Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-28
Feats Of Memory.
CRanoor NeWS.l

The invention Of printing and the
putting together Of books in libraries
have done away with the need OF nav
ing a good memory. 1t was all right
for a man to remember things in the
days before writing came into general
use and before books were IN every
house. Now we let the books do our
remembering, while We go about some
thing that is more useful to mankind.
The man who reads few books and
studies them thoroughly is person to
be dreaded, because If any one makes
a mistake in a quotation or in figures
or dates the man with few books
comes forward with on elaborate cor
rection, as if nothing were of any good
unless it were just right. They tell US
some remarkable stories about the
memories of the men who lived in the
days before printing was invented.
There used to be a librarian in Paris.
they say, who could repeat the entire
Had of Homer from memory. either
in the original Greek or in French.
Martin Luther it is alleged, could re-
cite the entire Old Testament by
heart Euler could name the natura!
logarithnis for every figure from l to
10000 without stopping to compute any
in the list. LaPlace could expand any
bnomial to it's twenty-fifth power in
his head without touching pencil +"
paper. 1t is said that no Mohammedan
is permitted to serve as a mueZZin ~
any mosque until he IS able to repeat
the entire Koran from beginning to
end. The late Professor Hadley Of
Yale the father Of President Hadley of
the sane college. could give every vari-
alton Of the Greek verb from memory.
Professor Owen. who died in London a
few years ago. could give the name and
anatomical construction Of every
warm FLOODED mammal on earth.
Charles Darwin could give the
scientific name and place Of habitatioa
of more than $4,000 Plants.
But what was the use of doing so
much work when a few books could
serve the purpose as well? In our
experience we have noted that the man
who knew where to find his facts was
Of more service to mankind than was
ne who carried the facts about in his
head. If any reader who was in doubt
about some legal point bearing on his
own business should go into the office
Of a Bangor lawyer today and ask legal
advice. the chances are ten to one that
the lawyer would listen to the recital
with interest, and then say that ne
would look up the matter in his books
and find out how things stood. At
least. the best lawyers would do so,
and they would be worth more to their
clients than if they attempted to decide
cff hand.
1t is our belief that for ordinary uses
in life the fewer exact facts man has
the better man he is and the greater
use is he to the world. The man who
begins to look up dates and figures and
roll them off his tongue as soon as ne
is asked any common question is very
tiresome. The clergyman who tells his
hearers how many Jews were slain at
the overthrow of Jerusalem will win
few souls to God. The teacher or the
editor who is perpetually diving into
census reports and cyclopedias and
bringing out facts that are dead and
embalmed, is not doing his full duty by
those whom he serves. Such persons
remind us of ants which heap up big
nests from grains Of saEd. and though
the pile may be awesO,ne in it's size, it
is nothing but common sand, without a
single grain of original production in
the lot.