Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 September 1886 — Absence of Mind. [ARTICLE]

Absence of Mind.

In his “Voyage autour de ma Cham- ■ bre,” De Maistre discusses the very i curious phenomenon of the independence of the mind and the body. He i tells us how, in a fit of absent mindi ness, he often drew on his stockings ; wrong side out, and had to be reminded by his invaluable servant Joannetti of his mistake. Many readers will call to ! mind experiences of their own of a similar nature. It seems quite common to put one’s watch-key to one’s ear to ascertain if it is going; and many people are in the habit of winding their watches, and three minutes after pausing to wonder whether they have done so or not. Who has not heard of the philosopher who boiled his wat h while he calmly held the egg in his hand to note the time! Or of the equally erudi e man of science who, having peeled the apple, threw the apple itself over a cliff, and then discovered that the rind alone remained! Another individual had the habit—not such a very uncommon one —of forgetting hi? own name at awkward moments. One day he presented himself at the postoffice for letters, when, much to his disgust, he could not think of his name. He turned sadly homeward, racking his brains in the vain endeavor to discover who he was. Suddenly a friend a -costed him: “How are you, Mr. Brown?” “Brown, Brown, I have it!” cried the absentminded one; and, leaving his astonished friend, he rushed back to the postoffice to get his letters. Sometimes absence of mind produces very ludicrous effects. Harry Lorrequer’s appearance on parade in the character of Othello is well known. A somewhat similar- occurrence in real life happened not long ago. A student, on leaving his room one afternoon to take a stroll in the fashionable street in a university town, suddenly remembered that his fire needed coals, and returned to replenish it. On issuing from his lodging the second time he was surprised to see people looking at him with an amused smile. Presently some ragamuffins at a street corner began to make audible remarks. On looking down, he discovered, to his horror, that he was serenely carrying the fire-tongs in place of his umbrella! One day an English savant wrote two letters, one to a business house in London, the other to a friend in Paris. In stam ing them at the postoffice, he placed the penny stamp on the letter for Paris aud the other on the business letter. Remarkins to the postoffiee elerk that he would correct the error, he changed the addresses! It was not till after he had posted the letters that he understood why the elerk had not been more impressed with his brilliant idea.— Chambers' Journal.