ARSENCE OF MIND.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 87, 25 June 1880, Page 2

ARSENCE OF MIND.

Absence of mind is a mental infirmity more often ridiculed than pitied, yet one that is frequeutly seriously inconvenient to its {assessor. From die philosopher of antiquity, who walked absently star-gazing till he fell into a well and was drowned, down to the absent man of our own day, who loses some important appointment by forgetting to change trains at the proper junction, absent persons have suffered from their unfortunate propensity for abstracting themselves from things present. It is curious chat this failing is more common to clever persons than to foolish ones. People whose heads are comparatively empty' cannot, perhaps, lose- ' themselves in a train of thought so engrossing as to ,blo^ out other objects. Absence of mind generally proceeds from preoccupation. Sir Isaac Newton, when pondering on his grout discoveries, had to rely on his servant whether he had- dined dr not,- ■ St. Thos. Aquinas fell into a theological reverie at the Soya].. table, and started Louis XI and his courtiers by suddenly exclaiming, "That argument is unanswerable against the Manichees." A long list initfht be collected of great men who were remarkable for this failing commencing with ; tbe worst specimens, like St. Thomas, who became quite oblivious of their surroundings, down, to the minor offenders, who only forgot some circumstance \ which made their remarks ill-timed,, It is well known that Racine lost the . favour of Madame de Maintenon, , and consequently that of JLouis XJ3fc' by inadvertently Eluding- to ."111086 wretched plays of gcarjcon'SjV oblivious ' that he was speaking to. the poet's widow. According to Walpole tbjß," Duchess of Marlborough never for-^,. gave Bishop Burnet lor an unlucky „". speech to her husband, who remarked that he was "surprised at so. giyftt -ft ■', general as Bellarius being abandoned. " Consider what a btimstone of a wife he had," rejoined the good prelate, with unconbcious satire. Few examples of tbit forgetf olaejs ftremoit

amusing than a modern instance re lated by the late Archbishop Sinclair, who speaks of an eccentric Scotch nobllman df the beginning of this centw^i mho; dining in a house where - the dinner was extremely bad, forgot that he was not at home, and gravely apologised tt> bis fellow guests for the badness of the repast^ remarking that "he supposed the cook was drunk again, and'' that" the -kitchen- f*rench had dressed the dinneri" Equally delightM'firtih^iitdry'Of a ; iady^Vho oaMe&WH W Vmto' rfbout ; • Wd" otaocK, exacting WBhartltKa midday mealy afitf, obliged to go Wifhont receiving 1 the deswed invitationf, /tWtrayed tha ciirreht! of Tier 1 thougiiitr by- • teknirf leaWdf tier friend aV^deaf Mte Luncheon." It m,ust be toftWmely incon v«nient v to-'b« thufe liable to bet rv.y what"- on* think* ; ' Absent people ar« perpetually affronting their friends, wE6 dd hot always beUfeVe'thtt thfei/ unfortunate speeches are purely accidental, and not saYcastid; a rule, absent men are the .kindest-hearted crea^u^es -ixl '{t|& A worlds fand, j , mostaverse to gjvjojg ; jjnnpyahc^tb anydiie "; yet they will say the most terrible things, ia society, jand^tread tender feeling^ of their neighbours in a manner distressing to witness.— Globe." •