PHifcfiologiatl fn nut it/at ions 263 



and quotes from his piiper in the Fortnightly of Se|>U'ml)er 1 880 (see our 

 pp. 238-41), and in concluding the subject ex|)andR tlie last paragraph of 

 that paper into his final expresHJon of opuiion: 



''There ciiii, however, 1)0 no douht iw to the utility of the vixualisin); faculty when it in 

 duly HulMnliiiiititi to the hijrhi-r intellectual o|K>rationH. A visuul iniuj{e in the most perfect 

 form of mental rcprvHentation whenever tlifl Hhii[>e, [toiiition and n-lutiunH uf olijectM in H[iace 

 are concerntHl. It is of imi>ortiince in every han<licriift and profewiiou where deMi((n is re<)uired. 

 Tlio hest workmen are those who visualiwi the whole of what they j>ro|>oso to do, Ix'fon^ tliey 

 take a tool in their hands. Th<' villHge smith and the carp<>nter who are employed on odd job« 

 ro<|uire it no less for their work than the ni<>chanician, the engineer and the architect. The 

 lady's iiiai<l who urniii^^iM a new dress requires it for the same reason an the decorator employed 

 on a palace, or the afjent who lays out |i{reat e8tat««. Strategists', artists of nil denominations, 

 physicists who contrive new ex|MTinients, and in short all who do not follow routine, have 

 nvi.'<\ of it. Thi- pleasure its use can afVord is immense. I have many corrps|M>ndentM who say 

 that the delight of recallinj» Ix-autiful scenery and great works of art is the highest tlmt they 

 know; they carry whole pictur«> galleries in their minds. Our lHK)ki8h an<l wonly educjition 

 tends to repress this valuable gift of nature. A faculty that is of im|Mirtaiice in all Utchnical 

 and artistic wcupations, that gives accuracy to our perception.s, and justness to our generalisa- 

 tions, is atiirvi>d by lazy disuse, instead of being cultivattnl judiciou.sly in such a way as will 

 on the whole bring the best return. I believe that a serious study of the l)est methtxl of de- 

 velopitig and utilising this faculty', without prejudice to the practice of abstract thought in 

 synilH)ls, is one of the many pressing desidenita in the yet unformeti science of etlueation." 

 (pp. 113-4.) 



Galton next passes to "Number Forms" and gives here the fullest account 

 that he has provided of them, although in no way comparable with the 

 range of his collected material. He publishes thrtie plates of " Nund>er Forms" 

 and a fourth plate showing some typical a.s.sociations of numbers with coloure. 

 He also indicates that some persons as.sociate character with numerals, but 

 rarely, except in the case of 12, to which most pay great respect, is there 

 any agreement in the characterisation. Thus 3 may l)e a "treacherous sneak," 

 a "feeble edition of 9," "a goixl old friend" and "delightful and amusing." 

 There is no agreement as to the sex of nund)ers, although Galton himself 

 imagined that the even numbers must of course be male (p. 144), 



He then refers to the very strong evidence he had collectetl for the 

 hereditary character, not of particular nmnber forms, but of the tendency to 

 visuali.se numbers. He next turns to colour a.s.sociations and describes tnem 

 at considerable length (pp. 145-54). He emphasises the fact that while to 

 the ordinaiy man these a.ssociations of colour with letters or numbers appear 

 equally "wild and lunatic'," no two colour visionaries agree in their schemes, 

 and one seer is scandalised and almost angry at the heresies of another I 



' Napoleon I seems to have held that men whoforme<l mental picture8(<aWeaM.j:), no matter what 

 their intellect, courageand knowle<lge, were unfit to command. MaximesdeGuerreel l'«tuee»,^o. 73. 



* Galton, notwithstanding his evidence for the hcreditarj' character of this faculty, yet held 

 that it could be developed by training, and cited I>gros' old teacher Lecoq de Boisljaudran, who 

 had developed at the £cole A'atioiiale de IJessin in Paris a complete training in xTsualisation. It 

 can, no doubt, where it existji be developed by practice, but it may l)e (|ue8tione<l whether it 

 can l>e originateii in an individual without it, any more than musical sense or mechanical 

 ingenuity can b«> develoftetl in those in whom they are not innate 



' The complexity of some of the colour schemes as shown on Galton's Plate IV is marvel- 

 lous; that plate required 14 colour stones to produce it lithogniphically, and therefore, 

 fascinating as it is, I cannot reproduce it here! 



