The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-17
THE ABUSE OE MEMORY
Bv ADA PATTERSON

That New York woman who Is or
ganiz!ng q club for the study of HOW
to Make Life Fine Art should add
to the curriculum lecture on The
Abuses OF Memory"
Memory has many uses. the golden
use OF remembering the beautifull
things OF life. the silver use OF remem-
bering the useful things, the leaden
use Of remembering those things which
are little Of either. and yet are like
the siSnpost whose white lines and
black letters dlsfigure the crossroads
on a wide stretch OF sunny country.
remembrance Of the inevitable things.
uglinesses like rent day or the ankla
sprafned while skating. The leaden
arc close to the border line OF the
abuses OF memory.
The abuse OF memory is remembers
Ing things that were better forgotten.
battles told me that he never permit /
ted himself to look back. II enjoy
the present, hope for the future and
forget the past" said this man. who
was great In his mistakes. great I'M
his efforts, great In his final triumphs.
| He told me he did not look back be- \
cause he dared not ! said that he
had been great in mistakes. They
tender sympathies, it appalled, him to
remember how others had suffered
through those mistakes He mad done
all he could to repair these errors; !
and then. by q mighty effort, he had
banished them forever from his mem
DRY. II had to-" he said. for dwell-
i ing upon them would have made mo /
insane" He had refused to be guilty
OF an abuse Of memory.
/ When we dwell upon tho shortcom-i
Ilngs of friend, we are abusing menu
4 ory. If they are worthy friends the
| list Of their kindnesses to us, their
i thoughtful acts their tenderness whom
l tenderness was u Salve to our Wounds.
far outnumber their EMBELLISHMENTS.
their thoughtless acts their moods OF
/ apparent unlSlndness. In our ledger
the lists OF the credits is far longer
than the dobits. Fixing our eyes on
4 the debit page to the exclusion OF tho
credit is an abuse of memory. \ clever
i friend of mine suggested that we Keep
a book of friendship accounts and set
down the kind and unllind acts of our
friends, and when there was an coca.
i sion to record an unpleasant oeed. "
u study the outnumberlnG isl OF piehsans
;, ones and forget
. hear fruit In action" is the advice OF
master nsysho,esls his NOT bit ea What 10
grooming 10 the dusty cobwebs OF
memory and vain fancy the following
il would give our brain chamhefa'
y HcadStpUeS Woulu IeIth'l t1t t4'e'f So
. or old hopes and loves. They Would
$ never DO rolled away. We wohid
a never become mental ghouls
! The largo nature forgetss the IN
! nleasant things OF life and eNtraets
!. all possible sweets from the pleasaanl
ones. II is as great in its forsettins
as it's remembering. Ixtracting W
7 nersonal lesson from a painful Incl.
Q don't. K losses the husk OF the mel
/. dent away The art Of forgetting "
: f., pohle
y An old stanza rings through mem
n o,yis chambers, Its gentle eeho enpha-
( siztng the lesson OF the DISTINCTION
) between the uses and the ahuses ot
y memory I.
!. ! think OF the passion that shook my
o youth
. ar It's aimiess loves and its Idle pains.
!. And am thankful now for the certain
I rhat only the sweet remains,
IA trhe great nature is not the brood-
10 inc one The peevish hen, adhering 10
o 11iest whose eggs have long since us
3 mppeared typihes tho mind that tnrns
= ia mourning eye often upon the road
= ths, has been trodden. The Hon
r shaking the dew from its mans ms
4 setting forth on the new rosd, y ths
Il, syn,poi OF tie soul that looks alwayf
N, toward the rislng sun,