Memory: How to Develop, Train & Use It

William
Willi am Walker Atkinson
Atkinson

1912
 

CHAPTER I: MEMO
MEMORY
RY: ITS IMPORTANCE

It n
needs
eeds very little argument to convince the average thinking pers
personon of the great i mportance of memory
me mory,, although eveven
en then very
very few begi
beginn to realize
 just
 just how importan
importantt is the
the fu
fun
nction of the
the mind
mind tthat
hat has to
to do with th
the
e re
reten
tention
tion of mental
mental impressions
impressions.. T
The
he first th
thou
ough
ghtt of th
the
e average
average person
person whwhen
en he
is asked to consider the importance of memory, is its use in the affairs of every-day life, along developed and cultivated lines, as contrasted with the
lesser degrees of its development. In short, one generally thinks of memory in its phase of “a good memory'' as contrasted with the opposite phase of 
" a poor memory.' But there is a much broader and fuller meaning of the term than that of even this important phase.

It is true that the success of the individual in his every-day business, profession, trade or other occupation depends very materially upon the
possession of a good memory. His value in any walk in life depends to a great extent upon the degree of memory he may have developed. His
memory of faces, names, facts, events, circumstances and other things concerning his every-day work is the measure of his ability to accomplish his
task. And in the social intercourse of men and women, the possession of a retentive memory, well stocked with available facts, renders its possessor 
a desirable member of society. And in the higher activities of thought, the memory comes as an invaluable aid to the individual in marshalling the bits
and sections of knowledge he may have acquired, and passing them in review before his cognitive faculties —thus does the soul review its mental
possessions. As Alexander Smith has said: "A man's real possession is his memory; in nothing else is he rich; in nothing else is he poor." Richter 
has said:

"Memory is
i s the only paradis
paradisee from which we c
cannot
annot be dri
driven
ven away.
away. Grant but memory to us, and we can lose nothing by death.' Lactantius says: ''
Memory tempers prosperity, mitigates adversity, controls youth, and delights old age."

But even the above phases of memory represent but a small segment of its complete circle. Memory is more than "a good memory"—it is the means
whereby we perform the largest share of our mental work. As Bacon has said: "All knowledge is but remembrance." And Emerson: "Memory is a
primary and fundamental faculty, without which non
nonee other can work: the ce
cement,
ment, th
the
e bi
bitumen
tumen,, the matrix in which the other faculties are embedded
emb edded..
Without it all life and thought were an unrelated succession."

 And Bur
Burke:
ke: "Th
"There
ere is no
no ffacu
aculty
lty of the
the mind
mind w
which
hich can bring
bring its en
energy
ergy into
into effect
effect un
unless
less th
the
e memor
memory
y be stored
stored with ideas for
for it to look upo
upon.
n."" And
And
Basile: "Memory is the cabinet of imagination, the treasury of reason, the registry of conscience, and the council chamber of thought." Kant
pronounced memory to be "the most wonderful of the faculties." Kay, one of the best authorities on the subject has said, regarding it: "Unless the
mind possessed the power of treasuring up and recalling its past experiences, no knowledge of any kind could be acquired. If every sensation,
thought, or emotion passed entirely from the mind the moment it ceased to be present, then it would be as if it had not been; and it could not be
recognized oro r named should it happen to return. Such an on onee would not only be without knowledge,— without experience gathered
g athered from the past,
pa st,

—but without purpose, aim,

ai m, or plan rega
regarding
rding the future, for these impimply
ly knowledge
knowledge and require memory.
memory. Even voluntary
voluntary motion, or motio
motion n for a
purpose, could
co uld hav
have
e no existence without memory
memory,, for memory is i s inv
i nvolved
olved in every purpose. Not o
only
nly the learning of the scholar, but th
the
e iinspirati
nspiration
on of 
the poet, the genius of
o f the pai
painter
nter,, the heroism ooff the warrior, all dep
dependend upon memory.
memory. Nay,
Nay, even consciousness itself
i tself could have no existence
without memory for every act of consciousness involves a change from a past state to a present, and did the past state vanish the moment it was
past, there could be no consciousness of change. Memory, therefore, may be said to be involved in all conscious existence—a property of every
conscious
consciou s being!

In the building of character and individuality, the memory plays an important part, for upon the strength of the impressions received, and the firmness
with which they are retained, depends the fiber of character and individuality. Our experiences are indeed the stepping stones to greater attainments
and at the same time our guides and protectors from danger. If the memory serves us well in this respect we are saved the pain of repeating the
mistakes of the past, and may also profit by remembering and thus avoiding the mistakes of others. As Beattie says: "When memory is
preternaturally defective, experience and knowledge will be deficient in proportion, and imprudent conduct and absurd opinion are the necessary
consequence." Bain says: "A character retaining a feeble hold of bitter experience, or genuine delight, and unable to revive afterwards the
impression of the time is in reality the victim of an intellectual weakness under the guise of a moral weakness. To have constantly before us an
estimate of the things that affect us, true to the reality, is one precious condition for having our will always stimulated with an accurate reference to our 
happiness. The thoroughly educated man, in this respect, is he that can carry with him at all times the exact estimate of what he has enjoyed or 
suffered from every object that has ever affected him, and in case of encounter can present to the enemy as strong a front as if he were under the
genuine impression. A full and accurate memory, for pleasure or for pain, is the intellectual basis both of prudence as regards self, and sympathy as
regards others."

So, we see that the cultivation of the memory is far more than the cultivation and development of a single mental faculty—it is the cultivation and
development of our entire mental being—the development of our selves.

To many persons the words memory, recollection, and remembrance, have the same meaning, but there is a great difference in the exact shade of 
meaning of each term. The student of this book should make the distinction between the terms, for by so doing he will be better able to grasp the
various points of advice and instruction herein given. Let us examine these terms.

Locke in his celebrated work, the "Essay Concerning Human Understanding" has clearly stated the difference between the meanings of these
several terms. He says: "Memory is the power to revive again in our minds those ideas which after imprinting, have disappeared, or have been laid
aside out of sight—when an idea again recurs without the operation of the like object on the external sensory, it is remembrance; if it be sought after 
by the mind, and with pain and endeavor found, and brought again into view, it is recollection." Fuller says, commenting on this: "Memory is the power 
of reproducing in the mind former impressions, or percepts. Remembrance and Recollection are the exercise of that power, the former being
involuntary
involuntary or spontaneous, the
the latter voliti
volitional.
onal. We rememb
rememberer because
bec ause we cann
ca nnot
ot help it but we recollect only through
through positive effort.
effo rt. The
The act of 
remembering,
rememberi ng, taken by itself, is
i s inv
i nvolun
oluntary
tary.. In other
other words, when the
the mind
mi nd remembers without having
having trie
triedd to remember,
re member, it acts
ac ts spontaneously.
spontaneously.

Thus it may be said, in the narrow, contrasted senses of the two terms that we remember by chance, but recollect by intention, and if the endeavor be
successful that which
which iis
s repro
reproduced
duced bec
becomes,
omes, b
byy the
the very effort to bri
bring
ng it forth, more firmly entrenched
entrenched in
i n the mind than ever."
ever."

But the New Psychology makes a little different distinction from that of Locke, as given above. It uses the word memory not only in his sense of "The
power to revive, etc.," but also in the sense of the activities of the mind which tend to receive and store away the various impressions of the senses,
and the ideas
ide as co
conceived
nceived by the mind, to the e
end
nd that they
they may be reproduced
repro duced voluntarily,
voluntarily, or involuntarily
involuntarily,, thereafter. The
The distinctio
di stinction
n between
remembrance and recollection, as made by Locke, is adopted as correct by The New Psychology.
 

It has long been recognized that the memory, in all of its phases, is capable of development, culture, training and guidance through intelligent
exercise. Like any other faculty of mind, or physical part, muscle or limb, it may be improved and strengthened.

But until recent years, the entire efforts of these memory-developers were directed to the strengthening of that phase of the memory known as
"recollection," which, you will remember, Locke defined as an idea or impression "sought after by the mind, and with pain and endeavor found, and
brought again into view." The New Psychology goes much further than this. While pointing out the most improved and scientific methods for 

"recollecting" the impressions and ideas of the memory, it also instructs the student in the use of the proper methods whereby the memory may be
stored with clear and distinct impressions which will, thereafter, flow naturally and involuntarily into the field of consciousness when the mind is thinking
upon the associated subject or line of thought; and which may also be "re-collected" by a voluntary effort with far less expenditure of energy than
un
under
der the old methods and systems.

You will see this idea carried out in detail, as we progress with the various stages of the subject, in this work. You will see that the first thing to do it to
find something to remember; then to impress that thing clearly and distinctly upon the receptive tab-lots of the memory; then to exercise the
remembrance in the direction of bringing out the stored-away facts of the memory; then to acquire the scientific methods of recollecting special items
of memory that may be necessary at some special time. This is the natural method in memory cultivation, as opposed to the artificial systems that you
will find mentioned in another chapter. It is not only development of the memory, but also development of the mind itself in several of its regions and
phases of activity. It is not merely a method of recollecting, but also a method of correct seeing, thinking and remembering. This method recognizes
the truth of the verse of the poet, Pope, who said:

"Remembrance and reflection how allied! What thin partitions sense from thought divide!"
 

CHAPTER II: C
CULTIVA
ULTIVATION OF THE
TH E MEMOR
MEMORY
Y

This book is written with the fundamental intention and idea of pointing out a rational and workable method whereby the memory may be developed,
trained and cultivated.

Many persons seem to be under the impression that memories are bestowed by nature, in a fixed degree or possibilities, and that little more can be
done for them—in short, that memories are born, not made. But the fallacy of any such idea is demonstrated by the investigations and experiments of 
all the leading authorities, as well as by the results obtained by persons who have developed and cultivated their own memories by individual effort
without the assistance of an instructor. But all such improvement, to be real, must be along certain natural lines and in accordance with the well
established laws of psychology, instead of along artificial lines and in defiance of psychological principles. Cultivation of the memory is a far different
thing from '' trick memory,' or feats of mental legerdemain if the term is permissible.

Kay says:' That the memory is capable of indefinite improvement, there can be no manner of doubt; but with regard to the means by which this
improvement is to be effected mankind are still greatly in ignorance." Dr. Noah Porter says: "The natural as opposed to the artificial memory depends
on the relations of sense and the relations of thought,— the spontaneous memory of the eye and the par availing itself of the obvious conjunctions of 
objects which are furnished by space and time, and the rational memory of those higher combinations which the rational faculties super induce upon
those lower. The artificial memory proposes to substitute for the natural and necessary relations under which all objects must present and arrange
themselves, an entirely new set of relations that are purely arbitrary and mechanical, which excite little or no other interest than that they are to aid us
in remembering. It follows that if the mind tasks itself to the special effort of considering objects under these artificial relations, it will give less
attention to those which have a direct and legitimate interest for itself."

Granville says: "The defects of most methods which have been devised and employed for improving the memory, lies in the fact that while they serve
to impress particular subjects on the mind, they do not render the memory, as a whole, ready or attentive."

Fuller says: "Surely an art of memory may be made more destructive to natural memory than spectacles are to eyes." These opinions of the best
authorities might be multiplied indefinitely—the consensus of the best opinion is decidedly against the artificial systems, and in favor of the natural
ones.

Natural systems of memory culture are based upon the fundamental conception so well expressed by Helvetius, several centuries ago, when he said:
"The extent of the memory depends, first,
firs t, on the daily use we ma
make
ke of i t; secondly,
secondly, upon the attention with which we consider the objects we would
impress upon it; and, thirdly, upon the order in which we range our ideas." This then is the list of the three essentials in the cultivation of the memory:
(1) Use and exercise; review and practice; (2) Attention and Interest; and (3) Intelligent Association.

You will find that in the several chapters of this book dealing with the various phases of memory, we urge, first, last, and all the time, the importance of 
the use and employment of the memory,
memory, in the way of employment, exercise, practipractice
ce and review
re view work. Like
Li ke any other mental faculty, or physical
function,
function, the memory will tend to atrophy by disuse, and iincrease,
ncrease, strengthen and develop by rati rational
onal exercise and employment within the bounds of 
moderation.
moderati on. You develop a muscle by exercise; you train any special faculty
fac ulty of the mind in
i n the same way; and you mustmust pursue the same method i n
the case of the memory, if you would develop it. Nature's laws are constant, and bear a close analogy to each other. You will also notice the great
stress that we lay upon the use of the faculty of attention, accompanied
accompa nied byb y interest. By attention you acquire the iimpressi
mpressions
ons that you ffile
ile away in your 
mental record-file of memory. And the degree of attention regulates the depth, clearness and strength of the impression. Without a good record, you
cannot expect to obtain a good reproduction of it. A poor phonographic record results in a poor reproduction, and the rule applies in the case of the
memory as well. You will also notice that we explain the laws of association, and the principles which govern the subject, as well as the methods
whereby the proper associations may be made. Every association that you weld to an idea or an impression, serves as a cross-reference in the
index, whereby the thing is found by remembrance or recollection when it is needed. We call your attention to the fact that one's entire education
depends for its efficiency upon this law of association. It is a most important feature in the rational cultivation of the memory, while at the same time
being the bane of the artificial systems. Natural associations educate, while artificial ones tend to weaken the powers of the mind, if carried to any
great length
le ngth..

There is no Royal Road to Memory. The cultivation of the memory depends upon the practice along certain scientific lines according to well
established psychological laws.

Those who hope for a sure "short cut" will be disappointed, for none such exists. As Halleck says: "The student ought not to be disappointed to find
that memory is no exception to the rule of improvement by proper methodical and long continued exercise.

There
There iis
s no royal road, no short cut, to the improvement of eieither
ther mind or muscle. B
But
ut th
the
e student who follows the rules which psychology hhas
as lai
laidd
down may know that he he iis
s walking
walki ng in the shortest path, and not wandering aimlessly
a imlessly abo
about.
ut. Using these rules, he will advance much faster than those
without chart, compass, or pilot. He will find mnemonics of extremely limited use. Improvement comes by orderly steps. Methods that dazzle at first
sight never give solid results."

The student is urged to pay attention to what we have to say in other chapters of the book upon the subjects of attention and association. It is not
necessary to state here the particulars that we mention there. The cultivation of the attention is a prerequisite for good memory, and deficiency in this
respect means deficiency not only in the field of memory but also in the general field of mental work. In all branches of The New Psychology there is
found a constant repetition of the injunction to cultivate the faculty of attention and concentration. Halleck says: "Haziness of perception lies at the root
of many a bad memory. If perception is definite, the first step has been taken toward insuring a good memory. If the first impression is vivid, its effect
upon the brain cells is more lasting. All persons ought to practice their visualizing power. This will react upon perception and make it more definite.
Visualizing will also form a brain habit of remembering things pictorially, and hence more exactly.'

The subject of association must also receive its proper share of attention, for it is by means of association that the stored away records of the
memory may be recovered or re-collected. As Blackie says: "Nothing helps the mind so much as order and classification. Classes are few,
individuals many: to know the class well is to know what is most essential in the character of the individual, and what burdens the memory least to
retain." And as Halleck says regarding the subject of association by relation:

"Whenever we can discover any relation between facts, it is far easier to remember them. The intelligent law of memory may be summed up in these
words: Endeavor to link by some thought relation each new mental acquisition to an old one. Bind new facts to other facts by relations of similarity,
cause and effect, whole and part, or by any logical relation, and we shall find that when an idea occurs to us, a host of related ideas will flow into the
 

mind. If we wish to prepare a speech or write an article on any subject, pertinent illustrations will suggest themselves. The person whose memory is
merely contiguous will wonder how we think of them."

In your stu
study
dy for the cultivation of the memory, along the lines laid down, in this book,
bo ok, you hav
have
e read the first chapter thereof and have informed
yourself thoroughly regarding the importance of the memory to the individual, and what a large part it plays in the entire work of the mind. Now
carefully read the third chapter and acquaint yourself with the possibilities in the direction of cultivating the memory to a high degree, as evidenced by
the instances related of the extreme case of development noted therein. therei n. Then
Then study th
the
e chapter on
o n memory systems, and realize that the only tru
true
e
method is the natural method, which requires work, patience and practice—then make up your mind that you will follow this plan as far as it will take
you. Then acquaint yourself with the secret of memory—the subconscious region of the mind, in which the records of memory are kept, stored away
and indexed, and in which the little mental office-boys are busily at work. This will give you the key to the method. Then take up the two chapters on
attention, and associati
assoc iation,
on, respectively
respecti vely,, and acq
acquaint
uaint yourself
yourself with these iimportant
mportant princi
principles.
ples. Then study the chapter on the phases ooff memory, an
and
d
take mental stock
stoc k of yourself, determi
determining
ning in which phase of memory you are strongest, and iin n wh
which
ich you need development. Then read the two
chapters on training the eye and ear, respectively

—you need
need this instruction. Then read o
over
ver the several chapters on the training
trai ning of the speci al phases of
o f the memory,
memory, whether
whether you need them or not
—you may find something of importance in them. Then read the concluding chapter, which gives you some general advice and parting instruction.

Then
Then returncarefully
instruction to th
the
e chapters
until youdeali
until dealing
know ngevery
with the particular
point
poi nt of iit. phases
phase
t. Then,
Then s of
, most memory
memo ryof
i mportant inall—
awhich
ll— you have
have decided
deci ded to develop yourself, studying the details of the

get to work. The rest is a matter of practice, practice, practice, and rehearsal. Go back to the chapters from time to time, and refresh your mind
regarding the details. Re-read each chapter at intervals. Make the book your own, in every sense of the word, by absorbing its contents.
 

CHAPTER III: CELEBRATED CASES OF MEMORY

In order that the student may appreci ate the marvelous extent of development possi
possible
ble to the memo
memory
ry,, we have thought
thought it advisable
a dvisable to mention a
number of celebrated cases, past and present. In so doing we have no desire to hold up these cases as worthy of imitation, for they are exceptional
and not necessary in every-day life. We mention them merely to show to what wonderful extent development along these lines is possible.

In India, in the past, the sacred books were committed to memory, and handed down from teacher to student, for ages. And even to-day it is no
un
uncommon
common thing for the student to be able
a ble to repeat, word for word, some
so me voluminous religious
religi ous work equal in
i n extent
extent to the New Testament.
Testament. Max Muller 
states that the entire text and glossary of Panini's Sanscrit grammar, equal in extent to the entire Bible, were handed down orally for several centuries
before being committed to writing. There are Brahmins to-day who have committed to memory, and who can repeat at will, the entire collection of 
religious poems known as the Mahabarata, consisting of over 300,000 slokas or verses. Leland states that, "the Slavonian minstrels of the present
day have by heart
heart wi
with
th remarkable aaccuracy
ccuracy immensely long, epic poems. I have found
found the same among Algonquin IndiansIndians whose sagas
sag as or mythic
mythic
legends are interminable, and yet are committed word by word accurately. I have heard in England of a lady ninety years of age whose memory was
miraculous, and of which extraordinary instances are narrated by her friends. She attributed it to the fact that when young she had been made to learn
a verse from the Bible
B ible every day
day,, and then constantl
constantly
y review it. As her memory
memo ry improved, she learned more, the result beibeing
ng that in the end she could
repeat from memory any verse or chapter called for in the whole Scripture."

It is related that Mithridates, the ancient warrior-king, knew the name of every soldier in his great army, and conversed fluently in twenty-two dialects.
Pliny relates that Char-mides could repeat the contents of every book in his large library. Hortensius, the Roman orator, had a remarkable memory
which enabled him to retain and recollect the exact words of his opponent's argument, without making a single notation. On a wager, he attended a
great auction sale which lasted over an entire day, and then called off in their proper order every object sold, the name of its purchaser, and the price
thereof.

Seneca is said to have acquired the ability to memorize several thousand proper names, and to repeat them in the order in which they had been
given him, and also to reverse the order and call off the list backward. He also accomplished the feat of listening to several hundred persons, each of 
whom gave him a verse; memorizing the same as they proceeded; and then repeating them word for word in the exact order of their delivery—

and then reversing the process, with complete success. Eusebius stated that only the memory of Esdras saved the Hebrew Scriptures to the world,
for when the Chaldeans destroyed the manuscripts Esdras was able to repeat them, word by word to the scribes, who then reproduced them. The
Mohammedan scholars are able to repeat the entire text of the Koran, letter perfect. Sealiger committed the entire text of the Iliad and the Odyssey, in
three weeks. Ben Jonson is said to have been able to repeat all of his own works from memory, with the greatest ease. Bulwer could repeat the Odes

of Horace
or chapter.from memory.
Landor is saidPascal
to havecould
readrepeat
a bookthebutentire
once,Bible,
whenfrom beginning
he would to end,
dispose of it,as well as
having being able
impressed to recall
it upon his any giventoparagraph,
memory, verse,
be recalled yearsline,
after, if necessary. Byron could recite all of his own poems.

Buffon could repeat his works from beginning to end. Bryant possessed the same ability to repeat his own works. Bishop Saunderson could repeat
the greater part of Juvenal and Per-seus, all of Tully, and all of Horace. Fedo-sova, a Russian peasant, could repeat over 25,000 poems, folk-songs,
legends, fairy-tales, war stories, etc., when she was over seventy years of age. The celebrated "Blind Alick," an aged Scottish beggar, could repeat
any verse in the Bible called for, as well as the entire text of all the chapters and books.

The newspapers, a few years ago, contained the accounts of a man named Clark who lived in New York City. He is said to have been able to give the
exact presidential vote in each State of the Union since the first election. He could give the population in every town of any size in the world either 
present or in the past providing there was a record of the same. He could quote from Shakespeare for hours at a time beginning at any given point in
any play. He could recite the entire text of the Iliad in the original Greek.

