Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-12-11
For the Register.
u,x.E yxOSTRUM.

No,u;,hstanding the dampness OF the
weather and the disagreeaom,e sa ShaH
w We Sa,n,day evening, the hall OF SheP,,
Oh S College was filled with alarge and
nei Wont audience, pursuant to the an
lh.e .1,csment that J. j. Anspach, A. NJ,
I'D deliver lecture there ON Mne-
Promptly at the appointed hour, the
speaker appeared, introduced himself
and looked as hearty and robust as we
have ever seen him, Notwithstanding
,be fact of his having been in bed, three
fourths of the day, violently unwell.
He seemed much absorbed in his sub
iect; frequently grew warm and even
ifacetious in his illustrations, while the
audience showed their appreciation by
demonstrations and applause.
The style OF the address was eminent
" conversational, and with the exceP-
ton of an occasional departure from the
stuc. rules of Rhetoric as to the ior'na-
ton aud more especially the conclusion
Of sentences, was well adapted to the
subject. ,..;,, ;,,ro
dro,;on was so short and incomplete,
,nanv If the most distinguished instan-
nos ~ the remarkable memories OF mod
ern times having been entirely omitted.
While we appreciate the benefits which
ore TO be derived from good memory,
,,et we cannot agree with the speaker,
ee,tber in his exalted estimate Of the fac
ulty in question as an intellectual posses
sion. or altogether in his mode OF cult
waiting it. The ordinary experience and
observation of intelligent people goes to
show that, the possession OF severely
trained artificial memory is no proof OF
remarkable intelligence. How many
stupid actors there are in theatres, who
can commit long list Of dates, names,
and long passages OF prose and verse,
and vet are as dumb as beetle even
upou the most ordinary concerns OF life.
ANY competent school teacher will have
observed tnat frequently those pupils
whose memories are most susceptible
and ready, when taken off their guard,
as it were, fall far behind those who are
.pparentlv deficient in that faculty. The
reason is evident for when children lay
great stress upon that facalty, it is near
" always certain to be detrimental TO
the other and equally important powers
which, from inactivity and neglect, Ian
puish. Many of our most distinguished
writers say they have poor memories,
and we know it to be fact that, many
profound aud original thinkers cannot
even commit such little nursery rhymes
as "Msry had little lamb or "Twinkle,
twinkle, little star The great Scaliger
said that he had poor memory TOR
names, but when he thought over them
he could bring them before his mind.
He also said that remarkable memory
and good Judgment seldom go together
Sir William Hamilton, one OF the intel
Irctual giants of cur race, says that "in-
tell,rence aud memory hold no necessary
PROMOTION To each other
Az matte: of course, the memory,
like ever, other faculty of the human
mind, is susceptible of cultivation to
high degree, but in order to derive the
greatest real aud substantial benefit
from a given amount of labor 1t must
be done uuon reasonable principles. AS
ouaclery is to be condemned in every
department Of science and education, so
Ia The matter of strengthening and de
welcoming the memory its advocates must
take back seat aud give place to the
intelligent philosophical deductions OF
the eulightment of the age.
Coleridge, in his Bog. Lherdrio,
gives rs the proper conditions or art
OF memory" the following qualifications,
viz: "a trained and well balanced mind,
healthy digestion and clear conscience
the truth of which upon observation and
ref, elton, mus: be obvious TO every III
telligeRt person.
Old Cato strengthened his memory
Ey recalling to mind al night, everything
which he had done, or said, or read dur
ing the previous day-a plan which II
adopted at the present day would be
found to facilitate very much our re-
membrance of events. To retain the
results of our reading and study
in such a way as to be OF any material
benefit, we can only do so by repeated
and well directed observation and by
referring facts and medicines to gener-
al principles of thought; rather than to
any arbitrary and insignificant oircum-
stance or thing. In a word, to thorough,
ly remember anything, we must attend
to it, and to attend we must either ind
or create an interest in the objects to
which attention is to be given. TO su-
persede the necessity OF this genuine,
straight forward labor, many devlses
have been contrived to aid the mind In
securing its acquisitions against loss and
to bring them readily to hand when re-
auired. OF the number of these, there
is, what is called the geometrlc system
which consists mainly in assoclatirg
leading thoughts with the panes OF glass
in window sash or the anels OF doors,
&C. Then there is what is known as
the alphsbe,ic system and also various
mnemonic verses aud tables, all of which
are based upon the assumption that, it
is possible, by hieans of arbitrary asso-
citation to connect what one desires to
remember with series of objects arti-
ficialIy arranged, or actually existing,
so that they can be readily suggested
to the mind.
Some very surprising results have
been attained in the way OF crammirg
the memory with an incoherent mass of