Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-17

IHA n AII been restored TO COnSClouS-
lk49ZQHil ness after being rescued from
drowning, that at the point
where consciousness ceased and uncon-
sciousness began in one brief moment
the whole life OF the individual ap-
peared before the eye of the mind, ana
as the moving picture passes on from
the beginning to the end, so the events
from the cradle to the watery grave
have marched past in unbroken pro-
cession
Just now the psychologists and the
educators are changing their opinion
as to what really makes up the
memory Is it one composite whole, TO
be trained in remembering every sort
of thing by remembering some speclal
things? Or is it a collection of faculties
that must have each part trained for
the special function it Is to exercise
The newer school of psychologists be-
lleve it to be the latter, and that 1t is
impossible to train the mind to remem-
Der botanical names by giving 1t eXer-
else in the sequence of numbers. They
offer the fact that a man who can re-
member the names of every kind or hsh
that swims may have great difficulty
in mastering the multiplication table,
while man who can match colors to
a remarkable degree of accuracy can
not retain the name of the last person
introduced. Likewise, the musician
who can sing over again every song he
has ever heard may not recall the face
of the man he met only yesterday.
Throughout the history of the world
persons endowed with remarkable
memories have been objects of great in
terest. Pliny gives us the statement
that Cyrus knew all of his officers and
soldiers, and could greet each one by
name as he was presented. And some
say that Cyrus had a million soldiers,
although chroniclers of that day may
have been too liberal in their estimates.
Pliny also declares that Cyneas, VINO
visited Rome as the ambassador of
Pyrrhus was presented to the mem-
bers of the Roman senate on the day
of his arrival, and that upon meeting
them again the next day he addressed
every senator by his name and sur
name, without a single error in the
whole senate. Upon which the senator's
greatly marveled at the powerful nina
of the visiting ambassador
In at least one case a great memory
gained a throne. Otho while the head
of his army remembered every soldier
by name and knew something Of his
business, his habits and his relations.
The soldiers concluded that If he had
such a deep interest in them as their
general, as their emperor he would not
the throne. But there he forgot the
names of them all, and straightway he
lost the throne.
Plutarch is responsible for the state =
ment that Scipio Asiaticus was one or
the greatest memoriZers of history, ana
accredited him with knowing the name
of every Roman citizen. Reference to
the population statistics OF Sciplo
Asiaticus' time shows that Rome and
its enVrons had a population of II
quarter of q million souls. This same
historian vouches for the fact that
Themistoclcs knew every citizen or
Athens by name, of whom there were
some twenty-five thousand. 1t is also
recorded that this was a great political
asset for Themistocles, which shows
that politics has not greatly changed.
Caesar made something of a reputa-
ton for himself in the line OF good
memory. II is told that not only had
he a great memory for the names or
the men who made up his legions, but
that languages and dialects We're easy
for. him to master. One historian de-
cIares that he could dictate to four or
five stenographers at one time, and IN
a different language to each. But
even immortal Caesar must take sec
ond place in history as a dictator 10
secretaries, even II he does not as n
dictator 20 peoples ana nauoIs. II -
recorded that Marcel, an ofhclal OF
Tho government under Louis XIV OF
France. could dictate to at least ten
secretaries at one time and TO each IN
a different language the while keeping
the lenses, the number and the pune
tuation of every sentence perfect.
cleopatra is reputed to have been
n great linguist, and it is SAID that
She could speak in any one of thirty
or forty dialects, as well as II edcil
,,,o.a nor native tongue. Cardinal Me-
zafonti of Rome was perhaps the fore
most linguist OF any age or time II
is declared that he was able to con-
verse perfectly in any one OF my W. wv
there came TO Rome one time scan
dinavian who spoke peculiar patois
wbich was unknown to anyone IN
Rome. Cardinal Mezzafonti hau IlIis Is
then smoke to him in his own peculiar
dialect. Mezzafonti claimed thaI ms