The Progress., 1889-02-16

the Bible or some old hymn book. It
is his memory and his wise study that
enable him to successfully compete il
a running impromptu debate. It is
charged that his memory trips some
times. In the fishery debate last win
ter he ran in this queer verse:
Ye monsters OF the briny deep,
Your Masters name upraise;
Up from the sands ye codlings creep,
And wag your tail always.
| Some one interested in the verse
| looked itup and found it in an old
English hymn-book, but insisted that
the following was the correct copy:
Ye monsters of the briny deep,
! Your Masters praises shout,
Up from the sands ye codlings Creep
And wag your tails about!
There was a row over it, and which
was the best and most correct version
has not been settled. So Cox's memo
ry may have been all right.
Chauncey NJ. Depew has retentive
mind. Bourke Cochran surprised
even the staid judge of the court Of
appeals by the glibness with which he
ratified off former decisions and argu-
ments when arguing in the Jacob
Sharp case, and almost without notes
and at comparatively short notice. Jo-
seph II. Choate, ex-Attorney-G General
Russell, Elihu Root, John E. Parsons
are other lawyers who possess wonder
full memories that have been improved
by constant training.
Henry George can quote political
economy of the past and present by
the yard without reference to their
books, and his one-time friend, DR..
McGlynn, has an almost equally good
memory. DIR. Talmage goes around
continually with few sermons, a
lecture or two, and probably mag
azine article in his head; but his men,
ory is such that he stores each away
in some subdivision, and they come out
all right.
These mon frankly admit that good
memory is invaluable.
Among actors a retentive memory
IS necessary or ''good study as
the veteran assistant secretary of the
Actors Fund, Ben Baker, has it. But
it is not so necessary now in the time
OF combination, when the same COM
paly plays the same piece for q sea-
son. In the old days of stock COM
panies when it was common to pre-
sent farce, a comedy and a tragedy
all In one night, and to change the
bill nightly, q good memory was an
absolute necessity. No actor can sue
ceed without it, for it is no uncommon
thing for play to be put on at few
hours notice.
Lester Wallack, in his recollections
OF the stage, attributes much of his
success to the fact that he possessed a
remarkable memory.
Il. l.. Davenport had a marvellous
degree of retentiveness and Fanny
Davenport has inherited the gift.
John r. Swift, who, after Forrest, was
the greatest Rolla who ever trod the
boards, possessed the same faculty;
so did John Henderson, one of tho
favorite tragedians of the Old BoWery;
SO did William E. Burton, the great
comedian; and so did John Mccullough
before his memory gave way, ard So
did Frank Barry, who is still above,
but who has fallen out of sight Of
theater goers. OF the actors still on
the boards, nearly all those who we're
trained in the old school have care
fully trained memories capable of obey
ing any reasonable call upon them.
Edwin Booth was known as a great
study, but as he now plays the same
parts continuously he has no need to
exercise his ability in this direction.
His partner, Lawrence Barrett, enjoys
the same reputation. So does that
old-time tragedienne. Mrs D. P.
Bowers; SO does that veteran, T. B.
Studley, who has played every thing
from Rolla to melodrama; SO has,
Mary Anderson. So have John Gill
bert, Miles Levick, Mrs. John .Hoey.
j. II. Stoddart, Mrs. John Drew
whose Mrs. Malaprop is even now de.
lighting our public. Joe Jefferson
was in his day called a great study
by his fellow actors, and Dion Bouci-
cault had a similar. reputation. There
are any number OF younger actors who
possess the same faculty that was so
useful to the older members Of their
profession. but they are not called
upon to exercise it, owing to the long
runs Of plays, which give them ample
opportunities to prepare for a new
play before they are through with the
old.
In almost every walk in life a good
i memory is valuable. There is a head
waiter in an uptown hotel who can
carry a score of complicated orders in
his head at one time, and he has never &
been known to make mistake in car
rying them into execution. There is
laundryman in Brooklyn, a Scotch
man, who does a large business, and
who has never adopted the check sys-
tenn in vogue with Chinese laundry.
men. He relies entirely upon his
memory, and yet makes no mistakes.
He claims to have no private mark,
| a NO eorsr, I,