H O W TO R E M EM B ER

WI TH O U T M E M O R Y S YS TE M S

OR WI TH TH E M

EU STA C E H . M I L E S, M A . .

F O R M E R LY S C H OLA R O P K I NG S C O LLEGE, C AM BRI DGB

'

H ONO U R S C OA C H I N C LASS I C S A ND

A NC IB NT H I ST O RY A T C A M BRID G E UNIVE R SITY

A UT H O R OF

TH E P O WER O F
“
C ONC O
ENT RATI N? ‘
H OW TO PREPARB M YS ,
’

L O ND O N

F R ED ER I C K WA R N E CO .

A ND N E W Y O R K

[A 12 R ight: R eserved ]
Tins B OO K
,
{3
 C O NT E NTS .

P REFACE

P AR T I .

Int r o d u c t ory .

E
S CT IO N S

I . The V alue of M em o ry
II . Th e I d ea l Way o f L earning and r
R em em b e ing
I I I Some
. i
H nd ranc es t o M emo ry, o r Wh y we F o r g et

P AR T II .

An I nstance Le arnt and R em em b ere d w it h o u t

M e m o ry S y st e m s
-

V Th e S am e Instanc e R em em b ere d w it h M em o r y
.

S y s t em s

PAR T III .

Th e H el p s to M e m o ry, a p a rt fr om M em o ry
S ys t e m s : in D e t a il , w i t h fu r t h e r Ex a m p l es .

V I H ea l t h and G o o d C o nd it i o ns
.

V I I C o nc ent rat ed Att ent i o n

.

V I I I Interest
.

I X To C o ll e c t H ea d ing s
.

X C o m p l et e L i s ts
.

X I To Sel ec t and R ej e c t H ead ings

.
 C O N TE N TS

S E C T IO N S

To Arrang e and E m ph asi se H e a d ing s

XI I I . To F i nd C au s es and o t h er C o nne x io ns
R o ugh O u t l ine and Fra m ew o rk
XV . To R ea l i s e
XVI . Ca refully t o S t udy a nd Ana lys e t h e P art s
XV I I i
’

. C o m m o n S ense and a fi r ior z R e as o n ng

X VI I I . C o m par is o ns
XIX C o nt ast s
. r
XX To Tea ch O th e s
. r
ii
R epet t o n and th e R é s u m é e

P AR T I V .

M e m o ry-S ys t e m s : in D e t ail , w it h fu rt h e r
E x a m pl es .

XX I I . To O b s e rv e U seful P o int s
XXI I I . To Link ( t h e L o is ett e - S y s t em )
XX I V To L o c al ise ( th e R o o m - S y s t em )
'

To C o nne c t w i t h Th ing s t h at are E asie r t o

R em e m b e r ( t h e P e g o r Anch o r S y s t em )
XXV I . To S ub st i t u t e ( a S y st em e spe c ial ly U seful fo r
Nu m b ers )
X XV I I . To I nit ia l is e, o r t o P ut t h e P art fo r th e Wh o l e
( t h e C a b a l -
S y s t em )
XXV I I I B l end Wo r d s ( th e B r u nch S y s tem )
.
- -

XX I X Ab sur d it ie s a nd H u m o u r
.

R hy m e a nd A ll it erat io n
XXX I R hyt h m .

XXX I I M u sic .

XXX I I I E pig ram s .

XXX I V A l t er nat iv es and C o m b inat io ns

.

PART V .

Th e S ys t e m s Ap p l i e d to Va r io u s S ubj e ct s .

X X XV M aps and P l ans .

XXX V I N um b ers and D at es.

 CO N TE N TS 1x

E
S C T IO NS

XXX V I I . Eng ag em ent s , et c .

XXX V I I I . Th e L ea rning of r
P oe t y

P AR T V I .

P r a c t i c e, a nd o t h e r H e lp s .

XXX I X . Prac t i c e, and H o w r ci

t o P a t se
G eneral H int s and H e lps

P AR T V II .

Th e R aiso ns d fit re, a nd t h e Advant ages of G oo d

’

M e tho d s and S ys t em s , w h en R i g htly U se d .

X L I R eas o ns and J ust ific at io ns

.

X L I I A P assa g e fro m t h e New Te st am ent

.

X L I I I Adv anta g e s o f R em em b ering, espe c ially by

.

M e ans o f th e S y s t e m s 2 25
X L I V A dvant ag es fo r Spec i al P u rp o se s and S ubj ec t s
. 2 31

A dvant a g es for S pe c i a l C lasses 2 35

X LV I Advant ag es fo r Spe c i al P o w ers and F a cul ti es

. 2 38

P A R T V II I .

O bj ec t io ns Ant i c ip at e d a nd Answ ere d : w it h a

R e fer enc e to s om e U se fu l B oo k s .

X LV I I . O bj e c t ions Ant ic ipat e d and Answer ed

X LV I I I . A F ew R eferenc e B o oks
 P R E FAC E .

PO STER I TY will scarce ly b e l i ev e that this generatio n

had d aily b e fo re its e y e s so m a ny cl e ar l es s o ns o n
t h e e asi e st ways of re m e mb e ri ng, and that it fail e d

t o pr o fit by th es e l e s s o ns . S o far b e hi nd o ur
A dve r t i se rs hav e o u r Te ach e rs lagge d . The fo r m e r
ge ne rally succ ee d in i nte re sti ng and te achi ng t he
public , and in i m pr e ssi ng th e ir id e a s al m o st i nd e libly
up o n t h e m i nd s a nd m e m o ri e s o f th e public The.

latt e r fr e qu e nt ly fail
.

No w , s e t ti ng asid e t he co nsid e rati o n o f w it a t

t he A dve r t i se m e nts te ach and aski ng si m ply lz ow
,

th e y t each , w e are lik e ly to a rrive at ve ry i nte re sti ng

re sults , which will b e c o m e v e ry i m p o rta nt re sults if
o nc e w e r e alis e that o ur vari o us p o w e r s and facul t i e s

we re give n us t o b e u se d , and no t t o b e l e ft u nu sed o r

e v en sc o r ne d
. Thu s o u r p o w e r o f re m e m b e ri ng by
m e ans o f R hyth m s a nd R hy m e s w as s ur e ly i nt e nd e d
to b e appli e d t o all s o rts o f thi ngs that are w o rth re
m e m b ering,and no t m e re ly t o o ne s m al l cl a s s o f t h e m
.