The historical case of the unnamed Dutchman is known to all students of memory. This man is said to have been able to take up a fresh newspaper;
to read it all through, including the advertisements; and then to repeat its contents, word for word, from beginning to end. On one occasion he is said
to have heaped wonder upon wonder, by repeating the contents of the paper backward, beginning with the last word and ending with the first. Lyon,
the English actor, is said to have duplicated this feat, using a large London paper and including the market quotations, reports of the debates in
Parliament, the railroad time-tables and the advertisements. A London waiter is said to have performed a similar feat, on a wager, he memorizing
and correctly repeating the contents of an eight-page paper. One of the most remarkable instances of extraordinary memory known to history is that
of the child Christian Meinecken. When less than four years of age he could repeat the entire Bible; two hundred hymns; five thousand Latin words;
and much ecclesiastical history, theory, dogmas, arguments; and an encyclopedic quantity of theological literature. He ia said to have practically
retained every word that was read to him. His case was abnormal, and he died at an early age.

John Stuart Mill is said to have acquired a fair knowledge of Greek, at the age of three years, and to have memorized Hume, Gibbon, and other 
historians, at the age of eight, shortly after he mastered and memorized Herodotus, Xenophon, some of Socrates, and six of Plato's "Dialogues."
Richard Porson is said to have memorized the entire text of Homer, Horace, Cicero, Virgil, Livy, Shakespeare, Milton, and Gibbon. He is said to have
been able to memorize any ordinary novel at one careful reading; and to have several times performed the feat of memorizing the entire contents of 
some English monthly review. De Rossi was able to perform the feat of repeating a hundred lines from any of the four great Italian poets, provided he
was given a line at random from their works—his hundred lines following immediately after the given line. Of course this feat required the memorizing
of the entire works of those poets, and the ability to take up the repetition from any given point, the latter feature being as remarkable as the former.

There have been cases of printers being able to repeat, word for word, books of which they had set the type. Professor Lawson was able to teach his
classes on the Scriptures without referring to the book. He claimed that if the entire stock of Bibles were to be destroyed, he could restore the book
entire, from his memory
memory..

Rev. Thomas Fuller is said to have been able to walk down a long London street, reading the names of the signs on both sides; then recalling them in
the order in which they had been seen, and then by reversing the order. There are many cases on record of persons who memorized the words of 
every known tongue of civilization, as well as a great number of dialects, languages, and tongues of savage races. Bossuet had memorized the entire
Bible, and Homer, Horace and Virgil beside. Niebuhr, the historian, was once employed in a government office, the records of which were destroyed.
He, thereupon, restored the entire contents of the book of records which he had written—all from his memory. Asa Gray knew the names of ten
thousand
thousand plants. Milton had a vocabulary of twenty thou
thousand
sand words, and
a nd Shakespe
Shakespeare
are one of
o f twenty
twenty-five
-five thousand. Cuvier and Agassi
Agassiz z are said
sai d to
have memorized lists of several thousand species and varieties of animals. Magliabechi, the librarian of Florence, is said to have known the location
of every volume in the large library of which he was in charge; and the complete list of works along certain lines in all the other great libraries. He once
 

claimed that he was able to repeat titles of over a half-million of books in many languages, and upon many subjects. In nearly every walk of life are to
be found persons with memories wonderfully developed along the lines of their particular occupation. Librarians possess this faculty to an unusual
degree. Skilled workers in the finer lines of manufacture also manifest a wonderful memory for the tiny parts of the manufactured article, etc. Bank
officers have a wonderful memory for names and faces. Some lawyers are able to recall cases quoted in the authorities, years after they have read
them. Perhaps the most common, and yet the most remarkable, instances of memorizing in one's daily work is to be found in the cases of the
theatrical profession. In some cases members of stock companies must not only be able to repeat the lines of the play they are engaged in acting at
the time, but also the one that they are rehearsing for the following week, and possibly the one for the second week. And in repertoire companies the
actors are required to be ""letter
letter-perfect"
-perfect"

in a dozen or more plays—surely a wonderful feat, and yet one so common that no notice is given to it.

In some of the celebrated cases, the degree of recollection manifested is undoubtedly abnormal, but in the majority of the cases it may be seen that
the result has been obtained
obtai ned only by ththe
e use of natural methods and p
persi
ersistent
stent exercise. That wonderful memory may be acquire
acquired
d by anyone who
who will
devote to the task patience, time and work, is a fact generally acknowledged by all students of the subject. It is not a gift, but something to be won by
effort and work along scientific lines.
 

CHAPTER IV: MEMORY

MEMORY SYSTEMS

The
The subject of Memory Development iis s not a new one by any means. For two thousand
thousand years, at least,
le ast, there has been
bee n much thought
thought devoted to the
subject; many books written thereupon; and many methods or "systems" invented, the purpose of which has been the artificial training of the memory.
Instead of endeavoring to develop the memory by scientific training and rational practice and exercise along natural lines, there seems to have
always been an idea that one could improve on Nature's methods, and that a plan might be devised by the use of some " trick"' the memory might be
taught to give up her hidden treasures. The law of Association has been used in the majority of these systems, often to a ridiculous degree. Fanciful
systems have been built up, all artificial in their character and nature, the use of which to any great extent is calculated to result in a decrease of the
natural powers of remembrance and recollection, just as in the case of natural "aids" to the physical system there is always found a decrease in the
natural powers. Nature prefers to do her own work, unaided. She may be trained, led, directed and harnessed, but she insists upon doing the work
herself, or dropping the task. The principle of Association is an important one, and forms a part of natural memory training, and should be so used.
But when pressed into service in many of the artificial systems, the result is the erection of a complex and unnatural mental mechanism which is no
more an improvement upon the natural methods, than a wooden leg is an improvement upon the original limb. There are many points in some of 
these "systems"

which may be employed to advantage in natural memory training, by divorcing them from their fantastic rules and complex arrangement. We ask you
to run over the list of the principal "systems" with us, that you may discard the useless material by recognizing it as such; and cull the valuable for your 
own use.

The ancient Greeks were fond of memory systems. Simonides, the Greek poet who lived about 500 B. C. was one of the early authorities, and his
work has influ
i nfluenced
enced nearly all of the many memory sysystems
stems that have sprung up since that time.
time . There is a romantic story
sto ry connected
connected with the
foundation of his system. It is related that the poet was present at a large banquet attended by some of the principal men of the place. He was called
out by a message from home, and left before the close of the meal. Shortly after he left, the ceiling of the banquet hall fell upon the guests, killing all
present in the room, and mutilating their bodies so terribly that their friends were unable to recognize them.

Simonides, having a well-developed memory for places and position, was able to recall the exact order in which each guest had been seated, and
therefore was able to aid in the identification of the remains. This occurrence impressed him so forcibly that he devised a system of memory based
upon the idea of position, which attained great popularity in Greece, and the leading writers of the day highly recommended it.

The system of Simonides was based upon the idea of position—it was known as "the topical system." His students were taught to picture in the mind
a large building divided into sections, and then into rooms, halls, etc. The thing to be remembered was

"visualized" as occupying some certain space or place in that building, the grouping being made according to association and resemblance. When
one wished to recall the things to consciousness, all that was necessary was to visualize the mental building and then take an imaginary trip from
room to room,
ro om, calling o
off
ff the various things as they had bee
beenn placed. The Greeks thought
thought very highly
highly of this plan, and many variatio
variations
ns of it were
employed. Cicero said: "By those who would improve the memory, certain places must be fixed upon, and of those things which they desire to keep
in memory symbols must be conceived in the mind and ranged, as it were, in those places; thus, the order of places would preserve the order of 
things, and the symbols of the things would denote the things themselves; so that we should use the places as waxen tablets and the symbols as
letters." Quintillian advises students to "fix in their minds places of the greatest possible extent, diversified by considerable variety, such as a large
house, for example, divided into many apartments. Whatever is remarkable in it is carefully impressed on the mind, so that the thought may run over 
every part of it without hesitation or delay. . . . Places we must have, either fancied or selected, and images or symbols which we may invent at
pleasure. These symbols are marks by which we may distinguish the particulars which we have to get by heart.'

Many modern systems have been erected upon the foundation of Simonides and in some of which cases students have been charged high prices
"for the secret." The following outline given by Kay gives the "secret" of many a high priced system of this class: "Select a number of rooms, and
divide the walls and floor of each, in imagination, into nine equal parts or squares, three in a row. On the front wall—that opposite the entrance— of 
the first room,
roo m, are the units; on the right-hand wall the tens; on the
the left hand the twenties; on the fourth wall the
the thirtie
thirties;
s; and on the floor the forti
forties.
es.
Numbers 10, 20, 30 and 40, each find a place on the roof above their respective walls, while 50

occupies the centre of the room. One room will thus furnish 50 places, and ten rooms as many as 500. Having fixed these clearly in the mind, so as to
be able readily and at once to tell exactly the position of each place or number, it is then necessary to associate with each of them some familiar 
object (or symbol) so that the object being suggested its place may be instantly remembered, or when the place be before the mind its object may
immediately spring up. When this has been done thoroughly, the objects can be run over in any order from beginning to end, or from end to beginning,
or the place of any particular one can at once be given. All that is further necessary is to associate the ideas we wish to remember with the objects in
the various places, by which means they are easily remembered, and can be gone over in any order. In this way one may learn to repeat several
hundred disconnected words or ideas in any order after hearing them only once." We do not consider it necessary to argue in detail the fact that this
system is artificial and cumbersome to a great degree. While the idea of "position" may be employed to some advantage in grouping together in the
memory several associated facts, ideas, or words, still the idea of employing a process such as the above in the ordinary affairs of life is ridiculous,
and any system based upon it has a value only as a curiosity, or a mental acrobatic feat.

 Akin to the
the above
above is tthe
he idea unde
underly
rlying
ing man
many
y other
other "systems
"systems an
and
d secret
secret method
methods"—th
s"—the
e idea of Contiguit
Contiguity
y, in which
which words
words ar
are
e st
stru
run
ng togeth
together
er by
fanciful connecting links.

Feinagle describes this

this un
underly
derlying
ing idea, or principle, as follows:
follows: "The recollection
recollection of them is assisted by associating
associ ating some idea
i dea of relation between
the two; and as we find by experience that whatever is ludicrous is calculated to make a strong impression on the mind, the more ridiculous the
association is the better." The systems founded upon this idea may be employed to repeat a long string of disconnected "words, and similar things,
but have but little practical value, notwithstanding the high prices charged for them.
They serve merely as curiosities, or methods of performing "tricks" to amuse one's friends. Dr. Kothe, a German teacher, about the middle of the
nineteenth century founded this last school of memory training, his ideas serving as the foundation for many teachers of high-priced "systems" or 
"secret methods" since that time. The above description of Feinagle gives the key to the principle employed. The working of the principle is
accomplished by the employment of "intermediates" or "correlatives" as they are called; for instance, the words "chimney" and "leaf" would be
connected as follows:

"Chimney—smoke—wood—tree—Leaf."
 

Then there are systems or methods based on the old principle of the "Figure Alphabet,"

in which one is taught to remember dates by associating them with letters or words. For instance, one of the teachers of this class of systems, wished
his pupils to remember the year 1480 by the word "BiG RaT," the capitals representing the figures in the date.

Comment is unnecessary!

The student will find that nearly all the "systems" or "secret methods" that are being offered for sale in "courses," often at a very high price, are merely
variations, improvements upon, or combinations of the three forms of artificial methods named above. New changes are constantly being worked on
these old plans; new tunes played on the same old instruments; new chimes sounded from the same old bells. And the result is ever the same, in
these cases—disappointment and disgust. There are a few natural systems on the market, nearly all of which contain information and instruction that
makes them worth the price at which they are sold. As for the others—well, judge for yourself after purchasing them, if you so desire.

Regarding these artificial and fanciful systems, Kay says: "All such systems for the improvement of the memory belong to what we have considered
the first or lowest form of it. They are for the most part based on light or foolish associations which have little foundation in nature, and are hence of 
little practical utility; and they do not tend to improve or strengthen the memory as a whole." Bacon says that these systems are

"barren and useless," adding: "For immediately to repeat a multitude of names or words once repeated before, I esteem no more than rope-dancing,
antic postures, and feats of activity; and, indeed, they are nearly the same things, the one being the abuse of the bodily as the other of the mental
powers; and though they may cause admi admiratio
ration,
n, they
they cannot be highly esteemed." And a as
s another authority h
has
as sa
said:
id: "The systems of mnemonics as
taught, are no better than crutches,
crutches, useful to those who cannot walk, but impediments
impe diments and hindrances to those who have the use of their lilimbs,
mbs, and
who only require to exercise them properly in order
orde r to have the full use
use of them."

In this work, there shall be no attempt to te teach

ach any of these "tri
"trickck systems" that the studen
studentt may perform for the amusement of his fri friends.
ends. In
Instead,
stead,
there is only the desire to aid in developing the power to receive impressions, to register them upon the memory, and readily to reproduce them at
will, naturally and easi
easily
ly.. The lines of natural mental action wi
willll be followed throughout.
throughout. The
The idea
ide a of this work is
i s not to teac
teachh how one may perform
"feats" of memory; but, instead, to instruct in the intelligent and practical use of the memory in the affairs of every-day life and work.
 

CHAPTER V: THE SUBCONSCIO

SUBCONSCIOUS
US RECORD-FILE

The old writers on the subject were wont to consider the memory as a separate faculty of the mind, but this idea disappeared before the advancing
tide of knowledge which resulted in the acceptance of the conception now known as The New Psychology. This new conception recognizes the
existence of a vast "out of consciousness" region of the mind, one phase of which is known as the subconscious mind, or the subconscious field of 
mental activities. In this field of mentation the activities of memory have their seat. A careful consideration of the subject brings the certainty that the
entire work of the memory is performed in this subconscious region of the mind. Only when the subconscious record is represented to the conscious
field, and recollection or remembrance results, does the memorized idea or impression emerge from the subconscious region. An understanding of 
this fact simplifies the entire subject of the memory, and enables us to perfect plans and methods whereby the memory may be developed, improved
and trained, by means of the direction of the subconscious activities by the use of the conscious faculties and the will.

Hering says: "Memory is a faculty not only of our conscious states, but also, and much more so, of our unconscious ones." Kay says: "It is impossible
to understand the true nature
nature of memory, or how to train iitt arig
aright,
ht, u
unless
nless we have a clear conception
conceptio n of the fact that there is much in the
the mi
mind
nd of which
we are unconscious. . . . The
The highest form of memory, as of all the mental powers,
powers , is the unconscious—when
unconscious—when what we wish to recall reca ll comes to us
spontaneously,, without any conscious thought or sea
spontaneously search
rch for iit.t. Frequently wh
when
en we wish
wi sh to recall
rec all something that has previously been in i n the mind we
are unable to do so by any conscious effort of the will; but we turn the attention to something else, and after a time the desired information comes up
spontaneously when we are not consciously thinking of it." Carpenter says: "There is the working of a mechanism beneath the consciousness which,
when once set going, runs on of itself, and which is more likely to evolve the desired result when the conscious activity of the mind is exerted in a
direction altogether different."

This subconscious region of the mind is the great record-file of everything we have ever experienced, thought or known. Everything is recorded there.
The best authorities now generally agree that there is no such thing as an absolute forgetting of even the most minute impression, notwithstanding the
fact that we may be unable to recollect or remember it, owing to its faintness, or lack of associated "indexing." It is held that everything is to be found
in that subconscious index-file, if we can only manage to find its place. Kay says: "In like manner we believe that every impression or thought that has
once been before consciousness remains ever afterward impressed upon the mind. It may never again come up before consciousness, but it will
doubtless remain
rema in in that vast ultra-conscious regi on of the mind, unconsciously molding and fashio
fashioning
ning our subsequent ththoughts
oughts and actio
actions.
ns. ItIt is only
a small part of what exists in the mind that we are conscious of. There is always much that is known to be in the mind that exists in it unconsciously,
and must be stored away somewhere. We may be able to recall it into consciousness when we wish to do so; but at other times the mind is
un
unconscious
conscious of
o f its existence. Further
Further,, every one’s experi
experience
ence must tell him that there is much in h
his
is mind that he cannot always recall when h he
e may
wish to do so,—much that he can recover only after a labored search, or that he may search for in vain at the time, but which may occur to him
afterwards when perhaps he is i s not thinking abo
about
ut it. Again, much that we probably would never be able to recall, or
o r that would not recur to us under 
under 
ordinary
ordi nary circumstances, we may remember to have had in the mind when it iis s mentioned to us by others. In such a case there must still have
remained some trace or scintilla of it in the mind before we could recognize it as having been there before."

Morell says: "We have every reason to believe that mental power when once called forth follows the analogy of everything we see in the material
universe in the fact of its perpetuity. Every single effort of mind is a creation which can never go back again into nonentity. It may slumber in the depths
of forgetfulness as light and heat slumber in the coal seams, but there it is, ready at the bidding of some appropriate stimulus to come again out of 
the darkness into
i nto the light of consci
consciousness."
ousness." Beattie
B eattie says: "That which has been long forgotten, nay,
nay, that which we have often in vain endeavored to
recollect, will sometimes without an effort of ours occur to us on a sudden, and, if I may so speak, of its own accord." Hamilton says: "The mind
frequently contains whole systems of k knowledge
nowledge which, though in our normal
normal state they may have faded into i nto absolute oblivion,
obli vion, may in certain
certai n
abnormal states, as madness, delirium, somnambulism, catalepsy, etc., flash out into luminous consciousness. . . .For example, there are cases in
which the extinct memory of whole languages
languages were suddenly restored." Lecky says: ""It It is now fully established
establi shed that a multitude of even
e vents
ts which arc so
completely forgotten that no effort of the will
wi ll can revive them, and that the statement of them calls up no reminiscences,
remi niscences, may nevertheless be, so to
speak, embedded in the memory, and may be reproduced with intense vividness under certain physical conditions." In proof of the above, the
authorities give many instances recorded in scientific annals. Coleridge relates the well-known case of the old woman who could neither read nor 
write, who when in the delirium of fever incessantly recited in very pompous tones long passages from the Latin, Greek and Hebrew, with a distinct
enunciation and precise rendition.

Notes of her
employed asravings
ra
a vings were
servant take
taken
in the n down
house byclergyman
of a shorth
shorthand,
and,who
andwas
caused much
in the habitwonderment,
of walking upun
until
til iitt down
and was afterward
afterwards s found
in his study thataloud
reading in herfrom
you
youth
th she
his had been
favorite classical
and religious writers. In his books were found marked passages corresponding to the notes taken from the girl's ravings. Her subconscious memory
had stored up the sounds of these passages heard in her early youth, but of which she had no recollection in her normal state. Beaufort, describing
his sensations just before being rescued from drowning says: "Every incident of my former life seemed to glance across my recollection in a
retrograde procession, not in mere outline, but in a picture filled with every minute and collateral feature, thus forming a panoramic view of my whole
existence."

Kay truly observes: "By adopting the opinion that every thought or impression that had once been consciously before the mind is ever afterwards
retained, we obtain light on many obscure mental phenomena; and especially do we draw from it the conclusion of the perfectibility of the memory to
an almost unlimited extent
extent.. We ca
cann
nnot
ot doubt that, could we pe
penetrate
netrate to the lowest depths
d epths of our mental nature, we should there
there fi
find
nd traces o
off every
impression we have received, every thought we have entertained, and every act we have done through our past life, each one making its influence felt
in the way of building up our present knowledge, or in guiding our every-day actions; and if they persist in the mind, might it not be possible to recall
most if not all of them into consciousness when we wished to do so, if our memories or powers of recollection were what they should be?"

 As we
we hhav
avee said,
said, ththis grea
greatt sub
subcon
consciou
scious
s region
region of th
the
e mind—t
mind—this
his Memory
Memory region-may
region-may be ttho
houg
ught
ht of as a great record
record ffile,
ile, with an intricate
intricate system
system of 
indexes, and office boys whose business it is to file away the records; to index them; and to find them when needed. The records record only what we
have impressed upon them by the attention, the degree of depth and clearness depending entirely upon the degree of attention which we bestowed
upon the
the original
ori ginal iimpressi
mpression.
on. We can never expect to have the offic
officee boys o
off the memory bring up anything
anything that they hav
have e not bee
been n given to file away.
away.
The indexing, and cross-references are supplied by the association existing between the various impressions. The more cross-references, or 
associations that are connected with an idea, thought or impression that is filed away in the memory, the greater the chances of it being found readily
when wanted. These two features of attention and association, and the parts they play in the phenomena of memory, are mentioned in detail in other 
chapters
chapter s of this book.
b ook.

These little office boys of the memory are an industrious and willing lot of little chaps, but like all boys they do their best work when kept in practice.
Idleness and lack of exercise cause them to become slothful and careless, and forgetful of the records under their charge. A little fresh exercise and
 

work soon take the cobwebs out of their brains, and they spring eagerly to their tasks. They become familiar with their work when exercised properly,
and soon become
bec ome very expert. They
They hav
havee a te
tendency
ndency to remember, on their
their own part, and when a certai
certain
n record iis
s called for often they grow
accustomed to its place, and can find it without referring to the indexes at all. But their trouble comes from faint and almost illegible records, caused
by poor attention—these they can scarcely decipher when they do succeed in finding them. Lack of proper indexing by associations causes them
much worry and extra work, and some sometimes
times they are unable
unable to find the record
records s at all
a ll from this neglect. Often, however
however,, after they hav
havee told you that
they could
could not find a thing, and you h have
ave left the place i n disgust, they will continue their searc
searchh and hours
hours afterward will surprise you by h handing
anding you
the desired idea, or impression, which they had found carelessly indexed or improperly filed away. In these chapters you will be helped, if you will
carry in your mind these little office boys of the memory record file, and the hard work they have to do for you, much of which is made doubly
burdensome by your own neglect and carelessness.
ca relessness. Treat these little fellows right and they will work overtime for you, willingly and joyfully
joyfully.. But they
need your assistance and encouragement, and an occasional word of praise and commendation.
 

