Pmjchological InveMigations 241 



or left, in short to be ii generic image of a four-oar formed Ijy a combination 

 into a single picture of many sight-memories of such lx)at8. "I argue," ho 

 writes, "that the mind of a man whose visualising faculty is free in its 

 action forms these generalised images of its own accord out of its past 

 experiences" (p. 320). 



Galton states the forms of the visualising faculty which he thinks ought 

 to be aimed at in education : 



"The capicity of CHlliii); uji at will t\ clear, Ht«a<ly and complete mental im i ' ly object 

 that wo have recently examine<l antl studied. Wo hIiouIiI lie able to visualine t t fn^ely 



frt)m any aspect; wo .should lie able to pnyet^t any of its imaj^oH on pap<'r and diaw its outline 

 thero; w(! sliould further Ihj able to embrace all sidea of the obje<!t simult*neoUHly in a Binglo 

 perception, or at l<!a-st to sweep all Hides of it Huccensively with so rapid a mental fjlance im to 

 arrive at practically the same result. Wo ought to lie able to construct images from description 

 or otherwi.se, and to alter them in wliatover way we pleasa Wo ought to acquire the power of 

 combining sejxirato, but more or hsw similar images into a single generic one. Lastly we should 

 learn to carry away pictures at a glance of a mori; complicated scene than we can succeed at 

 the moment in analysing'." (p. 322.) 



A final point which Galton makes in this extraordinarily interesting 

 paper is that the will cannot render vivid a faint image; its action is negative 

 being limited to the suppression of what is not wanted and would confuse: 



"It cannot create thought, but it win prevent thoughts from establishing themselves which 

 lead in a false direction; so it keeps the course clear for a logical se<iuence of th(!m. Hut if 

 appropriate ideas do not come of their own accord, the will is powerless to evoke tlieiii. Thus 

 wo forget a familiar name, it is impo.ssible to recall it by force of will. The only plan in such 

 a case is to think of other things, till some chance as.sociation suggests the name. The mind 

 may bo seriou.sly dulled by over concentration, and it will only recover its freshness by such 

 change of scene and occupation as will encourage freedom and discursiveness in the flow of 

 ideas." (p. 324.) 



The paper concludes with the extract which we have cited in the fuller 

 form from the Inquiries into Human Faculty (see our p. 211). 



(lalton's investigation of visualised numei^als or number forms sprang 

 directly from his inquiries as to mental imagery. Several of his corre.s|X)iident8 

 referred to their "number forms," i.e. the schemes in which they visualised 

 the nmnerala from 1 to 200, or in some cases to a thousand or even a million. 

 Closely allied to these number forms were arrangements of months of the 

 year and of the days of the week. Others visualised in much the same way 

 the years of their life and even the centuries of history. Not a few of these 

 "forms" were associated with colours or shading. Galton collected both 

 before and after the publication of his Imiuiries into Jluman Faculty large 

 quantities of these fonns, and there is very ample correspondence with regard 



' About this Galton writes: "A useful faculty, easilj' developed by practice, is that of 

 retaining a mere i-etinal picture. A scene is flashed upon the eyo; the memory of it persists, 

 and di^ails which escaped observation during the brief time when it was actually seen may be 

 analy.seil and studie<l at leisure in the subsequent vision." This point needs very full investiga- 

 tion. Personally I have tried in vain to get any detail of scene or action, which I had not 

 individually taken in on the occurrence. I feel grave doubts whether the details "which escaped 

 observation" would not be supplied later Ijocau.se they were probable accompaniments, and 

 to give evidence in a court of law of what happened by aid of such a visualising faculty would 

 be for me a very real danger. 



r o II 31 



