ABSENCE OF Minn, a want of attention to external objects that are present, while the mind is engaged ith its own reflections. It depends on the power of association, confirmed by habits of abstruse and solitary thinking. It is, of course, the failing of literary men; of those who are accustomed to silent reasoning, and lo view their opinions in all their consequence s and aspects. A long train of thought passes through the mind, and the attention is engaged so completely, that thjects without, which make an impression on the senses, are either not perceived, or have not sufficient power to break the line of associated ideas; or, per haps, hat e no such relation to any of them as to restore tile perceptive faculty to its exercise. A clock may strikr,or a friend tray utter something which ought to interest us, and both may be unheard or neglected. " A man is mentioned, in Darwin's Zoonomia, who, during the paroxysm of a reverie, was reciting sonic lines front Pope, one of which he had forgotten. It was several times ineffectually shouted iu his ears, td1 at length, after much labour, he recollected it by his own efforts." See Grant's paper on Ecveric', in the Illahchrrcr Memoirs.
The absence of mind, which We are speaking of, is the failing of those likewise whose imaginations are active, and whose memories are good; who indulge in seems of fancied happiness, and fly from the miseries around them to those ideal joys, from which all sorrow is excluded. They contemplate, in their revelies, only the fair side' of objects. Every adventure in which they engage is successful ; every incident that occurs, is improved to their benefit; every sound is harmo nious, and every colour is pleasing to the eye. This exercise of the imagination differs from a dream; be cause the individual is really awake, and exerts such a power Ot'er his thoughts, as to banish all evil front the happiness which he enjoys, and to satiate himself with uniningled pleasure. The exertion of this power must
be considered as voluntary, at least in its first or ear liest endeavours, though the ideas appear to follow each other in the mind, without any control or direc tion from the will.
A want of attention to external objects, that are pre sent, is often the effect of a strong impression, made upon the mind. This impression, and the incidents and appearances which gave rise to it, overpower the faculty of perception, withdraw it from the organs of sense, and, engrossing the whole of the thinking prin ciple, render us incapable, for a while, of turning the mental eve to any thing without. Thus, an execution; a contest between two powerful armies ; a madhouse, with its wretched inhabitants ;—one or any of these ob jects may force itself so strongly upon the attention, that the idea of it will continue in the memory, even against our wishes, and produce a train of reflections, which will abstract us entirely from the occurrences around us. These succeed one another without our no tice or concern. We have heard of a man, who had witnessed the execution of a person, with whom he was connected in business: and such was the impression that the last struggles of the criminal made upon him, that, for a whole week, he neither spoke nor acted as he had done before. Ile appeared to be absorbed in thought, and at night his dreams were characterized by the objects which had taken possession of his mind.
Where absence of mind rises to such a height as to constitute a disease, it is for the most part connected with some disorder of the body; and is to be cured by exercise and change of place, by a relaxation from ha bits of abstract thinking, and by the various remedies for counteracting any' undue irritability or depression of the nervous system. (h)