CHAPTER VI: ATTENTION

 As we
we hhav
avee seen
seen in the
the pr
precedin
eceding g chapter
chapters,
s, befor
before e one
one can exexpect
pect to recall
recall or rremem
emember ber a thing,
thing, th
that
at tthin
hing
g mu
mustst ha
havve been impressed
impressed u upon
pon ththee
records of his subconsciousness, distinctly and clearly. And the main factor of the recording of impressions is that quality of the mind that we call
 Attent
 Atte ntion.
ion. All the
the lleadin
eading
g au
auth
thorities
orities on th
the
e su
subject
bject of memo
memory ry recogniz
recognizee an
andd tteach
each ththeevvalu
alue
e of att
atten
ention
tion in th
the
e cult
cultivat
ivation
ion an
and
d developm
developmen entt o
off th
the
memory. Tupper says: "Memory, the daughter of Attention, is the teeming mother of wisdom." Lowell says: "Attention is the stuff that Memory is made
of, and Memory is accumulated Genius." Hall says: "In the power of fixing the attention lies the most precious of the intellectual habits." Locke says:
"When the ideas that offer themselves are taken notice of, and, as it were, registered in the memory, it is Attention." Stewart says: "The permanence
of the impression which anything leaves on the memory, is proportionate to the degree of attention which was originally given to it." Thompson says:
"The experiences most permanently impressed upon consciousness are those upon which the greatest amount of attention has been fixed." Beattie
says: "The force wherewith anything strikes the mind is generally in proportion to the degree of attention bestowed upon it. The great art of memory is
attention. . . . Inattentive people have always bad memories." Kay says: "It is generally held by philosophers that without some degree of attention no
impression of any duration could be made on the mind, or laid up in the memory." Hamilton says: "It is a law of the mind that the intensity of the
present consciousness determines the vivacity of the future memory; memory and consciousness are thus in the direct ratio of each other. Vivid
consciousness, long memory;memo ry; faint consciousness, short memory;
memo ry; no
no consci
consciousness,
ousness, no memory.
memory. . . . An act of attention,
a ttention, that is an act of 
concentration, seems thus necessary to every exertion of consciousness, as a certain contraction of the pupil is requisite to every exertion of vision.
 Attent
 Atte ntion,
ion, then
then,, is to con
consciou
sciousn
sness
ess wh
what
at th
the
e con
contrac
traction
tion of th
the
e pupil
pupil is to sight,
sight, oorr to
to tthe
he ey
eye
e of th
the
e mind
mind w wha
hatt the
the microscope
microscope or telesc
telescope
ope is to th the
e
bodily
bodi ly eye. IItt constitutes the better half of all intellectual power."

We have quoted from the above authorities at considerable length, for the purpose of impressing upon your mind the importance of this subject of 
 Attention.
 Attention. Th
The
e su
subcon
bconsciou
sciouss regions
regions of th
the
e mind
mind are th
the
e great
great storeh
storehous
ouses
es of th
the
emmen
ental
tal records
records of impress
impressions
ions from
from wwith
ithin
in an
and
d with
withou
out.
t. Its great
systems of filing, recording and indexing these records constitute that which we call memory. But before any of this work is possible, impressions
must first have been received. And, as you may see from the quotations just given, these impressions depend upon the power of attention given to
the things making the impressions. If there has been given great attention, there will be clear and deep impressions; if there has been given but
average attention, there will be but average impressions; if there has been given but faint attention, there will be but faint impressions; if there has
been given no attention, there will be no records.

One of the most common causes of poor attention is to be found in the lack of interest.

We are apt to remember the things in which we have been most interested, because in that outpouring of interest there has been a high degree of 
attention manifested.
manifested . A man may
may hav
have
e a very poor memory for many things, but wh
when
en it comes
co mes to the things in which his iinterest
nterest is involv
involved
ed he often
remembers the most minute details. What is called involuntary attention is that form of attention that follows upon interest, curiosity, or desire— no
special effort of the will being required in it. What is called voluntary attention is that form of attention that is bestowed upon objects not necessarily
interesting, curious, or attractive—this requires the application of the will, and is a mark of a developed character. Every person has more or less
involuntary attention, while but few possess developed voluntary attention. The former is instinctive—the latter comes only by practice and training.

But there is this important point to be remembered, that interest may be developed by voluntary attention bestowed and held upon an object. Things
that are originally lacking in sufficient interest to attract the involuntary attention may develop a secondary interest if the voluntary attention be placed
upon and held upon them. As Halleck says on this point: "When it is said that attention will not take a firm hold on an uninteresting thing, we must not
forget that anyone not shallow and fickle can soon discover something interesting in most objects. Here cultivated minds show their especial
superiority, for the attention which they are able to give generally ends in finding a pearl in the most uninteresting looking oyster. When an object
necessarily loses interest from one point of view, such minds discover in it new attributes. The essence of genius is to present an old thing in new
ways, whether it be some force in nature or some aspect of humanity."

It is very difficult to teach

tea ch another person how to cultivate the attention. This because
beca use the whole thing consists so largely in the use of the will, and bbyy
faithful practice and persistent application. The first requisite is the determination to use the will. You must argue it out with yourself, until you become
convinced that it is i s necessa
necessary
ry and desira
desirable
ble for you to acq
acquire
uire the art of voluntary
voluntary attention
attention —you must convince
convince yourself beyond reasonable doubt.
This is the first step and one more difficult than it would seem at first sight. The principal difficulty in it lies in the fact that to do the thing you must do

some
a active
strong earnest
burning desithinking,
desire
re to a and the
acquire
cquire the majority of people
art of voluntary
volun are too lazy to
tary attention—you indulge
must
must learnin
tosuch
wantmental
it hard.effort.
thisHaving
In this wa
way mastered
y you
you induce athis
c firston
conditi step,
ondition you must
of interest a
and induce
nd
attractiveness where iti t was pre
previously
viously lacking. Third and last, you must hold you
yourr will firmly
fi rmly and
and persistently
pe rsistently to the task, and practic
p ractice
e fai
faithfu
thfully
lly..

Begin by turning your attention upon some uninteresting thing and studying its details until you are able to describe them. This will prove very tiresome
at first but you must stick to it. Do not practice too long at a time at first; take a rest and try it again later. You will soon find that it comes easier, and
that a new interest is beginning to manifest itself in the task. Examine this book, as practice, learn how many pages there are in it; how many
chapters; how many pages in each chapter; the details of type, printing and binding—all the little things about it—so that you could give another 
person a full account of the minor details of the book. This may seem uninteresting—and so it will be at first—but a little practice will create a new
interest in the petty details, and you will be surprised at the number of little things that you will notice. This plan, practiced on many things, in spare
hours, will develop the power of o f volun
voluntary
tary attention and percep
perception
tion in
i n any
anyone,
one, no matter how deficie
defi cient
nt h
he
e may have been in these things. If you can get
some one else to join in the game-task with you, and then each endeavor to excel the other in finding details, the task will be much easier, and better 
work will be accomplished. Begin to take notice of things about you; the places you visit; the things in the rooms, etc. In this way you will start the habit
of "noticing things," which is the first requisite for memory development.

Halleck gives the following excellent advice on this subject: "To look at a thing intelligently is the most difficult of all arts. The first rule for the cultivation
of accurate perception is: Do not try to perceive the whole of a complex object at once. Take the human face as an example. A man, holding an
important position to which he had been elected, offended many people because he could not remember faces, and hence failed to recognize
individuals the second time he met them. His trouble was in looking at the countenance as a whole. When he changed his method of observation, and
noticed carefully the nose, mouth, eyes, chin, and color of hair, he at once began to find recognition easier. He was no longer in difficulty of mistaking
 A for B, ssince
ince he reme
remember
mbereded ttha
hatt the
the sh
shape
ape of
of B's
B's nose
nose was
was differ
differen
ent,
t, or th
the
e color
color of his ha
hair
ir at least th
three
ree sh
shades
ades lighter
lighter.. T
This
his ex
exampl
ample e shows
shows th
that
at
another rule can be formulated: Pay careful attention to details. We are perhaps asked to give a minute description of the exterior of a somewhat
noted suburban house that we have lately seen. We reply in general terms, giving the size and color of the house. Perhaps we also have an idea of 
part of the material used in the exterior construction. We are asked to be exact about the shape of the door, porch, roof, chimneys and windows;
whether the windows are plain or circular, whether they have cornices, or whether the trimmings around them are of the same material as the rest of 
the house.
house. A friend, who will be unable
unable to see the house, wis
wishes
hes to know definitely
defi nitely about the angles of the roof, and
a nd the way thethe windows are arranged
arra nged
 

with reference to them. Un

Unless
less we c
can
an answer these questio
questions
ns exactly,
exactly, we merely tantalize our frie
friends
nds by telling them we have seen the house. To see
an object merely as an undiscriminated mass of something in a certain place, is to do no more than a donkey accomplishes as he trots along."

There are three general rules that may be given in this matter of bestowing the voluntary attention in the direction of actually seeing things, instead of 
merely looking at them.

The first is: Make yourself take an interest in the thing. The second: See it as if you were taking note of it in order to repeat its details to a friend—this
will force you to "take notice." The third: Give to your subconsciousness a mental command to take note of what you are looking at—say to it; "Here,
you take note of this and remember it for me!"

Th
This
is last consists of a pecul
peculiar
iar "knack"
" knack" that can be attained by a little practice—it
practice—i t will

"come to you" suddenly after a few trials.

Regarding this third rule whereby the sub-consciousness is made to work for you, Charles Leland has the following to say, although he uses it to
illustrate another point:

"As I understand it, it is a kind of impulse or projection of will into the coming work. I may here illustrate this with a curious fact in physics. If the reader 
wished to ring a doorbell so as to produce as much sound as possible, he would probably pull it as far back as he could, and then let it go. But if ho
would, in letting it go, simply give it a tap with his forefinger, he would actually redouble the sound. Or, to shoot an arrow as far as possible, it is not
enough to merely draw the bow to its utmost span or tension. If, just as it goes, you will give the bow a quick push, though the effort be trifling, the
arrow will fly almost as far again as it would have done without it. Or, if, as is well known in wielding a very sharp sabre, we make the draw cut; that is,
if to the blow or chop, as with an axe, we also add a certain slight pull, simultaneously, we can cut through a silk handkerchief or a sheep. Forethought
(command to the subconsciousness) is the tap on the bell; the push on the bow; the draw on the sabre. It is the deliberate but yet rapid action of the
mind when before dismissing thought, we bid the mind to consequently respond. It is more than merely thinking what we are to do; it is the bidding or 
ordering the Self to fulfill a task before willing it."

Remember first, last and always, that before you can remember, or recollect, you must first perceive; and that perception is possible only through
attention, and responds in degree to the later. Therefore, it has truly been said that: "The great Art of Memory is Attention.''
 

CHAPTER VII: ASSOCIATION

ASSOCIATION

In the preceding chapters we have seen that in order that a thing may be remembered, it must be impressed clearly upon the mind in the first place;
and that in order to obtain a clear impression there must be a manifestation of attention. So much for the recording of the impressions. But when we
come to recalling, recollecting or remembering the impressions we are brought face to face with another important law of memory—the law of 
 Association.
 Associat ion. Associat
Association
ion play
plays
s a part an
analogo
alogous
us to th
the
e index
indexing
ing and cross
cross-in
-index
dexing
ing of a book;
book; a llibrary
ibrary;; o
orr an
anoth
other
er sy
system in wh
which
ich th
the
e aim is to
readily find something that has been filed away, or contained in some way in a collection of similar things. As Kay says: "In order that what is in the
memory may be recalled or brought again before consciousness, it is necessary that it be regarded in connection, or in association with one or more
other things or ideas, and as a rule the greater the number of other things with which it is associated the greater the likelihood of its recall. The two
processes are involved in every act of memory. We must first impress, and then we must associate.

Without a clear impression being formed, that which is recalled will be indistinct and inaccurate; and unless it is associated with something else in the
mind, it cannot be recalled. If we may suppose an idea existing in the mind by itself, unconnected with any other idea, its recall would be impossible."

 All th
the
e best
best aaut
uthor
horities
ities rrecogn
ecognizeize an
and
d tteach
each th
the
e importan
importance
ce of th
this
is law of association,
association, in conne
connection
ction with th
the
e me
memory
mory. Aberco
Abercombie
mbie s say
ays:
s: "Nex
"Nextt to
to the
the
effect of attention is the remarkable influence produced upon memory by association." Carpenter says: "The recording power of memory mainly
depends upon the degree of attention we give to the idea to be remembered. The reproducing power again altogether depends upon the nature of 
the associations by which the new idea has been linked on to other ideas which have been previously recorded.' Ribot says: "The most fundamental
law which regulates psychological phenomena is the law of association. In its comprehensive character it is comparable to the law of attraction in the
physical world." Mill says: "That which the law of gravitation is to astronomy; that which the elementary properties of the tissues are to physiology; the
law of association of ideas is to psychology." Stewart says: ''The connection between memory and the association of ideas is so striking that it has
been supposed by some that the whole of the phenomena might be resolved into this principle. The association of ideas connects our various
thoughts with each other, so as to present them to the mind in a certain order; but it presupposes the existence of those thoughts in the mind,—in
other words it presupposes a faculty of retaining the knowledge which we acquire. On the other hand, it is evident that without the associating
principle,
princi ple, the power ooff retai
retaining
ning our thou
thoughts,
ghts, and of reco
recognizing
gnizing them when ththey
ey occur to us, would have been of little use; for
fo r the most important
i mportant
articles of our knowledge might have remained latent in the mind, even when those occasions presented themselves to which they were immediately
applicable."

 Association of ideas depen

 Association depends ds upon
upon two prin
principles
ciples kn
known
own,, respect
respectivel
ively
y, a
as
s (1)
(1) the
the law of contigu
contiguity
ity;; an
and
d (2
(2)) the
the law of similarity
similarity.. Associat
Association
ion by
contiguity is that form of association by which an idea is linked, connected, or associated with the sensation, thought, or idea immediately preceding
it, and that which directly follows it. Each idea, or thought, is a link in a great chain of thought being connected with the preceding link and the
succeeding link. Association by similarity is that form of association by which an idea, thought, or sensation is linked, connected, or associated with
ideas, thoughts, or sensations of a similar kind, which have occurred previously or subsequently. The first form of association is the relation of 
sequence—the second the relation of kind.

 Association
 Association by con
contigu
tiguity
ity is th
the
e gr
great
eat law of th
thou
ought
ght,, a
as
s well
well as of
of memor
memory
y. As Kay says:
says:

"The great law of mental association is that of contiguity, by means of which sensations and ideas that have been in the mind together or in close
succession,
successi on, tend to unite together, or cohere iin
n such a way that
that the one can afterward recall the other. The
The connection that naturally
naturally subsists between
be tween
a sensation or idea in the mind, and that which immediately preceded or followed it, is of the strongest and most intimate nature.

The
The two, stri
strictly
ctly speaki
speaking,
ng, are but one, formi
forming
ng one complete thought.'
thought.' As Taine
Taine sa
says:
ys:

"To speak correctly, there is no isolated or separate sensation. A sensation is a state which begins as a continuation of preceding ones, and ends by
losing itself in those following it; it is by an arbitrary severing, and for the convenience of language, that we set it apart as we do; its beginning is the
end of another, and its ending the beginning of another." As Eibot says: "When we read or hear a sentence, for example, at the commencement of the
fifth word something of the fourth word still remains. Association by contiguity may be separated into two sub-classes—contiguity in time; and
contiguity in space. In contiguity in time there is manifested the tendency of the memory to recall the impressions in the same order in which they were
received—the first impression suggesting the second, and that the third, and so on. In this way the child learns to repeat the alphabet, and the adult
the succeeding lines of a poem. As Priestly says: "In a poem, the end of each preceding word being connected with the beginning of the succeeding
one, we can easily repeat them in that order, but we are not able to repeat them backwards till they have been frequently named in that order. Memory
of words, or groups of words, depends upon this form of contigious association. Some persons are able to repeat long poems from beginning to
end, with perfect ease, but are unable to repeat any particular sentence, or verse, without working down to it from the beginning.

Contiguity in space is manifested

manifested iin
n forms of recollection or remembran
remembrance
ce by "po
"position."
sition."

Thus by remembering the things connected with the position of a particular thing, we are enabled to recall the thing itself. As we have seen in a
preceding
preced ing chapter, some forms of memory systems have been based ba sed on
o n this law. IfIf you will recall some house or room i n which
which you have
have been,
bee n, you
you
will find that you will remember one object after another, in the order of the relative positions, or contiguity in space, or position. Beginning with the
front hall, you may travel in memory from one room to another, recalling each with the objects it contains, according to the degree of attention you
bestowed upon them originally. Kay says of association by contiguity: "It is on this principle of contiguity that mnemonical systems are constructed, as
when what we wish to remember is associated in the mind with a certain object or locality, the ideas associated will at once come up; or when each
word or idea is associated with the one immediately preceding it, so that when the one is recalled the other comes up along with it, and thus long lists
of names or long passages of books can be readily learnt by heart."

From the foregoing, it will be seen that it is of great importance that we correlate our impressions with those preceding and following. The more
closely knitted together our impressions are, the more closely will they cohere, and the greater will be the facility of remembering or recollecting them.
We should endeavor to form our impressions of things so that they will be associated with other impressions, in time and space. Every other thing
that is associated in the mind with a given thing, serves as a "loose end" of memory, which if once grasped and followed up will lead us to the thing
we desire to recall to mind.

 Association by similar
 Association similarity
ity is th
the
e llinkin
inking
g ttogeth
ogether
er of impress
impressions
ions of a similar
similar kind, ir-respect
ir-respectv
ve of time and place
place.. Car
Carpen
penter
ter ex
express
presses
es it as ffoll
ollows:
ows: '
The law of similarity expresses the general fact that any present state of consciousness tends to revive previous states which are similar to it. ...
Rational or philosophical association is when a fact or statement on which the attention is fixed is associated with some fact previously known, to
 which it has a relation, or with some subject which it is calculated to illustrate. And as Kay says: The similars may be widely apart in space or in
 

time, but they are brought together and associated through their resemblance to each other. Thus, a circumstance of to-day may recall circumstances
of a similar nature that occurred perhaps at very different times, and they will become associated together in the mind, so that afterwards the
presence of one will tend to recall the others." Abercrombie says of this phase of association: '' The habit of correct association—that is, connecting
facts in the mind according to their true relations, and to the manner in which they tend to illustrate each other, is one of the principle means of 
improving the memory, particularly that kind of memory which is an essential quality of a cultivated mind—

namely, that which is founded not upon incidental connections, but on true and important relations." As Beattie says: "The more relations or 
likenesses that we find or can establish between objects, the more easily will the view of one lead us to recollect the rest." And as Kay says: "In order 
to fix a thing in the memory, we must associate it with something in the mind already, and the more closely that which we wish to remember 
resembles that with which it is associated, the better is it fixed in the memory, and the more readily is it recalled. If the two strongly resemble each
other, or are not to be distinguished from each other, then the association is of the strongest kind. . . . The memory is able to retain and replace a
vastly greater number of ideas, if they are associated or arranged on some principle of similarity, than if they are presented merely as isolated facts. It
is not by the multitude of ideas, but the want of arrangement among them, that the memory is burdened and its powers weakened." As Arnott says:
"The ignorant man may be said to have charged his hundred hooks of knowledge (to use a rude simile), with single objects, while the informed man
makes each hook support a long chain to which thousands of kindred and useful things are attached." We ask each student of this book to acquaint
himself with the general idea of the working features of the law of association as given in this chapter for the reason that much of the instruction to be
given under the head of the several phases and classes of memory is based upon an application of the Law of Association, in connection with the law
of Attention. These fundamental principles should be clearly grasped before one proceeds to the details of practice and exercise. One should know
not only "how" to use the mind and memo
memoryry in certain ways, but also "why" it is
i s to b
bee used iin
n that
that particular
parti cular way
way.. By understandi
understanding
ng the

"reason of it," one is better able to follow out the directions.

 

CHAPTER VIII: PHASES OF MEMORY

One of the first things apt to be noticed by the student of memory is the fact that there are several different phases of the manifestation of memory.
That is to say, that there are several general classes into which the phenomena of memory may be grouped. And accordingly we find some persons
quite highly developed in certain phases of memory, and quite deficient in others. If there were but one phase or class of memory, then a person who
had developed his memory along any particular line would have at the same time developed it equally along all the other lines. But this is far from
being the true state of affairs. We find men who are quite proficient in recalling the impression of faces, while they find it very difficult to recall the
names of the persons whose faces they remember. Others can remember faces, and not names. Others have an excellent recollection of localities,
while others are constantly losing themselves. Others remember dates, prices, numbers, and figures generally, while deficient in other forms of 
recollection. Others remember tales, incidents, anecdotes etc., while forgetting other things. And so on, each person being apt to possess a memory
good in
i n some phases, whwhile
ile defi
deficient
cient in others.

The phases of memory may be divided into two general classes, namely (1) Memory of Sense Impressions; and (2) Memory of Ideas. This
classification is somewhat arbitrary, for the reason that sense impressions develop into ideas, and ideas are composed to a considerable extent of 
sense impressions, but in a general way the classification serves its purpose, which is the grouping together of certain phases of the phenomena of 
memory-Memory of Sense Impressions of course includes the impressions received from .all of the five senses: sight; hearing; taste; touch; and
smell. But when we come down to a practical examination of sense impressions retained in the memory, we find that the majority of such impressions
are those obtained through the two respective senses of sight and hearing. The impressions received from the sense of taste, touch and smell,
respectively, are comparatively small, except in the cases of certain experts in special lines, whose occupation consists in acquiring a very delicate
sense of taste, smell or touch, and correspondingly a fine sense of memory along these particular lines. For instance, the wine-taster and tea-tasters,
who are able to distinguish between the various grades of merchandise handled by them, have developed not only very fine senses of taste and
smell, but also a remarkable memory of the impressions previously received, the power of discrimination depending as much upon the memory as
upon the special sense. In the same way the skilled surgeon as well as the skilled mechanic acquires a fine sense of touch and a correspondingly
highly developed memory of touch impressions.

But, as we have said, the greater part of the sense impressions stored away in our memories are those previously received through the senses of 
sight and hearing, respectively. The majority of sense impressions, stored away in the memory, have been received more or less involuntarily, that is
with the application of but a slight degree of attention. They are more or less indistinct and hazy, and are recalled with difficulty, the remembrance of 
them generally coming about without conscious effort, according to the law of association. That is, they come principally when we are thinking about
something else upon wh which
ich we have gigiven
ven th
thought
ought and attention, and with which they have been associ ated. There is quite a differe
difference
nce between the
remembrance of sense impressions received in this way, and those which we record by the bestowal of attention, interest and concentration.

