MEMORY SYSTEMS.
The subject of Memory Development is not a new one by any means. For two
thousand years, at least, there has been much thought devoted to the
subject; many books written thereupon; and many methods or "systems"
invented, the purpose of which has been the artificial training of the
memory. Instead of endeavoring to develop the memory by scientific
training and rational practice and exercise along natural lines, there
seems to have always been an idea that one could improve on Nature's
methods, and that a plan might be devised by the use of some "trick" the
memory might be taught to give up her hidden treasures. The law of
Association has been used in the majority of these systems, often to a
ridiculous degree. Fanciful systems have been built up, all artificial
in their character and nature, the use of which to any great extent is
calculated to result in a decrease of the natural powers of remembrance
and recollection, just as in the case of natural "aids" to the physical
system there is always found a decrease in the natural powers. Nature
prefers to do her own work, unaided. She may be trained, led, directed
and harnessed, but she insists upon doing the work herself, or dropping
the task. The principle of Association is an important one, and forms a
part of natural memory training, and should be so used. But when pressed
into service in many of the artificial systems, the result is the
erection of a complex and unnatural mental mechanism which is no more an
improvement upon the natural methods, than a wooden leg is an
improvement upon the original limb. There are many points in some of
these "systems" which may be employed to advantage in natural memory
training, by divorcing them from their fantastic rules and complex
arrangement. We ask you to run over the list of the principal "systems"
with us, that you may discard the useless material by recognizing it as
such; and cull the valuable for your own use.
The ancient Greeks were fond of memory systems. Simonides, the Greek
poet who lived about 500 B.C. was one of the early authorities, and his
work has influenced nearly all of the many memory systems that have
sprung up since that time. There is a romantic story connected with the
foundation of his system. It is related that the poet was present at a
large banquet attended by some of the principal men of the place. He was
called out by a message from home, and left before the close of the
meal. Shortly after he left, the ceiling of the banquet hall fell upon
the guests, killing all present in the room, and mutilating their bodies
so terribly that their friends were unable to recognize them. Simonides,
having a well-developed memory for places and position, was able to
recall the exact order in which each guest had been seated, and
therefore was able to aid in the identification of the remains. This
occurrence impressed him so forcibly that he devised a system of memory
based upon the idea of position, which attained great popularity in
Greece, and the leading writers of the day highly recommended it.
The system of Simonides was based upon the idea of position--it was
known as "the topical system." His students were taught to picture in
the mind a large building divided into sections, and then into rooms,
halls, etc. The thing to be remembered was "visualized" as occupying
some certain space or place in that building, the grouping being made
according to association and resemblance. When one wished to recall the
things to consciousness, all that was necessary was to visualize the
mental building and then take an imaginary trip from room to room,
calling off the various things as they had been placed. The Greeks
thought very highly of this plan, and many variations of it were
employed. Cicero said: "By those who would improve the memory, certain
places must be fixed upon, and of those things which they desire to keep
in memory symbols must be conceived in the mind and ranged, as it were,
in those places; thus, the order of places would preserve the order of
things, and the symbols of the things would denote the things
themselves; so that we should use the places as waxen tablets and the
symbols as letters." Quintillian advises students to "fix in their minds
places of the greatest possible extent, diversified by considerable
variety, such as a large house, for example, divided into many
apartments. Whatever is remarkable in it is carefully impressed on the
mind, so that the thought may run over every part of it without
hesitation or delay.... Places we must have, either fancied or selected,
and images or symbols which we may invent at pleasure. These symbols are
marks by which we may distinguish the particulars which we have to get
by heart."
