The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1889-01-11
TRAINING THE MEMORY.
How To widen tn. Realm Of the Posslbl.
ia Practical knowledge.

How To widen tn. Realm OF the Possible
ia Practical knowledge.
IL Is true in a sense that memory Is
a gift. IL Is just as true that IL Is ac-
quired. The memories Of Wallis, Ma
poleon and Shakespeare may be ac-
counted for on the ground Of special
natural endowmsnt. Yet even these
marvellous natural memories were bet
ter because Of the use which their
owners made OF them. Music also is
"A gift which In some measure is pre-
sented % every human being. Few are
endowed with the genius Of Wagner
or "a Mcndelssohn; but small indeed,
must be the natural gift OF the person
who IL unable 20 carry "Old Hundred"
or Yankee Doodle" The charge OF
inability % sing or remember lies not
$50 often al the door Of nature as at the
door Of incXcusable neglect. Good mem
ories should be the result Of proper
use and consequent development Of
moderate natural power. Surely
here is opportunity for the much
needed plea in behalf Of memory
training. No one need be alarmed
by the fear 81 oycrdeyelopment
Of this particular faculty 10 the exclu-
sion Of others Of equal Importance.
The proper training OF memory nee
cssarily involves the development OF
mind as such, for it brings into use
the laws by which all mind really
acts Some one asks about the mem
ory OF the ancient and the savage.
These had no system. and yet their
memory is prOverbial. This is quite
true. The ancicnts, as rule, did
possess good memories. Poems con-
tanning thousands OF ykrses were hand
al down in memory through many
generations The Indian says "God
gave TIE white man note book be-
cause he knew he could not remem-
ber." Now, there is more than one
explanation for these exceptional
memories. One reason lies in the
fact that fewer things occupied the
mind. Neither the ancient nor the
savage busted himself about so many
things in week as the average
modern thinks OF in "A day. One inn
portant principle in remembering Is
10 think Of but two things at once,
while the majority Of persons in
these days seem to find it necessary to
think Of about twenty things at "A time.
1t is true, moreover, that many OF the
helps OF to-day are injurious TO the
memory. Our forcfathers knew the
Bible by heart. We refer TO the con-
cordance when we wish TO find pas
sage Of Scripture. The Indian does not
recognize the fact that the pencil and
the notebook are largely responsible
for the white mans poor memory. No
uncompromising warfare is declared
against the notebook. Ithas its place,
but it is used entirely too much out Of
its place. We should write TO impress,
not to remember Napoleon, we arc
told, wrote on IA snip of paper the name
he wished TO remember and then threw
the paper away He wrote to get the
impression through eye and hand, as
well as through ear. He threw the
paper away SO that his memory would
be given the responsibility of repro
duction. Memory is rightly jealous of
distrust, and she feels sighted when
the notebook is resorted TO i'm the most
trivial affairs. Memory the queen, yet
our servant il we will. has been too
long displaced by notebooks, alarm
clocks, and various other mechanical
contrvanccs We must ask her par
don. We must ass ire her that there
has been no malice in our hearts. We
must take her into our confidence,
treat her properly. and she will be
true TO US. The great secret Of strength
of memory in the savage and the
ancient lay in the use of the faculty.
This was not an intelligent use. 1t
was "A necessary use. II you had asked
him how he remembered he would not
have been able TO tell you. We should
use our minds intelligcntly. The realm
Of the possible in knowledge is con-
tinually widening, The realm Of the
possible in memory culture is surely
equal to the realm of the real in the
past. 1t is believed to be vastly more
extensive. Prof VtiJcu " White, m
CidUtdUQUdR.