Under the “Totem-Pole"

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 681, 5 June 1929, Page 15

Under the “Totem-Pole"

Letters to Iledfeather are answered as follow:—Lone Singer: Your pen-picture of Redfeather sitting in the glow of the sunset is delightful. Lone Singer. You make me feel very important indeed. Congratulations on your success in the limerick competition. . . . Rising Woodsraoke: Greetings to this new Brave, who has arrived at the Camp of Redfeather. I was glad to see your competition entry. It is very clever. . . . Fluttering Leaf: Yes, by all means let me have your Ranger news. All Guides are interested in their elder sisters. I was glad to luve your newsy report and your letter. . . .

Prairie Runner; Welcome, Prairie Runner. You have taken your place in our friendly circle. I hope you will often pause under the Pole.# Many thanks for your limerick. . . . P.lue Horizon: Thapk you for your bright report. I am glad the Skylark Patrol is once again able to form fours. . . . Golden Birch: Your report quite took my breath, away. Golden Birch. What an artistic scribe you are. The original will have an honoured place on the Wigwam wa l. . . Mountain Snow: Yes, I have read that book by Ethel Turner. And did the water in the basin freeze? I knew some children who used to put an ice-cream mixture out to freeze, but marauding c ats always raced Jack Frost to the delicacy. Red Star and Drifting Snowflake will he glad to have your greetings. . . . Straight Feather: The Ellerslie scroll has come to hand. Straight Feather. My greetings and thanks. . . . Little Swift Canoe: How strange that your friend should know Little Lone Pine. The world is a very small place after all. I, too, am very fond of Flecker's poems, especially those from “Hassan.” Soon you will be cooking the dinner, Little Swift Canoe. . . . Flying Cloud: Congratulations, fait iful one. Those concluding lines, composed under such strange circumstances, have placed you at the top of the list in the limerick competition. I was glad to l ave your letter, too. The gully must be a beautiful sight these days. THE HIDDEN ALARM CLOCK It is generally recognised that if, just before we go to sleep at night, we say to ourselves “I intend to wake up at seven tomorrow morning,” in II nearly every case we do so. Probably few people have tried to think out this perfectly remarkable power of human beings. ! We go to sleep, and remain uncon- ! scious until seven o’clock arrives, w hen i something wakes us. Now, it is clear ; that there is some part of our brain ' that does not go to sleep, but remains always awake, and at the desired hour i it does something to that part ■which. ! i.s asleep, and wakens it. j Though in the present state of our knowledge we have no firmly established explanation of this power, it is I probable that we owe it to what is ■ known as the subconscious part of our i brain. Only a relatively small portion I <>t the brain is conscious: the much S greater part is not actively so, and is therefore said to be subconscious. Exj perience has shown that the subconI scious portion plays a gTeat part in | our daily lives. Sometimes a man [ finds himself in a position in which |it seems impossible to do some particular piece of work, and after think- ! ing it over very carefully he puts the . matter aside. About a fortnight later I he finds himself able to carry through the work he had thought impossible. The subconscious brain, having had the problem placed before it. took j things in hand, and in course of time made the crooked patli straight. If Iwe take notice of the conduct of others it will often be plainly visible what aims they are pursuing before they themselves are really conscious of these aims, because a close observer . can recognise and realise the signifl- ’ cance of their subconscious acts.