The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1876-03-03
EQUALITY OF MEMORIES,

CAREY, o., Feb. &c, 1876.
EDS. JEFF: If may be permitted to
say few words through your columns
upon the above topic, shall certainly
regard such permission a favor, especial
ly since what | shall say may not be re
garded by you as orthodox. Although
l am not sufficiently sanguine to hope
for many conversions to my views from
the influence of this article, yet if those
who read this will but consider carefully,
in connection with it, the operations of
their own minds, / doubt not but that
some, at least, will coincide with what
say. There are, perhaps, none so well
as the educator that can realize the
painful effect upon students of the pop
ular belief that it is impossible for GER
tain individuals to excel in intellectual
attainments, and simply because they
are of inferior memories. Certainly
nothing can be more discouraging to the
Jealous teacher than to discover that
one of his pupils has concluded in his
own mind that he never had but one
talent, and that of insignificant value,
and hence declares that his efforts to re-
tain what he learns are fruitless. / be-
lieve that, under similar circumstances,
memories are equal; and what / mean
here by similar circumstances is, that
the fact to be retained must be impressed
with equal vividness upon each mind.
If wish to determine whether both of
my casks will hold vinegar, l must put
the liquid IN both. We are apt to con-
clude that because we do not know as
much as our neighbor, therefore we have
a deficient memory, while the whole
difference of knowledge depends upon
the fact that he put the facts into the
mind, while oOe did not. The simple fact
that hold the book before my eyes as
long as my neighbor, and can name
words as rapidly, is no argument that
have put my mind in possession of as
many facts. for whose history is barren
of experience like the following, viz ::
You are reading a book, and are for a
time deeply interested in its contents;
presently your mind becomes wearied,
and little later you awake to the fact
that you have named the aoords of an
entire section, but have not read it, at
least you know nothing of the contents.
If, before you had been aroused to the
fact that you were getting nothing from
the section, your attention had been
called suddenly from books by news of
a fire, or a death, for example, and in a
few days afterward, on picking up your
book, you find that your 'mark" indi-
Gates that you have read this section,-
you are astonished to find that you know
nothing of its contents, and you say at
once that your memory is faulty. But
does not your timely discovery in this
instance prove that such complaint is
unjust and wrong, because you ask your
memory for thing which you never
gave it?
1t is well for us to repose the fault any
where rather than upon our own care
lessness. | believe the Zone talent"
theory, as argued by many, is simply a
cover for mental apathy and laziness.
If am asked why some remember bet
ter than others, l answer, in the first
place, those who remember best have
something to remember; and in the sec
ond place, they may have cultivated this
faculty by special effort, but the two
memories were originally equal. 1t is in
the matter of attention and not in the
memory that the fault lies
1t is said that, of two children of the
same age and in the same family, one
will pick up a spool or a thimble from
the floor, and will remember for some
days where he put it, while the other
may do the same thing, and in ten min
utes afterward can not tell you where to
find it; and hence it is concluded that
the memory of the latter is deficient,
while in fact he has performed the act
without having given attention to what
he was doing, and in the former case the
mind, as well as the hand, was engaged
in putting away the article. Let us take
the same two children under similar cir
cumstances. Supposing that on Christ
mas morning both these children arise
to find that 'Santa Claus" has brought
each of them red sled; which will re.
member it longer2 l should not be will
ing to hazard a prediction. Both have
been impressed similarly with the novel
ty; every other thought has vanished,
and the mind is left free to receive the
impression of the "red sled"
Again, why do aged people unanimous
" declare that they have more vivid
recollections of things which transpired
in their early youth than of those which
occurred last week? l would presume
to answer, because in youth their minds
were free from cares of business or do
mestic nature, and things which then
occurred made their impression; bui
things which now occur cannot make an
impression, the mind being already full.
Besides. if these differences were oh
served in different tndioiduals, rather
than in the same individual at different
times of life, it would be said that the
memories were unequal, but since this
occurs in the same individual, certainly
we are shut up to the conclusion that
the difference in the vividness of remem
bered facts depends upon the varied at
tention at different times, which de-
pends upon the number of thoughts
which are already in possession of the
mind.
Since this may be uninteresting to
some of your readers, 1 will close for the
present. JOHN PoR.
a SCHOLAR in a country school was
askad sGHow do Won no rca sGNfo- .,:,t