South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-09-09
Poor Memory is
Easy to Remedy
Interest Yourself IN Things
of Importance, Says H.
Addington Bruce.

! Those perSOnS-and they are many
who are troubled by a real or fan
/ cied weakness Of memory should bear
/ two facts in mind, writes II. Adding
/ ton Bruce.
The first is. that nine times out Of
10 the memory weakness is not as
they suppose, associated with any or
/ ganic weakness of the brain.
The second, that in almost every
case their memory power can be
greatly improved if they will only go
the right way about ii.
The right way" moreover. is not
a hard way. 1t puts no severe tax
on the mind. on the contrary, it is
of such a character that il has the
effect of strengthening all the men
tai powers, as well as the power 10
remember.
1t involves no labOrious learning Of
memory systems" and memory tech
niques." such as are so often employ
I'd by self-styled memory specialists
These systems have one fatal defect.
Many of them undoubtedly do help
the memory with regard to remem-
boring specific dates. pieces of poetry,
etc. But in the actual practice of life
much more is needed than ability to
memorize verse. And no system based
on memorizatiOn meets his larger
need.
All such systems fail because they
do not take into account that to i'm
prove the memory for one particular
set of facts is by no means equivalent
to improving it for another and very
different set of facts.
Memorization, therefore, does not
effect a general memory Improvement
This nevertheless, can be etfecIed 10 a
surprising extent, in every case of
memory weakness, except the COM
paratively few due to organic brain
defect.
What a man shall remember-so
far as concerns the power of con
sciOus recalls determined chiefly by
the vividness of the impression an
object or event makes on his mind.
I This again is determined chiefly by
the degree of attention he pays to it,
And this in it's turn is chiefly determ-
ined by the amount of interest he
takes in it.
1t may, indeed, be set down as psy-
Geological truism that in interest we
have the one great secret of a good
memory.
If a man become interested enough
in anything, he will overcome with
regard to 1T even Unborn deficiencies
of memory power. In the words Of
the late William James, who still is
our foremost authority on memory:
The great memory for facts which
a Darwin and a Spencer reveal in
their books is not Incompatible with
the possession on their part of a brain
with only a middllng degree of physi-
illogical retentiveness.
Let man early. in life set himself
the task of verifying such theory as
that of evolution, and facts will soon
cluster and cling to him like grapes
to their stem. Their relations to the
theory will hold them fast: and the
more of these the mind is able to dis
Germ the greater the erudition will be-
come"
If, then, you are troubled about
your memory power, do not waste
time trying to improve il by the ster-
lie process Of memOriZatiOn.
Instead cultivate keener interest
in the things which il is most i'm
portant for you To remember-your
work, your social activities, your home
duties.
The more interest you develop in
these. the better will be your mem
DRY.