TRIAL OF A NEW INVENTION.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume III, Issue 211, 28 March 1881, Page 2

TRIAL OF A NEW INVENTION.

Souk time ago, it may lie remembered by our readers, an ingenious professor of I urin, one Dr Mosso, invented a mac-bine which he called the plothysmograph,or “thoughtmeasurer.” 'J'he object of the inventor was to contrive some mechanical arrangement wherewith the amount of blood required by the brain to produce a given result could he measured, and it was intended for use in competitive examinations to ascertain what were the relative amounts of brain force require 1 in the different candidates to execute the same task. It was found to succeed even beyond the aspira- 1 tionsofit.s clever in von tor, and its fame rc-aened even unto this city. A certain scieutilie gentleman, who shall for obvious reasons be, nameless, but ot whom it will not be too much to say he resides within a hundred miles of Blenheim, imported one by the last ’Frisco mail, which be has since had the honor of trying on the heads of various local celebrities. He has kindly furnished us with the results but has j strenuously withheld the names of all those j

! operated upon. We may add that the man of science is an amateur phrenologist also, j and has embodied a little of that in his j account, marking the prominent characterj istics of his subjects. His account is as j follows : No. 1. Reporter and compiler of j the “ Daily Demoralise!*,’' rather tall, fair-complexioned, and older in years than lie looks. Krineipal characteristic a mania for Secretaryships. Destructiveness large j (as evidenced by the gashes made in j exchanges while searching for “ locals j and “ leaders'’); Cautiousness exceedingly I small, indicative of a rash and unthinking i disposition ; self-esteem larger than in any I subject over previously examined, and eou- ! nected with a want of Veneration, leads the ; unfortunate possessor to aspire to HU the places of older and wiser, but more modest j public men, illustrating the truth of the | maxim that “fools rush in where angels I fear to tread.” The machine was applied j to this individual while constructing an J article on the Education question, but the 1 index refused to move from zero on the dial plate. Examined machine to see if it were out of order, but found all right and tried again, while “ Nihilism ” was the topic, l»ut the same result was observed. No. 2. A would-be representative, and an ardent believer in the vos /)<r/>u/!. (Vimbativeness, Approbativeness, and Selfesteem large, indicating a desire to light for fighting's sake and esteem his own opinion superior to anything in earth or heaven. Firmness and Conscientiousness very s nail, the latter in fact almost wanting, and fully accounting for many erratic conditions under which the individual has been observed. The machine was applied while the subject was studying the last report of the Inspector of Schools, and the manner in which the index leapt tcrflie indignation point was truly astonislUb. Nor was the wonder decreased when the subject was handed a copy of Mr 1 lenderson's speech at the last election. The index turned and twisted in all directions and at one time its aberrations were such that the safety of the delicate instrument was perilled. No. 9. A Chairman, and a man who believes in himself, possibly for the reason that he is singular in this opinion. A quashcr of minorities, a man of one idea, and one who, if conceit were regal, would be a very king among his fellows. Am a - tiveness, Continuity, and Necrctiveness large : Cautiousness moderate ; Self-esteem almost oil a par with No. I. Conscientiousness, Veneration, and Benevolence weak. Inclined to bluster when in power but cannot; light a losing battle, nor appreciate valor in an enemy. Machine tried while reading reports of proceedings of School Committee. Index rapidly revolved, indicating extremely high pressure and at last the machine burst with a crash, the power applied being too fierce. A stronger instrument will be procured as early as possible, when I will record any further investigations which may he niadi* in this new field of science.