Many modern systems have been erected upon the foundation of Simonides
and in some of which cases students have been charged high prices "for
the secret." The following outline given by Kay gives the "secret" of
many a high priced system of this class: "Select a number of rooms, and
divide the walls and floor of each, in imagination, into nine equal
parts or squares, three in a row. On the front wall--that opposite the
entrance--of the first room, are the units; on the right-hand wall the
tens; on the left hand the twenties; on the fourth wall the thirties;
and on the floor the forties. Numbers 10, 20, 30 and 40, each find a
place on the roof above their respective walls, while 50 occupies the
centre of the room. One room will thus furnish 50 places, and ten rooms
as many as 500. Having fixed these clearly in the mind, so as to be able
readily and at once to tell exactly the position of each place or
number, it is then necessary to associate with each of them some
familiar object (or symbol) so that the object being suggested its place
may be instantly remembered, or when the place be before the mind its
object may immediately spring up. When this has been done thoroughly,
the objects can be run over in any order from beginning to end, or from
end to beginning, or the place of any particular one can at once be
given. All that is further necessary is to associate the ideas we wish
to remember with the objects in the various places, by which means they
are easily remembered, and can be gone over in any order. In this way
one may learn to repeat several hundred disconnected words or ideas in
any order after hearing them only once." We do not consider it necessary
to argue in detail the fact that this system is artificial and
cumbersome to a great degree. While the idea of "position" may be
employed to some advantage in grouping together in the memory several
associated facts, ideas, or words, still the idea of employing a process
such as the above in the ordinary affairs of life is ridiculous, and any
system based upon it has a value only as a curiosity, or a mental
acrobatic feat.
Akin to the above is the idea underlying many other "systems," and
"secret methods"--the idea of Contiguity, in which words are strung
together by fanciful connecting links. Feinagle describes this
underlying idea, or principle, as follows: "The recollection of them is
assisted by associating some idea of relation between the two; and as we
find by experience that whatever is ludicrous is calculated to make a
strong impression on the mind, the more ridiculous the association is
the better." The systems founded upon this idea may be employed to
repeat a long string of disconnected words, and similar things, but have
but little practical value, notwithstanding the high prices charged for
them. They serve merely as curiosities, or methods of performing
"tricks" to amuse one's friends. Dr. Kothe, a German teacher, about the
middle of the nineteenth century founded this last school of memory
training, his ideas serving as the foundation for many teachers of
high-priced "systems" or "secret methods" since that time. The above
description of Feinagle gives the key to the principle employed. The
working of the principle is accomplished by the employment of
"intermediates" or "correlatives" as they are called; for instance, the
words "chimney" and "leaf" would be connected as follows:
"_Chimney_--smoke--wood--tree--_Leaf_."
Then there are systems or methods based on the old principle of the
"Figure Alphabet," in which one is taught to remember dates by
associating them with letters or words. For instance, one of the
teachers of this class of systems, wished his pupils to remember the
year 1480 by the word "BiG RaT," the capitals representing the figures
in the date. Comment is unnecessary!
The student will find that nearly all the "systems" or "secret methods"
that are being offered for sale in "courses," often at a very high
price, are merely variations, improvements upon, or combinations of the
three forms of artificial methods named above. New changes are
constantly being worked on these old plans; new tunes played on the same
old instruments; new chimes sounded from the same old bells. And the
result is ever the same, in these cases--disappointment and disgust.
There are a few natural systems on the market, nearly all of which
contain information and instruction that makes them worth the price at
which they are sold. As for the others--well, judge for yourself after
purchasing them, if you so desire.
Regarding these artificial and fanciful systems, Kay says: "All such
systems for the improvement of the memory belong to what we have
considered the first or lowest form of it. They are for the most part
based on light or foolish associations which have little foundation in
nature, and are hence of little practical utility; and they do not tend
to improve or strengthen the memory as a whole." Bacon says that these
systems are "barren and useless," adding: "For immediately to repeat a
multitude of names or words once repeated before, I esteem no more than
rope-dancing, antic postures, and feats of activity; and, indeed, they
are nearly the same things, the one being the abuse of the bodily as the
other of the mental powers; and though they may cause admiration, they
cannot be highly esteemed." And as another authority has said: "The
systems of mnemonics as taught, are no better than crutches, useful to
those who cannot walk, but impediments and hindrances to those who have
the use of their limbs, and who only require to exercise them properly
in order to have the full use of them."
In this work, there shall be no attempt to teach any of these "trick
systems" that the student may perform for the amusement of his friends.
Instead, there is only the desire to aid in developing the power to
receive impressions, to register them upon the memory, and readily to
reproduce them at will, naturally and easily. The lines of natural
mental action will be followed throughout. The idea of this work is not
to teach how one may perform "feats" of memory; but, instead, to
instruct in the intelligent and practical use of the memory in the
affairs of every-day life and work.