It has b ee n t he fashi o n t o c o nd e m n a ll Syst e m s

’
of M e m o ry as u nnat ural o r eve n as po s itive ly lo w
and d e gradi ng : it has b een m a i nt a i ne d practically ,

if no t in so m a ny wo rds , that it is far b ette r fo r

u
xil P R E F A CE

t he s cho o lb o y t o b e t h e v e ri es t parro t or ph o no
e

graph , accurat e ly re pro d uci ng h is t e x t b o o k or his -

te ach e r s w o rd s , w i t h o nly t h e vagu es t id e a as to

’

what th ey m e an o r h o w t h ey c an b e a ppli e d , than

fo r h im t o m ak e u se o f a ny artificial aid to ‘

m e m o ry M e m o ry S yste m s , h o w e v e r di ffer ent

’ '
-
.

fr o m o ne a no th e r t h ey m ay b e in t h e ir mai n
charact e ri st ics o r in th e ir d etail s , are all gro uped
t o ge t h e r in a si ngl e cl ass and l ab e ll e d as rubbi sh
o r s o m e thi ng w o r se t h a n rubbi s h B ut t h e l e ar ning
.

by h e art h e ar t fo rso o th — t he usually dull and

’

o ft e n u nr e liabl e l e ar ni ng by h e art , t h e ve ry tread

‘ ’

m ill o f e duc ati o n zit a t m ust b e o ne o f t he chief

,

ki nds o f m e nt al e x e rci se ' I a m spe ak i ng h ere

particularly o f t he o ld e stabl i sh e d Engli sh m e thods
-

o f Educat i o n .

A s t h e r e ad e r w ill start re ad i ng t his book with

an i ne vitabl e bias ag a i ns t it , I w o uld as k h im t o be

so ki nd as t o li s t e n t o a fe w w o rds first .

I a s s ur e h im t o b e gi n w i t h , that thi s book is not

,

a m e r e c o ll e c t i o n o f S y s t e m s : S y s te m s are ih
‘ ’ ‘ ’

clud e d , it is tru e a nd a m o ng th e s e , it is tru e, th ere

,

S y s t e m s w hich c a n b e , and fre qu e ntly have

‘ ’
a re

b ee n m o s t sha m e fully m i s us e d
, B ut t h e care ful
.

rea d e r will no tic e that th e s e S ys t e m s co m e in ’

t h e s e c o nd p l a c e s in t he b o o k ; m o re o v e r h e w ill

no tic e that th e y a re no t all ne c e s s arily s h o rt cuts

‘

fo r t he lazy ; and he w ill ca ndidly a d m it tha t e ven

’

sh o rt cu t s are no t al w ay s an u nm i t ig at e d curs e .
 I ask t he re ad e r t o c o m e t o t he b o o k with a
d et e rmi nati o n t o h ear at l e ast a p art o f it b efo re
h e d e cid es aga i nst it : I ask him , fo r i nstanc e t o d o ,

m e t he favo ur o f r e a di ng t hro ugh t h e exa m le

p
worke d o ut in P a r t I I ( t his s h o ws t he vari o u s
.

H e lps and ‘
S yst e m s
’
actually at w o rk ) , and t h e
a ns w ers to o b ect ions
j ,in S e c t i o n X L V I I ; t h e n, if he
.

will s t ill go o n, let h im glanc e at t he a d va ntages

o f th e s e m e th o d s and Sy s t e m s in S e c t i o n X L I I I .

I f he w ill have t he b o ld ne ss t o u se h is re as o ni ng
p o w ers free ly a nd c o nfid e ntly , I t hi nk he w ill a gree
that s o m e o f t he s ugge s ti o ns d em and a fa ir trial as
th e ir right a nd d ue .

Thr o ugh o ut t h e w o rk I s hall try t o a pp e al t o his

i nte llige nce and c o m m o n se ns e a nd exp e ri enc e , ra t h e r
tha n t o t he s tat e m e nt s o f any c e l e brate d auth o ri t y .

I s h a ll s ay t o h im , fo r i ns ta nc e : D o e s it he lp y o u
‘

t o r e m e m b e r t h e s hap e o f H a l ) wh e n y o u s ee t hat it
l

is lik e a b o o t e d leg ste ppi ng t o ward s t he l e ft ? He

’

will at o nc e c a ndidly ad m it that it d oe s B ut , I

.
‘ ’

shall say , w h y d o e s t hi s h e lp yo u P H e will a ns w e r

B ecaus e t he b o ot e d le g is m o re fa m iliar t o m e : it is
a thi ng I k no w alr e ady ’
We ll th en , I shall say ,
‘ ’

‘
is th e re any re as o n why y o u sh o uld c o nfi ne t o
o nly a fe w i ns tanc es this e xc e ll e nt m e th o d of
r e m e m b eri ng o ne thi ng by m e a ns o f a s e co nd thi ng
which is lik e it , a nd which is m o re fa m iliar t o y o u
see t h e S y s t e m in S e cti o n X XV ) tha n t h e first
( .

thi ng is ? Is t h e re a ny re as o n , I shall ask , w hy

’ ‘
xiv P R E F A CE

you should no t re m emb e r t he shap e of England by

a si m ilar m e th o d ? Is th e re a ny re as o n why you
sh o uld no t find o ut fo r yo urse l f s o m ethi ng which
l o o ks like Engl a nd in s hap e , b ut is m or e fam iliar to
o u a nd th r fo r e e a s i e r t o r e m e m b e r , tha n t he map
y , e e

o f Engl a nd is Is th e re any re aso n w hy you should

refuse t o use t hi s plan u nt il yo u have s een it applied
t o England by s o m e o ne e lse , e g in 3 Geog raphy . .

