News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-11-30
A PLAN TO STRENGTHEN MEMORY.
How ThurIOw Weed Drilled his Mind so
that it Became of Use TO Him.

Thurlow Weed recalls with great facil-
ity and accuracy long lists of names of
men who were politicians in the various
counties when Monroe ran for President
sixty years ago.
"You seem to remember as well as
ever" a friend said to him one day.
"Better than I did once, hope" he
answered, with smile. eff I had not
cultivated my memory I should have
been dismal failure"
g Did you make a systematic effort to
| improve in the regular course of affairs ?''
" had to adopt a regular method, -
he said, "and I hit on one that was very
effective. I will tell you about it for the
benefit of other young men. [ got
married in 1918, when I was working in
Albany as journeyman printer. In a
| few months [ went into business, estab-
fishing newspaper for myself, and some
of my friends thought I was cut out for
a politician that is, I probably i'm
pressed my views strongly on those about
me. But [ saw at once fatal weakness
My memory was a sieve. could re-
member nothing. Dates, names, ap-
pointments, faces-everything escaped
me. [ said to my wife, Catherine, I
shall never make a successful politician
for I cannot remember, and that is a
prime necessity of politicians. A politi-
clan who sees man once should remem-
ber him forever
81 recalled what had been said of
Henry Clay: that he could go around
room and be introduced to fifty persons,
and then, on mingling with the company,
call every man by his right name. And
I thought also of the colored fellow who
oficiates at the grand hat-rack in the
vestibule of the United States Hotel at
Saratoga, and who, as the hundreds of
guests flock out of the dining-room, hands
to each one instantly the hat, shawl, fan
or whatever has been deposited there an
hour or two before.
"My wife told me-" continued Mr.
Weed, that must train my memory. So
when 1 came home that night, I sat down
alone and spent fifteen minutes trying
silently to recall the events of the day.
I could remember little at first !; now I
remember that could not then remem-
Der what had for breakfast. Finally I
found I could recall more. Events came
back to me more minutely and more
accurately. After fortnight or SO of
this, Catherine said, why don't you tell
it to me? 1t would be interesting, and
my interest in it would stimulate you.
Then 1 began habit of oral confession,
as it were, which followed for almost
fifty years. Every night, the last thing
before retiring, L told my wife everything
that could recall that had happened to
me or about me during the day. I
generally recalled the very dishes 1 had
had for bfeafast, dinner and tea the
people 1 had seen and what they said !;
the editorials 1 had written, and an
abstract Of them the letters 1 had
sent and received, and the very language
used as near as possible; when [ had
walked or ridden-everything in short,
that had come within my knowledge. I
found I could say my lesson better and
better every year, and instead of grow
ing irksome it got to be pleasure to run
the events of the day in review. I am
indebted to this discipline for memory
of somewhat unusual tenacity, and I
recommend the practice to all who expect
to have much to do with influencing men,"