The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-11-20
Memory Lessons
BY r. r. FOSTER.
Copyright, 1908, by R. F. Foster>.


Lesson No. 2.
We saw in the last lesson tina nothing
IS ever recollected, or comes back to the
mind by itself, but that 1T is always sus-
sested by something else. Each idea
which is recalled to our consciousness is
connected in some peculiar way Wit
other ideas already in the mind. although
we are perhaps quite unconscious OF .he
fact. AS we shall see presently, the slim
ulus which brings up an idea is often so
overpowered by the idea itself that 1T is
forgotten.
Most persons imagine a good memory Is
a sort of superior Intellectual power
which enables some people to sit down ana
compel ideas to come back to them.
whereas there is no such power. because
no one can deliberately recall anything
except in connection with something else.
One may hit upon 1T by accident. but that
Is not recollecting 1T at will.
Memory acts in spite of the will. What
we want Is recollection, acting under the
control Of the will. There are many
things which we see. or hear, or feel.
which we do not want to remember. Some
things we should like very much to for
get. but we cannot help ourselves. be-
cause these things made such a strong
impression upon us at the time. There
are other things which we have tried very
hard to fix in the memory, but which We
are never sure Of. We try very hard to
recall a fact or a date; but in spite of all
our efforts we cannot do 1T. Next day 1t
comes back to US so wildly. that Wa
wonder how we could have forgotten it.
If you have a good memory for names.
why cannot you recollect any name at
any time? How Is 1t that you cannot
recollect 1t today. and a short time after
ward 1t comes back to you when you are
not thinking about it al all? Why is 1t
that you sometimes get things twisted.
and persist in calling Mr.. Smith MIR.
Jones?
Memory depends on the strength of the
Impression. We meet a thousand people
on the street every day. but the impress
sion made by each Is weak. If one makes
a strong impression. we may remember 1t.
The ability to recall impressions depends
on a process going on in our minds, not
when we wish to recollect the thing. but
when the impression is first made. The
clerk who can find a letter YOU ask for
is not the one that is most energetic In
hunting for it. but the one who filed 1t
away properly in the first place.
The waking mind Is never entirely idle.
There is always some idea present. and
when another idea presents itself one OF
three things must happen: You pay no
attention to it, but go on thinking about
the same thing. Or, 1T is stronger than
the idea already In your mind and takes
its place. Or, the two ideas blend and be-
come part of the same idea. one of which
will ever afterward recall the other.
You are reading a book. If 1t is very
interesting and your attention is held by
the story. people round you may he talk
ing. or children may be playing. but you
| neither see nor hear them, because these
outside Impressions are not strong
enough to distract your mind from the
story.
But every one has had the experience
OF stopping suddenly in the course Of
reading a book and realizing that they
r WI NJ ,,t,~k tJN,,- ln,,D r>o~,. .--A
ing about Tor the last 90 lines. What has
happened? Something in the book. or
some sight or sound outside the hook. has
brought to the mind at idea stronger than
the story, and the mind has wandered
off. thinking about something else, al
though the eyes have continued mechan-
ically to follow the printed page.
This blending OF ideas. which Is con-
stantly going on in our minds. is not only
the basis of recollection. but of all intel
lectual activity. The ease OF difficulty
with which one Idea recalls another de-
Ponds upon the strength with which the
ideas originally blended. and this blending
is a matter which must be attended to
when the ideas first enter the mind. That
Is the secret OF certainty in recollecting
them afterward.
The man of business. wishing to refs.
to a certain letter, knows which clerk to
ask for it. That clerk knows where to
go to look for It. The readiness with
which he will find 1t depends on its having
been put in a certain place to begin with.
II it has been thrown into a drawer with
hundreds of others. 1t will take some
r~ummaging to discover it. II the clerk Is
not sure Of the drawer, even. finding the
letter may be a matter of luck. No bust
ness man would permit such care!essness:
yet that Is the way he puts things in his
memory.
II the letter has been filed away. the idea
of the letter will Immediately blend with
the idea OF where it is to be found. You
look in W. Fl. 8. for letters from w. H.
Smith. While this may seem absurdly
simple. 1t is precisely the process which
must be followed IL you want to nave a
good memory.
Some people will tell You that all mem
DRY Is nothing but attention. but they
cannot tell you how to secure this power
OF attention. That is one OF the main
objects of these lessons. The ability to
hold the attention upon one thing which
you have to do. or upon two ideas which
you wish to recollect In connection with
each other is not common. 1t is the
secret Of a good memory The power to
keep the mind upon one train Of thought.
holding It down to one subject or task.
and to prevent 1t from being distracted by
other things. is one of the most inval-
liable of mental qualities. The teachings
of modern psychology in mental training
of all kinds; the principles Of Christian
Science In curing the sick; the doctrines
Of the New Thought school. which prom
Use health, wealth and happiness to every
one, all insist on the Importance of being
able to control the mind: to set 1t to a
certain task and to hold 1t there steadily.
as one holds an az to a grindstone.
One continually hears the cry. Don't
worry" Worry is nothing but mind wan
dering. Unable to control our thoughts.
they continually wander off to a subject
which we would rather forget. This mind
wandering. or worry. prevents us fro
devoting the proper amount Of mentala
ergy to matters which should have allHo
attention and interest. Nothing will z
stroy a PERSONS memory so quickly
worry. There is only one cure for It. and
that is to control the mind so that it SHAH
not wander, and in the next lesson we
shall give some simple exercises, show
ing how this may he done.
In the meantime. observe carefully when
you cannot recollect anything. what 1t ia
that is missing in the connection, and
when you do remember 1t, make a more
of the idea that recalls 1t.