t we may
afterwards learn about it. It seems to cut a channel, through which
knowledge flows.

Attention magnifies and increases the powers of perception, and greatly
aids the exercise of the perceptive faculties. By "paying attention" to
something seen or heard, one is enabled to observe the details of the
thing seen or heard, and where the inattentive mind acquires say three
impressions the attentive mind absorbs three times three, or perhaps
three times "three times three," or twenty-seven. And, as we have just
said, Attention brings into play the powers of association, and gives us
the "loose end" of an almost infinite chain of associated facts, stored
away in our memory, forming new combinations of facts which we had never
grouped together before, and bring out into the field of consciousness
all the many scraps of information regarding the thing to which we are
giving attention. The proof of this is within the experience of everyone.
Where is the one who does not remember sitting down to some writing,
painting, reading, etc., with interest and attention, and finding, much
to his surprise, what a flow of facts regarding the matter in hand was
passing through his mind. Attention seems to focus all the knowledge of a
thing that you possess, and by bringing it to a point enables you to
combine, associate, classify, etc., and thus create new knowledge.
_Gibbon_ tells us that after he gave a brief glance and consideration to
a new subject, he suspended further work upon it, and allowed his mind
(under concentrated attention) to bring forth all his associated
knowledge regarding the subject, after which he renewed the task with
increased power and efficiency.

The more one's attention is fixed upon a subject under consideration, the
deeper is the impression which the subject leaves upon the mind. And the
easier will it be for him to afterwards pursue the same train of thought
and work.

Attention is a prerequisite of good memory, and in fact there can be no
memory at all unless some degree of attention is given. The degree of
memory depends upon the degree of attention and interest. And when it is
considered that the work of today is made efficient by the memory of
things learned yesterday, the day before yesterday, and so on, it is seen
that the degree of attention given today regulates the quality of the
work of tomorrow.

Some authorities have described Genius as the result of great powers of
attention, or, at le