The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-09-21
FORGETTING NAMES.
Our Bad Memories the Result OF Mean
ingless Introductlons.

Our Bad Memories the Result OF Mean
ingless IntroductiOns.
How common it is to forget ones
name. We do not mean your own name,
although that is sometimes done, but to
forget another mans, and this notwith-
standing the fact that you are well ac-
quainted with him. A person hesitates
in introducing people with whom he is
familiar, because he can not think OF
their names, something to his own NOR
tifcation and to theirs, for it is hardly
agreeable to have one with whom you
are daily brought in contact, obliged to
say, when the forms of introduction re-
quire it: :" beg your pardon, sir, but
your name has escaped me-" You feel
that you have been tritied with, and
that the man has been pretending to
know you when he did not. One great
cause for this forgetfulneSs OF names
lies in our senseless system of intro
ductions. The true idea upon which in
Productions should be based is the
natural desire of the parties introduced
to become acquainted. Brown may
want to know Smith, but if Smith pre-
fers not to know Brown, it is a species
of imposition for their mutual acquaint-
ance, Jones, to bring them together.
Yet this is continually being done in our
everyday life, and it is no wonder that
Smith does not remember Browns name
afterward, for he takes no pains to re-
member it.
How often does an incident like the
following occur: Jones and Smith are
walking together on the street. They
meet a party among which is Brown,
with whom Jones stops TO exchange a
few words on business, merely. There
upon Brown feels called upon to in
troduce Jones to his half a-dozen COM
panions, FIVE of whom he has just been
introduced to himself, and, consequent
Iy, has to ask them their names, and
then Jones is irresistibly impelled to
introduce Smith to the whole party,
getting half their names wrong and
muttering unintelligibly over the rest.
A day or two after, Jones, who pos
sesses prominence or nOtoriety that
renders him mark to be remembered,
is approached by a stranger, who smiles
blandly as he extends his hand and
says: ''Mr Jones, how do you do?''
Jones stares a little, looks confused,
and then makes lame attempt to ap-
pear to know him, although he has not
the slightest recollection of ever hav-
ing seen him before. The man sees
he is not recognized, and feels
hurt. "You don't recollect me, l
see. - Says Jones, knowing that he is
telling a wretched lie: "Oh, yes, do.
| know your face well enough, but |
can't quite call your name. Fact is,
am the worst hand in the world to rec
Ollect names.'' Then Jones learns the
cordial fellows name, and is reminded
that their mutual friend, Brown, intro
duced them on the occasion above al
luded to, when they 90 their ways
cordial fellow thinking Jones is putting
on airs, and Jones believing that he is
bore. People go through the farce
of introduction so often they come tC
attach very little Importance to it, and
you see men pass each other on the
sidewalk without any recognition, who
10 minutes before, were shaking hand;
with each other in the most cOrdia
manner, in compliance with the popu
| lar demand that men accidentally
grouped together for a minute or two
must all be introduced. No wonder
then, that men forget names. They
/ forget them because they do not care tC
remember, and this careless indiffer-
! ence assumes the form of habit al
/ length.