The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-02-28

we have seen THAT 70 TcfncfnDeT tnin8
We must first give il close Attention;
then that we should Connect II with
something familiar, tie it, as II were, 80
thatrit will not float away; and now We
come, third, to the law Of Repetition.
This is possibly the most important of
all. The motto of the Meisterschaft sys-
tenn Of learning foreign languages, print
ed on the title page Of its textbooks, 10
"Repetitio mater studiorum, repetition
is the mother of learning.
1t will be found of very great help to
every student if he will set it down that
an ounce of repetition is worth pound
of hard study.
For instance, if you have theorem IN
geometry TO demonstrate, read II over
first and try to understand it; then try
to repeat the argument by memory; il
you forget, do not waste energy in try
ing to recollect, but look back at the
book at once; then try again, and when
you come to the next sticking place, look
back again and do not try to remember;
and so on, constantly looking again and
again at the page, relying more upon
repetition than upon effort.
Repetition is not only easier than
straining TO remember, it is also more
efficacious.
The effort to recall, securing the brain
or ransacking the memory. as We say, Is
not only useless but harmful. II wearies
our faculties and tends to make US nerv-
GUS, petulant, and suspicious of our
ability.
Hence in translating a Latin lesson,
for instance, when you come across q
word you have had before and find you
have forgotten it. go at once TO the die
tionary and look it up; do not consume
your vital force in trying to remem-
ber."
And do not be ashamed to look up
forty times a thing you forget forty
times. "Repetitio mater studiorum."
One reason why il is easier to elarn
French in France, surrounded entirely
by French people, is that you learn by
hearing words repeated over and over
while in studying at home you rely more
on effort than upon repetition.
II is possible, of course, to carry this
law too far. Repetition alone will not
suffice, but is apt to result in superficial
and slipshod proficiency. 1t is necessary
10 observe the first two laws and prac-
tice them; that is, you should first At
tend carefully, then Connect securely,
and then Repeat often.
BY following these laws you follow the
natural order Of mental process, and you
can, with patience and will power, re-
member anything you wish.
Suppose, for example, you wish TO
learn Spanish. At first you may be dis
couraged because of the formidable APP
pearance Of page of Spanish reading
matter, or at the unintelligible gibberish-
sounding Of Spanish conversation. But
il you set apart an hour or so a day,
learn a few words and phrases, repeat
them over and over, carefully explore
the grammar, do not become impatient,
and give yourself plenty Of time, you will
be amazed to find, at the end let us say,
Of six months. what a considerable store
of the foreign tongue you have acquired
All memory systems" / have ever
seen depend upon these three laws: FIRST,
give careful and critical attention; SEC
ond, establish some connection between
all points to be remembered and nsw
ideas; and, third, practice frequent reps-
tition.