Memory: How to Develop, Train, and Use It — John Shaqi
Memory: How to Develop, Train, and Use ItAtkinson, William Walker
Science
Memory: How to Develop, Train, and Use It
Atkinson, William Walker
Memory
Halleck says regarding this "sight without seeing" idea: "A body may be
imaged on the retina without insuring perception. There must be an
effort to concentrate the attention upon the many things which the world
presents to our senses. A man once said to the pupils of a large school,
all of whom had seen cows: 'I should like to find out how many of you
know whether a cow's ears are above, below, behind, or in front of her
horns. I want only those pupils to raise their hands who are sure about
the position and who will promise to give a dollar to charity if they
answer wrong.' Only two hands were raised. Their owners had drawn cows
and in order to do that had been forced to concentrate their attention
upon the animals. Fifteen pupils were sure that they had seen cats climb
trees and descend them. There was unanimity of opinion that the cats
went up heads first. When asked whether the cats came down head or tail
first, the majority were sure that the cats descended as they were never
known to do. Any one who had ever noticed the shape of the claws of any
beast of prey could have answered the question without seeing an actual
descent. Farmers' boys who have often seen cows and horses lie down and
rise, are seldom sure whether the animals rise with their fore or hind
feet first, or whether the habit of the horse agrees with that of the
cow in this respect. The elm tree has about its leaf a peculiarity which
all ought to notice the first time they see it, and yet only about five
per cent of a certain school could incorporate in a drawing this
peculiarity, although it is so easily outlined on paper. Perception, to
achieve satisfactory results, must summon the will to its aid to
concentrate the attention. Only the smallest part of what falls upon our
senses at any time is actually perceived."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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