The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-08
FEATs OF MEMORY.
Some Cases of Phenomenal Develop
ment Of Tint Peculiar Faculty.


Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
An extraordinary development of the fac
ulty of memory is noted in the person OF
Rev. William Cullen Hicks, a revivalist.
who is at present holding meetings in the
country districts of Kentucky. Mr. Hicks
is only twenty-eight years old, but his ia
miliarity with the Scriptures is something
phenomenal. He always draws large
speaker. but his greatest reputation rests
on his ability to recite with absolute cor
rectness every chapter and verse in the b.
bic with the exception of the Psalms He
can start at the beginning, middle or end
and go backward or forward, or can repeat
any chapter of any book of the Old or New
Reports from Adair county, Kentucky,
where he IS now sojourning, say that his
performances are amazing.
ANOTHER case of unusual memory, (which
is attracting much attention, is the recent
achievement of Secretary Carlisle in Chi
cago. Mr.. Carlisle's speech on the finances,
which would fill eight or ten columns of the
Democrat and Chronicle, was delivered
without manuscript, and the speaker re-
ferred TO his notes only two or three times
during the whole of his address, AS he
gave many figures and statistics referring
to this and other countries, the perform
ance must be set down as noteworthy
one. 1t has, however. been equaled or sur
passed by other men prominent in our pub
lie life. Edward Everett, Charles Sumner,
Roscoe Conkling and James G.. Blaine We're
famous for oratorical efforts which had all
deiverances, but which had been carefully
prepared and memorized. Mr.. Conkling had
special gifts in tnis direction.
1t was often difficult for his hearers 10
persuade themselves that his flights of elo-
quence, flashes of wit, volleys of invective
and appropriate gestures were not inspira-
tons Of the moment when, in fact, they
were the finished product of laborious prep
aratlon, and, in some cases, of private re-
bearsal. His great speech in New York in
the Garfield campaign was a wonderful
achievement in memory and in the orator.
cal art that conceas art. Mr.. Blaine also
generally knew precisely what he was go
ing TO say, and just how he was going to
say it, before delivering an important
speech. 1t long ago ceased TO be a secret
! that on the occasion of his last appearance
in Rochester he secured the attendance of
an expert shorthand reporter in his private
room. The reporter seated himself at a
table with paper and pencils, and Mr..
Blaine. slowly pacing the room, deliberate
ly thought out and dictated a speech. A
typewriter copy of the reporters notes
was Immediately taken to the newspaper
offices, and few hours later Mr. Blaine
delivered the speech, word for word, to a
large assemblage of people Between the
dictation and the delivery Mr.. Blaine had
many callers, and his thoughts were di-
verified In other ways by the events of the
day, but his memory did not fail him. Al
though this was by no means one Of the
most important mental efforts of his life,
1t was peculiar and impressive one
The wonderful performances of Paul Nor
ply, the genius of the chess board, have
been cited as feats of memory. He would
play eight games simultaneously blind
folded, remembering his own moves and
those of his opponents, and the positions
of the pieces on each of the boards. Not
only this, but if all or part of the games
dragged out to a great length and were
adjourned from one day to the next he re-
sumed them with unfailing memory of the
situation on each board This, however,
was not an exercise of memory pure and
simple but rather an association of ideas,
or concentration of thought on certain
plans of campaign" on the factors enter
ing therein, and on details of action which
had logical relation and sequence. Never
theless, 1t was phenomenal intellectual
effort.
that there is no such thing pure men,
ory-that what Is called memory is merely
an intellectual bent in certain direction
For example, one student may have a
genius for history and another for the Ian
guages, each being dull except in his own
speciality, and the historian may. wonder
AT the linguistS poor memory of names
events and dates, while the inguist may
accuse the historian of deficient memory
because the latter is baffied by definitions.
declensions and conjugations. The local
politicians mind may be storehouse of
election returns and a perfect blank in GER
tain other directions. from which it is clear
of statistics that interests him. Yet, If he
forgets one of dozen articles which he
should order at the grocery, his better half
will reproGch him for having a poor men,
DRY, while she herself may not remember
who were candidates for mayor at the last
election. From all of which some people
argue that memory, an Independent fac
ulty, does not exist, but is merely the man.
Hesitation of different channels of thought
in which some minds naturally or habitual-
ly travel.
The correctness or error of this theory.
however, may be left to the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
and psychologists. We see and hear of
what seem to be extraordinary cases of
memory, and the term will continue to be
a good enough definition, in the popular
mind, of phenomena of the kind 10 which
brief reference has been made.