B ook ? H e w ill ans we r t h at th e re is no reason,

’

and I will th e n sh o w h im h o w h e c an work o ut this

plan for h ims elf .

A gai n, I will ask him wh e th e r h e s ee s pu ns and

riddl e s H e will with a sigh— ad mit that he cannot
.
-

h elp d o i ng so Why d o e s he se e the m ? What

.

d o es the faculty o f s ee i ng pu ns m ea n ? What is

‘ ’

a p un What is t he re t o c o nne ct t he words

e xam i natio n and e ggs ham m y natio n idiosyn
- -
‘

crasies and hid e o u s ink rac e s

- -
inco larum and
'

‘
ink alarum ?
-
Th ere is a sim ilarity of sou nd and
’

rhythm In t he case o f a sparagu s and spar row

.

grass ( Se c t i o n X X I I I ) the re is als o som e co nnexion

.

o f m e ani ng No w , if such c o nne xi o ns ( of sou nd and

.

m e aning) m ay be us ed fo r such e x e crabl e pu rposes

as pu ns and riddl e s , why sho uld t he y no t be use d for
r e me m be ri ng thi ngs w hich are w o r t!; r e m e mb eri ng ?
I f w e have such a fa culty that w e cannot h elp
‘ ’

s ee i ng t he connexion b et we en th e s e words ( or rather

that w e c an scarc ely succ ee d in fo rgetti ng it , wh
) y
should w e no t tur n t he facul t y i nt o a really good
 P RE F A CE xv

channel ( as in the ab o ve m entione d S yst e m ) ?

Why should it no t be em pl o yed ? Why s ho uld
it no t b ec o m e our fai t hful s ervant that m ay t e
m e mb er c e rtai n thi ngs fo r us both quickly and
e as ily a nd sure ly ? Why sho uld no t puns b eco m e
a s o m ethi ng b ette r than a torture analogo us ( it
has b ee n said ) to tickli ng ? Is this a d egradati o n
o f our faculti es ?
‘ ’

I le ave th e Op en mi nd e d and thoughtful read er to

-

answe r the qu estion fo r hi m se l f .

I would suggest a si m ilar i nstance of a fa culty ’

which was giv en us t o b e u sed , viz th e facul t y fo r

.

r e m e m b e ri ng rhym es and rhythms and alli t e rat i o ns

( S e cti o ns X X X , X X X I ,
. . Wh y is it
that s uch a s entenc e as The P ickwick , O w l, and
‘

Wave rl ey Pens are a gre at bl essi ng to m anki nd ’

may fail to s ettl e itsel f in our m e mo ry, wh ere as

They come as a boon a nd a blessing t o men

The P ickw ick, the O w l, a nd tlze Wa ver ley P en

stick fo r eve r and cannot b e disl o dged ? O f co urse

it is t he R hythm , and t h e R hy m e, and the Allit era
ti o n o f boon, bl essi ng, P ickwick , and pen Th en .

is the r e any sou nd excus e fo r not applying such

faculti e s to a s ervic e abl e e nd L et th is qu e sti o n
b e th o ught out , l e isure ly and without bias .

I w ill app e al t o t he re as o n o nce agai n L ook i nto

.

t h e tr e asur e house of t h e m ind and see what id e as

-

cl i ng rou nd t he word om nibus : do you thi nk ,

‘ ’
xvi P R E F A CE

p erhaps , o f driv er s and c o nduct o r s , o f t ick e ts and

ch e ap nes s , o f ru m bli ng and s l o wne s s o f gr ee n o r
,

y e ll o w, o f To t t e nh a m C o urt R o ad o r P icc a dilly and , ,

by w ay o f co nt r ast , o f tr a m s a nd car s and cabs and

t r a i ns ? C a n a ny o ne succ e e d — t ry as h e w ill —ih
cu t t i ng o ff t h e se a sso ciat i o ns fr o m t he w o rd o m m
‘

b us , as h e m igh t c u t o ff t h e cak es o f m ud fr o m a
’

b o o t ? No We ll t h e n, t h e r e are t h e se as s o ciations
.

re ady t o hand and al w ays in t h e m i nd : and shall

w e re fu se t o t ur n t h e m t o a fi ne e m p l o y m e nt ? We
u nd o ubt e dly hav e t h e m at eri a l s — vas t h e aps o f
m a t e rial s w hich w o uld o t h e rwi se be u nu se d , lik e
thi ngs in a lu m b e r r o o m — and w e h a v e t he fa culti es
-

fo r usi ng t h e m as a m e a ns — a swi ft and e asy and

s ure m e a ns— o f r e m e m b e ri ng m o s t thi ngs w e wish

t o rem em be r .Wo uld it b e lo w to apply t h es e

‘ ’

m at e ri al s and th es e facultie s t o s uch an e nd ?

‘
In
o ur h e art o f h e arts w e ca nno t thi nk t hat it w ou ld .

My plan th e n, has b ee n t o find u ndoubte d

,

exa mples o f thi ngs w hich a ll o r m o s t o f us t e

m e m b e r v e ry e a s ily and sur e ly ; t o exa m i ne w hy
w e r e m e m b e r t h e m ; and th e n t o se e what m ethods

a nd m ea ns o f re m e m b eri ng m ay be sugge s t e d by

t h es e e x a m p l es .

Th e s e m e t h o d s and m e ans I have cla s sifi e d and

p u t i nt o f o r m u la s , s o t h at t h e r ea d e r m a
y
( a ) m ak e e xpe ri m e nt s fo r hi m s e l f ; t h e n
( b) ad o pt and e m pl o y j ust which eve r su its h im
 P R E F A CE xvii

b est for any given subj ect ; and m e anwhil e— if he

has t he ene rgy and pati enc e
(c) practis e t h e r est o ne by o ne , so as t o
strength e n t he w e ak p o i nts .

S o I have r e ally d o ne littl e m o re than a naly s e,

a nd classi fy , and apply t o fr e sh i nstanc es , and s h o w

t he re ad e r h o w t o apply fo r hi m se l f, tho se m eth o d s

a nd m e a ns which m ost o f us have alre a dy fo u nd

val uabl e w ithout k no wi ng w hy .

