686 PSYCHOLOGY. 



" Practically," says Mr. Verdon, " wc sometimes keep a matter in 

 hand not exactly by attending to it, but by keeping our attention re- 

 ferred to something connected with it from time to time. Translating 

 this into the language of physiology, we mean that by referring atten- 

 tion to a part within, or closely connected with, the system of traces 

 [paths] required to be remembered, we keep it well fed, so that the 

 traces are preserved with the utmost delicacy." 



This is perhaps as near as we can get to an expLana- 

 tion. Setting the mind to remember a thing involves a con- 

 tinual minimal irradiation of excitement into paths which 

 lead thereto, involves the continued presence of the thing 

 in the ' fringe ' of our consciousness. Letting tlie thing go 

 involves withdrawal of the irradiation, unconsciousness of 

 the thing, and, after a time, obliteration of the paths. 



A curious peculiarity of our memory is that things are 

 impressed better by active than by passive repetition. I 

 mean that in learning by heart (for example), Avlien we al- 

 most know the piece, it pays better to wait and recollect by an 

 effort from within, than to look at the book again. If we re- 

 cover the words in the former way, we shall probably know 

 them the next time ; if in the latter way, we shall very likely 

 need the book once more. The learning by heart means the 

 formation of paths from a former set to a later set of cerebral 

 word-processes : call 1 and 2 in the diagram the processes 

 in question ; then when Ave remember b}^ inward effort, the 

 path is formed by discharge from 1 to 2, just as it will af- 

 terwards be used. But when 

 we excite 2 by the eye, although 

 the path 1—2 doubtless is then 

 shot through also, the phenome- 

 non which we are discussing 

 shows that the direct discharge 

 from 1 into 2, unaided by the 

 eyes, ploughs the deeper and 

 more permanent groove. There 

 .^^^y Speech is, moreover, a greater amount 



X^ Fig. 46. ^£ ^gj^gj^^ accumulated in the 



brain before the discharge from 1 to 2, when the latter 

 takes place unaided by the eye. This is proved by the gen- 

 eral feeling of strain in the effort to remember 2 ; and this 



