Year: 1876

Inc tricks and feats, the oddities and
uncertainties of memory, like the tricks
ana oddities OF dreams, have exercised the
attention OF the learned for many genera
tlons. How to account for them-by what
process do they come aboutP What is
memory in its essence, and how does il
work IL Is ''molecular change in the
particles OF the BRAIN" according to the
language OF the scientists, or wave of
mental life" according to that of the spir-
itualists and those antepenultmate rea-
soners to whom the term .'mantal lifer
has meaning independent of physical
conditions altogether? Who can tell
80 lar as we have gone, no one. AS with
the science of meteorology. so are we as
yet only gatherings materials for future
laws and demonstrations on the matter
OF memory.


| Memory is one of the faculties that can
be improved by care and cultivation, and
above all. by forcing the attention. When
people excuse themselves for forgetfulness
by say ing, 81 have such bad memory"
In nine cases out of ten they really mean,
81 am so careless, so inattentive." With
mind half asleep. thoughts vague, wander
ing, dreaming, their attention floating
everywhere like leaf on a stream, not
anchored, not concentrated, they hear
what is said to them in wooly, mufiled
kind of way, as one sees objects through
veil. or as the deaf hear an indistinct
voice. Nothing makes sharp impress
sion, simply because they are inattentive.
and do not give their minds to the subject
on hand: hence they forget all that they


are told, and when chidden or reminded,


plead their bad memory as an excuse for
| I hair do IT..
this kind OF thing may be educated out of
a person; but if the habit of inattention is
suffered to root, no after efforts will be of
much avail; for the will weakens as hab-
its strengthen. and there is, besides, the
accumulated force that belongs to contin-
uance to be overcome. Hence the abso-
lutte necessity of gently correcting and
sweeping out of a young mind this fatal
habit OF inattention. and thus improving
that much -maligned memory which is
not really in fault. This, however, does
not touch the misfortune of qad memory
when real defect OF the brain, and not
only the consequence of remediable
cause. Bad memory comes from two
things; either grave preoccupation-the
place already fitted and taken-by reason
much thought, or from the natural failing
of old age.


A man who had the minute details of del
cate experiments, say to think of an can
culate, can scarcely be expected to re-
member the name of the cook who was
sent away last year. He has heard it
twenty times and oftener; but hattentive
from other causes than those which make
our dreamy boy, our vague and wandering
girl, oblvious of all that they should re-
member, he has forgotten it as If it had
never been, and no efforts can recall it.
In like manner, the memory wears out
with age; and one of the first syptoms of
| that sad 'iall of the leaf" which is SO
| soon to leave US first bare and then dead,
is in the difficulty which we have in re-
membering faces, facts, dates, and names,
save such as belonged to early youth
these are clamped fast on our memory,
but the latter events hang loose. and drift
away altogether. Some people have been
known even TO forget their names, which
uncomfortable state of temporary
imbecility has happened to the writ
er OF these lines. as also a total forgetful-
ness, for the moment, of the name and
style OF the dearest and most intimate
friends he possessed. The consequence
of this fact has been that more than once
an introduction sought to be made be-
tween strangers and friends has been moth
ing more than an unintelligible muttering
so far as these last are concerned. The
strangers Name was remembered with
precision, but the friends vanished into
space, and remained there. Again, too,
short rt-sghtedness generally includes bad
memory for faces, il not facts. The
cloudy obscurity of vision which gives
outlines and general appearance rather
ha,, Jata lie al s.. un
types. instead of keeping them distinct as


individuals; by which the memory gets
bewildered with those tormenting fallacies
false likenesses,' only too we'll known to
short-sighted people, so that they are new
er quite sure of themselves, and do not
know if this person is he to whom they
were introduced last night, nor what
names belong to the faces which they do
remember. Between thinking that they
ought to know people whom they never
saw in their lives before, and forgetting
those whom they ought to remember, the
lives of the short-sighted are weighed
with heavier burden than belongs to
most; and, however disagreeable to 9TH
ers may be their forgetfolness, they are
more deserving of pity than censure. And


if to the physical defect of eyesight is
added much intercourse with the world
and crowd of acquaintance met at in
tervals. we come to the last degree of this
kind of discomfort, and the ultimate mis-
ery to which want of memory for faces
can bring the poor sufferer from his de-
feet.


All great people have had good memo
ries. II seems, indeed. as ii this were
one OF the essential conditions for success.
A good memory utilizes all that is learnt;
1t IS the true cumulative faculty by which
days add treasure to treasure, solidty
built up in the mind-not like those shift
ing sandheaps of requirement, when the
memory is bad, which are dispersed as
soon as gathered. Great intellect ioined
to bad memory is like lame giant.
The strength is there, but the ability to
use it-nowhere Every day begins, as 1t
were, new mental era in the life of such
a one. lie iorgets much of the good got
by him in the time that has gone. and.
though he brings glorious faculties to the :
study OF the subject undertaken at this
moment. he does not bring the full expe-
rlence OF that which he has gained before