Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-01-02
A eobD MEMORY.
The PecuIIarit les of This Sen. Arr
Manv

The PeculiaritTes of This Sen. Arr
Many.
Good memory is a subject reardin.
which a good deal of nonsense habit
ually talked. We often hear, peple say
that they havet good mempryor GER
tain things. but bad ont fl othet
things. This II believe to bd a elusior'
4 mans memory may be gob d + it may
be bad. but il kan not well lbegood fCr
one thing and bad for another hing.
might as well ibe said that Ia bttle was
good for holding brandy. Ibu bad for
holding whisky. In the caie Of a feeplo
intellect all its facultiks will DC
feeble-memory. Judgment and all 'hd
res,-but they will not be feeble for one
purpose and vigorous for another our
pose The fact is that orr memory IS
in Itself equally powerful or f. eoie
for all purposes. but We reme'hpcI
best these things which intersf' Us
most. and SO say that We hs'e soou
memories for such things. whlIe we
forget those things which 90 hpt IN
terest us. and We ss., accor'Sihsiy
that We have bad memories iorI lhoso
things. Horace Walpole used 20 say
that his memory was all-retentNe as
TO the names of persons and OF Places
but that it vas absolutely impPtent IN
regard 10 dates II has been Isaid OF
him-by Macauley, think Nhat no
could tell You the name Of the grand
aunt of King Ethelwald. but that no
could not tell you whether shf lifed IN
the year 500 or in the year l9oV. Inc
truth was that he took an interest IN
names and genealogies. but none IN
dates. Similarity. in his introductions
TO Anne of Geierstein," Scott aptly
says:
Il have through life been lentitled to
adopt old Beattie of Meiklidale's answer
To his parish minister when the latter
was eulogizing him with respect to the
same faculty: No, doctor. said the
honest border laird, I have no COM
mand OF ny memory; it retains only
what happens to hit my fancy; and.
like enough. SIR, If you were TO preach
10 me for couple of hours on end ]
might be Unable az the CLOSE of the dis
course to remember one word of il
Perhaps there are a fey men whose
memory serves them with equal fidelity
as 10 many differdnt classes OF sub
iects. butt am sorry TO say that while
mine has rarely failed me as TO any
snatch OF verse or trait of character
that had once interested my fancy. it
has generally been a frail support not
only as ID names and dates and other
minute ttchnicali:ies of history. but as
to many more important things"
No il pretty certain that We have
not goot memories FOR this and bad
memories for that. in any other sense
than that we rer=emher that which in
terests Is and aorget that which in
terests rs not.
will not Insult readers by reproduc-
ing herr the good old chestnut as TO
Dugald Stewards contribution to the
conservation of certain of his friends
who were comparing notes as to their
earliest recollections. But it may be
lawful to recall Fred Lockers capital
verse rendering OF it:
| recollect a nlrsc called Ann
Who carried me about the grass;
And one day a fine young man
Came up and kissed the pretty lass.
She did not make the least objection.
Thinks ] Aha.
When | can talk I'll tell mamma"
And that's my earliest recollection
Notes and Queries.