Page:Mind (Old Series) Volume 12.djvu/83

70 J. M. CATTELL : English-German : Long (Less Familiar} Words (78). 331 96 309 67 388 101 367 62 German-English : Short Words (78). 303 148 237 53 152 17 153 13 German-English: Long Words (78). 593 281 573 116 411 85 389 55 These numbers show that foreign languages take up much time even after they have been learned, and may lead us once more to weigh the gain and loss of a polyglot mental life. ii. A great part of our time is spent in calling to mind things we already know. Memory is no transcendental process outside of space and time ; this paper shows just how much time it takes to remember, and we have every reason to believe that the time passes while certain changes in the brain call forth other changes. I give below the time it took B and C to remember certain facts, examples of the necessary associations with which the mind is con- tinually busy. A well-known city was given, and the subject named the country in which it is situated ; a month was given, and the season to which it belongs was named, and in like manner the preceding or following month; an eminent author was given, and the subject named the language in which he wrote ; a distinguished man, and his calling was named. In the last two cases below, the subject respectively added and multi- plied numbers of one place. At first sight this mental operation may seern to consist of a mathematical calculation, and to be altogether different from the others ; it is however not unlike them, being essentially an act of memory. City-Country (52). B 348 53 333 35 C 462 120 413 65 Month- Season (26). 415 55 410 31 310 63 306 16 Month- Following Month (26). 345 45 327 25 389 172 384 61 Month- Preceding Month (26). 763 245 619 129 832 233 815 160 Author-Language (78). 417 80 402 53 350 57 337 32 Man- Calling (78). 465 89 440 62 368 95 326 53 Addition (52). 221 46 223 23 336 77 299 36 Multiplication (52). 389 71 369 , 38 544 225 507 158