The sense impressions of sight are by far the most numerous in our subconscious storehouse. We are constantly exercising our sense of sight, and
receiving thousands of different sight impressions every hour. But the majority of these impressions are but faintly recorded upon the memory,
because we give to them but little attention or interest But it is astonishing, at times, when we find that when we recall some important event or 
incident we also recall many faint sight impressions of which we did not dream we had any record. To realize the important part played by sight
impressions in the phenomena of memory, recall some particular time or event in your life, and see how many more things that you saw are
remembered, compared with the number of things that you heard, or tasted, or felt or smelled.

Second ini n nu
number,
mber, howev
however,
er, are the impre
impressio
ssions
ns received
recei ved through the sense of hearing,
heari ng, and consequently the memory stores away
a way a great number 
of sound impressions. In some cases the impressions of sight and sound are joined together, as for instance in the case of words, in which not only
the sound but the shape of the letters composing the word, or rather the word-shape itself, are stored away together, and consequently are far more
readily remembered or recollected than things of which but one sense impression is recorded. Teachers of memory use this fact as a means of 
helping their students to memorize
memo rize words by speaki
speaking
ng them aloud, and then writing them down. Many persons memorize names i n this
this way,
way, the
impression of the written word being added to the impression of the sound, thus doubling the record. The more impressions that you can make
regarding a thing, the greater are the chances of your easily recollecting it.

Likewise it is very important to attach an impression of a weaker sense, to that of a stronger one, in order that the former may be memorized. For 

instance, if you
have a poor eyehave a good
memory, eye
and memory,
a good and a poor
ear memory it isear memory,
important to itattach
is wellyour
to attach your sound impressions
sight impressions to impressions.
to your sound the sight impressions. And
In this way youif take
you
advantage of the law of association, of which we have told you.

Under the sub-class of sight impressions, are found the smaller divisions of memory known as memory of locality; memory of figures ; memory of 
form; memory of color; and memory of written or printed words. Under the sub-class of sound impressions are found the smaller divisions of memory
known as memory of spoken words; memory of names; memory of stories; memory of music, etc. We shall pay special attention to these forms of 
memory, in succeeding chapters.

The second general class of memory,— memory of ideas,—includes the memory of facts, events, thoughts, lines of reasoning, etc., and is regarded
as higher in the scale than the memory of sense impressions, although not more necessary nor useful to the average person. This form of memory of 
course accompanies the higher lines of intellectual effort and activities, and constitutes a large part of what is known as true education, that is
education which teaches one to think instead of to merely memorize certain things taught in books or lectures.

The
The well-rounded man, mentally
mentally,, is he who has developed his memory on all sides,
sid es, rather than the one who has developed bbut
ut one speci
special
al phase of 
o f 
the faculty. It is true that a man's interest and occupation certainly tend to develop his memory according to his daily needs and requirements, but it is
well that he should give to the other parts of his memory field some exercise, in order that he may not grow one-sided. As Halleck has said: "Many
persons think that memory is mainly due to si sight;
ght; but we have
have as many different kinds of
o f memory as we have senses. To
To sight,
si ght, th
the
e watermelon iis
sa
long greenish body, but this is its least important quality. Sight alone gives the poorest idea of the watermelon. We approach the vine where the fruit is
growing, and in order to decide whether it is ripe, we tap the rind and judge by the sound. We must remember that a ripe watermelon has a certain
resonance. By passing our hands over the melon, we learn that it has certain touch characteristics. We cut it open and learn the qualities of taste and
smell. All this knowledge afforded by the different senses must enter into a perfected memory image. Hence we see that many complex processes
go to form an idea of a thing. Napoleon was not content with only hearing a name. He wrote it down, and having satisfied his eye memory as well as
his ear
ea r memory, he threw the the paper
pa per aaway
way."
."

In this book we shall point out the methods and processes calculated to round out the memory of the student. As a rule his strong phases of memory
 need but little attention, although even in these a little scientific knowledge will be of use. But in the weaker phases, those phases in which his
 

memory is "poor," he should exert a new energy and activity, to the end that these weaker regions of the memory may be cultivated and fertilized, and
well stored with the seed impressions, which will bear a good crop in time. There is no phase, field, or class of memory that is not capable of being
highly developed by intelligent application. It requires practice, exercise and work—but the reward is great. Many a man is handicapped by being
deficient in certain phases of memory, while proficient in others. The remedy is in his own hands, and we feel that in this book we have given to each
the means whereby he may acquire a "good" memory along any or all lines.
 

CHAPTER IX: TRAINING THE EYE

Before the memory can be stored with sight impressions—before the mind can recollect or remember such impressions—the eye must be used
under the direction of the attention. We think that we see things when we look at them, but in reality we see but few things, in the sense of registering
clear and distinct impressions of them upon the tablets of the subconscious mind. We look at them rather than see them.

Halleck says regarding this '' sight without seeing" idea: "A body may be imaged on the retina without insuring perception. There must be an effort to
concentrate the attention upon the many things which the world presents to our senses. A man once said to the pupils of a larg largee school, all o
off whom
had seen cows: 'I' I sh
should
ould like to find o
out
ut how man
many
y of you know whether
whether a cow's
cow' s ears are above,
ab ove, below, behind, or in
i n front of her horns.
horns. I want only
only
those pupils to raise their hands who are sure about the position and who will promise to give a dollar to charity if they answer wrong.' Only two hands
were raised.

Their owners had drawn cows and in order to do that had been forced to concentrate their attention upon the animals. Fifteen pupils were sure that
they had seen cats climb trees and descend them. There was unanimity of opinion that the cats went up heads first. When asked whether the cats
came down head or tail first, the majority were sure that the cats descended as they were never known to do. Any one who had ever noticed the
shape of the claws of any beast of prey could have answered the question without seeing an actual descent. Farmers' boys who have often seen
cows and horses lie down and rise, are seldom sure whether the animals rise with their fore or hind feet first, or whether the habit of the horse agrees
with that of the cow in this respect. The elm tree has about its leaf a peculiarity which all ought to notice the first time they see it, and yet only about five
per cent of a certain school could incorporate in a drawing this peculiarity, although it is so easily outlined on paper. Perception, to achieve
satisfactory results, must summon the will to its aid to concentrate the attention. Only the smallest part of what falls upon our senses at any time is
actually perceived."

The way to train the mind to receive clear sight-impressions, and therefore to retain them in the memory is simply to concentrate the will and attention
upon objects of sight, endeavoring to see them plainly and distinctly, and then to practice recalling the details of the object some time afterward. It is
astonishing how rapidly one may improve in this respect by a little practice. And it is amazing how great a degree of proficiency in this practice one
may attain in a short time. Y
You
ou hav
have
e doubtless
do ubtless heard the old s
story
tory of Houdin, the French conju
conjurer,
rer, who
who cultivated his memory of sight
si ght impressions
impres sions by
by
following a simple plan. He started in to practice by observing the number of small objects in the Paris shop windows he could see and remember in
one quick glance as ho rapidly walked past the window. He followed the plan of noting down on paper the things that he saw and remembered. At first
he could remember but two or three articles in the window. Then he began to see and remember more, and so on, each day adding to his power of 
perception and memory, until finally he was able to see and remember nearly every small article in a large shop window, after bestowing but one
glance upon it. Others have found this plan an excellent one, and have developed their power of perception greatly, and at the same time cultivated an
amazingly retentive memory of objects thus seen. It is all a matter of use and practice. The experiment of Houdin may be varied infinitely, with
excellent results.

The Hindus train their children along these lines, by playing the "sight game" with them.

This
This game iis s played bbyy exposing to the si
sight
ght of the children a number of small
sma ll objects, a
att which they gaz
gaze
e iintent
ntently
ly,, and which are then withdrawn from
their sight.
si ght. Th
Thee childre
childrenn th
then
en endeavor to excel each
ea ch other in writi
writing
ng down the names of the objects which they have seen. The The number of objects
objec ts is
is
small to begin with, but is increased each day, until an astonishing number are perceived and remembered.

Rudyard Kipling in his great book,' Kim,' gives an instance of this game, played by

"Kim" and a trained native youth. Lurgan Sahib exposes to the sight of the two boys a tray filled with jewels and gems, allowing them to gaze upon it a
few moments before it is withdrawn from sight. Then the competition begins, as follows: " 'There are under that paper five blue stones, one big, one
smaller, and three small,' said Kim in all haste.

There are four green stones, and one with a hole in it; there is one yellow stone that I can see through, and one like a pipe stem. There are two red
stones, and—and— give me time.' " But Kim had reached the limit of his powers. Then came the turn of the native boy. " 'Hear my count,' cried the
native child. ' First are two flawed sapphires, one of two ruttes and one of four, as I should judge. The four rutte sapphire is chipped at the edge.

There is one Turkestan turquoise, plain with green veins, and there are two inscribed—

one with the name of God in gilt, and the other being cracked across, for it came out of an old ring, I cannot read. We have now the five blue stones;
four flamed emeralds there are, but one is drilled in two places, and one is a little carven.' 'Their weight?' said Lurgan Sahib, impassively. ' Three
—five—five and four ruttees, as I judge it. There is one piece of old greenish amber, and a cheap cut topaz from Europe. There is one ruby of Burma,
one of two ruttees, without a flaw. And there is a ballas ruby, flawed, of two ruttees. There is a carved ivory from China, representing a rat sucking an
egg; and there
there is last—Ah
last—Ah—ha!—a
—ha!—a ball of cryst
crystal
al as big
bi g as a bean set in gold leaf.' " Kim is
i s mortified at his bad beating,
beati ng, and
and asks the secret. The
The
answer is:' By doing it many times over, till it is done perfectly, for it is worth doing."

Eye is the most fragile, complicated and most dependent organ of human body. One of the ways to protect your eye is by using acuvue contact
lenses. With help of internet
i nternet we can by contact lenses online with much choice range
ra nge in hand. An
And
d to protect
p rotect you can have contact lens cases
available in wide range. These lenses come in many varieties and you can have many reasonable cheap contact lens in your prince range.

Many teachers have followed plans similar to that just related. A number of small articles are exposed, and the pupils are trained to see and
remember them, the process being gradually made more and more difficult. A well known American teacher was in the habit of rapidly making a
nu
number
mber of dots
d ots on the blackboard,
blackb oard, a
and
nd then erasing them before the pupils could co
coun
untt them in the ordi
ordinary
nary way.
way. The children then endeavored
endeavored to

countten,"
"see theiras
mental impressions,
the case and before long
may be, automatically andthey could correctly
apparently name
without the theof
labor number up to ten
consciously or more,
counting with
them. It ease. They
is related in said
worksthey couldwith
dealing "seethe
six," or 
detection of crime, that in the celebrated

"thieves schools" in Europe, the young thieves are trained in a similar way, the old scoundrels acting as teachers exposing a number of small articles
to the young
young ones, and re
requiring
quiring them to re
repeat
peat e
exactly
xactly what
what they h
had
ad seen.
se en. Then
Then follows a higher course
c ourse in which the youn
youngg thieves are required to
memorize the objects in a room; the plan of houses, etc. They are sent forth to "spy out the land" for future robberies, in the guise of beggars soliciting
alms, and thus getting a rapid peep into houses, offices, and stores. It is said that in a single glance they will perceive the location of all of the doors,
 windows, locks, bolts, etc. Many nations have boys games in which the youngsters are required to see and remember after taking a peep. The
 

Italians
Italians have a ggame
ame cacalled
lled "Morro"
"Mo rro" in which one boy throws out a number of fingers, which must be instantly named
named by
b y the
the other bo
boyy, a failure
fai lure
resulting in a forfeit. The Chinese youths have a similar game, while the Japanese boys reduce this to a science. A well trained Japanese youth will
be able to remember the entire contents of a room after one keen glance around it. Many of the Orientals have developed this faculty to a degree
almost beyond belief. But the principle is the same in all cases—the gradual practice and exercise, beginning with a small number of simple things,
and then increasing the number and complexity of the objects.
ob jects.

The faculty is not so rare as one might imagine at first thought. Take a man in a small business, and let him enter the store of a competitor, and see
how many things he will observe and remember after a few minutes in the place. Let an actor visit a play in another theatre, and see how many details
of the performance he will
wi ll notice and re
remember.
member. Let some women pay a visit visi t to a new neighbor, and th
then
en see how many things about that house they
will have seen and remembered, to be retailed to their confidential friends afterward. It is the old story of attention following the interest, and memory
following the attention. An expert whist player will see and remember every card played in the game, and just who played it. A chess or checker player 
will see and remember the previous moves in the game, if he be expert, and can relate them afterward. A woman will go shopping and will see and
remember thousands of things that a man would never never have seen, much less remembered.
remembere d. As Houdin said:
sai d: "Thus, for instance, I can safely assert
that a lady seeing another pass at full speed in a carriage will have had time to analyze her toilette from her bonnet to her shoes, and be able to
describe not only the fashion and quality of the stuffs, but also say if the lace be real or only machine made. I have known ladies to do this."

But, remember this—for it is important: Whatever can be done in this direction by means of attention, inspired by interest, may be duplicated by
attention directed by will.

In other words, the desire to accomplish the task adds and creates an artificial interest just as effective as the natural feeling. And, as you progress,
the interest in the game-task will add new interest, and you will be able to duplicate any of the feats mentioned above. It is all a matter of attention,
interest (natural or induced) and practice. Begin with a set of dominoes, if you like, and try to remember the spots on one of them rapidly glanced at
—then two—then three. By increasing the number gradually, you will attain a power of perception and a memory of sight-impressions that will appear 
almost marvelous. And not only will you begin to remember dominoes, but you will also be able to perceive and remember thousands of little details
of interest, in everything, that have heretofore escaped your notice. The principle is very simple, but the results that may be obtained by practice are
wonderful.

The
The trouble wi
with
th most of you is that you hav
have
e been
bee n looking without
wi thout seeing—gazing but not observing.
obse rving. The
The objec
objectsts around you hhave
ave been out of your 
mental focus. IfIf you will but change you
yourr mental focus, by means of wiwillll and attention, you will be able to cure yourself of the careless methods of 
seeing
seei ng and observing that have been hindrances to your su success.
ccess. You have been blaming it i t on your memory
memory,, but the fault is with your perception.
percepti on. How
can the memory remember, when it is not given any anything
thing in the way of clear i mpressions
mpressi ons ? YYouou have
have been
be en like young
young infants in this matter—now
matter— now it iis
s
time for you to begin to '' sit up and take notice,' no matter how old you may be. The whole thing in a nut-shell is this: In order to remember the things
that pass before your sight, you must begin to see with your mind, instead of with your retina. Let the impression get beyond your retina and into your 

mind. If you will do this, you will find that memory will ""do
do the res
rest."
t."
 

CHAPTER X: TRAINING THE EAR

The sense of hearing is one of the highest of the senses or channels whereby we receive impressions from the outside world. In fact, it ranks almost
as high as the sense of sight.

In the senses of taste, touch, and smell there is a direct contact between the sensitive recipient nerve substance and the particles of the object
sensed, while in the sense of sight and the sense of hearing the impression is received through the medium of waves in the ether (in the case of 
sight), or waves in the air (in the sense of hearing.) Moreover in taste, smell and touch the objects sensed are brought into direct contact with the
terminal nerve apparatus, while in seeing and hearing the nerves terminate in peculiar and delicate sacs which contain a fluidic substance through
which the impression is conveyed to the nerve proper. Loss of this fluidic substance destroys the faculty to receive impressions, and deafness or 
blindness ensues. As Foster
Fos ter says: "Wav
" Waves
es of sound falling upon the auditory nerv
nervee iitself
tself produces
prod uces no effect whatever; it iis
s only when,
when, by the medium
of the endolymph, they are brought to bear on the delicate and peculiar epithelium cells which constitute the peripheral terminations of the nerve, that
sensations of sound arise."

Just as it is true that it is the mind and not the eye that really sees; so is it true that it is the mind and not the ear that really hears. Many sounds reach
the ear that are not registered by the mind. We pass along a crowded street, the waves of many sounds reaching the nerves of the ear, and yet the
mind accepts
acc epts the sounds of but b ut few things, particularly when tthe
he novelty of the sounds has passed
passe d away. IItt is a matter of
o f interest and
a nd attention in this
case, as
a s well as in the case of hearing. As Halleck says: "If we si sitt by an open window in i n th
the
e country on a summer day,day, we may have many stimuli
knocking at the gate of attention: the ticking of a clock, the sound of the wind, the cackling of fowl, the quacking of ducks, the barking of dogs, the
lowing of cows, the cries of children at play, the rustling of leaves, the songs of birds, the rumbling of wagons, etc. If attention is centered upon any one
of these, that for the time being acquires the importance of a king upon the throne of our mental world."

People with the process of age requires hearing aid for their normal life. On the other most of hand youngsters get chicken pox pictures as the
memories of illness. But there are certain troubles that a person may face like encephalitis that disturb the whole life of a person.

Many persons complain of not being able to remember sounds, or things reaching the mind through the sense of hearing, and attribute the trouble to
some defect in the organs of hearing. But in so doing they overlook the real cause of the trouble, for it is a scientific fact that many of such persons
are found to have hearing apparatus perfectly developed and in the best working order—their trouble arising from a lack of training of the mental
faculty of hearing. In other words the trouble is in their mind instead of in the organs of hearing. To acquire the faculty of correct hearing, and correct
memory of things heard, the mental faculty of hearing must be exercised, trained and developed.

Given a number of people whose hearing apparatus are equally perfect, we will find that some "hear" much better than others; and some hear certain
things better than they do certain other things; and that there is a great difference in the grades and degrees of memory of the things heard. As Kay
says: "Great differences exist among individuals with regard to the acuteness of this sense (hearing) and some possess it in greater perfection in
certain directions than in others. One whose hearing is good for sound in general may yet have but little ear for musical tones; and, on the other hand,
one with a good ear for music may yet be deficient as regards hearing in general." The secret of this is to be found in the degree of interest and
attention bestowed upon th the
e particular
parti cular thing giving forth the sound.

It is a fact that the mind will hear the faintest sounds from things in which is centered interest and attention, while at the same time ignoring things in
which there is no interest and to which the attention is not turned. A sleeping mother will awaken at the slightest whimper from her babe, while the
rumbling of a heavy wagon on the street, or even the discharge
dis charge of a gun in the neighborhood may not be noticed
notic ed by her. An engineer will
wi ll detect the
slightest difference in the whir or hum of his engine, while failing to notice a very loud noise outside. A musician will note the slightest discord
occurring in a concert in which there are a great number of instruments being played, and in which there is a great volume of sound reaching the ear,
while other sounds may be unheard by him. The man who taps the wheels of your railroad car is able to detect the slightest difference in tone, and is
thus informed that there is a crack or flaw in the wheel. One who handles large quantities of coin will have his attention drawn to the slightest
difference in the "ring" of a piece of gold or silver, that informs him that there is something wrong with the coin. A train engineer will distinguish the
strange whir of something wrong with the train behind him, amidst all the thundering; rattle and roar in which it is merged. The foreman in a machine
shop in the same manner detects the little strange noise that informs him that something is amiss, and he rings off the power at once. Telegraphers

are able
who to detect
is sending thethe almost imperceptible
message; and, in some differences in the or
cases, the mood sound of their
temper instruments
of the that informit.them
person transmitting that aand
Trainmen newsteamboat
operator ismen
on the wire; orthe
recognize just
differences between every engine or boat on their line, or river, as the case may be. A skilled physician will detect the faint sounds denoting a
respiratory trouble or a "heart murmur" in the patients. And yet these very people who are able to detect the faint differences in sound, above
mentioned, are often known as "poor hearers" in other things. Why? Simply because they hear only that in which they are interested, and to which
their attention has been directed. That is the whole secret, and in it is also to be found the secret of training of the ear-perception. It is all a matter of 
interest and attention—the details depend upon these principles.

In view of the facts just stated, it will be seen that the remedy for "poor hearing," and poor memory of things heard is to be found in the use of the will
in the direction of voluntary attention and interest. So true is this that some authorities go so far as to claim that many cases of supposed slight
deafness are really but the result of lack of attention and concentration on the part of the person so troubled. Kay says: "What is commonly called
deafness is not infrequently to be attributed to this cause—the sounds being heard but not being interpreted or recognized. . . . sounds may be
distinctly heard when the attention is directed toward them, that in ordinary circumstances would be imperceptible; and people often fail to hear what
is said to them because they are not paying attention." Harvey says: "That one-half of the deafness that exists is the result of inattention cannot be
doubted." There are but few-persons who have not had the experience of listening to some bore, whose words were distinctly heard but the meaning
of which was entirely lost because of inattention and lack of interest. Kirkes sums the matter up in these words: "In hearing we must distinguish two
different points

—the audible sensation as it is developed without any intellectual interference, and the conception which we form in consequence of that sensation."

The reason that many persons do not remember things that they have heard is simply because they have not listened properly. Poor listening is far 
more common
commo n than onone
e would suppose at firsfirst.
t. A llittle
ittle se
self-examination
lf-examination will reveal to you the
the fact that you have fallen into the bad habit
habi t of inattent
i nattention.
ion.
One cannot listen to everything, of course—it would not be advisable. But one should acquire the habit of either really listening or else refusing to
listen at all. The compromise of careless listening brings about deplorable results, and is really the reason why so many people "can't remember"
what they have heard. It is all a matter of habit. Persons who have poor memories of ear-impressions should begin to "listen" in earnest. In order to
re-acquire their lost habit of proper listening, they must exercise voluntary attention and develop interest. The following suggestions may be useful in
 re acquire their lost habit of proper listening, they must exercise voluntary attention and develop interest. The following suggestions may be useful in
that direction.
 

