The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-01-18
THE HUMAN MEMORY.
EXTENT TO WHICH 1T MAY BE CUL-
TIVATEO AND STRENGTHENED.


OF Witnesses-The Actor and His Lines
quick Studies.
There is one fact perfectly well estab-
hshed about the memory now, and that is
mat more than any other faculty of the
mind it may be cultivated, strengthened
and improved. 1t stands absolutely alone
IN this respect The imaginative faculty.
the reassuring powers, indeed all the nat
uEal operations of the mind may be devel-
OPed; but the memory, properly trained,
accomplishes marvels, and, like Jacks
beanstalk grows to the skies in single
night, or at least within a very short pc
Rod of time. Indeed you may plant the
seed and raise the flower. Cases stand on
record where men and women have started
with no memory at all, with positive in
ability to recall past events, names, figures,
dates, etc, and have educated themselves
to do all this with prOmptness and GER
tainty. And this much cannot be said for
any other of our mental possessions.
AS an illustration of the clOseness with
which lawyers study the human memory,
the writer remembers being very much
impressed one day, several years ago, with
some comments made by the late Francis
Bangs ON the testimony of a witness
whom he had examined the previous day
in the course of a well known case which
marvelously keen and rapid questioner
on cross examinations and he had tripped
up the witness referred to so that he had
contradicted himself fatty. The point
had no particular bearing on the case, but
the unexpected withdrawal by the witness
OF a statement which he had previously
made and reiterated with peculiar posi-
Eveness tended to affect his credibility.
"And yet said the lawyer, speaking
Of the circumstance, ''the man was all
right, think. Bad as the thing looked,
and his whole testimony was undoubtedly
clouded by the contradiction, believe he
was honest in his first misstatement. 1
have been absolutely amazed more than
once by the persistency with which wit
nesses often declare that they have done
things which they have never done, and
they do not get the thing straight until
questions under cross examination call up
some association of ideas or actually de-
monStrate to them that what they say is
impossible. And then they take it all
back. If witness Of this kind is on the
other side don't mind, but if the witness
belongs to me it makes me feel pretty
ugly
QUESTIONING A WITNESS.
It is the readiness of memory in law
yer which makes him an adept at cross
examination. 1t is his skill in this direc-
tion which enables him to yoke the an
ewer just given with the answer of an
hour before and probe the witness as to it's
inconsistency. And it behooves the man
of law, therefore, to cultivate his memory,
Just as it would appear to be the wisest
move on the part of the modern alder
manic witness to cultivate his forgetful-
ness. But this is only an appearance. It
Is only the witness who remembers well
and is able to recall the circumstances
wildly about which he is questioned, and
can adjust their relative Importance, who
can forget with any success. The non mi
ricordo man, who forgets everything, Or
clumsily is soon tripped up.
The actor would seem to have more use
for his memory than the men and women
of other professions. He is compelled not
only to remember ideas but exact words,
and when his task on a single production
Is multiplied by the number in which he
takes part during his career, the results
which he achieves appear almost incred-
ible, and it Is obvious that no such task
Is made on the actors memory now in
these days Of combination and indefinite
repetition Of parts as was made in the days |
OF stock companies, when programmes
were in constant condition of rearrange-
ment and the bringing forward of new |
play was almost a nightly occurrence.
Then parts were studied over night or at |
the best within few days. And two or
three rehearsals were considered sufficient |
n the way Of preparation. Under such |
circumstances the actor was constantly |
called upon for feats OF memory.
A THOUSAND PARTS.
EST have no Doubt said an old actor
Ohe other day to the writer, shat many |
OF the players Of thirty or forty years ago.
who made the profession their life work, |
learned during their career as many as
1000 parts. / have learned / 900 parts
myself, and became identified with runs,
as they are called now, very early in my
career. Take, for instance, the case of
player In a stock company in st. Louis or
pittsburg, when 1t was the custom of the
star to travel and find a different support
ing company waiting for him in each diff
ferent city he visited. I tell you the sup
porting company had to do some tall
memorizing. 1t was no unusual thing |
for Forrest to change his bill every night
Those were the times that a man had to
have quick study or he was not much
use in the profession. Twenty lengths
were nothing to him"
tsHow much is a length?''
ga length is forty lines. 1t is the meas
ure by which the theatrical copyist was
paid, and is still paid, because the type
writer is not tolerated in any good stock
theatre. The copying of plays and parts
is one of the perquisites of the prompter.
The copying of play by an old copyist is
q matter of $25. But then the book was
perfectly marked, so that if stage mana
ger took it up he could rehearse from it at
once without having to devise exits and
entrances and stage business as he pro-
ceeded. These type written copies of
plays, costing So or $40, are mere tran
scripts of the dialogue. When they are
finished and tied with blue ribbons they
are only half done. But outside of the
desire among old managers to cherish good
old theatrical customs, the copying of
plays is left to the theatre because under
such arrangement no copy of valuable
can possibly get into the hands
of pirates. 1t has been since the introduce
ZION of the tYpe writer that stolen and