West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-07-30

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in the morning, and clear in the after
noon; there was littlc snow on the
ground. An uncle who lived near sold
horse-beaSt for thirtv-iive dollars
And so the conversation ran on for
hours, ranging over forty years Of NJ 70
| CARNEY personal history Nr. Hcnklc
tells us that if he went over some of
the dates again. after Il few DAYS in
terval. the answers. although given
| I'm different terms, were essentially the
same, showing distinctly that lac re-
membercd the facts, and not the W ords
previously used. ~ M'Cartnev'S memory
IS not confined TO dates and events: he
- rare calculator, can give the cube
| root TO such numbers rs 50, 3ig; or
! OIL, 49, &c; can repeat some two
! hundred and fifty hymns. and start
/ about two hundred tunes; has singu-
larry extensive and accurate knowl-
edge OF geography, and never forgets
the name of person he has once seen
or read of. With all this singular
! power of memory. however. he is not
man whose general grasp of mind i,
AT all noteworthy.
/ The same may be said Of scores of
men whose one rich Gift of memory
/ has brought them into prominence.
/ No one has claimed any high intcllec-
/ tnal rank for the renowned memory
/ COrncr Thompson. who drew from
actual memory, in twenty-five hours.
! al two sittingS, i'm the presence of two
T Well-hnown gentlemen. correct plan
/ OF the parish of 81. James, Westminster.
] win parts OF the parishes Of 81. Mary
lcbonc. ~. Ann and 81. Martin; which
| plan contained every square. street,
lane. court, alley, market. church.
/ chapel and all public buildings. with
all stables and other wards. and also
! every public-housc i'm the parish. and
/ the corners of all streets. with all
mlnutlT, aS pumps. posts, trees, houses
| that project and inject bow windows.
! Carlton House. 81. James Palace and
the interior of the markets, without
| scale or refcrcnc" to any plan. hook. or
| paper whatever: who undertook to do
the same for the parishes of 81. An
/ drew, Holburn. 81. Gilcs-im-thc Fields,
II. PauPS, Convent Garden. st.
Mary Strand. St Clements and
ST. George $; who could tell the corner
OF any great Leading throughfarc from
Hyde Park corner or Oxford street TO
81. Paul :; who could take an inycn-
tory of u gcnteman'> house from attic
TO ground floor and write it out after
wards. He did this at Lord Nelson $
at Merton. and at the Duke of Kent's,
III the presence of two noblemcn."
Turning, now, from examples like
the foregoing, which have been given
To show that great memory does not
atgu" in all cases any unusual mental
power in other directions. let us look
at some of the great people" whose
| great memories Illustrate the cor
RICHNESS Of Sir Arthur Helps dictum.
Running over long list of examples.
/ which the writer has prepared for his
own Use in the study of this sui iect. he
has been struck with the fact. that the
last three OF four centuries appear TO
much greater advantage i'm this review
than any similIrperiod which preceded
| them. This. after ALL is not surpris-
/ ing. when the circumstances OF mod
ern lie are carefully considered: but
1t j. not in accordance with common
| opinion There i notion a5road
that the power of memory has declined
/ since the invention of writing. and
/ especially since the invention of print
/ ing and the universal spread of cheap
. booN> and newspapers. Nothing could
be more mi>.a AIKEN than such "a sumo
sition. II we do not nowadays use the
/ memory a. the only registry of fact,
/ DRY even more than the an-irnts. for
/ the simple reason that our knowlcd ge
/ travels over W ummcdsurablv wider
area. We have NOR" TO remember. and.
/ a. civilization and culture advance. a
good memory becomes more and more
n"cdiui FOR the work of life the gener-
/ al level OF Intelligence j. being raised
/ and mental power j. developed from
/ age TO age. In this general advance
/ ment aud growth. memory has il,
/ share.
I The verbal memory displayed by the
. old t'rerk rh3p~odi-t~ and har1i>. or
the l"cIundic ~cald-. was undoubtedly
/ remarkable. and I~ often held up TO the
/ envy OF these generate DAYS. Yet
I the modern -Khan~. Koran
I hhJh~ and other singers aud
recitcrs of Persia vino will re-
/ cite for hours together without
/ -tammering, and th, Calmuck ma
/ tioual bard~. whose song, aud rrcita-
[ lions sometime, last whole dav.
/ can not surely be y whit behind. if i'm
/ deed they do not -urpa~, the prodioics
! OF early ages We are often reminded
/ pi Greek gentlemen who know their
/ Homer by heart. in the DAYS when Ho-
/ mer occapied the field almost alone and
I 90 i' was NcIN lllllf else 10 learn. But
7 what are their exploits by the side of
/ men like Joseph Justu, Scaiypr. who
committed Homer 10 memory i'm
twenty-One days, and the whole
. Greek poets in three mouth,?" Ca,au-
/ bon SAYS Of Ncsiigcr: There was no
subject ON which any ono could desire
/ instruction which hc wa. NOT capable
. Of giving. He had read nothing which
/ hc did not forthwith remember So
extensive and accurate was hi, ac-
/ quJintance with languages that If dur
ing bis lifetime hc had made but thi.
single acquisition it would have ape
pcared miraculous
Since the revival Of lcauiuo fen Eu-
rope fhcre have been scores. yea. hum
dreds OF scholar, who have known
. 'lhcir Homer Dy heart and thou
sand other thing besides Bishop
~aunder-Ou. old Isaac Walton tells
U.s. could repeat all lue Odc- of Hor-
ace, at fully Onicc-. and tho best
part II Juyana' and P.r-iu-. Euler.
The mathematician and L.iUuiI tine
philosopher could rccite the .Encid
from beginning tc rud. I'm their day.
Person. L.mIay. Prr and Wakefield.
hnId the foremost place as scholars. and
aIi Of course. had rare memories. but
the palm must ip Uiyfu r., p,r.,.u