Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-05-24
Just an Imitation.

divine gift OF grace.
Just an Imitation.
But to have first impressions of Gods
love is not enough. An idiot can get
great impression upon the mind, and
this mental impression will do him but
little good. For many years there has
been going up and down the world
strange genius He goes by the name
Of Blind Tom."- He is n full blooded
negro, as black as coal. He has a
wonderful musical memory. lie comes
into the public auditorium with the
peculiar smile Of the mental incompe-
tent upon his lips. Any musician in
the audience who wishes to volunteer
can go forward, seat himself at the
piano and play there the most difficult
classical music. He can play any one
or Beethoven's sonatas, or LISTS
rhapsodies, or Chopin's ballads, or
Iummels concertos. Then ut once this
ignorant black man, who cannot spell
his own name, will sit down at the
ivory keys and duplicate the same mu-
sic. Then as soon us the rendition is
over rs n little child he will laugh and
clap his hands ana call: Good for you.
AVhA- NOOu AOA NOu- NOOu lOI
your Then almost Immediately he
will forget what he has done and how
he does it. oh, yes, In order TO have
true gospel mnemonics" you must
have more than mere mental impress
sions. You must be able 10 combine
your first Impressions OF Gods love
with the great mnemonic law e asso-
citation OF ideas. Then you will re-
member Gods love, because like the
links OF great chain that link is held
by other links
Then, too, you must have n central
thought Just AS each constellation of
the heavens revolves about some one
center, aud you cannot think of that
center unless you think OF the stars
that compose that constellation. each
thought by the law OF the association
OF ideas brings up other thoughts
which revolve about that thought
When j mention to you the name OF
your dead mother at once you picture
all the scenes OF your childhood You
see the old homestead. You hear the
laughter OF your brothers and sisters
Mt play. You see yourself trudglng
away to the village school. You pic
ture the family Dew in church and tho
evening hour of family prayers. You
think Of her funeral and the lonesome.
ness OF the house after she was gone.
When I mention the name of your dead
wife at once there comes before you
the picture of the girl you courted and
the marriage altar and of the first
home YOU set up and of the first baby
and of the struggle of young manhood.
One name, seemingly an insignificant
name. may marshal before your mind
whole regiments, whole brigades.
whole armies of incidents and facts.
The law of association makes them
hne and all n cohesive entity. The old
poet well expressed my idea by asking
this question:
Why should at times n passing scent
Just shifted a moment on the breeze
Its sensuous power swiftly spent,
Come laden with more memories
Than the low hum of honeybees,
Or sound of old familiar strains.
Or rustling OF the autumn grain
Ut voices or the whispering trees,
Or running brooks or pattering rain?
On the fatal night when Abraham
Lincoln was shot in Ford's theater a
young man was seated by the side of
young lady. She was Offering to him a
little flower at the moment that John
Wilkes Booths pistol shot rang out.
Though this young man lived to be an
old man, yet so powerful was the law
OF the association OF ideas that he new
er saw that kind of a flower which
this young lady offered to him that IA
tai night than there rushed through
his mind the awful scene OF a dying
president; Of the young tragic actor
limping across the stage; of the blanch-
ed faces of men and the fainting forms
Of women dropping under the horror
Of the tragedy. Thus, my brother. IL
you and l would remember the bene-
Its which God has given to us we must
remember them by the law OF the as
ISOLATION OF ideas.