286 PSYCHOLOGY. 



lar to its centre — all its other sensations are signs of this 

 sensation. The real sound of the cannon is the sensation 

 it makes when the ear is close by. The real color of the 

 brick is the sensation it gives when the eye looks squarely 

 at it from a near point, out of the sunshine and yet not in 

 the gloom ; under other circumstances it gives us other 

 color-sensations which are but signs of this — we then see 

 it looks pinker or blacker than it really is. The reader 

 knows no object which he does not represent to himself by 

 preference as in some typical attitude, of some normal size, 

 at some characteristic distance, of some standard tint, 

 etc., etc. But all these essential characteristics, which to- 

 gether form for us the genuine objectivity of the thing and 

 are contrasted with what we call the subjective sensations 

 it may yield us at a given moment, are mere sensations like 

 the latter. The mind chooses to suit itself, and decides 

 what particular sensation shall be held more real and valid 

 than all the rest. 



Thus perception involves a twofold choice. Out of all 

 present sensations, we notice mainly such as are significant 

 of absent ones ; and out of all the absent associates which 

 these suggest, we again pick out a very few to stand for the 

 objective reality par excellence. We could have no more 

 exquisite example of selective industry. 



That industry goes on to deal with the things thus given 

 in perception. A man's empirical thought depends on the 

 things he has experienced, but what these shall be is to a 

 large extent determined by his habits of attention, A thing 

 may be present to him a thousand times, but if he persist- 

 ently fails to notice it, it cannot be said to enter into his ex- 

 perience. We are all seeing flies, moths, and beetles b}^ the 

 thousand, but to whom, save an entomologist, do they say 

 anything distinct ? On the other hand, a thing met only once 

 in a lifetime may leave an indelible experience in the mem- 

 ory. Let four men make a tour in Europe. One will bring 

 home only picturesque impressions — costumes and colors, 

 parks and views and works of architecture, pictures and stat- 

 ues. To another all this will be non-existent ; and distances 

 and prices, populations and drainage-arrangements, door- 

 and window-fastenings, and other useful statistics will take 