I exp e ct t he re ad e r t h e n, t o t ry s o m e o f th e se
,

m eth o d s and m e ans fo r hi m s e l f, and I shall be very

grat e ful if he w il l le t m e k now wh e re t he we ak p o i nt s
s ee m t o lie A ny sugges t io ns and o bj e cti o ns will be
.

most we lc o m e .

A s to t he H e a di ngs w hich I have chos en a s

e xampl e s , m o st o f th e m are o rigi nal a nd m o st o f
,

th em , I h o p e, w ill als o be us e ful and wo rth re m e m

b eri ng in th e m s e lv es and no t m e re ly as illu strat io ns
o f m e th o d s a nd
‘
S yst e m s Thu s t he C a u ses o f
R o m e s S ucc ess ( in P art I I ) m ay b e o f i nt e res t and
’
.

valu e to all w h o care t o k no w w hy a ny Nati o n has

succ ee d e d o r fail e d in t he past o r is lik e ly t o succ eed
or fail in t he future The list o f fo o ds which I find
.

it b ett er t o avo id may al so be o f use .

B ut t he r e ad e r s o w n h o m e mad e e xampl es will

’
-

be t he b e st fo r him .

In most s ubj e cts it will be fo u nd that v e ry m uch

will d e p end o n t h e w ay in which t h e H eadi ngs t o be
r e m e m b e re d are l e ar nt in t he first plac e : and t he
b
xviii P R E F A CE

way of l ear ni ng will i nclud e t he s el e ctio n and t he

rej ectio n and t he a rra ngem e nt o f id e as o r H eadi ngs ,
t h e th o r o ugh r eal i s i ng o f t h e id e as o r H e adi ngs
‘ ’

th e m selve s a nd o f t h e ir c o nne xi o n with o ne ano ther

( if any such c o nne xi o n c an b e fo u nd ) This, th e re.

fo re , with s o m e o th e r h e lp s will b e fou nd in a

,

pro m i ne nt part o f t h e b o o k , fo ll o w e d by su gge stio ns

as t o t he us es o f C o m p ari s o ns and C o ntrasts and
R ep etiti o ns . F o r d e t a ils o n the s e h elps , I must
r e fe r t h e re ad e r to w hat I hav e said o n t he subj ect
of pr epari ng B oo k s , Ess ays ,
Ev en h er e I have t ri e d t o b ear in mi nd that t he
sam e m eth o d s a nd h elps d o no t suit all p eopl e
e qually w ell .S o m e , fo r i nstanc e, will lik e to rep eat
c ertai n H e ad i ngs as id e a s , o th e rs t o r ep e at th em as
picture s in t he m i nd o t h e rs t o re p e at th e m as words
,

s een,oth ers to r e p e at th e m as w o rd s said and h eard ,

oth ers to r ecall t he surr o u ndi ngs a m id which th ey
r ec e ive d th e early impre s s i o ns o f thes e H e adi ngs
‘
.

A nd , if t he va ri e ty o f i ndividuals is notic eabl e

h e re, it is still m o re no tic ea bl e whe n w e come to the
S yst em s Fo r t hi s re as o n I have c o ll e ct e d all t he
’
.

S yst e ms that I c o uld , so t hat e ach i ndividual re ad er

m ay try and the n ch o o s e fo r hi m s elf .

I have advis e d t h e re a d e r s t ill furth e r o n, not to

,

co n fine him self to a ny one s ingle Sy s tem , h o w ev er

‘ ’

well it m ay suit him , but r ath e r t o give all a fai r

H o w to P repare Essays, L ec tu res, Articl es, B oo ks S eeches
, p , and
Le tters ( Rivingtons) .
 P RE F A CE

trial , to practis e at o d d m o m e nts those Syst em s ‘

in which he is w e ak e st , and a b o ve all to va ry bis

Sy s tem flee
’
accor d ing na tu r e of lz is s u b ect
to
j fo r
i nstanc e, to use L i nks for a list o f thi ngs to be
‘ ’

d o ne duri ng t h e day, I nitiali s i ng fo r t he l ist o f

‘ ’

P hysical Ex ercis e s in t h e m or ni ng, a nd so o n .

A gai n, for t he m o st i m p o rtant subj ects I have

advis e d t he co m bi nat i o n o f t w o o r more S ystem s
o n t he pri ncipl e o f havi ng t w o stri ngs to o ne bow
,

o r a doubl e li ni ng t o a bag .

O ne o r tw o S yst e m s I have j ust m entio ned but

hav e no t r eco m m e nd e d v e ry h ea rtily— for i nsta nce,
t he L o calisi ng syst e m
-
Thi s is partly b ecaus e it
.

does no t suit m e p ers o nally ; but ther e may b e

som e individ uals wh o m such a S yst em m ay suit ‘ ’

adm irably .

Near er to t h e e nd o f t he bo o k I o ffe r advic e as

to bow to p r actise— a m o s t i m p o rta nt p o i nt : for I
b elieve that th e r e mu s t be P ri ncipl es o f P ractice
‘ ’

which will apply to all s ubj ect s e qually , wh eth e r t o

writi ng, o r to te a chi ng, o r t o athl etics A nd I .

i nsist o n fair and st e a dy pra c t ice on Me r igit i lines

as a sine gud non o f s ucc e ss h e r e and e v erywh e re .

O ne o f t he m o st a s to u ndi ng a nd i ncredibl e re sults

o f such practice o f s o m e o f t he S yst e ms has b ee n,
in my o vin cas e at any rat e , t hat by d egr ees I have
r

b een abl e to disp ens e with t he S yste ms alto geth er :

I cam e t o apply the m m o re and m o r e rapidly every
week , till no w I find that I am ofte n barely co n
xx P R E F A CE

sci o us if at all co nsci o us o f usi ng th e m S uch a .

t hi ng o ne can r e alis e fo r pia no playi ng , fo r i nsta nc e,

-

wh e re t h e good playe r must s e e at any rate m os t o f

t h e no t e s , and y e t m ay c e a s e to b e co nsci o us o f
s e e i ng th em B u t that t h e m e m o ry will w o rk
al m o st o r qu it e aut o m at ically accordi ng to a
S y s t e m lik e t he L i nk S y st e m ,must b e exp eri enc ed
‘ ’
-

t o b e b e li ev ed It o nly sh o w s how littl e w e ight

.

t h e o bj e cti o n sh o uld hav e t hat M e m ory S y s t e m s

’

w e ak e n and d e stro y t h e m e m o ry M y m e m o ry is
.

in every r espect far stro nge r tha n it us e d t o b e .

