# The Science of Memory Fully Expounded/Introduction

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INTRODUCTION.
The subject to which this treatise is devoted is of such manifest importance in all the operations of the mind, that from the remotest ages it has attracted the attention of the wisest philosophers. Indeed, it would have been singular if those ponderous intellects of the ancient world had failed to recognize how greatly the mind is indebted for its fertility and beauty to the strength of the memory. Their keen eyes early observed it, and they bestowed much attention to the investigation of this faculty; and, ​finding its powers more limited than their requirements, they formed many contrivances for its assistance. The discovery of the first principles of the art is usually ascribed to Simonides, a poet of the Isle of Ceos, who flourished about five hundred and thirty years before Christ; but the manner of it that is handed down to us is so purely mythological and incredible, that it is unnecessary relating it here. However, under whatever circumstances they first appeared to his mind, to this early philosopher seems undoubtedly due the honour of originating the first system of Mnemonies, or a systematised plan for assisting the memory by means of a local fixation of the ideas. From his time the art gradually acquired popularity, and was regularly cultivated by the majority of the great philosophers and their disciples who succeeded him, of whom we may mention Eschylus, Socrates, Alexander the Great (in early life), Plato, Aristotle, Demosthenes, Plutarch, Seneca, Cicero, Julius Cæsar and Quintilian. The attention bestowed upon it by these, the most illustrious men of antiquity, is a sufficient testimony of the importance they attached to this faculty; and to such an extent did some of them cultivate it, that thereto they were mainly indebted for their elevation, greatness, and renown. Indeed, their wonderful memories have been the envy and the theme of admiration in all subsequent ages.
Modern philosophers, as well, have not been less ​sensible of its importance, and they have borne witness to it in most forcible terms. It is much to be regretted, however, that those whose conception of it has seemed the clearest, and whose remarks have been most particularly pertinent, should not, while possessing minds admirably adapted for the task, have prosecuted their enquiries sufficiently far as to have enabled them to have given the world a comprehensive analysis of the process of remembering, with rules adapted for universal application, and furnished such simple contrivances and suitable aids as the nature of our wants suggests. The following views of Dr. Watts on the importance of the memory are very pregnant of truth and interest:—"So necessary and so excellent a faculty is the memory, that all other abilities of the mind borrow from thence their beauty and perfection; for the other capacities of the soul are almost useless without this. To what purpose are all our labours in knowledge and wisdom, if we want memory to preserve and use what we have acquired? What signify all other intellectual and spiritual improvements, if they are lost as soon as they are obtained? It is memory alone that enriches the mind, by preserving what our labour and industry daily collect. In a word, there can be neither knowledge, nor arts, nor sciences, without memory; nor can there be any improvements in mankind in virtue or morals, or the practice of religion, without the assistance and influence of this ​power. Without memory the soul of man would be but a poor, destitute, naked being, with an everlasting blank spread over it, except the fleeting ideas of the present moment." The eloquent Robert Hall, in speaking of it, calls it "a power that can make amends for the speed of time, in causing him to leave behind him those things which else he would carry away as if they had not been."
The penetrating Dugald Stewart says, it is "a faculty which is obviously the great foundation of all intellectual improvement, and without which no advantage could be derived from the most enlarged experience."
Dr. Johnson also felt its great importance, and has thus alluded to it:—"Memory is the purveyor of reason, the power which places those images before the mind upon which the judgment is to be exercised, and which treasures up the determinations that are once passed as the rules of future action, or grounds of subsequent conclusions." Again:—"We owe to memory not only the increase of our knowledge, and our progress in rational enquiries, but many other intellectual pleasures."
The great Locke, in his Human Understanding, observes of it that, "It is of so great moment that, where it is wanting, all the rest of our faculties are ​in a great measure useless; and we, in our thoughts, reasonings and knowledge, could not proceed beyond present objects, were it not for the assistance of our memories."
To superadd anything to these just and eloquent views of its importance, would seem impossible and unnecessary. Should we, however, endeavour to test the accuracy of these assertions by tracing the work-ings of the memory in the various operations of our own minds, we shall be surprised to find how entirely we are dependent on its resources, and must acknow-ledge that these philosophers have in nowise exag-gerated its value. We shall not fail at once to re-cognize that it is the parent of all our experience, the source of fertility to the mind, whence spring all its beauties; that by it all our plans, purposes, desires, thoughts and reflections, are directed and governed; and further, that the tenaciousness of the memory is the guage and the sure index of the quality and vigour of the brain, and the strength of the mind.
