Habit of Attention

Winter walks, too, whether in town or country, give great opportunities for cultivating the habit of attention.  The famous conjurer, Robert Houdin*, relates in his autobiography, that he and his son would pass rapidly before a shop window, that of a toy-shop, for instance, and each cast an attentive glance upon it.  A few steps further on each drew paper and pencil from his pocket, and tried which could enumerate the greater number of the objects momentarily seen in passing.  The boy surpassed his father in quickness of apprehension, being often able to write down forty objects, whilst his father could scarcely reach thirty; yet on their returning to verify his statement, the son was rarely found to have made a mistake.  Here is a hint for highly educational amusement for many a winter’s walk.