Try to memorize word

wordss that are sp
spoken
oken to you in conversatio
conversation—a
n—a few sentences, or even
e ven on
one,
e, at a time. You
You will find that the effort mad
madee to fasten
fa sten the
sentence on your
your memory will res
result
ult in a concentration of the attention
attentio n on the words of the spe
speaker.
aker. Do the same thing when you are listening to a
preacher, actor or lecturer. Pick out the first sentence for memorizing, and make up your mind that your memory will be as wax to receive the
impression and as steel to retain it. Listen to the stray scraps of conversation that come to your ears while walking on the street, and endeavor to
memorize a sentence or two, as if you were to repeat it later in the day. Study the various tones, expressions and inflections in the voices of persons
speaking to you—you will find this most interesting and helpful. You will be surprised at the details that such analysis will reveal. Listen to the footsteps
of different persons and endeavor to distinguish between them—each has its peculiarities. Get some one to read a line or two of poetry or prose to
you, and then endeavor to remember it. A little practice of this kind will greatly develop the power of voluntary attention to> sounds and spoken words.
But above everything else, practice repeating the words and sounds that you have memorized, so far as is possible—for by so doing you will get the
mind into the habit of taking an interest in sound impressions.

In this way you n

not
ot only improve the sense of hearing, but also the fac
faculty
ulty of remembe
remembering.
ring.

If y
you
ou will analyze,
analyze, and boi l down the above remarks and dire
directions,
ctions, you will find that the gist
gi st of the whole matter iiss that one should actually uuse,
se,
employ and exercise the mental faculty of hearing, ac
actively
tively and intelligently.
intelligently. Nature has a way of p putting
utting to sleep, or
o r atrophying any faculty
faculty that
that iis
s not
used or exercised;
exerci sed; aand
nd also of encouraging, developi
developing
ng and strengthening any faculty
faculty that
that iis
s properly
prop erly employed and exercised.
exercis ed. In this
this you have
have the
secret. Use it. If you will listen well, you will hear well and remember we
wellll that wh
which
ich you hav
havee heard.
 

CHAPTER XI: HOW TO REMEMBER NAMES

The phase of memory connected with the remembrance or recollection of names probably is of greater interest to the majority of persons than are
any of the associated phases of the subject On all hands are to be found people who are embarrassed by their failure to recall the name of some one
whom they
they feel they know
know,, but whose name has esca
escaped
ped them. This failure
fai lure to remember the names of persons
pe rsons undoubtedly
undoubtedly interferes with the
business and professional success of many persons; and, on the other hand, the ability to recall names readily has aided many persons in the
struggle for success. It would seem that there are a greater number of persons deficient in this phase of memory than in any other. As Holbrook has
said: "The memory of names is a subject with which most persons must have a more than passing interest. . . .The number of persons who never or 
rarely forget a name is exceedingly small, the number of those who have a poor memory for them is very large. The reason for this is partly a defect of 
mental development and partly a matter of habit. In either case it may be overcome by effort. . . I have satisfied myself by experience and observation
that a memory for names may be increase
increased
d not only two, but a hundredfold."
hundredfold."

You will find that the majori

majority
ty of successful men hav
have
e bee
beenn able to recall
re call the faces and names of those with whom they came in contact, and it
i t is an

interesting
names of allsubject for speculation
of his students, asclasses
and his to just how much of
numbered their success
thousands in thewas due of
course to athis faculty.
year. Socrates
Xenophon is said
is said to have
to have easily
known theremembered theone of 
name of every
his soldiers, which faculty was shared by Washington and Napoleon, also. Trajan is said to have known the names of all the Praetorian Guards,
numbering about 12,000.

Pericles knew the face and name of every one of the citizens of Athens. Cineas is said to have known the names of all the citizens of Rome.
Themistocles knew the names of 20,-

000 Athenians. Lucius Scipio could call by name every citizen of Rome. John Wesley could recall the names of thousands of persons whom he had
met in his travels. Henry Clay was specially developed in this phase of memory, and there was a tradition among his followers that he remembered
every one whom he met. Blaine had a similar reputation.

There have been many theories advanced, and explanations offered to account for the fact that the recollection of names is far more difficult than any
other form of the activities of the memory. We shall not take up your time in going over these theories, but shall proceed upon the theory now generally
accepted by the best authorities; i. e. that the difficulty in the recollection of names is caused by the fact that names in themselves are uninteresting
and therefore do not attract or hold the attention as do other objects presented to the mind. There is of course to be remembered the fact that sound
impressions are apt to be more difficult of recollection than sight impressions, but the lack of interesting qualities in names is believed to be the
principal obstacle and difficulty. Fuller says of this matter: "A proper noun, or name, when considered independently of accidental features of 
coincidence with something that is familiar, doesn't mean anything; for this reason a mental picture of it is not easily formed, which accounts for the
fact that the primitive, tedious way of rote, or repetition, is that ordinarily employed to impress a proper noun on the memory, while a common noun,
being represented by some object having shape, or appearance, in the physical or mental perception, can thus be seen or imagined: in other words
a mental image of it can be formed and the name identified afterwards, through associating it with this mental image." We think that the case is fully
stated in this quotation.

But in spite of this difficulty, persons have and can greatly improve their memory of names. Many who were originally very deficient in this respect
have not only improved the faculty far beyond its former condition, but have also developed exceptional ability in this special phase of memory so that
they became noted for their unfailing recollection of the names of those with whom they came in contact.

Perhaps the best way to impress upon you the various methods that may be used for this purpose would be to relate to you the actual experience of a
gentleman employed in a bank in one of the large cities of this country, who made a close study of the subject and developed himself far beyond the
ordinary. Starting with a remarkably poor memory for names, he is now known to his associates as "the man who never forgets a name." This
gentleman first took a number of "courses" in secret "methods" of developing the memory; but after thus spending much money he expressed his
disgust with the whole idea of artificial memory training. He then started in to study the subject from the point-of-view of The New Psychology, putting
into effect all of the tested principles, and improving upon some of their details. We have had a number of conversations with this gentleman, and
have found that his experience confirms many of our own ideas and theories, and the fact that he has demonstrated the correctness of the principles

to such atheir
develop remarkable
memorydegree renders his case one worthy of being stated in the direction of affording a guide and "method" for others who wish to
of names.

The gentleman, whom we shall call "Mr. X.," decided that the first thing for him to do was to develop his faculty of receiving clear and distinct sound
impressions. In doing this he followed the plan outlined by us in our chapter on "Training the Ear." He persevered and practiced along these lines until
his "hearing" became very acute. He made a study of voices, until he could classify them and analyze their characteristics.

Then he found that he could hear names in a manner before impossible to him. That is, instead of merely catching a vague sound of a name, he
would hear it so clearly and distinctly that a firm registration would be obtained on the records of his memory. For the first time in his life names began
to mean something to him. He paid attention to every name he heard, just as he did to every note he handled. He would repeat a name to himself,
after hearing it, and would thus strengthen the impression. If he came across an unusual name, he would write it down several times, at the first
opportunity, thus obtaining the benefit of a double sense impression, adding eye impression to ear impression. All this, of course, aroused his
interest in the subject of names in general, which led him to the next step in his progress.

Mr. X. then began to study names, their origin, their peculiarities, their differences, points of resemblances, etc. He made a hobby of names, and
evinced all the joy of a collector when he was able to stick the pin of attention through the specimen of a new and unfamiliar species of name. He
began to collect names, just as others collect beetles, stamps, coins, etc., and took quite a pride in his collection and in his knowledge of the subject.
He read books on names, from the libraries, giving their origin, etc. He had the Dickens' delight in "queer" names, and would amuse his friends by
relating the funny names he had seen on signs, and otherwise. He took a small City Directory home with him, and would run over the pages in the
evening, looking up new names, and classifying old ones into groups. He found that some names were derived from animals, and put these into a
class by themselves—the Lyons, Wolfs, Foxes, Lambs, Hares, etc.

Others were put into the color group—Blacks, Greens, Whites, Greys, Blues, etc. Others belonged to the bird family—Crows, Hawks, Birds, Drakes,
Cranes, Doves, Jays, etc.

Others belonged to trades—Millers, Smiths, Coopers, Maltsters, Carpenters, Bakers, Painters, etc Others were trees—Chestnuts, Oakleys, Walnuts,
 Cherrys, Pines, etc. Then there were Hills and Dales; Fields and Mountains; Lanes and Brooks. Some were Strong; others were Gay; others were
 

Savage; others
o thers Noble. And so on. It woul
would
d take a whole book to tell you what
what that man found out about names. He came near becomi
becoming
ng a

"crank" on the subject. But his hobby began to manifest excellent results, for his interest had been awakened to an unusual degree, and he was
becoming very proficient in his recollection of names, for they now meant something to him. He easily recalled all the regular customers at his bank,
—quite a number by the way for the bank was a large one

—and many occasional depositors were delighted to have themselves called by name by our friend. Occasionally he would meet with a name that
balked him, in which case he would repeat it over to himself, and write it a number of times until he had mastered it—

after that it never escaped him.

Mr. X. would always repeat a name when it was spoken, and would at the same time look intently at the person bearing it, thus seeming to fix the two
together in his mind at the same time—when he wanted them they would be found in each other's company. He also acquired the habit of visualizing
the name —that is, he would see its letters in his mind's eye, as a picture. This he regarded as a most important point, and we thoroughly agree with
him. He used the Law of Association in the direction of associating a new man with a well-remembered man of the same name. A new Mr.
Schmidtzenberger would be associated with an old customer of the same name—when he would see the new man, he would think of the old one, and

the name would

in general. In thisflash
wayinto his mind.
mi nd. To sum
an uninteresting up the
subject waswhole
mademethod, however,
however, a
interesting—and it ma
may
many be said
sai dhas
always thatathe gis
gisttmemory
good of the thing wasthings
for the in
i n taking an iinterest
in which nterest in names
he is interested.

The case of Mr. X. is an extreme one—and the results obtained were beyond the ordinary. But if you will take a leaf from his book, you may obtain the
same results in the degree that you work for it. Make a study of names—start a collection—and you will have no trouble in developing a memory for 
them. This
This is the whole thing in a nu
nut-shell.
t-shell.
 

CHAPTER XII: HOW TO REMEMBER FACES

Th
The
e memory of faces is closely
c losely connected
connected with the memory of names, and yet the the two are not alway
always s ass
associa
ociated,
ted, for there are many people wh who o
easi ly remember faces, and yet forget names, and vice versa. In some ways, however,
easily however, the memory of faces is a necessa necessary ry precedent for the
recollection of the names of people.
peo ple. For unless we recall the face, we are unable
unable to make the necessary associassociation
ation with the name
name of the pers person.
on. We
have
hav e gi ven a number
number of
o f instances of face-memory
face-memory,, in our chapter ono n name-memory
name-memory,, in which are given
g iven instances of the wonderful memory of 
celebrated individuals who acquired
acquire d a knowledge and memory of the thousands
thousands of ci tizens of a town, or cicity
ty,, or the so
soldiers
ldiers of an army. In In th
this
is chapter,
however,
howev er, we shall pay attention
attention only to the subject of the recollection of
o f the features of persons,
pers ons, irrespective
irresp ective of their names. Th Thisis faculty
faculty is p
possess
ossessed ed
by all persons, but in varying
varying deg
degrees.
rees. Those in whom it is well developed seem to recognize the faces o off persons whom they have have met years before,
and to associ
as sociate
ate them with the
the ci rcumstan
rcumstances
ces in which they last
last met them, even where
where the name escapes
e scapes the memory.
memory. Others seem to forget a face
the moment it passes
passe s from view, and fail to recognize
re cognize the same persons whom they met only a few hours before before,, much to th their
eir mortificatio
mortification n and
chagrin.

Detectives,
necessity ofnewspaper
newspape
their work,r and
reporters, a
and
nd others
their interest
i nterest who come
ion is in
and attention
attent contact a
rendered with
activemany
ctive people,
thereby.
thereby usually
. Public menhave
oftenthis
thhave
is fac
hav facult
ulty
e thisyfaculty
largelyllargely
developed
developed,
argely , for it becomes
developed bec
b y omes
by reasona of 
the necessities of their life. It is said that James G. Blaine never forgot the face of a any
nyone
one whom he hadhad met and c conversed
onversed with a few moments.

Th
This
is facult
facultyy rendered him very popular iin
n politica
politicall life. In tthis
his respect
resp ect he resembled
res embled Henry Clay,
Clay, who was noted for his memory of face
faces.
s. It is related of 
Clay that
that he once paid a visit of a few hours to a small town in Mississipp
Missis sippi,i, on an electioneering tour.

 Amidst the
the throng
throng surr
surroun
ounding
ding hhim
im was
was an old man,
man, with one eye missing. The The old fellow
fellow pr
pressed
essed forw
forward
ard crying
crying out
out that
that he was susure
re tthat
hat Hen
Henryry Clay
would
woul d remember him. Clay took a sharp look at him and sa said:
id: ""II m
met
et you in Kentucky
Kentucky many years ago, did d id I not?" "Yes,"
"Yes," rep
replied
lied the man. "Di"Didd you
lose your eye since
si nce then?" asked Clay.
Clay. "Y
"Yes,
es, several years after,"
after," replied
re plied the old man. "Tu
"Turn
rn you
yourr face side
side-ways,
-ways, so that I can see your profile," said
Clay. The man did so. Then Clay smiled, triumphantly, saying: "I've got you now—weren't you on that jury in the Innes case at Frankfort, that I tried in
the United
United States C Court
ourt over twent
twenty
y years ago?
ago?"" ""Y
Yes siree!
s iree! " said
sa id the man, "I knowed
knowed that ye know me, 'n I told 'em you would." And th the e cro
crowd
wd gave a
whoop, and Clay knew that he was safe in that town and county.

Vido cq, the celebrated Fre

Vidocq, French
nch detective, is said to have never
never forgotten a face of a criminal
cri minal whom
whom he had once seen. A celebrated i nstance
nstance of this
power on his part
pa rt is that of the case of Delafranche the forger who escap escaped
ed from prison
pri son and dwelt in foreign
foreig n lands
lands for over
o ver twen
twenty
ty y
years.
ears. After that
time he returned to Paris
Pari s feeling sec
secure
ure from detection, having become b bald,
ald, losing an eye, and having his nose badly
bad ly mu
mutilated.
tilated. Moreover he
disguised
disg uised himself and wore a bea beard,
rd, in order to still
sti ll further
further evade detection. One day Vidocq met him on the the street, and recognized him at once, his
arrest and return tto
o prison
pri son following. IInstances
nstances of this ki
kind
nd could be mul
multiplied
tiplied indefinitely
indefinitely,, but the student will
will have had a s
suff
uffici
icient
ent acquaintance with
persons who possess
poss ess this faculty developed to a large
larg e degree,
deg ree, so that further
further illustration
illustration is scarcely necessary.

Th
Thee way to develop this phase of memory is ak akin
in to that urged in the development of other phases—the cult cultivation
ivation of interest, and the bestowal of 
attention. Faces as a s a whol
whole e are not apt to prove
p rove interesting. It is only by analyzing
analyzing and classifyin
classi fying
g them that the study begins to grow gro w of interest to us.
Th
Thee study of a goo
good d elementary work on phy physiognomy
siognomy is rerecommended
commended to those wis wishing
hing to develop the faculty of rememberi
remembering ng faces, for iin
n such a
work the student is led to notice the different kinds of noses, ea ears,
rs, eyes, chins, foreheads, etc., such n notice
otice and recog
recognition
nition tending to induce an
interest in the subject of features. A rudimentary course of study in drawing faces, particularly
p articularly in profile, will also tend to make one ""take
take notice" and
will awaken interest. If you
you are required
re quired to draw a nose, particularly from memory,
memory, you will be apt to givegi ve to it your interested attention. TThe
he matter of 
interest is vital. If you were shown a man and told that the next time you met and recognized him he would hand you over $500, you would be very apt
to study his face carefull
carefully
y, and to recognize
re cognize him later o on;
n; whereas
whereas the same man if introduced casuallycas ually as a "Mr. Jones," would arouse no iinterest
nterest and
the chances
chances ofo f recognitio
recognition n wou
would
ld be slim.
s lim.

Halleck says: Every time we enter a street car we se seee different types of people, and there is a great deal
dea l to be noticed a
about
bout each ty
type.
pe. Every hu
human
man
countenance
count enance shows its past
pas t history to one who knows h how
ow to look. . . . Successful
Succes sful gamblers often become so expert in noticing the slightest change
of an opponent's
opp onent's facial expression
e xpression that they will estimate the strength of his hand by the involu
involuntary
ntary signs which appear in the face and
a nd which are
frequently checked the instant they appear.'

Of all classes,
classes, perhaps
pe rhaps artists are more apt to form a clear cut c ut image of the features of persons whom tthey hey mmeet—parti
eet—particularly
cularly if they are portrait
painters. There are instances of celebrated portrait pa painters
inters who were able to execute a good p portrait
ortrait after having once carefully
carefully stu
studied
died the face of 
the sitter, their
their memory enabling them to visualize
visualize the features at will. Some celeb celebrated
rated teachers of drawing have instructed their scholars to take a
sharp hasty glance at a nose, an eye, an ear, or chin, c hin, and then
then to so clearly visualize
visualize it
i t that th
they
ey could draw iitt perfectly.
perfectly. It is all a matter of interest,
attention, and
and prac
practice.
tice. Si r Francis Galton cites the instance of a F French
rench teacher whowho trained his pupils so thoroughly
thoroughly in tthis
his di
direction
rection that after a few
months'
month s' practice
p ractice they h had
ad no ddifficulty
ifficulty in summoning
summoning images at will; in holding them steady; and in drawing dra wing them correctly.
correctly. He says o off the facult
facultyy of 
visualization thus
thus used: "A faculty that is of importance
impo rtance in all technical and artistic occupations, that gives acc accuracy
uracy to our perceptions,
perceptio ns, and ju justice
stice to
our generalizations, is starved by lazy disuse, instead of being bei ng cultivated
cultivated judiciously
judici ously in such a "way as will, on the whole, bring the best return return.. I believe
that a serious
serio us study of th the
e best
be st means of developing and utilizinutilizing
g this facult
fac ulty
y, without preju
prejudice
dice to the practice
practic e of abstract thought in symbols, is one of 
the many pressi
pressingng desi
desiderata
derata iin
n th
the
e yet unformed
unformed sciscience
ence of education."
educatio n."

Fuller
Fuller relates the meth
method
od of a celebrated painter, whichwhich method has bee been n since taught by man
many y teachers of both drawing and memory. He He relates i t
as follows: "The
"The celebrated painter Leonardo
Leo nardo da V Vinci
inci invented a most ingenious method for identifying faces, and by it is sai d to have been able to
reproduce from memory any face that he had once carefull ca refully
y scrutinized.
scrutinized. He d drew
rew all the possi
possible
ble forms of
o f the nose, mouth
mouth,, chin, eyes, ears a and
nd
forehead, numbered them 1, 2, 3, 3 , 4, etc., and co
committed
mmitted them thorouthoroughly
ghly to
to memory; then
then,, when
whenever
ever he saw a face that he wished to draw o orr pai
paint
nt
from memory,
memory, he noted in his mind that it was chin 4, eyes e yes 2, nose 5, eaears
rs 6,—or whatever the combinations might be—a be—and nd by retaining the analysis
analysis
in his memory he could reconstruct the the face at any time." We could scarcely
sca rcely ask the student to attempt so complicated a system, and yet a
modification
modifica tion of it would prove useful. That
That is, if you would
would bebegin
gin to form a classific
c lassification
ation of several kikind
nd of noses, say about
abo ut seven,
seven, the well-known
well-known
Roman, Jewish, GreciaGrecian,
n, giving you tthe
he general classes, i n connection
connection with straight, crooked,
crooked , pug and all the other varieties, you woul
would d soon
soo n
recognize noses when y you
ou saw them. And And the same with mouths,
mouths, a few classes
classe s bebeing
ing found to cover the majority of c cases.
ases. But
B ut of all the features, th
thee
eye is the most expressive, and the one most easily eas ily remembered, when clearly clearly noticed. De
Detectives
tectives rely much upon
upon the expression
expressi on of the eye. If you
you
ever fully
fully catch the expression of a pe person's
rson's eye, you will be very apt to recognize iitt thereafter.
thereafter. Therefore concentrate on eyes iin n studying
studying faces
faces..

 A good plan in developing

developing this
this faculty
faculty is to visu
visualize
alize th
the
e faces of persons
persons you hav
have
e met durin
during
g the
the day
day,, in the
the ev
evenin
ening.
g. Try
Try to dev
develop
elop the
the facu
facult
lty
y of 
 visualizing the features of those whom yon know—this will start you off right. Draw them in your mind—see them with your mind s eye, until you can
visualize the
the features of
o f very old friends; then do the same with acquaintances, and so on, un
until
til you are ab
able
le to visualize the features of e
every
very one you
 

"know." Then start on to add to your list by recalling iin

"know." n th
the
e imagination,
imag ination, the featu
features
res of strangers
s trangers whom y you
ou meet. By a little practice of this kind you will
develop a great
g reat interest in
i n faces and your memory of ththem,
em, and the power to recall
reca ll them
them will increase rapid
rapidly
ly.. The
The sec
secret
ret is to study ffaces
aces — —toto be
interested in
i n th
them.
em. In
In th
this
is way you add zest to the task, and make a pleasure of o f a drudgery. The
The study of photographs
photographs iis s also a great aid
ai d in this work
—but study themthem in detail,
de tail, not as a whol
whole.
e. If y
you
ou can arouse sufficient interest in features a and
nd faces, you will have no trouble in rememberi
remembering ng and
recalling them. The two things go together.
 