Convinced, then, of its paramount importance, it would seem a duty on the part of all rightly constituted minds, to make its practical cultivation a fixed habit, and a subject of constant attention; but to accomplish this thoroughly and satisfactorily it can only be done in a systematic manner, and on scientific principles.
To this end is primarily required a knowledge of ​the laws which regulate the mind, and also those that govern the joining of ideas with each other.
It is useless to attempt to cultivate it in the popular fashion, and on the plan usually pursued at schools,—that of repeating things over sufficiently for the tongue to become familiar with them, with little regard to their import, precisely in the manner that parrots would be taught to say them. This plan is not only not calculated to strengthen and develop the faculties, as is often conceived, but is extremely prejudicial and deteriorative to them, and fails to accomplish the end desired, that of imprinting knowledge on the mind. The accuracy of this is confirmed by the fact that, so very little learnt or supposed to be learnt in this manner is remembered long, as immediately the lingual connection is at all destroyed the remaining portion is at once lost, and is as perfectly foreign to the mind's consciousness as if it had never been brought within its scope.
The true art of committing to the mind,—or remembering, and which will be developed in these pages, is to call into operation as much as possible those faculties on which the memory seems most deeply to depend, namely, observation and reflection; and, as must be obvious to all, the more thoroughly these are exercised, the more sagaciously they are called into operation in committing knowledge to the mind, so much the greater certainty there is of its being treasured up for future use, and the smaller ​the possibility of the connection or chain of ideas being broken.
Let us now enquire into what we understand by a good memory; and with that view, we must see what are its manifestations in those that we allow to possess it. We will firstly take the case of such a person in reading a book,—suppose cither a novel, or a volume of travels, which forms of reading are the easiest of remembrance. It will be seen at the conclusion of the novel that he will be able with tolerable accuracy to relate its opening, the dramatis personæ, as they are gradually unfolded and described, the plots and counterplots, and the chief incidents in the development of the story,—at times even with minute circumstantiality; but only in proportion as he is careful to preserve the exact sequence of the occurrences, stayed the attention to comprehend them fully, and allowed them to be vividly pictured before the mind. The readiness with which he will thus recapitulate them is in great measure attributable to the fact of his interest having been excited, and his eager attention wholly concentrated on the subject.
But should you try this person at the end of a week or two, it will be found that the impressions have begun to fade before the mind, and some of the minor details, overlooked, or difficult to recall. At the end of a month this will be more so, and a year hence only a few of the chief ideas will be preserved.
​With regard to the volume of travels, the case will be much the same, only different in that the interest not being so highly raised, the process of reading is not so rapid, and the mind is thereby allowed a longer time to comprehend the various persons, places, scenes and incidents narrated, whereby what is lost in intensity of interest is more than compensated by plainer recognition and firmer impressions, and the probability thus ensue of a longer remembrance.
The same person, after hearing a sermon or a lecture, would be able to relate the substance of each, by carefully observing the salient points, noting the mutual dependence and propriety of the parts, and clearly realizing the whole. But it will be поticed, that while the impressions are recent and fresh, he will be able with tolerable accuracy to reproduce what he has heard, yet, as in the previous instances, these will specdily fade by reason of subsequent diversions of the mind, and further and newer impressions; so that soon all that remains will be, as before, a few of the most interesting or striking ideas; while these latter again will be liable to the same evanishment from the mind's power of recollection, according to the strength of the impressions.
Hence we find, that whatever may be a person's natural powers, the majority of the impressions or ideas made on his mind are not sufficiently strong to be for any length of time recallable, and even the more striking ones,—those that seem most deeply ​Page:The science of memory fully expounded. For the use of students, ministers, public speakers, etc. (IA scienceofmemoryf00will).pdf/29 ​Page:The science of memory fully expounded. For the use of students, ministers, public speakers, etc. (IA scienceofmemoryf00will).pdf/30 ​Page:The science of memory fully expounded. For the use of students, ministers, public speakers, etc. (IA scienceofmemoryf00will).pdf/31 ​Page:The science of memory fully expounded. For the use of students, ministers, public speakers, etc. (IA scienceofmemoryf00will).pdf/32 ​Page:The science of memory fully expounded. For the use of students, ministers, public speakers, etc. (IA scienceofmemoryf00will).pdf/33 ​Page:The science of memory fully expounded. For the use of students, ministers, public speakers, etc. (IA scienceofmemoryf00will).pdf/34 ​laws under which they associate, and ascertain the principles on which to produce lively and deep impressions, from a just observation and appreciation of the circumstances and relations under which such are produced naturally.
* ↑ Watts On the Improvement of the Mind.
* ↑ Rambler, No. 41.