Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-06-22
CORES GREAT MEMORY

It Is said That Nothing Ever Hoard
by tho Oklahoma Senator Escapes
Him-Frames His Speeches at Night
In Bod and Docs His Thinking For
the Next Day.
II any man In the United States is
entitled to the sobriquet Of 'the man
who never forgets" 1t is Thomas p.
Gore, the blind senator from Okla.
homa. He might have also, and prop
erly, the nickname Of 'the man who
never sleeps" The attention of the
United States recently has been drawn
to Senator Cores remarkable memory
BY demonstration Of 1t the other day
on the floor Of the senate. Senator
Lodge Of Massachusetts, the day before
had concluded long tariff speech in de-
Tense Of the New England cotton man.
ufacturers. in which he took issue with
several statements made ten days pre-
viously BY Senator Gore as to the prof.
Its made in this business.
Senator Gore arose In his seat and,
relying solely on his memory, although
he has habit when speaking Of bold.
ing manuscript in his hand as If
reading from 1t, replied at length, en-
ploying figures and statistics with
which no ordinary man would tax his
memory. In the course of that speech
Senator Gore took up seriatim dozen
firms by name, giving their capital
stock. their surplus, their earnings,
the par value Of their stocks and
host Of other fiscal incidentals. A man
with eyes would never have trusted
his memory with such a series Of facts,
especially when he knew that his an
tagonists were eagerly drinking In ev-
cry word in the hope Of catching him
in misstatement Of fact.
This feat Of memory by the blind
senator is not his greatest perform
ance. It would be hard to designate
any one act Of memorization on his
part as greater than several others
which might be mentioned. For in
stance, when he was q boy of sixteen
years Of age, his friends say, he could
repeat any ordinary speech after hear
ing 1t read twice. Senator Gore is now
only thirty-nine years Of age and at
that time had been blind only q few
years. He had acquired the power Of
concentration, however, even at that
age, and this is the secret Of his great
memory.
1t is Of record that Senator Gore con-
ceived his senatorial ambition at the
age Of twenty when one Of his friends
read to him debate In the senate
from Congressional Record. He has
gained all Of hts knowledge Of men
and events since then through friends
and relatives and particularly his wife
through reading and conversation.
Given IN even chance In the senate. he
has already demonstrated that he has
no superior and few equals as a ready
debater on any subject which may be
preached. He has a facile knack for
making innocent remarks with a sting
to them. When Senator Smoot Of
Utah recently challenged broad
statement Of Senator Cores about the
profits Of the cotton industry Senator
Gore astounded him by doing practi-
cally what he did to Senator Lodge,
quoting long list Of firms and profits,
to Offset which the senator from Utah,
who is in possession Of all his facul-
ties, could from sheer astonishment
offer nothing in reply.
How does Senator Gore memorize?
It is his habit Of life. Nothing escapes
him which comes from word Of mouth
in his Immediate vicinity. Before he
went to Washington he had library
in his home in Oklahoma Of probably
coo volumes. It is said Of him that he
could 90 to any. bookshelf In that IL
brary and pick out the book he want
ed by feeling Of It. Now that this IL
brary Is increased and he has gone to
new quarters In the senate office build
ing he Is not quite SO familiar with
the lay Of his belongings, but he can
describe any book he owns, even to its
color and texture, SO that any one else
can find 1t, and he can detect the
wrong book when put into his hand IL
v is one he has ever held before.
When he wants material for speech
his memory tells him where it can be
found IL he has ever heard Of the sub
feet before. He has those portions read
to him which are Of the most benefit
to his argument at issue. II they are
figures he may have them read twice.
During the following days and nights
they are turned over many times in the
course Of memorization and arrange
ments IN logical sequence for delivery.
Unless the speech ts long delayed in
delivery it is not necessary for the
blind senator to refresh his memory
by a rereading Of the facts OF his ar
gument. He can carry them for days
and months, and II sufficiently impor-
tant he never forgets them. The cotton
ee:s::::.es which he recently quoted to Sen.
ntops Lodge and Smoot were read to
Senator Gore twice.
Not long ago Senator Gallinger
sought to confound Senator Gore by
an apt quotation from Macbeth. Quick
- the human mind can form a SEN
tence Senator Gore retorted by an
equally apt quotation from the same
tragedy, which put Senator Gallinger
utterly to rout. Senator Gore, It trans
pires. hhs not been any more Of
student Of Shakespeare than Of sew
eral other authors; but, having had the
tragedy read to him at some time in
the past. no sooner was one part Of 1t
quoted against him than his almost
infAilibie memory came to hts rescue
with sharp pointed blade OF retort