CHAPTER XIII: HOW TO REMEMBER PLACES

There is a great difference in the various degrees of development of "the sense of locality" in different persons. But these differences may be traced
directly to the degree of memory of that particular phase or faculty of the mind, which in turn depends upon the degree of attention, interest, and use
which has been bestowed
bestowe d upon the faculty in questio
question.
n. The
The authoritie
authoritiess on phrenology define the faculty of "loca
"locality
lity as follows:

"Cognizance of place; recollection of the looks of places, roads, scenery, and the location of objects ; where on a page ideas are to be found, and
position generally; the geographical faculty; the desire to see places, and have the ability to find them." Persons in whom this faculty is developed to
the highest degree seem to have an almost intuitive idea of direction, place and position. They never get lost or "mixed up" regarding direction or 
place. They remember the places they visit and their relation in space to each other. Their minds are like maps upon which are engraved the various
roads, streets and objects of sight in every direction. When these people think of China, Labrador, Terra del Fuego, Norway, Cape of Good Hope,
Thibet, or any other place, they seem to think of it in "this direction or that direction" rather than as a vague place situated in a vague direction. Their 
minds think "north, south, east or west" as the case may be when they consider a given place. Shading down by degrees we find people at the other 

pole of the faculty

themselves in theirwho
ownseem
towns, toand
find fear
it impossible to remember
to trust themselves in aany direction,
strange orThey
place. locality or relation
have no sensein space. Suchorpeople
of direction, place,are
andconstantly losing a street
fail to recognize
or scene which they have visited recently, not to speak of those which they traveled over in time past. Between these two poles or degrees there is a
vast difference, and it is difficult to realize that it is all a matter of use, interest and attention. That it is but this may be proven by anyone who will take
the trouble and pains to develop the faculty and memory of locality within his mind. Many have done this, and anyone else may do likewise if the
proper methods be employed.

The secret of the development of the faculty and memory of place and locality is akin to that mentioned in the preceding chapter, in connection with
the development of the memory for names. The first thing necessary is to develop an interest in the subject. One should begin to "take notice" of the
direction
dire ction of the streets
stre ets or ro
roads
ads o
over
ver which he
he travels; the landmarks; the turns of the road; the natural objects a
along
long the way.
way. He should study maps,
until he awakens a new interest in them, just as did the man who used the directory in order to take an interest in names. He should procure a small
geography and study direction, distances, location, shape and form of countries, etc., not as a mere mechanical thing but as a live subject of interest.
If there were a large sum of money awaiting your coming in certain sections of the globe, you would manifest a decided interest in the direction,
locality and position of those places, and the best way to reach them. Before long you would be a veritable reference book regarding those special
places. Or, if your sweetheart were waiting for you in some such place, you would do likewise. The whole thing lies in the degree of '' want to'
regarding the matter. Desire awakens interest; interest employs attention; and attention brings use, development and memory. Therefore you must
first want to develop
d evelop the faculty of Locali
Locality—and
ty—and want to

"hard enough.' The rest is a mere matter of detail. One of the first things to do, after arousing an interest, is to carefully note the landmarks and
relative positions of the streets or roads over which you travel. So many people travel along a new street or road in an absent-minded manner, taking
no notice of the lay of the land as they proceed.

This
This is fatal to plac
place-memory.
e-memory. You must take notice of the thoroughfares and the things along the way. way. Pause at
a t the cross roads,
ro ads, or
o r the street-corners
and note the landmarks, and the general directions and relative positions, until they are firmly imprinted on your mind. Begin to see how many things
you can remember regarding
rega rding even a lilittle
ttle exercise walk. And when you have
have returned home, go over the trip in your mind, and see how much of the the
direction
dire ction and how many of the landmarks you are able to remembe remember.r. Take out
o ut your
your pencil, a
and
nd endeavor to make a map of your route, giving the
general directions, and noting the street names, and principal objects of interest. Fix the idea of 

"North" in
i n you
yourr mind when starting, and ke
keep
ep your bearings
beari ngs by it during
duri ng you
yourr whole trip, and
a nd in your map maki
making.
ng. You will be surprised how much
interest you will soon develop in this map-making. It will get to be quite a game, and you will experience pleasure in your increasing proficiency in it.
When you go out for a walk, go in a round-about way, taking as many turns and twists as possible, in order to exercise your faculty of locality and
direction—but
dire ction—but always note carefully direction
directi on and general course, ssoo that you may reproduce it correctly on your map when you you return.
return. If you
you have a
city map, compare it with your own little map, and also re-trace your route, in imagination, on the map. With a city map, or road-map, you may get lots
of amusement by re-traveling the route of your little journ
jo urneys.
eys.

 Alw
 Alway
map,ayssn
note
andote
youthe
thwill
ennames
ames of the
find that the variou
you vwill
ariouss st
street
reets
develop as rapidly
over
over w
which
hich you trave
improvingtramemory
vel,
l, as w
well
ellthis
in as direction—because
tho
those
se wh
which yoyou
u cross du
durin
you ring
havegyyou
ourr w
walk.
alk. Not
awakened Notee tthe
hem
interest m down
dobestowed
and wn up
upon
on yo
your 
ur 
attention. Take a pride in your map making. If you have a companion, endeavor to beat each other at this game—both traveling over the same route
together, and then
then seei
seeing
ng which one can remember the g greatest
reatest number of de details
tails o
off the journ
journey
ey..

 Akin to this,
this, an
andd supplem
supplemen entar
taryy to it,
it, is th
the
e plan
plan of selec
selectin
tingg a route
route to be be ttrav
raveled,
eled, on yo
your
ur city map, en
endeav
deavorin
oringg tto
o fix in your mind
mind tthe
he general
general
directions,
dire ctions, names of o f streets, turns, return joujourney
rney,, etc., be
before
fore you start. Begi n by mapping out a short trip i n this
this way,
way, and then increase it i t every day.
day.
 Afterr m
 Afte mappin
apping g ou
outt a trip, lay aside y you
ourr m
mapap an
and
d trav
travel
el it in person
person.. IfIf y
you
ou like, take along
along the
the mmap
ap and
and puzz
puzzle
le ou
outt v
variation
ariations,s, from time to time. Get ththee
map habit in every possible variation and form, but do not depend upon the map exclusively; but instead, endeavor to correlate the printed map with
the mental map that you are building
buildi ng in your brain.

If y
you
ou are about
ab out to take a journey to a strange plac
place,
e, study you
yourr maps carefully before you go, and exercise
exerci se your memory in reprod
reproducing
ucing them with a
pencil. Then as you travel along, compare places with your map, and you will find that you will take an entirely new interest in the trip—it will begin by
meaning something to you. If about to visit a strange city, procure a map of it before starting, and begin by noting the cardinal points of the compass,
study the map—the directions of the principal streets and the relative positions of the principal points of interest, buildings, etc. In this way you not only
develop your memory of places, and render yourself proof against being lost, but you also provide a source of new and great interest in your visit.

The above suggestions are capable of the greatest expansion and variation on the part of anyone who practices them. The whole thing depends
upon the
the ""taking
taking noti
notice"
ce" and using the attention, and those things in
i n tur
turn
n depend upon the taking of
o f interest i n th
the
e subject. If anyone
anyone will "wake
" wake up and
take interest" in the subject of locality and direction he may develop himself along the lines of place-memory to an almost incredible degree, in a
comparatively short time at that. There is no other phase of memory that so quickly responds to use and exercise as this one. We have in mind a lady
who was notoriously deficient in the memory of place, and was sure to lose herself a few blocks from her stopping place, wherever she might be. She
seemed absolutely devoid of the sense of direction or locality and often lost herself in the hotel corridors, notwithstanding the fact that she traveled all
over the world, with her husband,
husband, for years. The trouble undoubtedly arose from the fact that she depended altogether upon her husband husband as a pilot,
pi lot,
the couple being inseparable. Well, the husband died, and the lady lost her pilot.
 Instead of giving up in despair, she began to rise to the occasion-having no pilot, she had to pilot herself. And she was forced to "wake up and take
 

notice." She was compelled to travel for a couple of years, in order to close up certain business matters of her husband's—for she was a good
business woman in spite of her lack of development along this one line—and in order to get around safely, she was forced to take an interest in
where she was going. Before the two years' travels were over, she was as good a traveler as her husband had ever been, and was frequently called
upon as a guide
gui de by others iin
n whose company she chanced to be. She explained it by saying "Why
" Why,, I don't know just
just how I did it—I
i t—I just
just had to, that's a
allll
—I just did it." Another example of a woman's'' because,' you see. What this good lady "just did," was accomplished by an instinctive following of the
plan which we have suggested to you. She "just had to" use maps and to "take notice." That is the whole story.

So true are the principles underlying this method of developing the place-memory, that one deficient in it, providing he will arouse intense interest and
will stick to it, may develop the faculty to such an extent that he may almost rival the cat which "always came back," or the dog which "you couldn't
lose." The Indians, Arabs, Gypsies and other people of the plain, forest, desert, and mountains, have this faculty so highly developed that it seems
almost like an extra sense. It is all this matter of "taking notice" sharpened by continuous need, use and exercise, to a high degree. The mind will
respond to the need if the person like the lady, "just has to." The laws of Attention and Association will work wonders when actively called into play by
Interest or need, followed by exercise and use. There is no magic in the process—just "want to" and "keep at it," that's all. Do you want to hard
enough—have you the determination to keep at it?
 

CHAPTER XIV: HOW TO REMEMBER NUMBERS

The faculty of Number—that is the faculty of knowing, recognizing and remembering figures in the abstract and in their relation to each other, differs
very materially among different individuals. To some, figures and numbers are apprehended and remembered with ease, while to others they
possess no interest, attraction or affinity, and consequently are not apt to be remembered. It is generally admitted by the best authorities that the
memorizing of dates, figures, numbers, etc., is the most difficult of any of the phases of memory. But all agree that the faculty may be developed by
practice and interest. There have been instances of persons having this faculty of the mind developed to a degree almost incredible; and other 
instances of persons having started with an aversion to figures and then developing an interest which resulted in their acquiring a remarkable degree
of proficiency along these lines.

Many of the celebrated mathematicians and astronomers developed wonderful memories for figures. Herschel is said to have been able to
remember all the details of intricate calculations in his astronomical computations, even to the figures of the fractions. It is said that he was able to
perform the most intricate calculations mentally, without the use of pen or pencil, and then dictated to his assistant the entire details of the process,

including the final

printed tables results.roots
of square Tycho Brahe,
and cube the astronomer,
roots, and set toalso
workpossessed a similar
to memorize memory.
the entire set ofIttables,
is said which
that healmost
rebelled at beingtask
incredible compelled to refer to the
he accomplished in a
half day—this required the memorizing of over 75,000 figures, and their relations to each other. Euler the mathematician became blind in his old age,
and being unable to refer to his tables, memorized them. It is said that he was able to repeat from recollection the first six powers of all the numbers
from one to one hun
hundred
dred

Wallis the mathematician was a prodigy in this respect. He is reported to have been able to mentally extract the square root of a number to forty
decimal places, and on one occasion mentally extracted the cube root of a number consisting of thirty figures. Dase is said to have mentally
multiplied two numbers of one hundred figures each. A youth named Mangiamele was able to perform the most remarkable feats in mental arithmetic.

The reports show that upon a celebrated test before members of the French Academy of Sciences he was able to extract the cube root of 3,796,416
in thirty seconds; and the tenth root of 282,475,289 in three minutes. He also immediately solved the following question put to him by Arago: "What
nu
number
mber has the following proporti
p roportion:
on: That
That iiff five times
ti mes the number be subtracted from the cube plus five
fi ve times the square
sq uare of the number,
number, and nine
times the square of the number be subtracted from that result, the remainder will be 0?" The answer, "5" was given immediately, without putting down
a figure on paper or board. It is related that a cashier of a Chicago bank was able to mentally restore the accounts of the bank, which had been
destroyed in the great fire in that city, and his account which was accepted by the bank and the depositors, was found to agree perfectly with the other 
memoranda in the case, the work performed by him being solely the work of his memory.

Bidder was able to tell instantly the number of farthings in the sum of £868,42s,121d.

Buxton mentally calculated the number of cubical eighths of an inch there were in a quadrangular mass 23,145,789 yards long, 2,-642,732 yards wide
and 54,965 yards in thickness. He also figured out mentally, the dimensions of an irregular estate of about a thousand acres, giving the contents in
acres and perches, then reducing them to square inches, and then reducing them to square hairbreadths, estimating 2,304 to the square inch, 48 to
each side. The mathematical prodigy, Zerah Colburn, was perhaps the most remarkable of any of these remarkable people. When a mere child, he
began to develop the most amazing qualities of mind regarding figures. He was able to instantly make the mental calculation of the exact number of 
seconds or minutes there was in a given time.

On one occasion he calculated the number of minutes and seconds contained in forty-eight years, the answer: "25,228,800 minutes, and 1,513,-
728,00 0 seco
728,000 seconds,"
nds," bei ng given almost iinstantan
nstantaneously
eously.. He could iinstantl
nstantly
y multiply
multiply any number
number of one to three figures, by another number consisting
consisti ng
of the same number of figures; the factors of any number consisting of six or seven figures; the square, and cube roots, and the prime numbers of any
numbers given him. He mentally raised the number 8, progressively, to its sixteenth power, the result being 281,474,976,710,656; and gave the
square root of 106,929, which was 5. He mentally extracted the cube root of 268,336,-125; and the squares of 244,999,755 and 1,224,-998J55. In
five seconds he calculated the cube root of 413,993,348,677. He found the factors of 4,294,967,297, which had previously been considered to be a
prime number. He mentally calculated the square of 999,999, which is 999,998,000,001 and then multiplied that number by 49, and the product by the
same number, and the
the whole by 25—the latter asa s extra measure.

The great difficulty in remembering numbers, to the majority of persons, is the fact that numbers "do not mean anything to them"—that is, that
numbers are thought of only in their abstract phase and nature, and are consequently far more difficult to remember than are impressions received
from the senses of sigsight
ht or sound. Th
The
e remed
remedyy, however
however,, becomes
become s apparent
app arent when we
we recognize
reco gnize the source of the di fficulty.
fficulty. The remedy is: Mak
Makee the
number the subject of sound and sight impressions. Attach the abstract idea of the numbers to the sense of impressions of sight or sound, or both,
according to which are the best developed in your particular case. It may be difficult for you to remember 

"1848" as an abstract thing, but comparatively easy for you to remember the sound of 

"eighteen forty-eight," or the shape and appearance of "1848." If you will repeat a number to yourself, so that you grasp the sound impression of it, or 
else visualize it so that you can remember having seen it—then you will be far more apt to remember it than if you merely think of it without reference
to sound or form. You
You may forget that the nu
number
mber of a certain
certa in store or house is 3948, but you may easily
easi ly remember the sound of the spok
spoken
en words
"thirty-nine forty-eight," or the form of "3948" as it appeared to your sight on the door of the place. In the latter case, you associate the number with the
door and when you visualize the door you visualize the number.

Kay, speaking of visualization, or the reproduction of mental images of things to be remembered, says: "Those who have been distinguished for their 
power to carry out long and intricate processes of mental calculation owe it to the same cause." Taine says:

"Children accustomed to calculate in their heads write mentally with chalk on an imaginary board the figures in question, then all their partial
operati ons, then th
operations, the
e final
fi nal sum, so that they see i ntern
nternally
ally the different lines
li nes of white figures with
wi th wh
which
ich they are c
concerned.
oncerned. Young
Young Colburn, who had
never been at school and did not know how to read or write, said that, when making his calculations 'he saw them clearly before him.'

 Another
 Another said
said th
that
at he ' saw the
the n
nu
umbers he was working
working with as if th
they
ey ha
had
d been written
written on a slate.
slate.'' " Bidder
Bidder sa
said:
id: "If
"If I perform
perform a sum
sum men
mental
tally
ly,, it
proceeds in a visible form in my mind; indeed, I can conceive of no other way possible of doing mental arithmetic.'
 We have known office boys who could never remember the number of an address until it were distinctly repeated to them several times then they
memorized the sound and never forget it. Others forget the sounds, or failed to register them in the mind, but after once seeing the number on the
 

door of an office or store, could repeat it at a moments notice, saying that they mentally "could see the figures on the door." You will find by a little
questioning that the majority of people remember figures or numbers in this way, and that very few can remember them as abstract things. For that
matter it
i t is difficult
diffi cult for the majority of pe
persons
rsons to even think of a number, abstractly.
abstractly. Try
Try it yourself, and ascertain
ascertai n wh
whether
ether you do not remember the
number as either a sound of words, or else as the mental image or visualization of the form of the figures. And, by the way, which ever it happens to
be, sight or sound, that particular kind of remembrance is your best way of remembering numbers, and consequently gives you the lines upon which
you should proceed to develop this phase of memory.

The law of Association may be used advantageously in memorizing numbers; for instance we know of a person who remembered the number 
186,000 (the number of miles per second traveled by light-waves in the ether) by associating it with the number of his father's former place of 
business, "186." Another remembered his telephone number "1876" by recalling the date of the Declaration of Independence. Another, the number of 
States in the Union, by associating it with the last two figures of the number of his place of business. But by far the better way to memorize dates,
special
speci al numbers connected with events, etc., it to visualize the picpicture
ture of the event with the
the pi
picture
cture of the date or number
number,, thu
thuss comb
combining
ining the two
things into a mental picture, the association of which will be preserved when the picture is recalled. Verse of doggerel, such as "In fourteen hundred
and ninety-two,
ninety-two, Columbu
Co lumbuss sai
sailed
led the oce
ocean
an blue;" or "In
" In eig
eighteen
hteen hundred
hundred and sixty
si xty-one,
-one, our country's
country's Civil
C ivil war b
begun,"
egun," etc., have their places
place s and
uses.

But it is far better to cultivate the "sight or sound" of a number, than to depend upon cumbersome associative methods based on artificial links and
pegs.

Finally, as we have said in the preceding chapters, before one can develop a good memory of a subject, he must first cultivate an interest in that
subject. Therefore, if you will keep your interest in figures alive by working out a few problems in mathematics, once in a while, you will find that figures
will begin to have a new interest for you. A little elementary arithmetic, used with interest, will do more to start you on the road to

"How to Remember Numbers'' than a dozen text books on the subject. In memory, memory, the three rules are: "In
" Interest,
terest, Attention and Exercis
Exercise"—
e"— and the last
is the most important, for without it the others fail. You will be surprised to see how many interesting things there are in figures, as you proceed. The
task of going over the elementary arithmetic will not be nearly so "dry" as when you were a child. You will uncover all sorts of "queer"

things in relation to numbers. Just as a "sample" let us call your attention to a few: Take the figure "1" and place behind it a number of "naughts," thus:
1,000,000,000,-

000,—as many "naughts"

"naughts" o
orr ci
ciphers
phers as you wish. Then divide the number by the figure

"7." You will find that the result is always this "142,857" then another "142,857," and so on to infinity, if you wish to carry the calculation that far. These
six figures will be repeated over and over again. Then multiply this "142,857" by the figure "7," and your product will be all nines. Then take any
number, and set it down, placing beneath it a reversal of itself and subtract the latter from the former, thus: 117,761,909

90,910,771

 __________ 
 __________ 

26,845,138

and you will find that the result will always reduce to nine, and is always a multiple of 9.

Take any number composed of two or more figures, and subtract from it the added sum of its separate figures, and the result is always a multiple of 9,
thus: 184

1+8+4= 13

 ________ 

171 / 9 = 19

We mention these familiar examples merely to remind you that there is much more of interest in mere figures than many would suppose. If you can
arouse your interest in them, then you will be well started on the road to the memorizing of numbers. Let figures and numbers "mean something" to
you, and the rest will be merely a matter of detail.
 

CHAPTER XV: HOW TO REMEMBER MUSIC

Like all of the other faculties of the mind, that of music or tune is manifested in varying degrees by different individuals. To some music seems to be
almost instinctively
i nstinctively grasped, while to others iitt is acquired only by great effort and much labor. To some harmony is natural, and
and iin
n harmony
harmony a matter of 
repulsion, while others fail to recognize the difference between the two except in extreme cases. Some seem to be the very soul of music, while
others have no conception of what the soul of music may be. Then there is manifested the different phases of the knowledge of music. Some play
correctly by ear, but are clumsy and inefficient
ineffici ent when it comes to playing by note. Others play very correctly in a mechanical manner, but
but fail to retain
the memory of music which they have heard. It is indeed a good musician who combines within himself, or herself, both of the two last mentioned
faculties—the ear perception of music and the ability to execute correctly from notes.

There are many cases of record in which extraordinary powers of memory of music have been manifested. Fuller relates the following instances of 
this particular phase of memory: Carolan, the greatest of Irish bards, once met a noted musician and challenged him to a test of their respective
musical abilities. The defi was accepted and Carolan's rival played on his violin one of Vivaldi's most difficult concertos. On the conclusion of the

performance, Carolan,
single error. His who hadyielded
rival thereupon never heard the piece
the palm, before,
thoroughly took hisofharp
satisfied and played
Carolan's the concerto
superiority, as well through
he mightfrom
be. beginning
Beethoventocould
end without
retain inmaking
his a
memory any musical composition, however complex, that he had listened to, and could reproduce most of it. He could play from memory every one of 
the compositions in Bach's 'Well Tempered Clavichord,' there being forty-eight preludes and the same number of fugues which in intricacy of 
movement and difficulty of execution are almost unexampled, as each of these compositions is written in the most abstruse style of counterpoint.

"Mozart, at four years of age, could remember note for note, elaborate solos in concertos which he had heard; he could learn a minuet in half an hour,
and even composed short pieces at that early age. At six he was able to compose without the aid of an instrument, and continued to advance rapidly
in musical memory and knowledge. When fourteen years old he went to Rome in Holy Week. At the Sistine Chapel was performed each day, Allegri's
'Miserere,' the score of which Mozart wished to obtain, but he learned that no copies were allowed to be made. He listened attentively to the
performance, at the conclusion of which he wrote the whole score from memory without an error. Another time, Mozart was engaged to contribute an
original composition to be performed by a noted violinist and himself at Vienna before the Emperor Joseph. On arriving at) the appointed place
Mozart discovered that he had forgotten to bring his part. Nothing dismayed, he placed a blank sheet of paper before him, and played his part
through from memory without a mistake. When the opera of 'Don Giovanni' was first performed there was no time to copy the score for the
harpsichord, but Mozart was equal to the occasion; he conducted the entire opera and played the harpsichord accompaniment to the songs and
choruses without a note before him. There are many well-attested instances of Mendelssohn's remarkable musical memory. He once gave a grand
concert in London, at which his Overture to 'Midsummer Night's Dream' was produced. There was only one copy of the full score, which was taken
charge of by the organist of St.

