GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS.
In this chapter we shall call your attention to certain of the general
principles already mentioned in the preceding chapters, for the purpose
of further impressing them upon your mind, and in order that you may be
able to think of and to consider them independent of the details of the
special phases of memory. This chapter may be considered in the nature
of a general review of certain fundamental principles mentioned in the
body of the work.
POINT I. _Give to the thing that you wish to memorize, as great a degree
of concentrated attention as possible._
We have explained the reason for this advice in many places in the book.
The degree of concentrated attention bestowed upon the object under
consideration, determines the strength, clearness and depth of the
impression received and stored away in the subconsciousness. The
character of these stored away impressions determines the degree of
ease in remembrance and recollection.
POINT II. _In considering an object to be memorized, endeavor to obtain
the impressions through as many faculties and senses as possible._
The reason for this advice should be apparent to you, if you have
carefully read the preceding chapters. An impression received through
both sound and sight is doubly as strong as one received through but one
of these channels. You may remember a name, or word, either by having
seen it in writing or print; or else by reason of having heard it; but
if you have both _seen and heard_ it you have a double impression, and
possess two possible ways of reviving the impression. You are able to
remember an orange by reason of having seen it, smelt it, felt it and
tasted it, and having heard its name pronounced. Endeavor to know a
thing from as many sense impressions as possible--use the eye to assist
ear-impressions; and the ear to assist in eye-impressions. See the thing
from as many angles as possible.
POINT III. _Sense impressions may be strengthened by exercising the
particular faculty through which the weak impressions are received._
You will find that either your eye memory is better than your ear
memory, or vice versa. The remedy lies in exercising the weaker faculty,
so as to bring it up to the standard of the stronger. The chapters of
eye and ear training will help you along these lines. The same rule
applies to the several phases of memory--develop the weak ones, and the
strong ones will take care of themselves. The only way to develop a
sense or faculty is to intelligently train, exercise and use it. Use,
exercise and practice will work miracles in this direction.
POINT IV. _Make your first impression strong and firm enough to serve as
a basis for subsequent ones._
Get into the habit of fixing a clear, strong impression of a thing to be
considered, from the first. Otherwise you are trying to build up a large
structure upon a poor foundation. Each time you revive an impression you
deepen it, but if you have only a dim impression to begin with, the
deepened impressions will not include details omitted in the first one.
It is like taking a good sharp negative of a picture that you intend to
enlarge afterward. The details lacking in the small picture will not
appear in the enlargement; but those that _do_ appear in the small one,
will be enlarged with the picture.
POINT V. _Revive your impressions frequently and thus deepen them._
You will know more of a picture by seeing it a few minutes every day for
a week, than you would by spending several hours before it at one time.
So it is with the memory. By recalling an impression a number of times,
you fix it indelibly in your mind in such a way that it may be readily
found when needed. Such impressions are like favorite tools which you
need every little while--they are not apt to be mislaid as are those
which are but seldom used. Use your imagination in "going over" a thing
that you wish to remember. If you are studying a thing, you will find
that this "going over" in your imagination will help you materially in
disclosing the things that you have not remembered about it. By thus
recognizing your weak points of memory, you may be able to pick up the
missing details when you study the object itself the next time.
POINT VI. _Use your memory and place confidence in it._
One of the important things in the cultivation of the memory is the
actual use of it. Begin to trust it a little, and then more, and then
still more, and it will rise to the occasion. The man who has to tie a
string around his finger in order to remember certain things, soon
begins to cease to use his memory, and in the end forgets to remember
the string, or what it is for. There are many details, of course, with
which it is folly to charge the memory, but one should never allow his
memory to fall into disuse. If you are in an occupation in which the
work is done by mechanical helps, then you should exercise the memory by
learning verses, or other things, in order to keep it in active
practice. Do not allow your memory to atrophy.
