Nov. 14, 1884.] 



♦ KNOVV^LEDGE ♦ 



411 



of what was going to happen, as I seem invariably to forget 

 it, and it is only with the occurrence of the event that the 

 impression returns. Mr. Eudd, in letter 1181, in Knowledge 

 of April 11, suggests that one hemisphere is asleep while the 

 other- is awake. Admitting this, we have a verj' plausible 

 explanation. The faint impression passing through the single 

 brain, and immediately afterwards the vivid impression being 

 received by the two hemispheres, might cause the effect in 

 question. But of this yon are more able to judge than I. — I am, &e., 



W. S. 



[The experience of " W. S." must be a familiar one to almost 

 everybody. So strong, on occasion, has been my own impression 

 that I was witnessing the repetition of a scene, or of a conversation 

 which had previously occurred at a remote date, that I have seemed 

 to know what was coming next. — Ed.] 



[150-i] — I have been much interested in your articles on "Our 

 Two Brains." While reading 1 thought of what occurred under 

 my own eye a short time since. A young girl, about 13, had an attack 

 of hysteria, which lasted, more or less, for three weeks. At times 

 she would be for twenty-four hours in a state so far unconscious as 

 not to recognise her friends. While in these conditions she would 

 talk to any one of us quite reasonably, but persisted in calling us 

 by wrong names. I was called in anything but glowing terms, and 

 was always looked upon as a person representing her school- 

 mistress. Whenever 1 went in and saw her in this state, which 

 was frequent, 1 was without exception called by the same name. I 

 was frequently there when she was roused from her unconscious- 

 ness when I was at once addressed as Mr. T . This appears to 



be a satisfactory answer to the question, have we two brains ? 

 When in a state of perfect consciousness, she would be wholly 

 ignorant of what she had been saying during her former state ; 

 but when returning she would answer any question put to her when 

 in a previous state without fail. 



While writing the above, I will relate what occurred to myself 

 to-night. After tea I fell asleep, and while in that state I felt an 

 inclination to awaken myself — a feeling somewhat akin to the 

 nightmare. I succeeded, and experienced a violent palpitation of 

 the heart for about fifteen minutes afterwards. Could any of our 

 readers kindly explain 'i J. W. T. 



FEMALE BRAIN-POWER. 

 [1505] — In 1444 Mr. W. H. Jones suggests that women are in- 

 ferior because they have been long uncultured, and that now that 

 things are different they may improve up to male level. This is 

 sorely a fallacy ; it is treating women as if they were a separate 

 race, like negroes, &c. Every woman must have a father ; what 

 reason can be given for her inheriting less of his natural and 

 acquired capacity than her brothers? What is true is, that the 

 cultivation of women will probably raise the level of all their 

 children. But then, the boys improving pari passu with the girls, 

 and having already a great start (ei-hi/p.), the girls will never get 

 up with them. Hallyaeds. 



ECONOMY. 



[1506]— One of the wonders of the present age is " How do 

 most people manage to live ? " We do not refer to the large per- 

 centage of those who, without any ostensible means of obtaining 

 an independent livelihood, are thrown for support upon the kind- 

 ness of their friends or relations, and who continue through life 

 to draw from that source what may be necessary to make up the 

 deficiency in their own incomes. 



These are dfpeinieiif, but their friends are satisfied that it should 

 be so, and cheerfully contribute to their support, so that they are 

 somehow always enabled to make both ends meet. 



The class to which we allude as the majority is that comprised 

 of people who may be considered to have done as well as they and 

 their friends could naturally have expected, and who have cer- 

 tainly reached as high a social status as they are ever likely to 

 attain to. These are in receipt of a settled income, uncertain, 

 perhaps, but, for the moment tangible, and it is at first sight sur- 

 prising that such apparently ample means should fall to the lot of 

 so many, and still more so that they should prove insufiicient to 

 meet the demands which are made upon them by the usages of 

 modem society. As a rule, the expenditure appears to be quite up 

 to, if not in excess of, the income, instead of being — were the dic- 

 tates of common sense only followed — somewhat or even consider- 

 ably under it, in order that provision might be made for the pro- 

 verbial rainy day or the age of the " sere and yellow." 