Paul's Cathedral,
C athedral, who unfortu
unfortunately
nately left it in
i n a hackney coach—whereupon Mendelssohn wrote out another score from memory, without an error. At
another time, when about to direct a public performance of Bach's 'Passion Music,' he found on mounting the conductor's platform that instead of the
score of the work to be performed, that of another composition had been brought by mistake. Without hesitation Mendelssohn successfully conducted
this complicated work from memory, automatically turning over leaf after leaf of the score before him as the performance progressed, so that no
feeling of uneasiness might enter the minds of the orchestra and singers. Gotts-chalk, it is said, could play from memory several thousand
compositions, including many of the works of Bach. The noted conductor, Vianesi, rarely has the score before him in conducting an opera, knowing
every note of many operas from memory."

It will be seen that two phases of memory must enter into the "memory
" memory of music"—
music" — the memory of tune and the memory of the notes. The memory of 
tune of course falls into the class of ear-impressions, and what has been said regarding them is also applicable to this case. The memory of notes
falls into the classification of eye-impressions, and the rules of this class of memory applies in this case. As to the cultivation of the memory of tune,
the principle advice to be given is that the student takes an active interest in all that pertains to the sound of music, and also takes every opportunity
for listening to good music, and endeavoring to reproduce it in the imagination or memory. Endeavor to enter into the spirit of the music until it
becomes a part of yourself. Rest not content with merely hearing it, but lend yourself to a feeling of its meaning. The more the music

"means to you," the more easily will you remember it. The plan followed by many students, particularly those of vocal music, is to have a few bars of a
piece played over to them several times, until they are able to hum it correctly; then a few more are added; and then a few more and so on. Each
addition must be reviewed in connection with that which was learned before, so that the chain of association may be kept unbroken. The principle is
the
the same as the child learnin
learning
g his A-B-C—he remembers "B" because it follows "A." By this constan
constantt addition
additi on of "just a little bit
bi t more," accompanied
by frequent reviews, long and difficult pieces may be memorized.

The memory of notes may be developed by the method above named—the method of learning a few bars well, and then adding a few more, and
frequently reviewing as far as you have learned, forging the links of association as you go along, by frequent practice.

The method being entirely that of eye-impression and subject to its rules, you must observe the idea of visualization—that is learning each bar until
you can see it "in your mind's eye" as you proceed. But in this, as in many other eye-impressions, you will find that you will be greatly aided by your 
memory of the sound of the notes, in addition to their appearance. Try to associate the two as much as possible, so that when you see a note, you will
hear the sound of it, and when you hear a note sounded, you will see it as it appears on the score. This combining of the impressions of both sight
and sound will give you the benefit of the double sense impression, which results in doubling your memory efficiency. In addition to visualizing the
notes themselves, the student should
should add the ap
appearance
pearance ofo f the various symbols denoting
denoti ng the key,
key, the time, the movement, expressi
expression,
on, etc., so that
he may hum the air from the visualized notes, with expression and with correct interpretation. Changes of key, time or movement should be carefully
noted in the memorization
memori zation of the notes. And above everyth
everything
ing else
else,, memorize
memori ze the feeling of that pa
particular
rticular portion
porti on of the score, that you may not only
see and
a nd hear
hear,, but also fee
feell that which you are rec
recalling.
alling.

We would advise the student to practice memorizing simple songs at first, for various reasons. One of these reasons is that these songs lend
themselves readily to memorizing, and the chain of easy association is usually maintained throughout.

In this phase of memory, as in all others, we add the advice to: Take interest; bestow Attention; and Practice and Exercise as often as possible. You
may have tired of these words—but they constitute the main principles of the development of a retentive memory. Things must be impressed upon the
memory, before they may be recalled. This should be remembered in every consideration of the subject.
 

CHAPTER XVI: HOW TO REMEM

REMEMBER
BER OCCURRENCES

The phase of memory which manifests in the recording of and recollection of the occurrences and details of one's every-day life is far more important
than would appear at first thought. The average person is under the impression that he remembers very well the occurrences of his every-day
business, professional or social life, and is apt to be surprised to have it suggested to him that he really remembers but very little of what happens to
him during his waking hours. In order to prove how very little of this kind is really remembered, let each student lay down this book, at this place, and
then quieting his mind let him endeavor to recall the incidents of the same day of the preceding week.

He will be surprised to see how very little of what happened on that day he is really capable of recollecting. Then let him try the same experiment with
the occurrences of yesterday—this result will also excite surprise. It is true that if he is reminded of some particular occurrence, he will recall it, more
or less distinctly, but beyond that he will remember nothing. Let him imagine himself called upon to testify in court, regarding the happenings of the
previous day, or the day of the week before, and he will realize his position.

The reason for

happenings hishis
upon failure to easily remember
subconscious mentality.the
Heevents referred
allowed them totopass
is to be found
from in the fact
his attention that
like theheproverbial
made no effort at the time to impress these

"water from the duck's back." He did not wish to be bothered with the recollection of trifles, and in endeavoring to escape from them, he made the
mistake of failing to store them away. There is a vast difference between dwelling on the past, and storing away past records for possible future
reference. To allow the records of each day to be destroyed is like tearing up the important business papers in an office in order to avoid giving them
a little space in the files.

It is not advisable to expend much mental effort in fastening each important detail of the day upon the mind, as it occurs; but there is an easier way
that will accomplish the purpose, if one will but take a little trouble in that direction. We refer to the practice of reviewing the occurrences of each day,
after the active
acti ve work of the day iiss over. IIff you will give to the oc
occurrences
currences of eac
eachh day a mental review iin
n the even
evening,
ing, you will find that the act of 
reviewing will employ the attention to such an extent as to register the happenings in such a manner that they will be available if ever needed
thereafter. It is akin to the filing of the business papers of the day, for possible future reference. Besides this advantage, these reviews will serve you
well as a reminder of many little things of immediate importance which have escaped your recollection by reason of something that followed them in
the field of attention.

You will find that a little practice will enable you to review the events of the day, in a very short space of time, with a surprising degree of accuracy of 
detail. It seems that the mind will readily respond to this demand upon it. The process appears to be akin to a mental digestion, or rather a mental
rumination, similar to that of the cow when it'
chews the cud" that it has previously gathered. The thing is largely a "knack" easily acquired by a little practice. It will pay you for the little trouble and
time that you expend upon it. As we have said, sai d, not only do you gain the advantage of s
storing
toring away these rec records
ords ooff the day for future use, but you
you also
have your attention called to many important details that have escaped you, and you will find that many ideas of importance will come to you in your 
moments of leisure "rumination." Let this work be done in the evening, when you feel at ease—but do not do it after you retire. The bed is made for 
sleep, not for thinking. Y
You
ou will find that the sub-conscio
sub-consciousness
usness will awaken to the fact that it will
wi ll be ca
called
lled upon later for the records
reco rds of the day
day,, and will,
accordingly,

"take notice" of what happens, in a far more diligent and faithful manner. The subconsciousness responds to a call made upon it in an astonishing
manner,, when it once understands just what is requi
manner required
red of it. You
You will see that much of the
the virtue of the plan recommended
reco mmended consists
co nsists in
i n the fact that in
the review there is an employment of the attention in a manner impossible during the haste and rush of the day's work. The faint impressions are
brought out for examination, and the attention of the examination and review greatly deepen the impression in each case, so that it may be
reproduced thereafter. In a sentence: it is the deepening of the faint impressions of the day.

Thurlow Weed, a well-known politician of the last century, testifies to the efficacy of the above mentioned method, in his "Memoirs." His plan was
slightly different from that mentioned by us, but you will at once see that it involves the same principles—the same psychology. Mr. Weed says: "Some
of my friends used to think that I was 'cut out' for a politician, but I saw at once a fatal weakness. My memory was a sieve. I could remember nothing.
Dates, names, appointments, faces—everything escaped me. I said to my wife, '

Catherine, I shall never make a successful politician, for I cannot remember, and that is a prime necessity of politicians.

 A polit
politician
ician who
who see
seess a man onconcee sh
shou
ould
ld reme
remember
mber him foreve
foreverr.' My wife tol
told
d me
me ttha
hatt I must
must train my memory
memory.. So when
when I came ho
home me th
thatat night
night I sat
down alone and spent fifteen
fi fteen minutes trying silently to recall with accaccuracy
uracy the
the principal
pri ncipal even
e vents
ts of the day
da y. I could remember b but
ut little at first—now
fi rst—now I
remember that I could not then recall what I had for breakfast. After a few days' practice I found I could recall more. Events came back to me more
minutely,, more accurately
minutely ac curately,, and more vividly th
than
an at firs
first.
t. After a fortnight or so of this, Catherine
C atherine sai
said d 'why don't you relate to me the events of the day
instead of recalling them to yourself? It would be interesting and my interest in it would be a stimulus to you.' Having great respect for my wife's
opinion, I began a habit of oral confession, as it were, which was continued for almost fifty years. Every night, the last thing before retiring, I told her 
everything
everyth ing I could remember that had happened to me, or about abo ut me, during the day.
day. I generally recalled the very dishes I had for breakbreakfast,
fast, dinn
di nner
er and
tea; the people I had seen, and what they had said; the editorials I had written for my paper, giving her a brief abstract of them; I mentioned all the
letters I had seen and received,
rece ived, and the very langu
language
age used, as nearly as possi p ossible;
ble; when I had walked or o r ridden—I
ridd en—I told her every
everything
thing that had come
within my observation. I found that I could say my lessons better and better every year, and instead of the practice growing irksome, it became a
pleasure to go over again the events of the day. I am indebted to this discipline for a memory of unusual tenacity, and I recommend the practice to all
who wish to store up facts, or expect to have much to do wi with
th influencing
influencing men.'

The careful student, after reading these words of Thurlow Weed, will see that in them he has not only given a method of recalling the particular class of 
occurrences mentioned in this lesson, but has also pointed out a way whereby the entire field of memory may be trained and developed. The habit of 
reviewing and "telling" the things that one perceives, does and thinks during the day, naturally sharpens the powers of future observation, attention
and perception.
percep tion. If you are witnessing a thing which you know that you will
will be called upon to ddescri
escribe
be to another person, you will instinctively apply your 
attention to it. The knowledge that you will be called upon for a description of a thing will give the zest of interest or necessity to it, which may be
lacking otherwise.
o therwise. If you w
will
ill
 "sense" things with the knowledge that you will be called upon to tell of them later on, you will give the interest and attention that go to make sharp,
clear and deep impressions on the memory. In this case the seeing and hearing has "a meaning" to you, and a purpose. In addition to this, the work
 

of review establishes a desirable habit of mind. If you don't care to relate the occurrences to another person—learn to tell them to yourself in the
evening. Play the part yourself. There is a valuable secret of memory imbedded in this chapter—if you are wise enough to apply it.
 

CHAPTER XVII: HOW TO REMEMBER FACTS

In speaking of this phase of memory we use the word "fact" in the sense of "an ascertained item of knowledge," rather than in the sense of "a
happening," etc In this sense the Memory of Facts is the ability to store away and recollect items of knowledge bearing upon some particular thing
under consideration. If we are considering the subject of "Horse," the "facts" that we wish to remember are the various items of information and
knowledge regarding the horse, that we have acquired during our experience —facts that we have seen, heard or read, regarding the animal in
question and to that which concerns it. We are continually acquiring items of information regarding all kinds of subjects, and yet when we wish to
collect them we often find the task rather difficult, even though the original impressions were quite clear. The difficulty is largely due to the fact that the
various facts are associated in our minds only by contiguity in time or place, or both, the associations of relation being lacking. In other words we
have not properly classified and indexed our bits of information, and do not know where to begin to search for them. It is like the confusion of the
business man who kept all of his papers in a barrel, without index, or order. He knew that "they are all there," but he had hard work to find any one of 
them when it was required. Or, we are like the compositor whose type has become "pied," and then thrown into a big box—

when he attempts to set up a book page, he will find it very difficult, if not impossible—
whereas, if each letter were in its proper "box," he would set up the page in a short time.

This matter of association by relation is one of the most important things in the whole subject of thought, and the degree of correct and efficient
thinking depends materially upon it. It does not suffice us to merely "know" a thing—we must know where to find it when we want it. As old Judge
Sharswood, of Pennsylvania, once said: "It is not so much to know the law, as to know where to find it." Kay says: "Over the associations formed by
contiguity in time or space we have but little control. They are in a manner accidental, depending upon the order in which the objects present
themselves to the mind. On the other hand, association by similarity is largely put in our own power; for we, in a measure, select those objects that are
to be associated, and bring them together in the mind. We must be careful, however, only to associate together such things as we wish to be
associated together and to recall each other; and the associations we form should be based on fundamental and essential, and not upon mere
superficial or casual resemblances. When things are associated by their accidental, and not by their essential qualities,—by their superficial, and not
by their fundamental relations, they will not be available when wanted, and will be of little real use. When we associate what is new with what most
nearly resembles it in the mind already, we give it its proper place in our fabric of thought. By means of association by similarity, we tie up our ideas,
as it were, in separate bundles, and it is of the utmost importance that all the ideas that most nearly resemble each other be in one bundle.' The best
way to acquire correct associations, and many of them, for a separate fact that you wish to store away so that it may be recollected when needed
—some useful bit of information or interesting bit of knowledge, that "may come in handy" later on—is to analyze it and its relations. This may be
done by asking yourself questions about it—each thing that you associate it with in your answers being just one additional "cross-index" whereby you
may find it readily when you want it. As Kay says: "The principle of asking questions and obtaining answers to them, may be said to characterize all
intellectual effort" This is the method by which Socrates and Plato drew out the knowledge of their pupils, filling in the gaps and attaching new facts to
those already known. When you wish to so consider a fact, ask yourself the following questions about it:

I. Where did it come from or originate?

II.
II. What caused it?

III.
III. Wh
What
at history o
orr record has it?

IV. What are its attributes, qualities and characteristics?

V. What things can I most readily associate with it? What is it like!

VI. What is it good for—how may it be used—what can I do with it?

VII. What does it prove—what can be deduced from it?

VIII.
VIII. Wh
What
at are its natu
natural
ral results—what happens because of it?
IX. What is its future; and its natural or probable end or finish?

X. What do I think of it, on the whole— what are my general impressions regarding it?

XI. What do I know about it, in

i n the way of general informatio
information?
n?

XII. What have I heard about it, and from whom, and when?

If y
you
ou will take the trouble to put any "fact" through the above rigid
ri gid examination, you will not only attach it to hundreds
hundreds of convenient and familiar
familia r other 
facts, so that you will remember it readily upon occasion, but you will also create a new subject of general information in your mind of which this
particular
partic ular fact will be the central thou
thought.
ght.

Similar systems of analysis have been published and sold by various teachers, at high prices— and many men have considered that the results
 justified
 justified th
the
e expen
expenditu
diture.
re. So do no
nott p
pass
ass it by ligh
lightl
tly
y.

The more other facts that you manage to associate with any one fact, the more pegs will you have to hang your facts upon—the more "loose ends"
will you have
have whereby to pull that fact into the fi
field
eld of c
consciousness
onsciousness —the more cross indexes will you have whereby
whereby you may "run down
down"" the fact
when you need it. The more associations you attach to a fact, the more "meaning" does that fact have for you, and the more interest will be created
regarding it in your mind. Moreover, by so doing, you make very probable the

"automatic" or involuntary recollection of that fact when you are thinking of some of its associated subjects; that is, it will come into your mind naturally
in connection with something else—in a "that reminds me" fashion. And the oftener that you are involuntarily "reminded" of it, the clearer and deeper 
does its impression become on the records of your memory. The oftener you use a fact, the easier does it become to recall it when needed. The
 favorite pen of a man is always at his hand in a remembered position, while the less used eraser or similar thing has to be searched for, often without
success.
 

 And th
the
emmore
ore associations
associations that
that you
you besto
bestow
w upon
upon a ffact,
act, th
the
e of
often
tener
er is it likely
likely to b
be
e used.
used.

 Another
 Anoth er point
point to be rremem
emembered
bered is that
that th
the
e ffut
utur
ure
e association
association of a fact depends
depends very
very mu
much
ch up
upon
on your system
system of filing
filing aw
away
ay facts.
facts. If y
you
ou will th
think
ink of th
this
is
when endeavoring to store away a fact for future reference, you will be very apt to find the best mental pigeonhole for it. File it away with the thing it
most resembles, or to which it has the most familiar relationship. The child does this, involuntarily—it is nature's own way. For instance, the child sees
a zebra, it files away that animal as "a donkey with stripes;" a giraffe as a "long-necked horse;" a camel as a "horse with long, crooked legs, long
neck and humps on its back." The child always attaches its new knowledge or fact on to some familiar fact or bit of knowledge—sometimes the resuit
is startling, but the child remembers by means of it nevertheless. The grown up children will do well to build similar connecting links of memory. Attach
the new thing to some old familiar thing. It is easy when you once have the knack of it. The table of questions given a little farther back will bring to
mind many connecti
connectingng links. Use them.

If you need any proof of the importance of association by relation, and of the laws governing its action, you have but to recall the ordinary "train of 
thought" or "chain of images" in the mind, of which we become conscious when we are day-dreaming or indulging in reverie, or even in general
thought regarding any subject. You will see that every mental image or idea, or recollection is associated with and connected to the preceding thought
and the one following it. It is a chain that is endless, until something breaks into the subject from outside. A fact flashes into your mind, apparently from
space and without any reference to anything
anything else. In such cases you will find that iitt occurs ei
either
ther because you had previously set your subconscious
mentality at work upon some problem, or bit of recollection, and the flash was the belated and delayed result; or else that the fact came into your mind
because of its association with some other fact, which in turn came from a precedent one, and so on. You hear a distant railroad whistle and you think
of a train; then of a journey; then of some distant place; then of some one in that place; then of some event in the life of that person; then of a similar 
event in the life of anoth
a nother
er person;
pers on; then of th
that
at other perso
person;
n; then
then of his o
orr her brother; then of that brother's last business
busi ness venture;
venture; then of that
business; then of some other business resembling it; then of some people in that other business; then of their dealings with a man you know; then of 
the fact that another man of a similar
si milar name to the last man owes you some mo money;
ney; ththen
en of your determination
determinatio n to get that money; then yyou
ou make a
memorandum to place the claim in the hands of a lawyer to see whether it cannot be collected now, although the man was "execution proof" last year 
—from distant locomotive whistle to the possible collection of the account. And yet, the links forgotten, the man will say that he "just happened to think
of" the debtor, or that "it somehow flashed right into my mind," etc. But it was nothing but the law of association—that's all.

Moreover, you will now find that whenever you hear mentioned the term "association of mental ideas," etc., you will remember the above illustration or 
part of it. We have forged a new link in the chain of association for you, and years from now it will appear in your thoughts.
 

CHAPTER XVIII: HOW TO REMEMBER WORDS, ETC.

In a preceding chapter we gave a number of instances of persons who had highly developed their memory of words, sentences, etc. History is full of 
instances of this kind.

The moderns fall far behind the ancients in this respect; probably because there does not exist the present necessity for the feats of memory which
were once accepted as commonplace and not out of the ordinary. Among ancient people, when printing was unknown and manuscripts scarce and
valuable, it was the common custom of the people to learn "by heart" the various sacred teachings of their respective religions. The sacred books of 
the Hindus were transmitted in this way, and it was a common thing among the Hebrews to be able to recite the books of Moses and the Prophets
entirely from memory
memory..

Even to this day the faithfu

fai thfull Mohammedans are taught to commit the entire Koran to memory
me mory.. And investigatio
investigationn reveals, always, that there
there has b
been
een
used the identical process of committing these sacred books to memory, and recalling them at will —the natural method, instead of an artificial one.

 And th
theref
erefore
ore we shall
shall dev
devote
ote this
this ch
chapter
apter solely
solely to th
this
is method
method whereby
whereby poems or prose may be com committ
mitted
ed tto
o memor
memory y and recal
recalled led readil
readily
y.
This natural method of memorizing words, sentences, or verses is no royal road. It is a system which must be mastered by steady work and faithful
review. One
One must start at the begi
beginnnning
ing and work his way up. But the result of such work will astonis
astonishh anyone
anyone not familiar
famili ar with iit.
t. It is the very same
method that the Hindus, Hebrews, Mohammedans, Norsemen, and the rest of the races, memorized their thousands of verses and hundreds of 
chapters of the sacred books of their people. It is the method of the successful actor, and the popular elocutionist, not to mention those speakers who
carefully commit to memory their "impromptu" addresses and "extemporaneous" speeches.

This natural system of memorizing is based upon the principle which has already been alluded to in this book, and by which every child learns its
alphabet and its multiplication table, as well as the little "piece" that it recites for the entertainment of its fond parents and the bored friends of the
family. That principle consists of the learning of one line at a time, and reviewing that line; then learning a second line and reviewing that; and then
reviewing the two lines together; and so on, each addition being reviewed in connection with those that went before. The child learns the sound of "A;"
then it learns "B;" then it associates the sounds of "A, B" in its first review; the "C" is added and the review runs: "A, B, C." And so on until "Z" is
reached and the child is able to review the entire list from "A to Z," inclusive. The multiplication table begins with its "twice 1 is 2," then "twice 2 is 4,"
and so on, a little at a time until the "twos" are finished and the

"threes" begun. This process is kept up, by constant addition and constant review, until

"12 twelves" finishes up the list, and the child is able to repeat the "tables" from first to last from memory.
But there is more to it, in the case of the child, than merely learning to repeat the alphabet or the multiplication table—there is also the strengthening
of the memory as a result of its exercise and use. Memory, like every faculty of the mind, or every muscle of the body, improves and develops by
intelligent and reasonable use and exercise. Not only does this exercise and use develop the memory along the particular line of the faculty used, but
also along every
e very line and faculty. This is so be
because
cause the exercise
exercis e develops
de velops the power of
o f concentration, and the use of the volun
voluntary
tary attention.

We suggest that the student who wishes to acquire a good memory for words, sentences, etc., begin at once, selecting some favorite poem for the
purpose of the demonstration.

