American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-01-06
Good Memories.

Who was it that said he had bad mem
DRY but a good forgettCry We forget
the Wag'~ name but his statement might
be adopted by almost anybody, though
eight people. out Of ten will tell you that
they have good memories. That is to say,
they retain very clear and vivid impress
sions of certain things they never forget
their business or their social engage
mcnts; they can tell in what year or
month thisrr that incident came under
their observation they remember CONVEX
stations that took place long since, and are
tolCrably accurate in all statistical mat
tiers. But if YOU could compare what
these people remember with what they
have forgotten, YOU would be very eau
tious about Crediting them with good
memories. To apply this test is of course
impossible; but II little observation will
convince one that almost every mans
memory i, restricted within very narrow
limits. One man remembers faces and
not names another names and not faces
third neither faces nor names, but
voices, One pupil in class can give the
date of certain historical transactions,
but is wholly unable to state the attendant
circumstances while another pupil, who
cannot carry date in his mind for half
an hour, will have no difficulty in recall
ing the minutest detail. We know of an
actor who can repeat a page of blank
verse or of prose after reading il once,
yet cannot remember TO wind his watch
at night, and could not if his life depend
ed on his doing it regularly. We read
every day of wonderful instances of
memory, but they are always instances Of
the faculty working in special directions.
We find this in recent English journal
John kcmhle used to say that he could
learn whole number of the ND5HiHg Past
in four days Scaliger could repeat hun
drcd verses or more after Iiaving read
them a single time Seneca could repeat
two thousand words on hearing them
once Magliabeechi was once put TO a Sc
we're trial. \ gentleman lent him a man
uscript which was read and returned.
The owner. some time afterward pre-
tending he had lost il, begged Magliabec-
chi 70 write ont as much rs he could re-
member; whereupOn the latter, appealing
to his memory, wrote out the whole essay.
Cyrus, if some OF the old historians are
10 be credited, could remember the name
Of every soldierin his immense army. 4
physician of Massachusetts,, about half
century ago, could repeat the whole Of
Paradise Lost without o mistake. A.
though he had not read it for twenty
years Euler. the great mathematician.
when De became blind, could repeat the
whole If Nirgils .tasf and could re-
member the first line and last line on
every page Of the particular edition w hich
De had been accustomed N read before he
became blind These are certainly very
wonderful Illustrations 81 the power Of
memoy--mcmov playing. like paganini.
on one string but no doubt The people
who accomplished the various ieais de-
scrlbei had rerv poor memories in other
matters IT, be able 90 repeat a hun
dred verses after one reading is no proof
of good memory % far a. tie
vcrse- 90 A man might fail lameniahlv
under such o. test and vet pozse-s a good
memory, hy which We mean catholic
memory. Ihi, We take % be about the
raresi Of gifts We have never met more
than two or three people who seemed b
possess H.