The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1886-11-29
Wonders Of Memory

orles, as Sir Arthur Helps declares
in his delightful book entitled "Social
Pressure" it by no means follows
that all those possessed OF great mem
cries are great people. Many an in
stance might be cited to show that
men OF very moderate intellectual ca
pacity may be endowed with a power
OF memory which is truly prodigious.
In addition to this there are plenty Of
well authenticated examples OF the ex'
traordinary power ofmemory display
ed even by idiots. In the memoirs Of
Mrs. Somervile there is a curious &C
count OF most extraordinary verbal
memory. "There was an idiot in Ed
inburgh, she tells us, "of respectable
family who had a remarkable memory.
lie never failed to 60 to kirk Sunday,
and on returning home could re-
peat the sermon, saying "Hera
the minister coughed; here he stop
ped to blow his nose" During the
tour we made in the Highlands"
she adds, 1--WE met with another idiot
who knew the bible so perfectly that
if you asked him where such a verse
was to be found he could tell without
hesitation and repeat the chapter"
These examples are sufficiently re.
markable; but what shall be said Of
the case cited by Archdeacon Fearon
in his valuable pamphlet 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
repeat with unvarying accuracy the
name and age OF the deceased, with
the mourners at the funeral. But he
was complete fool. Out OF the line
OF burials, he had not one idea, and
could not give an ineligible reply to
a single question, nor be trusted t.
feed himself"
These phenomenal instances may
be matched by the Sussex farm-labor.
er George Watson, as We find recorded
in Homes "Table Book" Watson
could neither read nor write, yet he
was wont to perform wondrous feats
OF mental calculation, and his mem.
DRY for events seemed to be almost
faultless. "But the most extraordi.
nary circumstance, says Hone, 'is
the power he possesses OF recollectina
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 it, and also mentions where he
was and what was the state OF the
weather. A gentleman who had kept
diary put many questions to him.
and his answers were invariably cor
rect"
OF n similar kind Is the memory foi
which Daniel Mccartney has become
famous in the United States. The
strange story OF this mans achieve
ments is told by Mr.. Henkle in the
Journal OF Speculative Philosophy.
Mccartney, in 1869, declared that he
could remember the day OF the week
for any date from January, 1927
that is, from the time he was nine
years and four months old-forty two
and half years. He has often been
tested, and, so far as Mr.. Henkles
account goes, had not failed to tell his
questioner what day it was, and to
give some information about the
weather, and about his own where
sbouts and doings on any one of tho
Is, 900 or more dates that might be
When Mr.. Henkle first
met this man OF marvellous mem.
DRY he was employed in the OF
flee of Hon. r.. X. Rukendrod,
editor OF the Salem Republican, where
better could be found for Nc.
Cartney to do than turn the wheel oil
the printing press two days OF each
week. On the first formal examina-
ton this man underwent, his answers
were tested by reference to the file OF
which gave the day OF the
week along with the date. In one case
his statement was disputed, for the
day he named was not the same as
that given by the paper; but on fur.
ther inquiry it was found that the
was wrong, for the printer
had made q mistake. Short hand
notes OF the conversation were taken
at subsequent interviews. The report
Of these is very curious reading. Take
the following as a samples
Observation-Disclosures 8, 1928? An
,wer lin two seconds "Wednesday. II
was cloudy and drizzled rain; 1 car
ned dinner to my father where he was
getting out coal. Question-February
81, 1929? Answer(in two seconds)-
1t was cloudy in the morn.