This is shown in the experiments by the
number of pips or the suit alone being often right.
It must also be remembered that children have not the same thorough
knowledge of the names of the cards that we have, nor can they so
rapidly and certainly count their numbers. This introduces another
source of uncertainty which should be avoided in such experiments as
these.
The same thing is still more clearly shown by the way in which objects
are guessed by some prominent quality or resemblance, not by any
likeness of name--as poker guessed for walking-stick, fork for pipe,
something iron for knife, etc. And the total failure in the case of
names of towns is clearly explained by the fact that these would convey
no distinct idea or concrete image that could be easily described. These
last failures really give an important clue to the nature of the faculty
that is being investigated, since they show that it is not _words_ or
_names_ that are read but thoughts or images that are perceived, and the
certainty of the perception will depend upon the simple character of
these images and the clearness and identity of the perception of them by
the different persons present.
If these considerations are always kept in view, I feel sure that the
experiments will be far more successful.
ALFRED E. WALLACE.
Sept. 6, 1881.
* * * * *
Wallace's remarkable gifts as a lecturer are less widely known than his
lucid and admirable style as a writer.
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