Astounding Science Fiction, October 1950 — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

NEW FOUNDATIONS we recall or project images of things the senses have perceived. St. Thomas says it is the ability to picture material things in their absence. Jung calls it a creative power which brings up an image out of the material of the unconscious. You can not imagine what you have not first seen, but you can com- bine different images into one. If you wish to imagine a mermaid, you combine a woman’s upper part with a fish’s tail. Or if you try to imagine a scene on Venus or Mars, you might think of a plant shaped like grass, the size of a tree, colored like the sky, with a flower like a cat’s head, having eyes like a bee and feelers like a snail. Do you understand me?” “You mean we can’t imagine anything?” cried Stella. “It’s like Poe’s originality—only the com- binations can be original?” Elsie exclaimed. “Of course, a man born blind can’t imagine red or blue,” said Tim. “Try imagining a new color. Go on, try.” “Well, think it over and read up on it,” advised Dr. Welles. “Ill lend you books if you like. Good-night, all of you, please! Miss Page and I will finish off our work here.” The girls went up to their rooms, and Timothy left the house. “What in the world will they make of all that?” Miss Page wondered. “Tim understood, and Elsie got most of it,’ Dr. Welles replied. “What Stella thinks is the question. TI] let it all soak in for a while, and see what comes of it.” “They are all so different.” “Yes. And Jay is unlike them ali. He tells me in his last letter—I forgot to bring it along—that he has learned several lan- guages. It seems that when his aunt first began to read aloud to his uncle, because of Mr. Curtis’ failing sight, Jay demanded lessons. His aunt gave him a month’s in- struction with special emphasis on pronun- ciation, and after that he could read German aloud and said he wanted to learn another language. Apparently they still think he does not understand what he reads and nas merely learned how to pronounce the words to help his uncle, as a singer learns to sing in several languages without knowing or caring what the words mean. Actually he reads German, French, Latin, Spanish and Italian perfectly, and is eager for a chance to try speaking and writing them.” “How Tim would love to be with Jay!” “Yes. We must think of some way to get 2 17 Jay here. We need him, and I think we have much to offer him, too.” “If he would come, under the circum- stances, I wouldn’t want him,” said Miss Page. “That’s the problem,” said Dr. Welles. “Hello, Stella.” “Hello, Dr. Welles. Miss Page said you wanted me.” “Come right in.” Peter offered her a comfortable chair and set a dish of candies temptingly close while he talked. “I plan to have private talks with each one of our pupils fairly often, and help you with any problems you may have. Now that you have had a while to get settled here and get to know us all, we may as well begin our talks.” “Yootons “Is everything going all right? Are you happy?” : “Oh yes, Dr. Welles,” replied Stella. “It’s so interesting here. Miss Page is so good to me. And I can read all I want to.” “No troubles at all?” “No, none at all.” “What have you been thinking about lately?” . “Tve been thinking about what we were all saying about inspiration, and Tim gave me some books to read about dreams and their origins,’ Stella said, “and I think you must be right. We've been talking it all over, One thing I like best,” she added in a burst of confidence, “is. that even when they don’t agree with me or under- stand me, they never act mean. I wrote a poem in which I compared myself to a timid bird, and my cousins or any other kids I ever knew would have chased me around for weeks yelling, ‘Hey, timid bird!’ and making all kinds of fun. But Elsie knew what I meant, even if she didn’t care for the poem. She’s quite blunt, but she takes things the way they are meant. And Tim is awfully kind. Even when they call me crazy, they don’t ask as if they’re glad of it.” “Then you have no problems to set be- fore me right now?” said Peter, making no comment on this innocently revealing speech, and giving no sign how much it had moved him. “Let’s talk, then. Suppose you tell me, what is your philosophy of life?” Tim would instantly have demanded a definition of the phrase. Stella only looked thoughtful. Gomichboo <SEGO) AA