4H NATURE AND NURTURE 



the town. Doubtless, in that case, my concentrated attention 

 would have fluctuated back and forth from him to it. Since, 

 however, only my diffused attention was given to the town, I 

 remember little of it. Only enough attention was given to enable 

 me to walk about and avoid obstacles. 



682. The will is associated with the attention. We never will 

 to do anything unless our attention is attracted to it. We are able to 

 do several actions at once. Thus a few minutes ago I was standing, 

 smoking, pouring water into a cup, stirring its contents, and trying 

 to think of a good example of several actions done simultaneously. 

 My attention was concentrated on the last-mentioned act, the 

 others being more or less automatic. Were they, or were they 

 not under the constant control of my will ? Suddenly it occurred 

 to me that my action at the time afforded the example I required. 

 Thereupon, as I noticed immediately, I ceased to smoke, to incline 

 the kettle, and to stir the cup. I do not know how it is possible 

 to explain these cessations, except by supposing that the new 

 thought occupied so much of my attention, and therefore of my 

 will, that the latter ceased to direct the smoking, inclining, and 

 stirring, though the still more automatic actions of standing and 

 holding the kettle continued. Had my attention been very strongly 

 concentrated it is possible that even they might have ceased. I 

 remember, as a student in Edinburgh, watching with mischievous 

 expectation a party of tourists in whose near neighbourhood a 

 signal cannon, unsuspected by them, was about to be discharged. 

 At the sound of the explosion almost all action ceased for an 

 instant in the crowd. It stood as if paralysed. Many of its 

 members let fall sticks and parasols, and many seemed * ready to 

 drop ' to cease the automatic action of standing. Similarly, any- 

 thing that interests us very greatly tends to cause cessation of 

 automatic action unless some of our attention is directed to it by 

 conscious effort. On the other hand, during ordinary preoccupa- 

 tion, we are able to hold within the peripheral parts of our atten- 

 tion things we desire to bear in mind. This happens even during 

 sleep, for often we are able to wake, if we desire it, at an earlier 

 hour than usual. It seems, then, that even the most automatic of 

 our actions is maintained only because some part of our attention is 

 directed to it, and some part of our will engaged in its performance. 



683. I think, therefore, there can be no doubt that automatic 

 actions differ from reflexes, not only in that the ability to perform 

 them is acquired, but also because they are always initiated, 

 controlled, and guided throughout by the will. Therefore they 