S t ill ne arer t o t h e end o f t h e book I have tak en

p a i ns t o p o i nt out th e gr e at a d va ntages of m e th o ds
and h e lps for t h e m e m o ry , and also t he adva ntages

o f at l e ast some o f t he S y s te ms : I hav e e nfo rc ed

‘ ’

th ese r e marks by m e nti o ni ng a few of t he d isad

va ntages o f f orgett ing .

At t h e ve ry end I have c o ll e cte d t he re aso ns , t he

’
ra is ons d e tre to j ustify b o th t he m e thods and he lps ,
,

and als o t he Syst e ms I hav e tri ed t o vi ndicate

‘

m a ny o f t he latter fr o m that care l e ss accusati o n that

th e y are agai nst natur e ( u nl ess , i nd eed , i nc e ssant
‘ ’

and u nwilli ng fo rge t ful ne ss be co nsid ere d as t he

d e fi niti o n o f nature
‘

H a vi ng
give n s o m e id e a o f what t he b o ok is let ,

m e no w say what it is not .

It is not a book fo r t h o s e who m ay b e d es crib ed

as havi ng g enius m e m o ri e s , who
-
re m e m b e r e xc e l
 P RE FA CE xxi

lently by a sort of natural and u nco nscious i nsti nct,

j ust as oth e rs pl a y ga m e s e xcell e ntly, o r d o oth er
thi ngs exc ell e ntly by a s o rt o f natural and unco n
,

sci o us i nsti nct ; such p e opl e are, al m ost i nvariably,

ignorant of bow th e y re m e m b e r : th ey o nly rem e m
b er— that is all B ut ev en fo r th e m , and p e rhaps
.

m o re fo r th e m than fo r any o the rs , this bo o k m ay

be a h elp , if th ey at any ti m e are call e d upon t o
t each oth ers I t is th e n ab o ve all that t he i nsti nct
.

ive genius is w o nt t o fa il s o igno mi niously : he

cannot imagi ne that any o ne sh o uld have to plod
slowly st ep by st ep — h e hi m s elf fli es with o ut pause
or tho u gh t
No r do e s this b o ok lay dow n hard and
any o ne

fast S yst em as file b est

‘ ’
It i nsists o n a fair
.

p ers o nal exp erim e nt by th e i ndividual , and o n a

subs equ ent ch o ice a nd s e l e cti o n o f t he fitt est fo r
him .

Nor d o e s it pro fe s s a bo o k free from o bjec

t o be

tions : t he o bj e cti o ns give n in S e cti o n X LV I I foll

. .

m ake a fo rmidabl e array and t he answe rs to som e

,

of th e m are b o u nd t o s e e m i nad e quat e .

No r, agai n, d o I clai m much o rigi nality fo r t he

book , e xc e pt fo r its e xam pl e s , its arrange m ent, its
sugge stio n o f usi ng t he M et ho ds and S yst em s ‘ ’

in co m bi nati o ns a nd alt e r na t ely , its P ri ncipl e s o f

‘

P r actic e , and a fe w oth e r fe atur e s

’
.

This book do e s no t advo ca t e a m er e parrot

m e mo ry : in fact , it ai m s at disp e nsi ng with th is
xx ii P R E F A CE

ghastly and oft en d e gradi ng fo rm o f m ental e x ercis e

wh e rever it is fe asibl e t o d o so .

A nd it do es no t give m uch i nstructi o n as to

h o w t o l ear n l o ng c o ns e cutive passages of P ros e
ver ba t im : th o ugh it d o es giv e so m e h e lps ( S e ctio n

I t w o uld ra th e r show t he re ad er how

to m ast e r t he id ea s .

It do e s no t h o ld its el f r es p o ns ibl e fo r t he su bjects

which are to b e r e m e m b e r e d Th ere are ma ny .

who have bla m e d a M e m ory Syste m b ecaus e -

’

p eopl e c o uld l e ar n lists o f ki ngs and proph ets and

plac e s by m e a ns o f it : lis t s o f k i ngs , th ey go o n to
say , are quit e use l e ss B ut sur ely t he M e mory
.
‘

’
S yst em is no t to bla m e h e re, but rath er t he
p erso ns who imp o s e t h e task o r who volu ntarily
u ndertak e it I f a m an use s m y suggestio ns for
.

t he purpos e of l e ar ni ng all t h e m o st us el ess thi ngs

in th e world of i nfo r m ati o n that is nothi ng to do

‘

with m e Tba t is t he fault o f th e l earner, or of his

.

tas k m ast e rs— a pl a gue up o n t h e m

-

L ast , but no t l ea s t, t his w o rk d o es no t cram its elf

with t he t ech nical t e r m s o f P s ych o l o gy and P hysi
o l o gy .L et m e j us t s ho w t he re ad e r what he has
e scap ed : rec ent phy s i o l o gic a l i nvestigatio ns show
that t he axis cyli nd er o f t h e ne rve fi br e s is id entical
with t h e pr o t oplas m ic substa nce o f t he nerve c ells
t he latt er b ei ng si m ply “ nucl e a t ed e nlarge m ents of

the axial cyli nd er I will no t m e ntio n the

’
author s name .
 P RE F A CE x xiii

Let m e, in c onclusion, urge t he read er, once more ,

to op en his m i nd and t o get rid o f t he bias which w e
all acquir e, strive a gai nst it as w e may While I .

ask him to e xa m i ne i nto , t o try, and to criticis e m y

m e th o ds as free ly as h e c an, I also ask him to
e xami ne i nto , to t ry ,and t o criticis e wi t h no l e ss fr ee

do m t he pre s ent m e th o ds which h e fi nds arou nd him .

