The student must exercise his judgment as to what is the _best known_ to
which he will Correlate an _isolated fact_.
The following anecdote is taken from the ERA ALMANACK, 1882, p. 36. The
actor, whose name was Taylor, could not remember the name assigned to
him in his part of the play. We shall see how Mnemonics helped him.
ASSOCIATION OF IDEAS.--Macready was once victimised in _Virginius_. The
Numitorius could not remember the name given him in the play. "You will
remember it, sir," said the tragedian, carefully pronouncing it for him,
"by the association of ideas. Think of Numbers--the Book of Numbers."
The Numitorius did think of it all day, and at night produced through
"the association of ideas" the following effect:
_Numitorius_--"Where is Virginia? Wherefore do you hold that maiden's
hand?"
_Claudius_--"Who asks the question?"
_Numitorius_--"I, her uncle--DEUTERONOMY!"
The actor should have correlated the word "Numitorius," which he could
_not_ remember, to the word "Uncle" as the BEST KNOWN that preceded it,
which he could remember, or to his "cue" the word "Question" thus:
UNCLE [2] Nephew [1] You [1] You _knew_--NU-mitorius. _Or_,
UNCLE [2] Niece [1] Neat [1] Neat and New [1] _A new mitre o'er
us_ [1] NU-mitorius. _Or_,
QUESTION [1] Wants to know [1] Know [1] Knew [1] _knew my story_
[1] NU-mitorius. _Or_,
QUESTION [1] Quest [1] Guessed [1] Knew [1] _Knew a mighty Tory_
[1] NU-mitorius.
Had the actor memorised either of these Correlations, he would _not_
have forgotten Numitorius in his performance. In all similar cases mere
In. by sound, like the word "Numbers" which Macready proposed, and which
is really _not a genuine In. by sound_, is of little service to a poor
memory. A Correlation would have been much better.
To any conceivable "_Isolated Fact_" you can find a _Best Known_ to
which you can correlate it, and thereby always have it at command. This
is true, even in cases of _anticipatory_ memory. Instead of tying a
string round your finger to remind you to buy something when you get to
the bazaar, and when you get there forgetting to notice the string or
forgetting what the string was intended to remind you of, correlate the
name of what you wish to purchase to the name of something you are sure
to _think_ of at the place you are going to, and memorise the
Correlation. When you see the _Best Known_, the thing you correlated to
it will at once occur to mind. I will add only one more illustration:--A
commercial traveller was in the habit of putting his watch under his
pillow, and also in the habit of forgetting that he put it there! After
losing two watches in this way, he came to me to improve his memory, and
asked me if my System could aid him to think of his watch and where he
had put it. "Infallibly," I replied, "if there is anything you can
mention which you are _certain_ to think of when you get up, such as
boots, trousers, hat, &c." "There is one thing," he rejoined, "I am more
certain to think of than any article of clothing. I always think what a
shame it is I have to get up." "Well, you are sure to think of the words
'get up;' that then is your _Best Known_. Correlate the word 'watch' to
it ... thus: 'GET UP'--Spring up--Watch Spring--WATCH." After a tour
of four months he reported he had always thought of his watch the moment
he awoke.