154 THI: XKKVOTS SYSTK.M AND ITS c'uxsKin ATIU.X 



portion, the adjustor or association mechanism. The tie- 

 which will later determine the responses of the organism to 

 all manner of stimuli have mostly to he established; only 

 a few are congenital. 



The light which enters the eyes of the newborn baby 

 probably produces the same retinal processes which it 

 will always produce. The optic paths lie ready to convey 

 the resulting impulses to the brain. The lower center- 

 in the midbrain and thereabouts may be traversed by 

 these impulses quite as they will be in adult life, and the 

 simpler eye reflexes, such as winking and contraction of 

 the pupil, can be evoked. But the radiation of the im- 

 pulses from the visual centers in the cerebral hemisphere- 

 is probably insignificant. A few months later the child 

 readies in the right direction to grasp objects which are 

 lirought into the range of its vision. Physiologically 

 speaking, this means thai a serviceable bond of union 

 has been established between the receiving station for the 

 visual impulses and the area from which the motor im- 

 pulses take their departure from the cerebrum. \Yheii 

 the head is turned toward the source of a sound it seems 

 reasonable to conclude that a similar connection has been 

 secured between the auditory and the motor regions. 



These physiologic gains are undoubtedly accompanied 

 by mental advances of a parallel sort. In a pas-age of 

 great literary beauty ( leorge A. (iordon 1 has sketched the 

 attainment of psychologic correlation between sensations 

 mediated by different paths. He points out that for the 

 baby a month old the mother is represented by a visual 

 image, a voice, ;md a comforting touch. The three sensa- 

 tions have nothing in common save the fact that they 

 are welcome to the infant consciousness. A momentous 

 step is taken when they are first conceived to originate 

 in the same entity a "benign power," as the author cited 

 has expressed it. ( )n the material >ide this revelation to 

 the mind of the child must be conditioned by the opening 



1 "I'lliiiiiiti 1 ( 'uiicfpt mn> ni' 1'ailli," llounlitoii, Milllin A: Co.. 

 Muslim. I'.io:;, mi' mi. 