Many a man at the end of the year is surprised at the amount 

 he has got through, and the little he has to show for it. Even 

 taking those who carefully avoid extravagance or the indulgence of 



frivolous or expensive tastes or habits, it is the actual necessary 

 expenditure every day that runs away with the money, and it is 

 necessary because we are all obliged to conform to certain rules 

 and regulations which our position in society exacts, and which it 

 is high time some stand were made against, were it only to avoid a 

 state of universal bankruptcy. 



We are convinced that the greater number of civilised beings, 

 no matter what their position, live quite up to, if not beyond, their 

 means. They are brought up with tastes and ideas frequently quite 

 unwarranted by their expectations. 



Parents wish their children to have more than they had them- 

 selves, instead of instilling into them, when young, the principles 

 of self-denial and prudence. When they grow up they are accus- 

 tomed to regard as necessaries what their fathers looked upon as 

 luxuries, and the means which ought in their position to prove 

 ample, are not sufficient to cover their increased expenditure. 



Society is hard upon those even in the middle class who are not 

 well dressed, whose table is homely, and who take no part in the 

 amusements which, though innocent enough in themselves, are 

 either expensive or occupy time which might be much more pro- 

 fitably employed in some remunerative occupation, or, what in the 

 end amounts to the same thing, the acquisition of knowledge. 



Against the growing evil of impecuniosity, with which there is 

 no doubt we are all afflicted (excepting those who are born with 

 silver spoons in their mouths), we know of only one remedy, but it is 

 one that is open to all, and has been proved to be effective by juany. 

 " Time is money." 



We want money— very badly some of us — and yet we waste and 

 spend it in the shape of time, throwing away the precious hours 

 which, if well employed, would ere this have afforded us a mine of 

 wealth. 



No one can afford or has any right to be i^le, land were this 

 generally acknowledged and acted upon, a certain stigma would 

 attach to those who " lost their time" in doing nothing. Moderate 

 recreation and the duties of home are in themselves healthy and 

 necessary employments, and wo refer only to those- who are need- 

 lessly and absolutely iile. 



Each one can tell the amount of iile time he has at his disposal. 

 Let him employ this as we have already suggested, in worliing or learn- 

 ing or teaching, and he will find that even if his income does not per- 

 ceptibly increase, his expenditure will certainly diminish, and he 

 will ere long learn to value at its full the advantage and comfort of 

 true economy. N. 



[I print this letter (which reaches me all the way from South 

 America) as a contribution to a somewhat important problem in 

 sociology. — Ed.] 



FIGURE PUZZLE. 



[1507] — After the trouble caused you by the appearance of 

 Puzzle 1398, I hesitate again to refer to it ; but I may be allowed 

 to point out that the peculiarity shown was due to the position of 

 the number 7 in the decimal system. The same peculiarity exists 

 in regard to the fraction -jij, as shown below, in what may be 

 termed the converse of Puzzle 1,398, thus ; — 



076923 = ^'3 in decimal form. 



769230 = 10 times the above. 



692307 = 9 „ „ 



923076 = 12 „ 



230769 == 3 „ 



307692 = 4 „ „ J. C. 



THE MOUTH ORGANS OF THE DIPTERA. 



[1508] — A friend has recently brought to my notice a copy of 

 Knowledge containing a paper by Mr. H. J. Slack, on pages 312-13 

 of the present volume, on the "Mouth Organs of the Diptera," 

 which, among other matter connected with the subject, treats in a 

 general way of the teeth of the blow-tly. 



Having paid considerable attention to these particular organs in 

 the Diptera, perhaps you will permit me to fully confirm what Mr. 

 Slack has stated with regard to the dentition of the blow-fly, and 

 to add that, in addition to the genus Musca, these organs are to be 

 found in many widely divergent species of the Diptera. These 

 organs are not always of the simple type exhibited in Masca 

 lardaria, but that by gradations they can be traced to most diver- 

 gent forms. 



I am at present engaged in contributing a series of short articles, 

 accompanied with illustrations, on this subject to the pages of 

 Science Gossip, which will, I think, show pretty conclusively there 

 is a wide field for research in this direction, and that the know- 

 ledge thus obtained will shed a new light upon a subject which has 

 as yet been comparatively unworked. 



The number of teeth, their form, and manner of grouping, point 



