The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-08
MIR. AND MAS. BOwsER.
The Head of the House Makes Ex-
periments in Memory Culture.

Periments in Memory Culture.
From the Detroit Free Press.
What have you there?' asked Mrs.
Bowser as Mr.. Bowser pulled a small
book from his pocket and sat down to his
after-dinner cigar.
This? It's a book Green lent me over
at the office. It's called: How to Guilt
vate Memory 1t says in the preface, and
it says truly, that the past years of most
people are a blank wall. How far back
can you remember, Mrs. Bowser?"
ITO when I was or years of age"
"Give me some incident that happened
when you were years old"
II fell down stairs and broke my arm. "
Very well. How came you to fan
down stairs?'
II don't know"
How many steps in those stairs?"
81 never counted them
"who picked you up at the bottom Of the
II think 1t was mother
How longe before your arm was well?''
why, how can I tell all those things,
That's it-that's the very ideag' he
chuckled. when you were about years
old something like a tragedy happened.
You We're romping in childish sport when
YOU suddenly pitched headlong down
stairs You broke your arm instead of
your neck. A doctor was sent for-you
were laid up Tor long WeehS-yOu SuIeIeu
great pain-and yet you practically re-
member nothing about 1t! suspected
Just such a state of affairs. And 1t was
on your account more than my own that
l borrowed this book.
But why should 1 remember an Incl
dent that occurred when l was only !
years old?" she protested.
why should you? suppose there was
a million dollars at stake. suppose you
had witnessed a murderW
But there was nothing OF the kind. y
az a. L ~
ber What you want to do is to cafe
fully peruse the pages of this book for
about two hours. l presume your child
hood is a perfect blank TO you aye! |
doubt If you can remember anything of
moment between the ages or II and il.
In other words, half OF your lie is a
"6ut yours dsn'tr' retorted Mrs. Bowser
with considerable pepper in her voice.
Certainly not l can distinctly remem-
Der things that occurred when was only
a thimble on my first birthday ana
recall how alarmed mother was. When
Is months old they found me with fathers
razor in my hand.f
HAD you shaved yourself?"
There you go! Every time 1 try to
pound some sense into your head you get
mad about it, Why don't you take this
book and read up and benefit by it?'
Because it's all nonsense.
1T is, Ell? OF course, YOU'D say that.
Before I got hold of this book l couldn' t
remember events of five years ago. Now
can recall the minutest detail of my daily
life back to the first year. can even re-
member every time I stubbed my toe or
had a sore heel as a boy. 1t has just come
to me that on the day | was is months old
/ was bitten on the thumb by a cat. 1t
was a black and white cat, and she was
blind in the left eye. Mother found my
thumb all bloody, but I didn't utter a
single cry. On the day I was years old I
fell into the cistern- On my eleventh birth
day l got choked on a fish-bone. Every
thing stands out as clear as print"
you were born on the 10th day of June
1872" said Mrs. Bowser.
II was"
what particular thing happened on the
18th day OF July. lS4s?'
What particular thing2 Give me just a
minute Let's seei Ali 1 have 1t! At 2
O'clock on the afternoon Of the 18th OF
July 1913, ] being then about Is months
old. my uncle Reuben was Sunstruck In
the harvest field and died, And they
would not let me see the body. for fear
''Ifow thoughtful of them said Mrs
Bowser.
THAT'S you to a dotP' he shouted, as he
rose up and began to walk about. BE
cause you are so cabbage that you
can't see through this thing yOu are max
ing fun OF mel All right. however. II you
want 10 go slamming around like an old
horse, living only to-day, .shan't object
j suppose you carry caro- around with
you 20 as not 10 forget your own name"
Mr.. BoWserY' said Mrs. Howser after
"a moments silence, you say you can re-
member everything connected with the
pastG
~ can"
"a week aga you brought home some