Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1908-12-03
Memory Lessons
Lesson No, 2.
BY R. f. FOSTER.
Copyright. 1908, by r. +. Noster}.


Lesson No. 2.
We saw in the last lesson tat nothing
Is ever recollected. or comes back TO the
mind, by itself, hut that it is lways sus
sested by something else. Each idea
which is recalled to our cons iousness is
connected in some peculiag way with
other ideas already in the mind. although
are perhaps quite unconscious OF the
fact AS we shall see present. the slim
illus which brings up an idea is often SO
overpowered by the idea ttset that it is
forgotten.
Most persons imagine good memory 10
a sort OF superior intellectual power
which enables some people to sit down and
compel ideas to come back 10 them:
whereas there Is no such power. because
no one can deliberately recall anything
except in connection with son ethng else.
One may hit upon 1t by accident. but that
Is not recolectinG 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 Il strong
impression upon us ut 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 II. Next day it
comes back to us so vividly, that we
wonder how we could have forgotten il.
If you have a good memory for names.
why cannot you recolect any name AT
any time? How is it that you cannot
recollect it today, and a short time after
ward it comes back TO You when you are
not thinking about 1t al all? Why is IL
f,,,tcf tad
and persist in calling Mr.. Smith Mn
Jones?
Memory depends on the strength OF tho
Impression. Ne meet thousand people
ON the street every day, but the impress
sion made by eachsis weak. III one makes
A strong impression. may remember il
The ability to recall impressions depends
on a process going ON In Our minds, not
when we wish to lecolect the thing. but
when the impression is first made. The
clerk who can lind a letter you ask for
is not the one that is most energetic IN
hunting for 1t. but the one who filed it
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 1T, but go ON thinking about
the same thing. Or. it Is stronger than
the idea already in your mind and takes
its place. Or the two ideas blend aud be-
come part OF the same idea, one OF which
will ever afterward recall the other.
| You are reading n book. If II is very
| Interesting and your attention is held by
I the story, people round you may be talk
| ing or children may he playing. but you
neither see nor hear them because these
4 outside impressions are not strong
enough to distract your mind from the
! story
I,oe l,n1
! OF stopping suddenly In the course OF
4 reading q book and realizing that they
do not know what they have been read
i ing about for the last % lines What has
happened? Something In the book or
/ some sight or sound outside the book. has
1 brought to the mind an Idea stronger than
/ the story and the mind has wandered
off, thinking about something else. al
though the eyes have continued lpech;n-
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 or difficulty
with which one idea recalls another de-
ponds upon the strength with which the
ideas originally blended, and this blending
is 81 matter which must be attended To
when tho ideas first enter the mind. That
Is the secret OF certainty IN recolecting
them afterward.
4 The man of business. wishing 70 refer
to certain letter. knows which clerk to
| ask for ". That clerk knows where to
I go to look for II. The readiness Will,
which he with find 1t depends on its having
been put In a certain place TO begin with
IL 1t las been thrown into a drawer with
hundreds Of others, it viii take some
| rnmmaging to discover II. II the cleyk IS
not sure OF the drawer. even. finding the
letter may be q matter of luck. No bust
ness man would permit such carelcssness;
vet that is the way he puts things Ia his
memory
II the letter has been filed AVA tho idea
OF the letter will Immediately blend with
the idea Of where II is TO be found. You
look In w. NJ :. for letters from w. ~
Smith. While this Inav seem absnrdlS
simple. il Is precisely the process which
must be followed II You want 10 have d
good memory
Sorse people viii tell y.l, tfan al neni
Org Is nothing but attention but hes
cannot tell you how 10 secure this power
of attention. That is on. OF the lnaii
objects of these lessons. The ability t'
hold the attention upon ono thing Which
you have to do. or upon $50 ideas vino i
you wish to recollect In connection viii
each other Is not common IL Is thu
secret of "a good memory The power. tt
holding 1t down 10 one subject or task
and to prevent At from being distracted b!
other things. is one or me most lnNal
liable of mental qualities The teaching
OF modern psychology Ia mental tsaininl
of all kinds. the principles of Christian
Science In curing the srk. the doctrine
of the New Though, school, which prom
Use health wealth and happiness To ever'
one all insist on the Importance of beiut