Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1889-02-07
MEN WITH QUICK MINDS.
They Find It Pays to Possess a
Good Memory.
Women Who Are Just ms Kecn-Minded
as Men = Training the Memory
Notable Instances That Are
on Record.

a "I don't rememberr' tIfIH.
n There are few exclamations more
often made by ordinary persons than
this one.
!" The business OF calculating and OF
'le training the memory is now being
o' carried on in New York by large
AZ number Of persons, who are positively
coming money from their profession.
~ There are several professors In New
2 York overrun with pupils who wish TO
Nd improve defective memories and who
: are willing to pay the person who will
supply the method Each OF these
q professors has system OF his own,
G and each Of them savagely insist that
IN his is the only sure system.
!, Phil Armour, the great Chicago pork
packer. is said TO have remarked that
good memory Is necessary 10 one
"a who wishes TO succeed. This Is, per-
haps, atrifle strong and yet there is
no lack OF evidence to support the
statement Armour himself, Is an ex-
~ ample OF what good memory can do.
et He is as wonderful in his time as Car
dinal Mezzofanh was Ia his. He Is
said 10 carry the smallest detail OF his
immense business in his head. He
d can remember the date as well as the
4 \ sum OF small business transactions.
He knows the names OF pretty nearly
all OF his army Of employees. After the
q building Of the addition TO his great
establishment in Chicago he aston
] ished circle OF friends by rattling Of
hand the number Of bricks. carloads
'p OF sand. feet OF timber, etc, etc, that
u were used In the construction. Ar
mour's gift is q natural one. He has
never cultivated IT, but the demands
Of his business have unquestionably
= kept his powers Of memory in active
10 training.
IN "Old Hutch" as the imperturbable
n, Chicago wheat manipulation is called,
is another man gifted with an extraor-
~ dinary memory. He needs no books
~ 10 carry his transactions In. although,
e, OF course, he uses them. With him,
too, retentiveness is a natural gift. He
remembers every thing that he wants
to remember. but says frankly he
bs doesn't know how he does IT, He also
,s possesses the gift of not remembering
things he does not wish TO remember
= But then that gift is not rare.
In another line OF business is John
n Stetson. the famous theatrical man
= ager Many funny stories are told at
the expense OF the bluff Bostonian,
but that he Is one OF the most success
u ful men in his line Of business can not
L be disputed He runs a newspaper
unH ult hua T..
atrical companies on his hands, and
there is no one who can quicker tell
good thing when he sees Il, or make
\ better use OF It than John Stetson. II
Is said that II he were to burn his
books he could carry on his business
without them. This Is too much 10 be-
lieve, OF course. but certainly 1t Is true
that pretty nearly every detail OF his
business is carried in his memory, and
that he is able TO carry II is sometimes
OF vast assistance TO him.
The professional memory men say
that among public men and speakers
for good all-round retentiveness Hon.
James G. Blaine leads all the rest for
he can not only remember dates,
figures and authorities when debating,
but In addition he has faculty for re-
membering names Rnd faces that Is
little short OF marvellous, and many
are the stories told Of his exploits in
this line.
In the domain OF figures Samuel j.
Randall, when we'll. stood almost pro-
minent His long service on those
committees in Congress that controlled
tho finances OF the nation gave him an
immense knowledge OF such matters,
which he retained without an effort
II was no uncommon thing for him TO
make long speeches without using
notes. He handled figures running at
one time into millions Of dollars and
then into fractions Of a cent without
tripping. as most men. however able,
would have done. II was the same
faculty that made Gladstone SO sue
cessful Chancellor Of the English
Exchequer.
Roscoe Conkling was q man OF won
derful memory. Whether dealing in
figures, in legal argument, or quoting
from the early English poets. he called
forth seemingly without effort and
without previous thought the right
thing at the right time.
Congressman Sam Cox has also
remarkable memory, especially for
things literary. and this has stood him
In good stead In debate in Congress.
Tor his opponents never know when |
the genial jester is about TO double
them up with something fro n /
Shakespeare the Koran, Bobby Burns, |
the Bible o. some old hymn-bool. II
Is his memory and his wise study that
enable him 10 successfully compete In |
running impromptu debate. II is
charged that his memory trips some
times IN The fishery debate last win
tor be ran In this queer verse;
70 monsters Of TIE brny deep,
Your Masters name uprniso;
Up from the sands 20 codlngs creep.
And rag your taii always
Some one Interested in the verse
looked Il up 9qd found il IN an old |
Engllsh hymn book. but insisted that
tllo following was the coprect copyi
Ye monsters OF he prlng deep r.
.I... 80 -.