it turned on for thirty wlnutea within lighting lt-at.4 lwlah you oouTd hi" hiV A, cVi?ITl? a,rtUUo ainer li which the cheese and crackera. whioh were supposed to be toaatlng. wire plastered over the walls. "However, it waa a relief not to have to pretend any longer, I Just told them all about everything and the awful strain I had been under, and then wa peacefully ate what was left of the dinner.' At least I did. with my guilty secret off my mlndT" "As for the 18th of the monthput me down aa a strong believer In dark, eat auperstltlonl" C9
