THE POWER OF MIND. William Walker Atkinson
The tale of “Kim” and his task, while purely fiction, is certainly based upon some actual experience observed or known to Kipling, for such practices are quite common in India, a similar practice being observed by certain of the Yogis. And not only can those thus developed take part in a game of this kind, but their powers of observation become so sharpened that without effort they may see many things in their everyday life that others would not notice, and thus become quite valuable to the business with which they are connected.
In this same class of exercises, may be placed the experiment of Houdin, who walked past the store windows and then recalled the articles displayed in the windows passed. We have related this experiment in another chapter. This exercise may be practiced, as a change from the ones above mentioned. It adds variety, and also tends to develop the powers of observation and concentration while the observer is surrounded with the noises and sights of outside things. Many other exercises of this sort will suggest themselves to the student as he progresses, and he will find the subject very fascinating, after he once masters the “trick” of doing the thing.
EXERCISE 5.
We have seen a game played in the country which is an excellent means of developing the powers of observation. It is a little different from the exercises given above, inasmuch as the articles are moving and the attention must be rapidly focused upon them in order to get a clear impression. The game is played by having a person stand behind a screen or curtain, and tossing an object up in the air so that those in front of the screen may see it for a moment, above the screen, as it rapidly rises and falls. Those who have developed rapid perception will be able to describe the article with a wonderful degree of clearness and detail. Several things may be tossed up at one time, after the participants become proficient in the game.
EXERCISE 6.
An interesting exercise is the placing of a domino before the student, requiring him to name the sum total of the spots at once, instead of counting them in the ordinary way. Then try two dominos, then three, and so on. With a little practice one is enabled to give the sum total of the spots on several dominos almost instantaneously. A variation of this exercise, and one much easier to master, is to flash a playing card before the student, requiring him to name the color, suit and number of spots on the card. This may be done rather slowly at first, increasing the speed until the student barely catches a glimpse of the card as it passes before him.
EXERCISE 7.
Many persons are able to practically grasp the meaning of a paragraph of printed matter at a glance. Busy men who read newspapers have this faculty, and men and women employed in journalism are often able to grasp the sense of a page by apparently just glancing at it. Book reviewers also have this faculty. (In fact judging from the character of some of the reviews in the daily press, the reviewer does not look at the book at all.) The writer, in his editorial work, has to “go over” a mass of exchanges every month. At first this took much time, but at present a rapid turning over of leaves and a summing up of the contents of a page at a glance proves equally profitable, and he seems to almost “sense” an interesting article at first glance. It is all a matter of practice. Prof. Porter, of Yale, was said to have been able to read at a single glance nearly half a page of an ordinary textbook.
Begin by trying to read several words at a glance; then sentences; then several sentences; then a group of sentences; then paragraphs, and so on. In all this work of developing mental faculties, one must proceed as he would were he developing a muscle or set of muscles—by degrees.
EXERCISE 8.
A valuable exercise is that of taking mental stock of a room and its contents. Many women are able to do this without any instructions, but the powers of observation of most men are not great in this direction, so they should develop it. If you are a man and are studying these lessons with a woman she will be able to distance you in this exercise and probably most of the others. Many women seem to see everything that interests them, and many of them never forget what they have seen.
Go into a room and take a rapid survey of it and its contents, trying to get a good mental photograph of as many articles as possible—the size of the room, the height of the ceiling, the color of the paper, the number of doors and windows, the chairs, tables, carpet, pictures, etc. Then go out of the room and mark down what you have seen. Then compare with the room itself. Repeat until you have mastered the exercise. You will, by practice, be able to correctly describe any place you have visited, almost without effort, your powers of observation having automatically registered impressions, after you have trained them for a while.
EXERCISE 9.
At night, go over the affairs of the past day and endeavor to recollect and describe the things and persons with whom you have met and whom you have seen. It is surprising how little you will be able to recall at the start, and how much you will be able to recall after a little practice. This is not merely the ability to recall, but the ability to observe. Your subconscious mentality will recognize the necessity of noting things clearly and then placing them where they belong.
Chapter VI.
Ear Perception and Memory.
Treating of the receiving of impressions through the sense of hearing—The advantages of cultivating this faculty—The rules governing same—Instances of wonderful ear perception and memory, etc., etc., etc.—This phase of the subject is one which usually receives but scant attention from students, and yet some of the most remarkable instances of memory development depended upon the cultivation and development of “ear attention”—For long ages, the religious, philosophical and legal teachings of ancient races were transmitted from mouth to ear, the memory performing feats now deemed almost incredible, but which may be reproduced by any one devoting sufficient attention to the subject.
WE ARE in the habit of using the word perception as meaning the cognizing of something by the sense of sight, but the term is equally applicable to the cognizing or discerning of something through the medium of the sense of hearing. There is a great difference in individuals in matter of retaining impressions through these two senses. Some remember far more readily that which they see, while others find it much easier to recall a thing by the impression received from hearing. One man will remember an old acquaintance at once as soon as he sees him, while another will not recognize the face of the stranger, but will remember him at once when he speaks. We have known cases in which persons who had not been seen or heard of for years were recognized by onetime friends by their voices, heard over the telephone. We remember a case reported in the daily papers of a detective failing to recognize a noted criminal through his wonderful disguise and “makeup,” but who identified and arrested his man at once when the latter spoke, although it had been ten years or more since the detective had heard his voice. We have known men and women to recognize a former school mate whom they had not seen since childhood, simply by remembering the voice, although the childish treble had been replaced by the mature tones of the man or woman.
As a rule, impressions received through the eye are received more rapidly, but somehow the memory seems to hold better that which enters the mind by means of the ear. Many of us remember what we have heard, much more readily than that which we have read. Some writers hold, however, that in the case of remembering the words of lectures, etc., the ear is aided by the eye, in the direction of the remembrance of the appearance of the speaker, his gestures, expression, etc., and we are inclined to at least partially agree with this view. But the lecture seems to be much more “alive” when we hear it than when we afterwards read it in print. Perhaps the better plan is to both hear and then read the lecture or sermon, if possible, and thus get the benefit of both sense memories.
Musicians, of course, have trained their sense of hearing to a remarkable degree, and the musical ear can detect at once the slightest inharmony, or the most trifling variation from the proper note on the violin. But many others have also developed this faculty to a wonderful degree. Machinists can detect the slightest variation from the clear tone resulting from the tapping of a piece of machinery with a hammer. Railroad men can detect from the slight difference