New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-10-09
MEMORY AN ATTRIBUTE.
1t Cannot Be Changed Any More
than the Color of the Eyes.

People with short memories found scant comfort
an Professor Frank n. McMurrys lecture on the
strengthening OF the memory at Brooklyn lnsu-
4ute Thursday. Those persons with serious de-
4ciencses regarding the whereabouts OF their UNI
brellas painfully weak on the addresses and tele-
phone numbers Of theiI friends found food for
mslAncholy in his opening words
The power OF retention In the memory. accord
sng 20 Professor McAIurTy and the psychologists
IS physical attribute. like the color Of the eyes,
and no more TO be changed than the blue or gray
OF the iris.
.sThe ability to retain disconnected facts, like
names dates. addresses and the like. is fixed in
each like eyesght," said the speaker 1t can no
more be strengthened by practice than the eye
sight can be strengthened by practising the eye on
gazing az a distance. We know that the atmos-
pfere al a certain temperature will hold just so
much moisture and 10 more. So each memory VIII
retain just much, excepting that when one Is
physically exhausted the memory is weaker than
zvben he il bright and feeling we'll Our methods
Of teaching have been habltually and tradiuonally
modified by the idea that the memory could be
strengthened by practice. II there did not seem
any other good in compelling children 10 iocaIe
EeTes with the idea that 1t would al least develop
the childs memory. Poetry prose- lists of histori-
cal dates are given TO children learn. TO develop
their power Of memory. II never does It A..
All the short memorled persons in the audience
sigked. ana then the professor began TO give them
we remember things only by reason OF their
content said he. II the content IS interesting
centrate our attention, remember thing IN
proportion our attention was eoncentrated on u
concentration affected by viii power does not last
long and is not very effective The concentTau93n
kind that Is effective. We tell children TO pay
sftentior: thar is 10 concentrate They don't even
know what we mean. But interest them in that
lesson and they concentrate their attention on II
But much can be done IN methods Of memorizing
lessons. For instance child is given ten pages
both ia order TO rects and for the sake OF learn
OF the hrst Lne ana Try 20 neInoElze me tnlng
paragraph by paragraph perhaps taking the most
S 1ere ia ts6t 10 read thai lesson csrefuly
Through as a whole first, and grasp the central
and group al the details under Il in the order Of
their importance. the lesson would appear 70 MS
remember Il Ear more easily, lessons could be in
course In short lessons should never be given out
by paragraphs. pages or chapters, but by topics
rage 20 10 rage $50 bat to take .Burgoyne's Cam
paign,' for instance. or The Settlement OF Viz
The speaker read Thurlow Weeds own account
OF the way he developed his memory.
Ny memory was originally sieve. said the
famous statesman. Faces, names and facts
sRSfherine I SHAH have to give up public life.
never can succeed in politics because my memory
ory.'' So began each night TO devote fifteen
minutes 10 recalling al that had happened during
remember what / had for breakfast After had
besn ~ y +SG &esS g o,5 Nc ,nfrssS G 1Ss
recital viii stimulate your own. and render the
operation less monotonoqs Having great respect
Q confessional which has lasted for fifty years.
EveTy night during that period related 70 my wife
everything that had happened during the day,
every person had met. what ] had said 70 him.
and what he had said 10 me: every letter I had
written. and what had put in it, To this practice
] ore the possession Of a memory that has been
considered Of more than ordinary tenacty'
Nevertheless, according to the psychologists"
memory at all. II was the same old memory. He
had strengthened his concentration. Knowing that
be had his confessional awaiting him that night,
lac observed every tTifng incident with more close
ness, and the process OF the recital enabled him
sec them ali over again. and nix them yet more
&c the listeners this seemed distinction without
q cidetence, and the short memoried people began
M. Weed was observing with a purpose said
the speaker That made all the difference in the
purpose 81 getting facts and figures out OF e. 20
Use y DEBATE II y astonishing how much more
nave read Il with 10 purpose.
80 Lact was ever Remembered IN the world
larger the OF associated facts IN Tie mind the
more easily We remember any fact Thus some
f-s 49, Esse very good memory along certain
klceessful farmer has a large area OF associated
ss-s.s Concerning agriculture in his mind ANY new
iisef with this large cultivated tract ana Is quickly
- kttlnanenty remembered. But the same man
S-.l - atsaost certain not 20 remember fact
lSs5Alng the Greek language; and very often he
.5S,ts.n ot remember anything you told him about
We should read. not by books. but By topics II
80 LgohAlB W q certain subject, read what q
S, SSt. ~ On nat subject. but aot necessarily
AZ mnemonc systems for strengthening TIE
n 1872 arc based on this association OF IDEAS only
~ 800 systems u Is an artificial association For
isience, the who never can rer9er1er RS i'm,
.t,,a IS lalsht . associate umbrella with a door
psf 10 get his umbrella Some OF US think 81