L et him regard the m , no t as if th ey w e re t he b est

possibl e, m ere ly b e cause the y are custom a ry and
sanctione d by t h e us age o f t h e m ajority , but as if
th ey w er e— p e rhaps go o d fo r c ertai n purpos es bu t
capabl e o f impr o ve m e nt , o r eve n o f radical cha nge .

The habit o f sh ee r l e ar ni ng by r o t e, by t he s o u nds

of words , for i nstanc e, rath e r than by th eir m eani ngs
and id e as — it m ay b e v e ry e xc e ll e nt discipli ne o f a

ki nd , it may show o ur nati o nal bull do g p ersist ency

-

but Go d m e ant us to b e s o m e t hi ng mor e than

p ersist ent : H e gave us o ur fa cul t ies , i ncludi ng t he
faculti es o f ass o ciatio n, o f b e i ng impress e d by
si m il ariti e s o f sou nd o r o f app e a ra nc e or o f m e an
ing, no t that w e m ight let th e m p e ris h from atrophy,
but that w e might m ak e th e m valuabl e s ervants to
r e li eve us of m uch o f o ur drudge ry and t o give us
tim e and m at erials fo r t he high e r life A nd as to
.

bull do g p ersiste ncy , th e re w ill be qu it e eno ugh o f

-

t/za t nee d e d for practice al o ne .

The qu estio n h ere is no t , b e li ev e m e, what m eth o ds

we use by nature, no r what m e thods w e use by habit
and custom , fo r a large part of th es e m ethods may
xxiv P R E F A CE

be a re lic o f backward ages No , the qu e sti o n

.

rath er is thi s : What m eth o ds w ill actu ally h elp

‘

i ndividuals , yo u a m o ng th e m , t o r e m e m b er t he
thi ngs which t h ey w i s h t o re m e m b e r , m o st quickly,
m o s t e as ily , and , if it be re quire d m o st p e r m a nently ,
,

and w ith t h e gr e at e s t b e ne fi t t o th e ir i nt ell ectual

and m o ral p o w e r s, so t hat t h ey m ay put t o t h e b e st

p o ss ibl e u se s t h o se m a te ri a ls and th o s e faculti es

w hich as a ni m als a nd as r e a s o ni ng b e i ngs th ey

m ust u ndoubte dly p o sse ss

’
.

Thi s is t he qu es ti o n h e r e : and t he a nswe r is no t

that t he y sh o uld give t he subj ect no th o ught , no
car eful p o nde ri ng I hav e sugge ste d fo r c o nsid era
.

ti o n j ust a few id e as w hich m ay h e lp re ad e rs t o find

o ut fo r th e m s e lve s what are t he tru e st and b est

li nes o f m e m o ry culture f or tlz em

-
It re mai ns fo r
.

th e m t o d e ve l o p and t o i m pro ve up o n th es e id eas ,

and t o t e ll m e wh e r e and why I a m wr o ng .

EUSTAC E H . M I LES
.

K ING’S C O LLEGE, C A M BR ID GE .
 PA R T I .

INTR O D U C TO R Y .

E
S C TION S

VAL U E OF M EM O R Y

S O M E H I ND R ANC ES TO M E M OR Y, OR

F O R GET
I N th e foll o w i ng page s I shall frequently use t h e
w o rds teac/ lear n : but I wish th e m t o be
’
and
’

u nd erstood as som ethi ng w id e r th an m ere t eaching

and l e ar ni ng in th e ir o rdi nary s ens es
. I wi sh th e m ,
fo r e xa m pl e , to i nclud e convers a tions, in which o ne
p ers o n d escrib es or e xplai ns , and t he oth er trie s to
u nd erstand ; in fact, I wish th e m to i nclud e any
c a s e in which a nyo ne w a nt s to imp r ess his listeners

o r r e ad ers with what h e says or w r it es .

S EC TI O N I . TH E V ALUE OF M EM O RY .

I F w e wer e d e pr iv e d of rdi nary air w e bre ath e ,w e

t he o

should d ie : a nd y e t w e s eld o m t hi nk o f t hi s o rdi nary

air Why is thi s ?

. B e cau s e it is o rdi nary , b ecau s e
it is so m uch a part o f o ur ev e ryday li fe that w e take

it f or g r a nted . A nd so it is with m e m o ry We u se
.

it so c o nstantly that w e se ld o m thi nk o f it , and w e

nev e r give it t h e cr e dit fo r a t e nth part o f w hat w e

o w e t o it ; i nd ee d , w e c an o nly r e a li s e w hat it is t o

us if w e i m agi ne it to b e tak en a w ay fr o m us S o .

it is wi t h h e alth , so it is w ith m a ny o th er o f t he
gre at e st bl e s s i ngs : w h e n w e have t h e m , w e d o no t
look up o n the m as bl e ssi ngs : w h e n w e have l o st
th e m , w e look up o n th e ir l o s s as a curs e .

Try t o pictur e y o urs e l f wit h o ut m e m o ry and then ,

y o u will l e ar n t o r e alis e it s valu e : supp o s e y o u c o uld

no t r e m em b e r about a nythi ng w hich yo u o r any o ne

e ls e had e v e r t o uch e d o r tast e d o r h e a rd o r s ee n o r

thought o r s a id o r d o ne : no w i m agi ne y o urs e l f go i ng

out for a walk — y o u k nock agai nst a w all : why ?
b ecaus e y o u d o no t r e m e m b e r th at a wall is hard .

Y o u are hu ngry— y o u canno t re m e m b e r w ha t y o u

d id b efore w he n you w e re hu ngry : eve n if i ns t i nct
prompts y o u t o e at , y o u will no t re m e m b e r w ha t to
e at — you will p e rh ap s try t o eat mud or a stone .
 H 0 W TO R E M E M B E R

As Mr Stout , the
. gre at P sych o logist , said , no house
c o uld b e built if e ach brick va ni s h e d as soo n as it

w as laid .

