880 Dynamic Theory. 



have suspected that her playing was instinctive. So it is with the greater 

 part of our actions. We can seldom do at once two things which both 

 require attention, but we can do one requiring some attention, and at 

 the same time several instinctive actions that require little or none. 

 When a lady reads, her attention is directed to her book, but she may 

 at the same time knit with her hands and rock the cradle with her foot. 

 From this mixed nature of our actions, and the performance simultane- 

 ously of instinctive movements and those requiring attention, we fail to 

 realize to how great an extent the former predominate over the latter. 

 But they certainly do predominate, especially in old people. 



But instinctive actions, or those tending to become such, are not con- 

 fined to' those which terminate in muscular motion. Muscular motion 

 involves not only the muscle, but also its corresponding brain cells; so 

 that the brain organ shares the instinct with the rest of the apparatus. 

 But, as pointed out elsewhere, a great deal of the activity of the in- 

 ternal sense organs stops short of direct muscular movement. It ends 

 in the establishment of the organs of ideas, which become standards or 

 principles that influence and shade many of our actions, and direct the 

 bent of new thoughts. These principles are liable, from long and un- 

 contradicted attention, to become instinctive, and to be thrown into ac- 

 tivity b} r very slight stimulations, and so influence other actions in an 

 insensible manner. They color most of the actions of our lives, be- 

 cause almost every stimulation which comes into the brain, sets them 

 going, and their reactions are cast with those of the rest in forming new 

 ideas. Thus, ideas of honor may be instinctive, so that whatever stim- 

 ulation comes to form new activities, these ideas interfere to give them 

 their bias. Keligious dogmas, and all sorts of superstitious notions, 

 ideas of propriety and deportment, whimsical and odd notions, tricks 

 and eccentricities, become instinctive. 



A large proportion of our actions are mixed. A series of details 

 which, taken together, may be called one act, will be purposive in part 

 and instinctive in part. Thus, the Mohammedan notion of the duty 

 and benefit of a pilgrimage to Mecca, becomes, in later life to most be- 

 lievers, an instinct. If strong and convincing arguments were pre- 

 sented the believer to prove the futility of such journey, and his opin- 

 ion were changed thereby, he still would find it impossible to rid him- 

 self of the feeling. If he should undertake the pilgrimage thus insti- 

 gated by a conviction grown to an instinct, the details of the prepara- 

 tions and of the journe} r would be worked out in small part by purpo- 

 sive actions, and in great part by instinctive ones. They are inter- 

 spersed between each other. The carrying out of any large plan in- 

 volves a great number of separate acts, the most of which, as the steps 

 in walking, the motions of the hands in sawing, hammering, sewing, 

 and the like, are all instinctive. 



