# The New Mnemonical Chart and Guide to the Art of Memory/How to Remember familiar Words, Blank Verse, Poetry, Short Hand, Foreign Alphabets, &c.

Layout 2
LETTER IV.
HOW TO REMEMBER WORDS, BLANK VERSE, POETRY, SHORT HAND, ETC.
24. Having explained the arrangement of the Chart, the arithmetical plan of locality, and the alphabetical method of inducting memory, I presume that the reader clearly understands the contents of the preceding letters. A child may be able to write every letter in the alphabet; but, for want of practice, be unable to form words and write with rapidity. Or, a person may understand every character in short hand; but, without much practice, will not be able to act as a reporter. So, with Mnemonics; we must first understand its principles; then, by frequent practice, the mind will be able to commit to memory with greater ease and rapidity.
25. To remember any familiar word, line, or sentence. First, attentively fix the mind upon one object in the Chart; then write down the name of the new word or notion, and join both notions together after the following manner:—
| Sofa. | Hat | Hat on Sofa. |
| Dressing Table | Box | Box under Table. |
| Negro | Friend | Negro's Friend. |
| Muff | Gas | Gas burnt Muff. |
After joining together two or three notions, let the mind go back from the third to the second and first places, to rivet the sprung-up notions in the memory. What is thus done should be practised by two or three learners, who, by cross-examining each other, will soon acquire the habit of joining or associating words together. Never mind, how odd or arbitrary any of the new wedded notions appear.
26. To remember 10 lines of blank verse or poetry. Select any one object, and use its division names, as explained in paragraph 23. Try orange object. 8, strawberry division, will be the 0 division of the 4th object in the 1st room of the Chart, or the 140th line in the first book of Young's Night Thoughts.
140, s, strawberry—Where Seraphs gather immortality, 141, d, damson—One Life's fair tree fast by the throne of God. 142, n, nuts—What golden joys ambrosial clust'ring glow, 143, m, melon—In his full beam, and ripen for the just, 144, r, raspberry—Where momentary ages are no more! 145, l, lemon—Where Time, and Pain, and Chance, and Death expire! 146, ch, cherries—And is it in the flight of threescore years, 147, g, grapes—To push eternity from human thought, 148, f, figs—And smother souls immortal in the dust? 149, p, peach—A soul immortal, spending all its fires,
In the 0 division is s, strawberry. We write down in a connected line, "Where Seraphs gather immortality." Join to strawberry the most familiar word in the new line; the association will be—gather strawberries. Now add and remember the first word in the new line, and say—where gather strawberries. Repeat—"Where Seraphs gather immortality." To strike the lines yet more forcibly upon the memory, try well to understand the true meaning, and repeat the new familiar words as prompters, thus:—Where Seraphs gather—on tree—joys clust'ring—ripen—no more—time expire. And threescore years—to push—and smother—spending fires. This method may appear odd at first, but it is not more odd than to teach a child to say—m a n. Well, what does m a n spell? m a n. No! no!! m a n spells man.
27. To remember unfamiliar words, or notions which suggest few or no familiar ideas, Use the sound of the word or letters, and join the resembling word to the object by associating the notions, thus:—
| Given notion. | Suggested notion. | Object. | Association |
| Ranod | rain hard | lantern = | rain hard on lantern. |
| Bakqin | packing | chair = | packing up chair. |
Here ranod suggests to rain hard, or rained. Fancy it is "raining hard upon the lantern," and the two notions will readily be remembered.
Again, thus:—for mind (intellect or brain) adopt a hat + cat = cat in hat. Or, for soul (the immortal part) adopt a sole (fish) + firescreen = sole before fire.
​28. To unite and remember two unfamiliar notions.—Try several short-hand characters thus:—
| (symbol characters) | = A. | (symbol characters) | is like an Arrow = put the Arrow in the saucepan. |
| (symbol characters) | = B. | (symbol characters) | is like a Bow = lay the Bow upon the table. |
| (symbol characters) | = D. | (symbol characters) | is like a Dart = fix the Dart in the nosegay. |
| (symbol characters) | = F. | (symbol characters) | is like a Fan = strike the Fan against the mouse. |
Or, the Hebrew alphabet, thus:— א, alef—א is like a lady's saddle and alef = aloof = put the saddle aloof the rocking horse.
ב, baiss—ב is like a sad-iron; and baiss = best = put the best sad-iron next to the looking-glass.
ד, dalet—ד is like a bracket; and dalet = do let the chest be on the bracket Or, an Arbitrary alphabet, thus:—
| (symbol characters) | h. | (symbol characters) | is like the handle of the coalscoop—the maid Handles it. |
| (symbol characters) | g. | (symbol characters) | is like the scroll of the fender—it is Green bronze. |
| (symbol characters) | m. | (symbol characters) | is like a pair of nippers—they Mend bellows. |
In the study of Foreign words and languages, the unfamiliar words may be committed to memory with ease and rapidity, thus:—
| Latin Word. | Sound. | English. | Thus connected. |
| Ager | hedger | a field | Hedger in a field. |
| Aqua | aquatic | water | Aquatic water plants. |
| Hasta | hasty | a spear | So hasty with a spear. |
| Ensis | Ensign | sword | The ensign proud of his sword. |
| Cavus | Caves | hollow | Hollow caves. |
| Caput | Keep hot | head | Keep hot your head. |
| Hyems | Hyam's | winter | Hyam's winter clothing. |
| Ver | verdant | spring | The verdant spring. |