S o much for o ne o r t w o o f t he p o sitive d is advan

tage s , to which w e m ight add that any attem pt to
carry o n bu s i ne ss, o r e ven to live as a human b ei ng
in soci e ty , w ould be a m is e rabl e failure : a nd imagine
yours e lf tryi ng t o pl a y any gam e after you had
e ntire ly l o st yo ur m e m o ry !

A gai n, y o u w o uld ha ve no ne o f t he pl e asures o f

re c o ll ecti o n— all p as t s ights and sou nds would be
go ne for ev er Nay m o r e , y o u would have no ne
.

o f t he pl e asures o f a nticipati o n o r hope

. B u t sur ely
hop e is co nc er ne d w ith t he futur e , no t with t he past ?’

Y es, but its fou ndati o n is in m e m ory : yo u cannot

hop e that you will s ucc ee d in s o m e u nd e rtaki ng,
u nl ess you can re m e m be r w hat that u nd e rtaki ng is .

H O pe may be ab o u t s o m ethi ng that has never yet

happ ened , but , if y o u have a ny r ea l hO pe of that
thi ng happ eni ng, t he n you m u s t have re m em bered
that som ethi ng lik e it has happ e ne d b e fore .

L et m e go a ste p furth e r : y o u ca nnot ev en

im agine without t he a id o f m e m o ri es : yo u c an re
arra nge ce rtai n thi ngs which y o u have he ard or seen,
yo u c an alte r th e m , a dd t o the m , o r tak e from the m ,
but the s e thi ngs th e m se lv e s , o ut o f which you mak e
your new pictu re , m ust b e r e m em b er e d , co nsciously
o r half co nsciou s ly o r practically u nco nsciously , o r
-

els e y o u will neve r ge t a nythi ng th a t you c an r eally

 TH E VA L UE O F M E M OR Y

call a picture .
just try : i m agi ne a picture— a
c o ttage p erch e d o n a cli ff, a child ch a si ng butterfli e s ,

a se a s erp e nt : no w trace back t he picture t o its

-

m ate rials— you will find that the s e m a terials we re

alre ady in y o ur m i nd b e fore y o u could i m agi ne
t h e picture , which is m e r ely th es e o ld mat e rial s

re arra nge d , p e rhaps with cha ng e d pro p o rti o ns

-
.

L e t us l o o k at a m o r e i m porta nt asp e ct o f li fe
a n a s p e ct m o re i m p o rta nt tha n m e r e e xiste nc e m e re
,

s ucc e s s in busi ness , m e re s o cial i nte rc o urs e , m e re

pl e asur e— I m e an right acti o n . Tak e a w ay t he
m e m o ry o f a ll go o d th o ughts in t he past , o f all
go o d w o rds , all good acti o ns , b o th o f y o urse l f and o f
o th e r s , and tak e away als o t h e m e m o ry o f all bad

tho ughts and w ords and a c t i o ns ,and als o t h e m e m o ry

o f w ha t thoughts and words and actio ns we re bad

and w hat w e r e go o d — no w t ry t o act rightly .

M e m o ri e s , th en, lie prac t ically at t h e r o o t o f o ur

co nsci o u s e xist enc e : and it is chi efly in t he nu m b e r
o f di ffe r e nt thi ngs that w e can r e m e m b e r ( fee li ngs ,

sights , a nd so u nd s , and so o n) , and in t he nu m b er o f

diffe re nt u se s t o which w e can p ut t he m e m o ri es o f
th ese thi ngs , that w e e xce l t h e brut e b e asts We
-
.

e xc e l th e m , that is to say no t o nly by o u r v e r s atil e

,

m e m o ry in it se lf but als o by t he m any w o nd erful

,

e xp e ri enc e s , and l e sso ns , and m at erials fo r eve ry

ki nd O f i mpr o ve m e nt , which this m e m o ry puts i nt o
o ur p o w e r
. F o r with o ut m e m o ry w e might c o nceiv
ably liv e, but w e could scarc e ly i m pro ve .
6 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

We m ay , th e n, r e gard m e m o ry as abs o lut e ly

essent ia l t o
p r og ress in a ny d ir ect ion a nd it fo llows ,
‘
as t he nigh t t h e d ay that , if w e c a n i m pro v e o ur
m em o ry , w e can a l s o ‘
i m pro ve o ur pr o gr es s — w e
’

c an m ak e o u r pr o gre ss faste r a nd sure r a nd b e tt e r .

B ut ca n t h e m e m o ry b e i m pro v e d
L et m e state h e re m y fi rm b e li e f

( i ) t h at ( t o s o m e e xt ent ) w e h av e m any k i nds O f

m e m o ri e s , w hich usually act in c o m bi na t i o ns ;

( ii ) th a t each sever a l one o f th e se can be i m pr o v ed ,

m o re o r l ess by it s el f, t o almost a ny e xt e nt ;

( iii ) th at t w o o r m o r e o f th e m ( w o rki ng togeth er)

c an b e i m pro v e d t o a l m o st any e xt e nt ; and

( iv) that t he w ay t o i m pr o v e th e s e m e m ories is

first o f all to find o ut wh at are the right m e thods ,
a nd th e n

( v) t o practise th es e m e th o ds .

A nd as t o p r ac tice, it is ve ry e ss e ntial

( a) to p ract ise onl

y one hind of m em ory at a time to
begin w ith, and t o practis e it
(b) in the r ight w ay ,
(c) very slow ly , a nd
( d ) w ith the w hole a ttent ion fixed on it and
(e) t o practis e that o ne ki nd o f m e m o ry agai n and
a g a i n t ill it c a n a nd d o es w or k m ore o r less b
y itself,
eas ily, a u to m a t ica lly , ins t inctivel
y
.

It is a l o ng and l a b o ri o u s t ask , but it is well

wo rth whil e .