Then let him memorize one verse of not over four to six lines to begin with. Let him learn this verse perfectly, line by line, until he is able to repeat it
without a mistake. Let him be sure to be "letter perfect" in that verse—so perfect that he will "see" even the capital letters and the punctuation marks
when hehe reci
recites
tes iit.
t. Then
Then let him stop for the day. T
The
he next day let him
him re
repeat
peat the verse le
learned
arned the day before,
before , and then let him memorize
memori ze a second
seco nd
verse in the same way, and just as perfectly. Then let him review the first and second verses together. This addition of the second verse to the first
serves to weld the two together by association, and each review of them together serves to add a little bit to the weld, until they become joined in the
mind as are "A, B, C." The third day let him learn a third verse, in the same way and then review the three. Continue this for say a month, adding a
new verse each day and adding it to the verses preceding it. But constantly review them from beginning to end. He cannot review them too often. He
will be able to have them flow along like the letters of the alphabet, from "A" to "Z" if he reviews properly and often enough.

Then, if he can spare the time, let him begin the second month by learning two verses each day, and adding to those that precede them, with constant
and faithful reviews. He will find that he can memorize two verses, in the second month, as easily as he did the one verse in the first month. His
memory has been trained to this extent. And so, he may proceed from month to month, adding an extra verse to his daily task, until he is unable to
spare the time for all the work, or until he feels satisfied with what he has accomplished. Let him use moderation and not try to become a
phenomenon. Let him avoid overstraining. After he has memorized the entire poem, let him start with a new one, but not forget to revive the old one at
frequent intervals. If he finds it impossible to add the necessary number of new verses, by reason of other occupation, etc., let him not fail to keep up
his review work. The exercise and review is more important than the mere addition of so many new verses.

Let him vary the verses, or poems with prose selections. He will find the verses of the Bible very well adapted for such exercise, as they lend
themselves easily to registration in the memory. Shakespeare may be used to advantage in this work. The'' Rubai-yat" of Omar Khayyam; or the
"Lady of the Lake" by Scott; or the "Song Celestial" or "Light of Asia" both by Edwin Arnold, will be found to be well adapted to this system of 
memorizing, the verses of each being apt to "stick in the memory," and each poem being sufficiently long to satisfy the requirements of even the most
ambitious student. To look at the complete poem (any of those mentioned) it would seem almost impossible that one would ever be able to memorize
and recite it from beginning to end, letter perfect.

But on the principle of the continual dripping of water wearing away the stone; or the snowball increasing at each roll; this practice of a little being
associated to what he already has will soon allow him to accumulate a wonderfully large store of memorized verses, poems, recitations, etc. It is an
actual demonstration of the catchy words of the popular song which informs one that: "Every little bit, added to what you've got, makes just a little bit
more."

 After h
 After he
e has
has acqu
acquired
ired quit
quite e a lar
large
ge as
assort
sortmen
mentt o
off memor
memorized
ized selec
selection
tions,
s, he will fin
find
d it impossibl
impossible
e tto
o rrev
eview
iew the
them
m all
all at one time. But he sh
shoul
ould
d be
sure to review them all at
a t intervals, no matter how many days may elapse between
b etween each review.
 The student who has familiarized himself with the principles upon which memory depends, as given in the preceding chapters, will at once see that
the three principles of attention, association and repetition are employed in the natural method herein recommended. Attention must be given in order 
to memorize
memorize each verse in tthehe first lace; association is em lo ed in the relationsh
relationshii created betw
between
een the old v
verses
erses and
and the
the n
new
ew ones;
ones; and
and
 
 
repetition is employed by the frequent reviewing, which serves to deepen the memory impression each time the poem is repeated. Moreover, the
principle of interest is invoked, in the gradual progress made, and the accomplishment of what at first seemed to be an impossible task—the game
element is thus supplied, which serves as an incentive. These combined principles render this method an ideal one, and it is not to be wondered that
the race has so recognized it from the earliest times.
 

CHAPTER XIX: HOW TO REMEMBER BOOKS, PLAYS, TALES, ETC.

In the preceding chapters we have given you suggestions for the development of the principal forms of memory. But there are still other phases or 
forms of memory, which while coming under the general classification may be still considered as worthy of special consideration. For instance there
may be suggestions given regarding the memorization of the contents of the books you read, the stories you hear, etc. And so we have thought it
advisable to devote one chapter to a consideration of these various phases of memory that have been "left out" of the other chapters.

Many of us fail to remember the important things in the books we read, and are often mortified by our ignorance regarding the contents of the works
of leading authors, or of popular novels, which although we have read, we have failed to impress upon the records of our memory. Of course we must
begin by reminding you of the ever present necessity of interest and attention—we cannot escape from these principles of the memory. The trouble
with the majority of people is that they read books "to kill time," as a sort of mental narcotic or anesthetic, instead of for the purpose of obtaining
something of interest from them. By this course we not only lose all that may be of importance or value in the book, but also acquire the habit of 
careless reading and inattention. The prevalence of the habit of reading many newspapers and trashy novels is responsible for the apparent inability
of many persons to intelligently absorb and remember the contents of a book "worth while" when they do happen to take up such a one. But, still, even
the most careless reader may improve himself and cure the habit of inattention and careless reading.

Noah Porter says: "We have not read an author till we have seen his object, whatever it may be, as he saw it." Also: " Read with attention. This is the
rule that takes precedence of all others. It stands instead of a score of minor directions. Indeed it comprehends them all, and is the golden rule. . . .
The page should be read as if it were never to be seen a second time; the mental eye should be fixed as if there were no other object to think of; the
memory should grasp the facts like a vise; the impressions should be distinctly and sharply received." It is not necessary, nor is it advisable to attempt
to memorize the text of a book, excepting, perhaps, a few passages that may seem worthy to be treasured up word for word. The principal thing to be
remembered about a book is its meaning—what it is about. Then may follow the general outline, and the details of the story, essay, treatise or 
whatever it may be. The question that should be asked oneself, after the book is completed, or after the completion of some particular part of the
book, is: "What was the writer's idea— what did he wish to say?" Get the idea of the writer. By taking this mental attitude you practically place yourself 
in the place of the writer, and thus take part iin
n the idea of the book.
boo k. You
You thus
thus view it
i t from the insi
inside,
de, rather than from the outside. You place yourself at
the centre of the thing, instead of upon its circumference.

If the book be a history, biography, autobiography, narrative, or story of fact or fiction, you will find it of value to visualize its occurrences as the story
unfolds. That is, endeavor to form at least a faint mental picture of the events related, so that you see them "in your mind's eye," or imagination. Use
your imagination in connection with the mechanical reading. In this way you build up a series of mental pictures, which will be impressed upon your 
mind, and which will be remembered just as are the sc scenes
enes of a play that you have witnessed, or an actual event thatthat you have
have see
seen,
n, only less di stinct
of course. Particularly should you endeavor to form a clear mental picture of each character, until each one is endowed with at least a semblance of 
reality to you. By doing
doi ng this you will impa
impart
rt naturaln
naturalness
ess to the event
events
s of the story
sto ry and you will
will obtain
obta in a new pleasure
plea sure from your reading. Of course,
c ourse, this
plan will make you read more slowly, and many trashy tales will cease to interest you, for they do not contain the real elements of interest—but this is
no loss, but is a decided gain for you. At the end of each reading, take the time to mentally review the progress of the story—let the characters and
scenes pass before your mental vision as in a moving picture. And when the book is finally completed, review it as a whole. By following this course,
you will not only acquire the habit of easily remembering the tales and books that you have read, but will also obtain much pleasure by re-reading
favorite stories in your imagination, years after. You will find that your favorite characters will take on a new reality for you, and will become as old
friends i n whose company you may enjoy yourself
yourself at any time, and whom you may dismiss
dismi ss when they tire you, without offense.

In the case of scientific treatises, essays, etc., you may follow a similar plan by dividing the work into small sections and mentally reviewing the
thought—
thou ght— (not the words) of each
ea ch secti
section
on until
until you make it
i t your own
own;; and then by adding new sections
sec tions to your review, you may gradually absorb and
master the entire work. All this requires time, work and patience, but you will be repaid for your expenditure. You will find that this plan will soon render 
you impatient at books of little consequence, and will drive you to the best books on any given subject. You will begin to begrudge your time and
attention, and hesitate about besbestowing
towing them upon any bu butt the very best books
books.. But in this you gain.
gai n.

In order to fully acquaint yourself with a book,

boo k, before reading
readi ng it you should familiarize
familia rize yourself with its general
g eneral character. To do this you shou
should
ld pay
attention to the full title, and the sub-title, if
i f there be any
a ny;; the name of the author and the list of other books that he has written, if they are noted on
o n the
title page,
pa ge, or the one preced
preceding
ing iit,
t, according
accord ing to the usual custom. You
You should
should read the preface and study carefully the table of contents,
c ontents, that
that you may
know the field or general subject covered by the book—in other words endeavor to get the general outline of the book, into which you may afterwards
fill in the details.

In reading a book of serious import, you should make it a point to fully grasp the meaning of each paragraph before passing on to the next one. Let
nothing
noth ing pass
pa ss you that y
you
ou do not understand, at least in a general
g eneral way
way.. Consu
Co nsult
lt the dictionary
dicti onary for words not familiar
fami liar to you, so that you may grasp the
full idea inten
i ntended
ded to be expressed. At the end of each chapter, section
sectio n and part, you shou
shouldld review that which you hav
have e read
read,, until
until you are a
able
ble to form
fo rm
a mental picture of the general ideas contained therein.

To those who wish to remember the dramatic productions that they have attended, we would say that the principles above mentioned may be applied
to this form of memory as well as to the memory of books. By taking an interest in each character as it appears ; by studying carefully each action and
scene, and then reviewing each
ea ch act iin
n th
the
e interv
i ntervals
als betwee
between n the acts; and by finally reviewing the entire p
play
lay after your retu
return
rn home; you will
will fasten the
whole play as a complete
c omplete mental pi
picture,
cture, on the records o off your memory
memory..

If you have acquainted yourself with what we have just said regarding the recollection of the contents of books, you will be able to modify and adapt
them to the purpose of recollecti
recollecting
ng plays and dramati
dramatic c productions.
prod uctions. You
You will find that the oftener you review a p
play
lay,, the more clearly
clea rly will you remember 
it. Many little details overlooked at first will come into the field of consciousness and fit into their proper places.

Sermons, lectures and other discourses may be remembered by bestowing interest and attention upon them, and by attempting to grasp each
general idea advanced, and by noting the passage from one general idea to another. If you will practice this a few times, you will find that when you
come to review the discourse (and this you should always do

—it is the natural way of developing memory) the little details will come up and fit into their proper places. In this form of memory, the important thing is
to train the memory by exercise and review. You will find that at each review of a discourse you will have made progress. By practice and exercise,
 the subconscious mentality will do better work, and will show that it is rising to its new responsibilities. You have allowed it to sleep during the many
discourses to which you have listened, and it must be taught new habits. Let it know that it is expected to retain that which it hears, and then exercise
it frequently by reviews of discourses, and you will be surprised at the degree of the work it will perform for you. Not only will you remember better, but
 

you will hear better and more intelligently. The subconsciousness, knowing that it will be called upon later on to recollect what is being said, will urge
you to bestow the attention necessary to supply it with the proper material.

To those who have had trouble in remembering

reme mbering ddisco
iscourses,
urses, we urge that they should
should begin
beg in to attend lec
lectures
tures and other forms of discourse,
dis course, with the
distinct purpose of developing that form of memory. Give to the subconscious mentality the positive command that it shall attend to what is being
said, and shall record the same in such a way that when you review the discourse afterward you will be presented with a good synopsis or syllabus of 
it. You should avoid any attempt to memorize the words of the discourse—your purpose being to absorb and record the ideas and general thought
expressed. Interest—Attention—Practice—Review—these are the important points in memory.

To remember stories, anecdotes, fables, etc., the principles given above are to be employed. The main thing in memorizing an anecdote is to be
able to catch the fundamental idea underlying it, and the epigrammatic sentence, or central phrase which forms the "point" of the story. Be sure that
you catch these
these perfectly
p erfectly,, and then commit the ""poi
point"
nt" to memory. IfIf necessary make a memorandum
memora ndum of the point, unt untilil you have opportunity to review
the story in your mind. Then
Then carefully review
review iitt mentally,
mentally, letting the mental image
ima ge ooff the idea
ide a pass
pas s before you in review, an and
d then repeating
repeati ng it to yourself 
yourself 
in your own words. By rehearsing and reviewing
re viewing the story, y you
ou make iitt your own and
and will be
b e able to relate it afterward
afte rward just as you would something that
you had actually experienced. So true is this principle, that when carried too far it endows the story with a false sense of actuality—who has not known
men who told a story so often that they came actually to believe it themselves? Do not carry the principle to this extreme but use it in moderation. The
trouble with many men is that they attempt to repeat a tale, long after they have heard it, without reviewing or rehearsing in the meantime.
Consequently they
they omit many impoimportant
rtant points, bec
because
ause they h have
ave failed
faile d to iimpress
mpress the story
sto ry as a whole upon the memory.
memory. In order to know an
anecdote properly, one should be able to see its characters and incidents, just as he does when he sees an illustrated joke in a comic paper. If you
can make a mental picture of an anecdote, you will be apt to remember it with ease. The noted story tellers review and rehearse their jokes, and have
been known to try them on their unsuspecting friends in order to get the benefit of practice before relating them in public—this practice has been
called by flippant people:

' trying it on the dog." But it has its good points, and advantages. It at least saves one the mortification of being compelled to finish up a long-drawn
out tale by an: "Er—well, um-m-m— I'm afraid I've forgotten just how that story ended—but it was a good one!"
 

CHAPTER XX: GENERA

GENERAL
L INSTRUCTIONS

In this chapter we shall call your attention to certain of the general principles already mentioned in the preceding chapters, for the purpose of further 
impressing them upon your mind, and in order that you may be able to think of and to consider them independent of the details of the special phases
of memory. This chapter may be considered in the nature of a general review of certain fundamental principles mentioned in the body of the work.

POINT I. Give to the thing that you wish to memorize, as great a degree of concentrated attention as possible.

We have explained the reason for this advice in many places in the book. The degree of concentrated attention bestowed upon the object under 
consideration, determines the strength, clearness and depth of the impression received and stored away in the subconsciousness. The character of 
these stored away impressions determines the degree of ease in remembrance and recollection.

POINT II. In considering an object to be memorized, endeavor to obtain the impressions through as many faculties and senses as possible.

The reason for this advice should be apparent to you, if you have carefully read the preceding chapters. An impression received through both sound
and sight is doubly as strong as one received through but one of these channels. You may remember a name, or word, either by having seen it in
writing or print; or else by reason of having heard it; but if you have both seen and heard it you have a double impression, and possess two possible
ways of reviving the impression. You are able to remember an orange by reason of having seen it, smelt it, felt it and tasted it, and having heard its
name pronounced.

Endeavor to know a thing from as many sense impressions as possible—use the eye to assist ear-impressions; and the ear to assist in eye-
impressions. See the thing from as many angles as possible.

POINT III. Sense impressions may be strengthened by exercising the particular faculty through which the weak impressions are received.

You will fi
find
nd that either your eye memo
memory
ry is better
b etter than your ear memory, or vice versa.

The remedy lies in exercising the weaker faculty, so as to bring it up to the standard of the stronger. The chapters of eye and ear training will help you
along these lines. The same rule applies to the several phases of memory—develop the weak ones, and the strong ones will take care of themselves.
The only way to develop a sense or faculty is to intelligently train, exercise and use it. Use, exercise and practice will work miracles in this direction.

POINT IV. Make your first impression strong and firm enough to serve as a basis for subsequent ones.
Get into the habit of fixing a clear, strong impression of a thing to be considered, from the first. Otherwise you are trying to build up a large structure
upon a poor foundation.

Each time you revive an impression you deepen it, but if you have only a dim impression to begin with, the deepened impressions will not include
details omitted in the first one.

It is like taking a good sharp negative of a picture that you intend to enlarge afterward.

The details lacking in the small picture will not appear in the enlargement; but those that do appear in the small one, will be enlarged with the picture.

POINT V. Revive your impressions

impressi ons frequently and thus
thus deepen
dee pen them.

You will know more of a picture by seeing it a few minutes every day for a week, than you would by spending several hours before it at one time. So it
is with the memory. By recalling an impression a number of times, you fix it indelibly in your mind in such a way that it may be readily found when
needed. Such impressions are like favorite tools which you need every little while— they are not apt to be mislaid as are those which are but seldom
used. Use your imagination in "going over" a thing that you wish to remember. If you are studying a thing, you will find that this "going over" in your 
imagination will help you materially in disclosing the things that you have not remembered about it. By thus recognizing your weak points of memory,
you may be able to pick up the missing details when you study the object itself the next time.

POINT VI. Use your memory and place confidence in it.

One of the important things in the cultivation of the memory is the actual use of it. Begin to trust it a little, and then more, and then still more, and it will
rise to the occasion. The man who has to tie a string around his finger in order to remember certain things, soon begins to cease to use his memory,
and in the end forgets to remember the string, or what it is for. There are many details, of course, with which it is folly to charge the memory, but one
should never
never allow his me
memory
mory to fall into di
disuse.
suse. If y
you
ou are iin
n an occupation in
i n which the
the work is
i s done by
b y mechanical helps, then you
you should exercise
the memory by learning verses, or other things, in order to keep it in active practice. Do not allow your memory to atrophy.

POINT VII. Establish as many associations for an impression, as possible.

If y
you
ou have studied the precedi
prec eding
ng chapters, you will recognize the value of this p
point.
oint.

 Association is mem
 Association memoryory's
's m
meth
ethod
od of index
indexing
ing an
and
d cross-in
cross-index
dexing.
ing. Each associat
association
ion ren
renders
ders it eas
easier
ier tto
o re
rememb
member
er or
or rrecoll
ecollect
ect th
the
e thing.
thing. Each
association gives you another string to your mental bow. Endeavor to associate a new bit of knowledge with something already known by, and
familiar
famili ar to you. In this way to avoid the danger of having the thing isolated
iso lated and alone
a lone in your mind—without a label, or index nu number
mber and name,
connect your object or thought to be remembered with other objects or thoughts, by the association of contiguity in space and time, and by
relationship of kind, resemblance or opposite-ness. Sometimes the latter is very useful, as in the case of the man who said that ''Smith reminds me
so much of Brown—he's so different." You will often be able to remember a thing by remembering something else that happened at the same place,
or about
abo ut the
the same time—these things give you the "loose ends" ofo f recollecti
recollection
on whereby you
you may unwind
unwind the ball of memory
me mory.. In tthe
he same way, one is
often able to recollect names by slowly running over the alphabet, with a pencil, until the sight of the capital first letter of the name brings the memory
of those following
followi ng it—this, however, only when th
the
e name has previously
pre viously been memorized by sight.
si ght. In
In the same way the first few notes of a musical
 selection will enable you to remember the whole air; or the first words of a sentence, the entire speech or selection following it. In trying to remember 
a thing which has escaped
escap ed you, you will find it helpful to think of something
so mething associ ated with
wi th that
that thing, even remotely
remotely.. A little practice
practic e will enable
e nable you to
recollect the thing along the lines of the faintest association or clue. Some men are adept memory detectives, following this plan.
 

The "loose end" in memory is all the expert requires. Any associations furnish these loose ends. An interesting and important fact to remember in this
connection is that if you hav
have
e some one thing that tends to esc
escape
ape your memory, y you
ou may counteract
counteract the trouble by noting the associ
ass ociated
ated things that
have previously served to bring it into mind with you. The associated thing once noted, may thereafter be used as a loose end with which to unwind
the elusive fact or impression. This idea of association la quite fascinating when you begin to employ it in your memory exercises and work. And you
will find many little methods of using it. But always use natural association, and avoid the temptation of endeavoring to tie your memory up with the
red-tape of the artificial systems.

POINT VIII. Group your impressions.

This is but a form of association, but is very important. If you can arrange your bits of knowledge and fact into logical groups, you will always be
master of your subject. By associating your knowledge with other knowledge along the same general lines, both by resemblances and by opposites,
you will be able to find what you need just when you need it. Napoleon Bonaparte had a mind trained along these lines. He said that his memory was
like a large case of small drawers and pigeon-holes, in which he filed his information according to its kind. In order to do this he used the methods
mentioned in this book of comparing the new thing with the old ones, and then deciding into which group it naturally fitted. This is largely a matter of 
practice and knack, but it may be acquired by a little thought and care, aided by practice. And it will repay one well for the trouble in acquiring it. The
following table will be found useful in classifying objects, ideas, facts, etc., so as to correlate and associate them with other facts of a like kind. The
table is to be used in the line of questions addressed to oneself regarding the thing under consideration. It somewhat resembles the table of 
questions given in Chapter XVII, of this book, but has the advantage of brevity. Memorize this table and use it. You will be delighted at the results, after 
you have
have caught the knack of app
applying
lying it.

QUERY TABLE. Ask yourself the following questions regarding the thing under consideration. It will draw out many bits of information and associated
knowledge in your mind:

(1) WHAT?

(2) WHENCE?

(3) WHERE?

(4) WHEN?

(5) HOW?

(6) WHY?
(7) WHITHER?

While the above Seven Queries are given you as a means of acquiring clear impressions and associations, they will also serve as a Magic Key to
Knowledge, if i f you u
use
se them iintelligently
ntelligently.. If y
you
ou can answer these questi questions
ons regarding
regardi ng anything,
anything, you will know a great deal d eal about
ab out that particular thing.
 And afte
afterr you
you ha
have
ve an
answer
swered
ed tthem
hem full
fully
y, the
therere will
will be bu
butt littl
little
e une
unexp
xpresse
ressedd knowl
knowledge
edge regardin
regardingg ttha
hatt thin
thing
g lleft
eft in yo
your
ur memory
memory.. Try th
them
em onon some on onee
thing—you cannot
cannot understand them otherwise, un unless
less you have a very good imagi nation.

FINIS.