Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1857-06-13
Memory.

Say, in the introduction TO his celebrated
work on political economy. tells us that he
studied all the books he could find on the
subjects on which he intended TO write
and then took time to forget what he read,
before begihning TO write. DO wethorough
iy iI eomDrebend what the memQrY retains IN
the gross? Are facts generalized, digest'
ed, assmils ted, and made part and parcels
of our mind till they are in a great measure
forgotten? Is not good memory men
tai dyspepsia. that retains intellectual food
undgested. and disgusts the listener or read
er by bringing it forth in the gross, just as
it was swallowed? Who has not been
bored thousand times by friend with
fine memory? Such friend always re.
members to forget that he has retailed the
same learning or the same s.efy TO his inn
patient listener a hundred times before.
Probably everybody has enough of mem
ory, No one forgets what interests. The
dull boys who cannot remember line of
book are the very boys who can never for-
get name, or face, or footpath! 1t is
want of interest and attention, not want Of
memory, that makes them dull. The TWEEN.
ty-four books of Homer were easily retained
in mems memories before writing was in.
vented. Men have now learned TO forget,
and consider such power Of memory al
most Incredible
How unfortunate we should be to recol-
lect everything we saw or read! Some men
are thus unfortunate, and are the poorest
thinkers and most intolerable bores in the
world. We sometimes think that excess Of
memory is the only defect of memory.-
That excess occasions intellectual indigo.
ton or dyspepsia. {
Some men acquire and retain twenty
languages. Such men have never been
distinguished for great power and compre-
henson of intellect. All the Other mental
faculties are sacrificed TO mere memory -
Great minds rarely retain the tpsisSima
Uerba Of the books which they read.
We have often heard that Mr.. G lay nev-
er forgot a name or face. To him, as
public man, such things were important. in
terested his attention, and impressed his
memory. He had little use for poetry. and
could scarcely repeat correctly line of it.
Great lawyers recollect principles only, and
can d,fne those principles only in "A Ian
guage of their own. Accurate lawyers
recollcct cases, and repeat definitions by
the hour in the exact words of the book
We know distinguished jurist, whose ad.
vice TO his students was, to take care tc
comprehend what you read, but never troab
ie yourself about remembering It," TO al
readers this is admirable advice. There i.
very little that we read worth remember.
ing; yet anything re read, hear, or see
may suggest useful reflection, and TINS ado
to our volume Of intellect. {
Richmond Enquirer.
I, "WnL you give me them pennies nowa'
said big newsboy to a. little one, aftei
giving him a severe thumpipg. mo,
WON'T Then I'll give you another pound
ing Pound away. Meand Dir. Frank
lin agrees. DR.. Franklin says, take care d
the pence, and the pounds will take car,
i Of themselves"
az PHIGz," said farmer, al should
npakea good Congressman; for use tbei
language: ! received two bills tie othe
| day, witha request for immediate payment
the one ordered 10 be laid on the table
z the oIher TO be read that day six months"