i 9 4 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



tention. Drafts of air fluttering a curtain, a door banging, heavy or 

 rapid foot-steps, whistling, singing; above all talking. Here is where 

 students can help each other, by gentlemanly consideration for each 

 other. One's ears are always " at attention " when studying, and 

 everything heard distracts attention to some degree ; the only exception 

 is a steady drone or buzz, which becomes unnoticed because of its steady 

 continuance. It is impossible, we admit, to provide absolute silence for 

 the student, but fellow students should minimize as far as in their 

 power all disturbing noises in their houses or dormitories, and the boor 

 who insists on " disturbing the peace " unnecessarily should be given 

 his walking papers; he is the common enemy. 



Another cause of distraction is a common one in American student 

 life, and exists just because of his abundance of creature comforts. 

 This is the proneness of the student, or possibly of his well-meaning 

 but misguided mother or sisters, to make his room attractive by means 

 of pictures, by souvenirs on the walls and tables, by bric-a-brac of 

 various kinds scattered about. When to this are added the various 

 mementos of jubilant class-dinners, rushes, midnight raids on street 

 signs, perhaps even a souvenir of a night in jail, need I say how these 

 distract the student's attention from his book. One roving glance, and 

 the family group reminds him of home, that class picture reminds him 

 of his comrades, the flaming poster reminds him of the excitement of 

 his freshman experiences, the policeman's club reminds him of the 

 street row when on a sign-stealing expedition, etc. Need it be said, 

 that, when this unfortunate wight is trying to study, he does not need 

 to be reminded of these things as an aid to concentration, that souvenirs 

 do not help him to keep his attention on his book, and that the more 

 attractive his room is the more it distracts his attention. I do not con- 

 found attractiveness with comfort; the latter the student should have, 

 the more the better, but the comforts should be real, unobtrusive ones. 



I am simply protesting against that misguided custom which often 

 regards students' rooms as olla podrida, museums of bric-a-brac, proper 

 depositories of any and every object which can remind the student of 

 the glorious life he is leading — and which are all common enemies, to 

 a smaller or greater degree, to that concentration of mind which he 

 most needs, as a student, to cultivate and to possess. 



However, the room must have something in it, the walls should not 

 be those of a bare attic, let us admit, and therefore, what is the student 

 to do, when studying ? On this head, we have two suggestions to make, 

 which have been tried and found effective. First, when studying by 

 daylight, have the table near the window, so that the light is side- 

 ways, and one's back is partly towards the " attractive " room. If the 

 window gives on a, busy street, have the lower half covered by a trans- 

 lucent curtain, to keep the attention from being distracted by happen- 

 ings outside. If the window looks out on a quiet neighborhood, or 



