, 1877-06-08
but in view of the foregoing facts
which we can substantiate.
ARE MENTAL IMPRESSIONS INDEL-
IBLE2

As a rule, great men have great
memories. A mental organism, in
deed, to be eminent, must of neces
sity have tenacious hold upon all
that impiuges upon its tablet; else,
it were almost vain to store such a
mind with useful information.
Thoughts would die as soon as they
were born; our knowledge concern
ing ourselves and the cosmogony of
material things would be painfully
evanescent, while, in its crippled con-
dition, the inability of our mind to
retain what it had received would
forever mock our liveliest desires
for acquisition.
A retenti 7e memory may be natu-
raj or acquired. And yet, strange to
say, few of those to whom this heav-
emily gift comes as birthright, ever
put it to such goodly uses as are
commensurate with its priceless val
ue. Enough has been said, then, to
warrant the conclusion that the great
er number of those who have accu-
mulated large measures of human
knowledge and assembled highest the
pillar of fame, are those who have
cultivated habits of the most stern
and unrelenting industry. We may
conclude, moreover, that where nat
ural endowment is happily united
with human effort, a large acquisi-
ton and brilliant success must be the
inevitable result. The case of Lord
Msccaulay illustrates this. Mr.. Trev-
elyan has written a new biography,
of the great historian; volume
abounding in some very interesting
and valuable "reminiscences of his
earlier life. 1t is related, that when
a young boy he went with his father
to call upon a friend. While his
father was absorbed in conversation,
he read the whole of Scott's clay of
the last Minstrel" copy of which
he had found on the table, and when
he went home he recited as much of
it to his mother as she had patience
to hear. On another occasion, when
only thirteen years of age, he fonnd
a newspaper in a Cambridge coffee
house, containing two pieces of poe
try, the one entitled, "Rehections of
an exile" the other, "a parody on
Welsh ballad" Mr.. Trevelyan says,
"He looked them through ouce, and
never gave them athoughtfo forty
years, at the end of which time he
repeated them both, without missing,
or, as far as he knew, changing sim
gle word" We once heard Brah
min say he never forgot anything af
ter having heard or readit. Among
the most eminent metaphysicians,
indelibilty of thought is regarded
1 as the rule, swhile forgetfulness is
only the temporary covering up of
one impression or stratum of thought
by others.
DR.. Abercrombie and Prof. Up.
ham have expressed the opinion that
there is no such thing as absolute
forgetfulness; but that an impress
sion once having found lodgment in
the tissues of the brain is there for
ever. To substantiate this, instan-
ces are adduced where drowning per-
sons, having been resuscitated, re-
late that, previous to returning con-
sciousness, the whole of their past
lives had passed in terrible and truth
full review before their spiritual gaze;
coming out in as bold relief as the
doings of yesterday. If this point
be well taken, how sigually does it
point to that unshackled condition
that shall doubtless be the heavenly
and perpetual estate of disempodied
souls /! Nay, reasoning PRIoRI,
there can be no forgetfulness in
Heaven. But, on the contrary, once
established in that realm where
''there is no night" there is every
thing to warrant us that our knowl-
edge, in regard to God, his glorious
attributes and his works, like one of
those mathematical increasing SERIES.
shall 90 on. forever and forever!