The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1882-11-22
THURLOW WEED.
lie Tells of Pleasant Plan to Strength
en- the MamorT.

en- Ihe M0mOF!s
Thurlow Weed felt well enough tn
other day to be propped up on pillow
in bed, where he dictated several pages
of his autobiography. His memory
seemed unimpaired, and he recalled witt
great facility and accuracy long lists Of
names Of men who were politicians il
the various counties when Monroe rar
for President-sixty years ago.
you seem to remember as well as
ever" | said to him one day.
''Better than | did once, [ hope" he
answered. with a smile. If | had not
cultivated my memory I should have
been a dismal failure"
Did you make systematic effort to
improve it, or did it improve in the reg
ular course of affairs ?"
81 had to adopt regular method, =
he said, ''and | hit on one that was
very effective. will tell you about it
for the benefit Of other young men. |
got married in 1918, when l was work
ing in Albany as journeyman printer.
In few months / went into business,
establishing a newspaper for myself,
and some Of my friends thought | was
'eut out for a politician that is, I prob
ably impressed my views strongly on
those about me But ! saw at once a
fatal weakness. My memory was a
seive. l could remember nothing.
Dates, names, appointments, faces
everything escaped me. said to my
wife, Catherine, | shall never make a
successful politician, for cannot re-
member, and that is a prime necessity
Of politicians: A politician who sees a
man once should remember him for
ever"
81 recalled what had been said of
Henry Clay that he could go around a
room and be introduced to fifty persons,
and then, on mingling with the COM
pany, call every man by his right name.
And | thought also of the colored fel-
low 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 din
hands to each one instantly
the hat, shawl, parasol, fan, or what
ever has been deposited there 9n hour
OF two before.
My wife told me" continued Mr..
Weed, ''that must train my memory.
So when / came home that night, / 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 remember what had for breakfast
Finally l found could recall more.
Events came back to me more minutely
and more accurately. After q fortnight
or SO of this, Catherine said, Why don't
you tell it to me It would be interest
ing, and my interest in it would stimu-
late you. Then | began habit Of oral
as it we're, which / followed
for almost fifty years. Every night,
the last thing before retiring, told my
wife everything that | could recall that
had happened to me or about me during
the daY. I generally recalled the very
fishes had had for breakfast, dinner,
md tea the people / had seen, and
what they said; the editorials / had
written, and an abstract of them the |
letters / had sent and received, and the |
very language used as near as possible !;
xhen I had walked OF ridden--every-
hing, in short, that had come. within
NJ knowledge. I found / could say
NJ lesson better and better every year,
md instead Of growing irksome, if got
b be- pleasure to run the events Of the
lar in review. / am indebted to this
discipline for a memory Of somewhat
lnusual tenacity, and / recommend the |
practice to all who expect to have much |
b do with influencing men. Cores
of ST. Paul PioHeer-Pres