The weekly Louisianian. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1872-1882, 1874-06-20
THE TRICKS OF. BAD
z::.s $ MEMORY.

1HE IHfCKS OF BAD
i 5::3 MEMORY. " ~
+ There are plenty Of people VIII
find it easy enough to ,remembe
; some things, who have no CORES
ponding ability to retain even th
shadows Of others in their minde
and the provoking part Of it is tia
the things we remember most easil
and most surely are apt to be thos
of least consequence, or those eve1
which we would gladly forge,
Memory plays tricks, too, some
times, failing just at the momen
when we need its services most i'm
peratively, and performing its func
tons perfectly well at all othel
times. School-boys and school
girls suffer greatly in this wa,
about examination time, and many
excellent people, without othe,
mental defect, find themselves sadly
embarrassed by their utter inabil.
ity to remember any thing in q wit
ness box: FURRY and dif6dence
are the causes of the trouble in such
cases, doubtless, but neither furry
nor dif6dence can account for the
fact that with many people proper
names are never Forthcoming when
wanted. We know man, not at
all diHdent, who, in addressing his
most intimate friend, is sure to call
him, "Ah-,' or Mr.. ah -" unable
for the instant to recall a name
which comes to him the very mo-
ment that its coming is too late.
Very provoking must it be too to
remember everythingapproximatel
and vaguely, but nothing accurately
or with certainty; and tho people
who suffer thus are not few. They
recall everything in shadowy form,
and are never quite certain of any
thing past. The facts Of yesterday
are to them only uncertain ghosts
of fact, resembling their originals,
but presenting themselves in so un-
certain and i'll defined outline as to
be wholey useless for any practical
purpose. These are they who make
lawyers head grow gray, and con-
vince the rest of tho world that
stupidity is the common lot.
Still more provoking to its pos
SCISSOR must be that not uncommon
kind of memory which recalls all
but the essential part Of the thirg
wanted. If it be a jest or q story,
they remember all Of it but the
point. And people Of this sort are
very apt too to be much given to
the telling Of good stofies, persist
ing in the attempt in spite Of re-
peated failure. They hurl conun-.
drums at their friends on oil occa-
sions-exoellent conundrums-of
which, when their friends "eive it
up" they are sure to forget the an
swers. They tell stories excellently
SO for as beginnings and middles
are concerned breaking down only
at the very end, and forcing the
listener to content himself with the
assurance that the forgotten climax
was "very good-very good indeed
To. be constantly with such people
is equivalent to a perpetual course
of reading the half sheets issued by
the story papers for advertising
purposes, in which, just as the
readers interest is fairly aroused,
he is quietly informed that "the.
rest Of this story may be found"
etc, etc., etc. .4a
Now, for these and ell other seri-
GUS defects in our, memories we
have to thank ourselves and our
teachers; ourselves because, by de-
termined effort, we may cure The ILL.,
il We choose; our teachers, because
almost every bad memory is the re-
suit Of educational blnndering., In
our schools the memory is used
too much and trained too little It
is oyertaxed md left undisciplined
It is required to do work which be-
longs Of right to other faculties, and
is not properly drilled in tho art Of
/ - S4s- asss. ss4% y r