POINT VII. _Establish as many associations for an impression, as
possible._
If you have studied the preceding chapters, you will recognize the
value of this point. Association is memory's method of indexing and
cross-indexing. Each association renders it easier to remember or
recollect the thing. Each association gives you another string to your
mental bow. Endeavor to associate a new bit of knowledge with something
already known by, and familiar to you. In this way to avoid the danger
of having the thing isolated and alone in your mind--without a label, or
index number and name, connect your object or thought to be remembered
with other objects or thoughts, by the association of contiguity in
space and time, and by relationship of kind, resemblance or
oppositeness. Sometimes the latter is very useful, as in the case of the
man who said that "Smith reminds me so much of Brown--he's so
_different_." You will often be able to remember a thing by remembering
something else that happened at the same place, or about the same
time--these things give you the "loose ends" of recollection whereby you
may unwind the ball of memory. In the same way, one is often able to
recollect names by slowly running over the alphabet, with a pencil,
until the sight of the capital first letter of the name brings the
memory of those following it--this, however, only when the name has
previously been memorized by _sight_. In the same way the first few
notes of a musical selection will enable you to remember the whole air;
or the first words of a sentence, the entire speech or selection
following it. In trying to remember a thing which has escaped you, you
will find it helpful to think of something associated with that thing,
even remotely. A little practice will enable you to recollect the thing
along the lines of the faintest association or clue. Some men are adept
memory detectives, following this plan. The "loose end" in memory is all
the expert requires. Any associations furnish these loose ends. An
interesting and important fact to remember in this connection is that if
you have some one thing that tends to escape your memory, you may
counteract the trouble by noting the associated things that have
previously served to bring it into mind with you. The associated thing
once noted, may thereafter be used as a loose end with which to unwind
the elusive fact or impression. This idea of association is quite
fascinating when you begin to employ it in your memory exercises and
work. And you will find many little methods of using it. But always use
natural association, and avoid the temptation of endeavoring to tie your
memory up with the red-tape of the artificial systems.
POINT VIII. _Group your impressions._
This is but a form of association, but is very important. If you can
arrange your bits of knowledge and fact into logical groups, you will
always be master of your subject. By associating your knowledge with
other knowledge along the same general lines, both by resemblances and
by opposites, you will be able to find what you need just when you need
it. Napoleon Bonaparte had a mind trained along these lines. He said
that his memory was like a large case of small drawers and pigeon-holes,
in which he filed his information according to its kind. In order to do
this he used the methods mentioned in this book of comparing the new
thing with the old ones, and then deciding into which group it naturally
fitted. This is largely a matter of practice and knack, but it may be
acquired by a little thought and care, aided by practice. And it will
repay one well for the trouble in acquiring it. The following table will
be found useful in classifying objects, ideas, facts, etc., so as to
correlate and associate them with other facts of a like kind. The table
is to be used in the line of questions addressed to oneself regarding
the thing under consideration. It somewhat resembles the table of
questions given in Chapter XVII, of this book, but has the advantage of
brevity. Memorize this table and use it. You will be delighted at the
results, after you have caught the knack of applying it.
QUERY TABLE. _Ask yourself the following questions regarding the thing
under consideration. It will draw out many bits of information and
associated knowledge in your mind_:
(1) WHAT?
(2) WHENCE?
(3) WHERE?
(4) WHEN?
(5) HOW?
(6) WHY?
(7) WHITHER?
While the above Seven Queries are given you as a means of acquiring
clear impressions and associations, they will also serve as a Magic Key
to Knowledge, if you use them intelligently. If you can answer these
questions regarding anything, you will know a great deal about that
particular thing. And after you have answered them fully, there will be
but little unexpressed knowledge regarding that thing left in your
memory. Try them on some one thing--you cannot understand them
otherwise, unless you have a very good imagination.
* * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Obvious typographical errors and printer errors have been corrected
without comment. Other than obvious errors, the spelling, grammar,
and use of punctuation are preserved as they appear in the original
publication.
Inconsistencies in spelling which remain unchanged include:
rutte/ ruttes and ruttee/ ruttees
In addition to obvious errors, the following changes were made:
1. Page 15: changed "it" to "is" in the phrase, "... first thing to do
is to find...."
2. Page 140: changed "it" to "is" in the phrase, "... is to
visualize...."
3. On page 75 there was no closing quote mark to match the opening
quote at the phrase, "As Priestly says: "In a poem,..." A closing
quote mark was added at the end of this sentence.