Wichita eagle., 1889-10-12
WONDERFUL MEMORIES.
FEATS MORE REMARKABLE THAN
THAT OF SAMUEL j. TiLDEN.

THAT OF SAMUEL j. TILDEN.
A Stupid Freshman in Salem. Mas. Who
Could Recall the Weather Of Every Day
for Forty Years-Editor Blowitz's Great
Feat-scott's Artainments.
The story that the late Samuel ]. Tilden,
sitting on the lounge in the room in which the
coffin with the body Of HoraceJ Greeley was
then resting, recounted with the most minute
detail the scene at the deathbed Of every pres
ident and vice president of the United States,
with date and place in each case, has called
forth several other phenomenal displays Of
memory in recent times.
METEOROLOGICAL MAN.
Mr.. Hankle, writing in The Journal Of
Speculative Philosophy, mentions remark
able character he met in Salem, Mass, in 1862
by the name of Daniel Mccartney Mozart
ney was then 81 years old, or say in round
numbers 5000 days Substract from this
5000 days, the time which must have elapsed
before his mind was capable of taking intelli-
gent and lasting impressions, which would
bring him to about the age Of 8 years, and
we will still have almost 5000 days
When it is taken into consideration that
this parsonage could remember where he had
been, the state Of the weather and other
things Of minor importance for each day and
half day of these $4,000 days; dates covering
period of more than forty years, the feat
of Mr.. Hlden dwindles into insignificance.
Mr.. Heukle says that he verified the won
derful feats of this remarkable prodigy by
newspaper files and other records kept in the
city, and by hundreds Of other tests, and that
he would make affidavit to the effect that
McCartney's memory was never at fault in a
single instance.
At the time Mr. Henkle was experimenting
on this mans wonderful faculties, Mccartney
was employed on The Salem Republican.
One would naturally suppose that one so
abuno antly endowed with the mnemonic fac
atty would have brains enough to run half
dozen newspapers and have spare time to
write for a syndicate besides; but he did not.
He was not even the editor. On the con-
trary, they could make no use of him what
ever, except to turn the press twice week!
Tilden remembered the main features in
some forty-two events-events which occu-
pied but infnitesimal parts of days
Mccartney could remember all the occur
rences out of the ordinary which had hap
pened during the last Is, 600 consecutive days
Of his life.
OF persons now living, perhaps Blowitz,
one of the editors of The London Times, is
best provided with the faculty of memory.
Ever since he became connected with journal
ism he has borne the reputation of having
retentive qualities of mind far beyond the
ordinary.
For long time he was Paris correspond
emit for The Times, and during this time his
remarkable feats became the talk of the
French capital On the occasion Of NJ.
Theirs great speech at Versailles in 1878
both Delane, the managing editor Of The
Times, and Blowitz were present. After
the speech Mr. Delane remarked to the cor
respondent what pity it was that they had
not been prepared for taking down NJ.
Theirs most eloquent speech. Then, re-
marking that spilled milk could not be gath
cred up, he boarded the Northern train for
Calais. At that place he took passage on
a strait steamer and landed in Dover at day
light the next morning. Here he met the
morning express with papers from London.
On picking up copy Of The Times, he said
afterward, he was almost overcome with
surprise at finding the speech he had listened
to the night before. word for word, as it had
been delivered by the Frenchman. Delane
telegraphed at once to Blowitz for an expla-
nation, and received two word reply:
"From memory"
GREAT MEN WITH GREAT MEMORIES.
Leonard Euler, the great Eighteenth CEN
fury mathematician, could repeat from mem
DRY the whole of Virgil's Eneid and could
remember the first and last lines of every
page of the edition which he usually read.
During the last years Of Euler's life he was
totally blind and consoled himself, as many
other great readers have done, by rehearsing
verses by the hour, generally those Of either
Homer or Virgil, two authors for whom he
had especial respect
Sir Walter SCOTS attachments in that d.
rection were scarcely less remarkable After
Campbell had finished the well known lines
entitled ''Lochiels Warming he called on Sir
Walter to get hts opinion Of the verses II
read it to him in manuscript" said Campbell
to Carruthers the lecturer. "He then asked
to read It over himself, which he did slowly
and distinctly, after which he handed me the
manuscript, saying, Take care Of your copy
right; l have your poem by heart
This was certainly a feat out of the ordin-
airy, but not to be compared with the efforts
of the young lawyer mentioned by Muretus.
However one could justly pride himself upon
the consumD,ation of such a task, as the poem
contains lightweight long lines To prove to
Campbell that his assertion was no idle
boast Sc tt forthwith repeated the poem,
with the omission Of but single word; in
place of which he supplied splendid substi-
tuition.
GaSendi, the French mathematician, pro-
nounced by Bayie the greatest philosopher
among scholars and the greatest scholar
among philosophers, had, at the age Of IL, 50
thoroughly mastered 5000 Latin verses as 10
be able to repeat them backward or forward
with perfect ease. After he had grown to
manhood he daily exercised his memory by
repeating from 600 to 1000 We from ali
the European languages.
Cardinal Mezzofanti, the remarkable lin
guist of the Eighteenth century, the same per-
sonage referred to by Lord Byron when be
said: II know a walking polyglot, a monster
of languages and Briareus Of parts Of
speech is said TO have been able to use every
word of any considerable Importance in over
one hundred languages and TO have been
able to carry on conversation in forty or
fifty others II never" he once declared,
forgot single word once learned, OF a sin
gle face or thing once seen" He was lit
erary, scientific and critical scholar, remark
able In many respects without his miracu-
lous linguistic scquiremeuts-Nsw York
News