254 NATURE AND MAN. 



ception of the purpose of the deed had constructed what answered 

 to the actual memorial trace. 



Now this constructive process becomes pecuHarly obvious, in 

 a comparison of narratives given by the behevers in mesmerism, 

 spirituahsjn, and similar " occult " agencies, when there has been 

 time for the building-up of the edifice, — with contemporary records 

 of the events, made perhaps by the very narrators themselves. 

 Everything which tends to prove the reality of the occult influence, 

 is exaggerated or distorted ; everything which would help to ex- 

 plain it away, is quietly (no doubt quite unintentionally) dropped 

 out. And convictions thus come to be honestly entertained, which 

 are in complete disaccordance with the original facts. This source 

 of fallacy was specially noticed by Bacon : — 



" When the mind is once pleased with certain things, it draws 

 "all others to consent, and go along with them ; and though the 

 " power and number of instances that make for the contrary, are 

 " greater, yet it either attends not to them, or despises them, or 

 " else removes them by a distinction, with a strong and pernicious 

 " prejudice to maintain the authority of the first choice unviolated. 

 " And hence in most cases of superstition, as of astrology, dreams, 

 "omens, judgments, etc., those who find pleasure in such kind 

 " of vanities always observe where the event answers, but slif^ht and 

 '■'■pass by the instances ivhere it fails., which are much the more 

 " raunerousy — Novum Organon. 



Of the manner in which this constructive process will build up 

 a completely ideal representation of a personality (with or without 

 a nucleus of reality), which shall gain implicit acceptance among a 

 whole people, and be currently accepted by the world at large, we 

 have a " pregnant instance " in the William Tell tradition. For 

 the progressive narrowing-down of his claims, which has resulted 

 from the complete discordance between the actions traditionally 

 attributed to him and trustworthy contemporary history, leaves 

 even his personality questionable ; while the turning-up of the 

 apple-story in Icelandic sagas and Hindoo myths seems to put it 

 beyond doubt that this, at any rate, is drawn from far older 

 sources. The reality of this process of gradual accretion and 

 modirication, in accordance with current ideas in regard to the 

 character of an individual or the bearing of an event, cannot now 



