The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-03-07
VALUE OF A GOOD MEMORY.
Men and Women Who Never Forget
a Face or Fact.
philadelphia Times.l

philadelphia I1mes.J
Phil Armour, the great Chicago pork pack
er, is said to have remarked that good
memory is necessary to one who wishes to
succeed. There is no lack of evidence to
support the statement Armour himself
is an example of whata good memory can
do.
He is as wonderful in his time as Cardinal
Mezzofanti was ia his He is said to carry
the smallest detail Of his immense business
in his head. He can remember the date of
even small business transactions. He
knows the names of pretty nearly all of his
army of employees, After the building of the
addition to his great establishment in Chi
cago he astonished circle of friends by
rafting off hand the number of bricks, car
loads of sand. feet of timber, ETC., that were
used in the construction. Armour's gift is a
natural one He has never cultivated 1t, but
the demands of his business have unques-
tionaely kept his powers of memory in
active training.
"0ld HUTCH" as the imperturbable Chi
cago wheat manipulation is called, is another
man gifted with an extraordinary memory.
He needs no books to carry his transactions
In, although, of course, he uses them. With
him, too, retentiveness is a natural gift. He
remembers everything that he wants to re-
member, but says frankly he doesn't know
how he does IL. He also possesses the gift
Of not remembering things he does not
wish to remember. But then that gift is not
rare.
The professional memory men say that
among public men anb speakers for good all
round rctentiveness James G. Blaine leads
all the rest, for he can not only remember
dates, figures and authorities when debating,
but In addition has faculty for remember
ing names and faces that is little short of the
marvellous, and many are tho stories told of
his exploits in his line.
In the domain of figures Samuel J. Ran
dali, when well, stood almost prominent.
His long control of the finances of the nation
gave him an immense knowledge of such
matters. which he retained without an effort.
IL was no uncommon thing for him to
make long speeches without using notes. He
juggled figures running at one time into mil
lions OF dollars and then into fractions of a
cent without tripping as most men, however
able would have done. 1t was the same fac
ulty that made Gladstone so successful a
chancellor of the English exchequer.
Roscoe Conkling was a man of wonderful
memory. Whether dealing in figures 10 legal
argument or quoting from the early English
poets, be called seemingly without effort and
without previous thought the right thing at
the right time.
Congressman Sam Cox has also remark
able memory, especially for things literary,
and this has stood him in good stead in de-
bate in Congress, for his opponents never
know when the genial jester is not about to
double them up with something from Shakes
peare. the Koran, Burns, the Bible or some
old hymn book. 1t is to his memory alone
1t is due, and OF course his wise study, that
he is able to do this in running impromptu
debate.
Among actors retentiye memory or a
good study" is, of course. important. But
it is not so necessary now in the time of COM
bination, when the same company plays the
same piece for season. In the old days of
stock companies 1t was common to present a
farce, a comedy and tragedy all in one
night, and to change the bill nightly "a good
memory was an absolute necessity. No actor
can succeed without it, for ii was no uncom-
mon think for play to be put on at a
few hours notice. Lester Wallock, in his
recollections of the stage, attributes much of
his success to the fact that he possessed a
remarkable memory.
Edwin Forrest was wonder in his prime.
He would read over page of book and at
once recite 1t off hand; He did it frequently
ior amusement as well as practice. In his
The elder Booth studied everything and re-
membered everything that he studied. The
only language that he was unable to conquer
was Russian. The great actor did learn
French French Wen enough to play in the French
time in 1851, and to do it in French, too.
Thomas l.. Hamhlin, who in his time
played anything from farce to tragedy; John
Brougham, happy John Drew, j. w. Wallack
q. l. Fox, who thought nothing of PLAYING
three or four parts in the course of a night
and at short notice. too; Mrs. Shaw, after
ward Mrs. Hamblin. and host of others
were also renowned for their memories. e.
l.. Davenport had marvellous degree OF
retentiyeness, and Fanny Davenport has in
herited the gift
OF the actors still on the boards nearly all
those who were trained in the old school
have carefully trained memories, capable of
obeying any reasonable call upon them.
Edwin Booth was known as great
study" but as he now plays the same parts
continuously he has no need to exercise bis
ability in this direction. His partner, Law
renee Barrett, enjoys the same reputation.
SO does that old time tragedienBe, Mrs. ID.
L. Bowers so does that veteran, j. b. Stud
ley, who has played everything from Rolla to
melodrama; SO has Mary Anderson. So
have John Gilbert. Mines Levick, j. HI.
Stoddard. Mrs. John Drew, Joe jefferson
was in his day called great study" by his
fellow actors, and Dion Boucicault had a
similar reputation.
There are any number of the younger
actors who possess the same faculty that was
so useful to the older members of their pro-
fessl0n, but they are not called upon to ex-
ercise it, owing to the long runs of plays,
which gives them ample opportunities to
prepare for new play before they are
through with the old.