The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1886-10-17
WONDERS OFF MAMoRY.
Men Whose Powers Have Been In One
Respect Phenomenal.

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If "all great people have great memoir
les" as Sir Arthur Helps declares in his
delightful book entitled "Social Pressure"
it by ne means follows that all those who
are possessed of great memories are great
people" Many an instance might be
cited to show that men of very moderate
intellectual capacity may be endowed
with power of memory which is truly
prodigious. In addition TO this, there are
plenty Of well-authenticated examples of
the extraordinary power of memory dis
played even by idiots. In the memoirs
of Mrs. Somerville there is curious ac-
count of most extraordinary verbal
memory. ''There was an idiot in Edn-
burg" she tells us, s'of respectable FAM
lily who had remarkable memory. He
never failed to go to the kirk Sunday,
and on returning home could repeat the
sermon. saying, here the minister cough
ed; here he stopped to blow his nose
During the tour we made in the High
lands" she adds, 1--WE met with another
idiot who knew tie Bible so perfectly
that if you asked him where such a verse
was to be found he ,uld tell without
hesitation and repeat the chapter" These
examples are sufficiently remarkable; but
what shall be said of the case cited by
Arcbdeacon Fearon in his valuable pam
phlet on "Mental Vigor?" There was in
my fathers parish, says the Archdeacon,
"a man who could remember the day
when every person had been buried in the
parish for thirty-five years. and could re-
peat with unvaryng accuracy the name
aud age OF the deceased, with the mourn
ers at the funeral. But he was COM
plete fool Out of the line of burials he
had but one idea, and could not give an
Ineligible reply to single question, nor
be trusted to feed himself"
These phenomenal instances may be
matched by the Sussex farm-laborer,
George Watson, as we find recorded in
Homes Table Book" Watson could
neither read nor write, yet be was wont
to perform wondrous feats of mental CAL
culation, and his memory of events seem
ed TO be almost faultless. 'sBut the most
extraordinary circumstance, says Hone,
sis the power he possesses of recolecting
the events of every day from an early
period of his life. Upon being asked
what day of the week given day of the
month occurred he Immediately names 1t,
and also mentioned where he was and
what was the state of The weather. A
gentleman who had kept diary put many
questions to him, and bis answers we're
invariably correct"
OF similar kind is the memory for
which Daniel Mccartney has become fa-
nous in the United States. The strange
story of this mans achievements is told
by Mr.. Henkle in the journal of Speculative
Philosophy Mccartney, ia 1859, declared
that he could remember the day of the
week for any date from January, 1927
that is, from the time he was years and
months old--484 years. He has often
been tested, and, so far as Mr. Henkle's
account goes, had not failed TO tell his
questioner what day 1t was, and to give
some information about the weather and
about his own whereab bouts and doings on
any one OF the $4,000 or more dates that
might be named. When Mr.. Henkle first
met this man of marvellous memory he
was employed in the Office of the Hon. T.
K. Rukenbrod, editor of the Salem Rep,lb-
lican, wien nothing better could be found
for Mccartney to do than turn the wheel
of The printing press two days OF each
week" On the first formal examination
this man underwent, his answers we're
tested by references to the file OF news
paper which gave the day Of the week
along with the date. Iu one case his
statement was disputed, for the day lie
named was not the Same az that given by
the paper; but on further inquiry it WAS
found that the newspaper was wrong. for
the printer he'd made mistake. Short-
hand notes 0f the conversation were taken
at subsequent interviews. The report OF
tAeps are vssy eErieas reading. Take ths