This faculty, always so useful, is pre-eminently so to the business
man. It must be both retentive and quick. By proper training this
faculty may be so cultivated that names, dates and events to a
surprising number may be readily recalled. The ability to greet a
customer by calling him by name is considered very valuable in any
class of business. It makes a very agreeable impression when a man who
has not seen us but once or twice, and who is not expecting us, meets
us promptly as we enter his store, with, "Why, Mr. ----, how do you
do? Glad to see you. When did you leave Newark?" We feel as if we had
occupied that man's thoughts since we saw him before. He appreciates
us, and we feel like patronizing him. Whereas, on the other hand to
meet a customer with a blank, inquiring expression, and greet him with,
"Your face is familiar, but I can't recall your name." is unpleasant
and tends to drive away custom. Every hotel keeper knows the value
of this greeting of customers. Facts, figures and dates are very
necessary to remember in business, and these often form the basis of
a business transaction or venture by which large profits are made.
Superior ability in remembering prices and their fluctuations has been
the secret of more than one brilliant success.
Desultory reading injures the memory, while close application to a
subject, recalling the various points therein, tends greatly to improve
this faculty. The clerk or employee [Transcriber's Note: The original
text reads 'employe'] in receiving instructions from his principal should
endeavor to impress every point clearly on his mind, and retain them
there until they are carried out in action. Carelessness and
forgetfulness often causes the discharge of otherwise worthy and
competent young persons, as employers do not like to repeat their orders.