Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-06-09
THE ART OF FORGETTING.
A Tenacious Memory Not an InmiHcd
-Chtldrrn's Education.

A Tenacious Memory Not an tnmiHcd
blessing -ChiIdrcn's Educati"n
II WAS a wise old fellow, the Roman
emperor, or some other historical person
AGE. that told the philosopher who offered
To teach him nn infallihle art Of remember
ing. NO. | don't want anything Of the
kind. remember too much n II Is hut
will give you untold gold If you will teach
me how to forget" The fact Is, the
praises If "A tenacious memory as an un
mixed blessing have been fairly run int"
the ground Teachers in the public
schools are forever sounding them. They
think that the only faults of the children
are that they forget too early, forget the
multiplication table, forget their whip
pings and So require new ones as re
mindcrs II is mercy often that they
do. or their little overcrowded minds
would become mere lumber rooms of
miscellaneous odds and ends
The simple truth is that II Is Of great
advantage to hr able tn remember some
things and an unspcakahle boon to be able
To forget others But, who sets seriously
to work Ia teach himself and to teach
others how to forget The grudge that
rankles in the mind, the modification
that stingS and humiliates, The loss that
depresses the whole vitality, or the be
reavement that haUnts the brightest sun
shine and turns il into gloom these are
the acids and CauStCS that are eating into
the minds of thousands all around, and
the root OF their hold is persistent, ever
recurring memory. Very little, compare
lively, is it TO the soldier in battle when he
first gets wounded He bears the thing
with heroism in its early days or months.
No, it is that the old wound will continue
tu ache that they become a living, organ
lied memory Of the flesh. part ana parcel
of himself, and that Is all he can do to alb
sOrb himself enough in work. study. and
thank kfulnrss that he did his duty. to
get times of relief from thinking about
them.
The very beginning Of a true education
of children lies in encouraging them t"
turn away quickly and bravely from
dwelling on their little pains, mortiiiCa
tiOns and wrongs, and from suffering
these to become magnified 10y imagination
till they intensity ali the seuslhIllties to "A
morbid point. The earlier such habit is
formed, the better augury for the future
of any one. \ine-tenthS of the effective
force of many people are lost through the
depressing influence of their rooted mem
OrieS of pain and grief. and nothing short
of vigorous and repeated acts of will t.
throw themselves into stimulating rela
tons with nature, society, books, public
service and religious faith. will effect their
deliveranCe through the blessed relief OF
fOrgetfulucSs To preserve elasticity of
mind and power of enjoying ne bright and
good things Of the world. through all the
wounds and hurts that aSSaIl poor human
ity, is at once the hardest and the highest
Of human feats.-BOstOn Herald.
Dan Rice and thr Rowdies
Said the old circus man: Did you ever
hear how Dan Rice got square with the
Troy thugs Well. I'll tell you:
Troy has yet the reputation of being the
toughest town in New York state. and
twenty years ago it was "A terror. Well
Dan Rice's show was mOhbed there one
night. and the Circusmcn We're all quite
roughly handled The next day Dan tele
yraphed TO his lvanCe agent Ia go back
and bill Troy, as the show would 20 back
there again. When the Troy rUwdies saw
the return Of the show announced they
smiled Grimly, and promised to demolish
il entirely this time. In the meantime
Dan went TO New York and engaged LOO
>luggers, regular short haired bruteS. who
would rather fight than eat. He brought
hem to Troy with the show. In the even
ing the tent was filled but there wasn't
single lady IN the entire audience. Dan
mad his 100 pugiliStS scattered through the
audience, and had the canvaSmen ready
to jump in at the word. Well, the show
went along all right until Dan was in the
ring doing his famous act with his blind
horse There was something thrown into
the ring by one Of the spectators. That
was enough Dan yelled Hay, Ruhe'
and thoss IoU pugilists began their work
in royal style. 'Bif, bang" went their
pOnderOus blows right and left, and you
could see men falling in all directions
The circusmen were soon into the melee.
and how they did pulverize the Troy
toughs II was four or five years before
the bad men of Troy ever tackeled another
circus milwaukee Sentinel