Los Angeles herald., 1890-07-07
EVERYBODY FORGETS
But Some Are Very Much
Worse Than Others.
What People Abandon on Rail
way Trains.
Articles that Trainmen Pick Up
Every Day..
The Tricks Which Defective Memory
Plays-Why valuables Are For
gotten.

A certain young gallant of Verona
named Romeo, is reported by good
authority, as having cried out on one
occasion: ''Teach me. to forget to
think" AS he was much in love at the
time this particular utterance may per-
haps be accounted for on the grounds
that he was hardly responsible for any
thing that he said or did. Certainly it
is the prayer of most people that they
may be taught to remember to think.
There are professors of a half-science
called mnemonics, who have large
classes of pupils receiving instructions in
the art of keeping their wits about them.
The only reason why the professors are
not completely overwhelmed with busi-
ness, is that people in general are not
inclined to believe that memory can
be taught in any such fashion.
There is perhaps no better example of
the infinite capacity which the public
possesses of forgetting things than in an
exhibit OF the articles left in railway
trains. Scarcely train comes into this
city and is sent to the yard empty of
passengers, but the men whose business
it is to sweep out and clean up find some
article of value left in the cars and often
the train arrays very liberal supply of
neglected possessions. The roads are
scrupulously careful in securing as far as
possible the return of the lost goods.
They are taken to headquarters and
carefully stored away until such a time
as they may be called for. The articles
run all the way from cheap books up to
babies, and they are left by all sorts of
people from the most reckless school
girl to the most systematic man of busi-
ness.
On the eastern roads the article most
commonly forgotten is the umbrella.
Here during certain seasons of the year
a fairly good crop of these is gathered in,
but in the year as whole the parasol
and cane carries off the honors in point
of quantity. AS many more parasols
than canes are secured, it would appear
either that women forget more readily
than men, or else that they have more
important matters to think of.
Next in order come valises and vari-
GUS articles of wearing apparel. A
valise is so intimately connected with
the occupation of travelling that it is
strange anyone could forget it. They
are almost always Immediately recov-
cred as their absence is noted before any
length of time has passed. The reason
why many articles which are left in the
cars are never called for by their owners
evidently is that when several days after
tthe loss the owner wakes up to the fact
that the thing in question is gone, he is
unable to remember when he had it
last, and the trip on the cars
does not come into his calculations.
There are people,, moreover, that are
afflicted with something worse than
disposition to forget; they have a per-
verse form of imagination which delib-
erately usurps the place of memory.
For example a man leaves his overcoat
in a sleeping car. Three days afterward
when the weather turns chilly he looks
in his closet for the needed garment. 1t
is not there and he begins to speculate
on where it can be. Perhaps he will
remember that he had it on the train
but will also seem to recollect that he
put it on as he prepared to 60 out and
wore it home. He will even recall GER
tain incidents connected with hanging
it up. Furthermore he will remember
wearing it to certain restaurant and
leaving it on the rack for some other
man to gather in. He visits the restau-
rant and makes row; but at the end
of the year his overcoat is put up at the
railway "dead-horse sale" or else given
to the employee who picked it up in the
cars.
A short time ago one of the conductors
on the Southern Pacific line brought in
some articles that were never called for.
They were a complete faro outfit, cards
and chips, a green table in folded and
compact form, card-box and cases. 1t is
not likely that any expert hoped to
work the train, as the playing of games
for money is not allowed. 1t is probable
that some one was bringing the layout
to this city with the intention of going
into business in quiet way, and on los
ing his tools decided to strike some other
line of labor.
The best way to avoid leaving things
on train is to invariably ask the ques-
ton, "Now, what have forgottenP'' If
the traveller has been in his car long
enough to get thoroughly settled the
chances are he has spread around a
good many articles out of his valise, and
nothing but thorough search supple
mented by this final question will
suffice. A certain life insurance COM
pany has issued a neat card for the use
of travellers on the road as follows:
Travellers Ready Reminder.
Have packed my coat, waistcoat,
trowsers, overcoat, socks, slippers, shoes,
overshoes, dressing-gown, shirts, under
shirts, nightshirts, drawers, suspenders,
collars, cuffs, neckties, handkerchiefs,
gloves, comb, hair-brush, tooth brush,
nail-brush, clothes brush, blacking-
brush, looking-glass, razor, sponge, tow
els, soap, perfumery, court-plaster, pins
and needles, thread, buttons, etc., jew
elry, eyeglasses, watch, knife, scissors,
matches, toothpicks, hat, cane, umbrella
keys, memoranda, photographs, visiting
cards, addresses, letters of introduction
circulars or sample books, pens and pen
ellis, paper and envelopes, postage stamps
books, pistol, surgical appliances, medi
cine, flask, cigars, lunch, drinking cup
guides and timetables.
= L ...ls