This s ee ms to m e t h e sec ret o f p ract ic e, and

 TH E VA L UE O F M E M OR Y

it is t h e w ay by which , fo r e xa m pl e , I l e a r nt to tak e
back ha nd ers at Tennis : I b e gan by givi ng m y
-

w h o l e att e nti o n t o d o i ng a s i ngl e thi ng at a ti m e in

t h e right w ay v e ry c a r e fully a nd a gai n a nd aga i n

, .

B y this m e a ns w e pass thr o ugh s e ve ral s t a ge s

I
. We hav e t o use an e ffo rt o f w ill t o d o t h e
thi ng : the re m ay eve n be gre at r es is tance , b ecau se
w e hav e not b een u s e d to d o i ng t h e t hi ng in this

way , o r b ecau s e w e ha ve b ee n us e d t o d o i ng t he
thi ng in a no th e r way .

2
. B ut , by d e gree s , w e no l o nge r h a ve any re a l
e ffo rt o f w ill , th o ugh w e are still consci o u s o f d o i ng

t he thi ng in a c ertai n w ay .

3 L at e r o n w e c o m e t o d o t h e thi ng natur a lly

.

a nd al m o st u nc o ns ci o usly , s o m e what as , w h e n w e

w alk al o ng , w e a re o ft e n u nc o ns ci o us o f walki ng

but a t inter vals w e a r e conscious o f w alki ng .

4 Th e n,w e do t h e thi ng pr ac t ically a u tom a ticall

.
y
it app e ars a s i f it w er e done f or us by som e good
s er va nt of o u rs ins ide u s . We d o no t s ee m even t o
have t o te ll this good s e rvant what he is t o d o ; nay
m ore ,

5
. s o m e ti m e s w e ca nnot hel p h is d oing it : h e d o es

it s o re gularly t hat , unless w e e x e rt o ur w ill ( c p I ) ,.

w e ca nno t st 0 p him fr o m d o i ng it . I s a w a go o d
i nsta nce o nce B e fo re t he d ays o f d e clari ng th e
.
‘

innings cl o s e d a fine crick e t er h ad had a l o ng inn

i ngs and wa nt ed t o get o ut s o as t o le t o th e rs have
a k no ck B ut it took h im quite a lo ng ti m e : he
’
.
8 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

tri e d to let th e straight balls b o w l him , but t he good

s ervant i nsid e him , t h e c o m bi ne d use of eye and
brai n and nerve a nd m uscl e, w ould stop the balls !
’ ’
H e was sayi ng t o that s e rva nt D on t do that , but
t he s erva nt still w e nt o n doi ng it !

(f ) Wh en this o ne m e m o ry by itse l f has b een

we ll practise d , the n ano the r can be practis e d by itself
in a similar way .

(g) Then the t w o c an b e use d toge th e r, o r alt er

nately ; and so o n .

B ut o f th e m e th o ds o f practi s i ng and h elpi ng t he

m emory I shall sp e ak m o re fully in Sections X X X I X .

and XL .

A N O TE O N TH E V A R I O U S M EAN INGS O F TH E
WO RD ‘ M E M O RY ’ AN D O N TH E U SE O F TH E
WO R D ‘
FACU LTY

Th ro ugh o u t i
th s b ook I sh a ll speak o f M em ory and not of
d i fferent k ind s o f M e m o ries t h o ugh m any w o ul d righ tl y
c o nsi d er th i s t o b e inaccu rate .

Wh en w e see a th ing, w e se e it by m eans o f t h e eye, and the

nerv es l ead ing from t h e eye t o th e b ra in, and t h e b rai n i t sel f :
w h en w e h ear a t h i ng , w e h e ar it by m e ans o f t h e ear, and th e
nerv es l ead i ng fro m t h e e ar t o t h e b ra i n, and th e b rai n i t sel f
.

Thu s w e see by o ne m eans and w e h e ar by ano th er,and so it

is,t o some extent, w h en w e rem em ber .

Th e t h i ng s w h i ch w e h ave s een w e can ( I b el ieve) scar c el y

rememb er e xc ept by m eans o f both t h e b rai n a nd the nerves
b et w een the b rain and th e eye ; and t he t h i ng s w h ich w e h av e
h eard w e can scar c e ly rem e m b er e xc e pt by m eans of both th e
b rain a nd the nerve s b e tw een t h e b ra in and t h e ear so I rega rd
th e m em ory o f t h i ng s seen a s to s o me ext ent a d if erent k i nd of
m em o ry from t he m em o r y o f t h ing s h e ar d It is true
.
 TH E VA L UE O F M E M OR Y 9

( i) t h at g and h earing are b o t h at l east p art ly d ue t o

s ee in
‘
m o ti o ns ’ and v i b rat i o ns in t h e air ;
( ii) t h at th e t w o m em o ries v e ry o ft en w o rk t o g eth er and
h el p ea ch o t h er ( see b e l o w ) ; a nd
( iii) t h a t th e b rai n is g enera lly h eld t o be a t w o rk in b o t h
k ind s o f m em o ries but , fo r t h e p u rpo ses no t m erely o f re m em
b eri ng b ut al so o f l earning a t h ing, it is e ssent ia l t o t reat t h e
t w o m em o ri es as t o s om e extent sep arat e fo r w e ca n re m em b er
a s i gh t w i t h o u t any m em o ry o f a s o u nd , and v ice v ersé To .

t ak e a fam i l i ar i ns t anc e , so m e peo p l e c an re m em b er p o e t ry

al m ost e nt irely by seeing the w or d s in fro nt o f th em , w rit ten as

it w ere b e fo re t h e ir m ind s eye , w h e reas o t h ers rem e m b e r

’

po et ry a l m o s t e nt ire ly by its s ound ( s o t h at t h ey d o no t me c es

s arily u nd er st and a w o r d o f it ) H ere, t h en, t h ere are t w o
.

m em or ies, t h o ugh m o st p eo p l e l ear n p o e t ry by u s ing t h em

b o t h , and al so by t h e h el p o f a so m e w h at d ifferent m em o ry ,
w h ich fo r t h e p res ent w e m ay c all t h e m em o ry o f m ea nin s
g .

F o r c o nv enienc e, th e n, I s h all use t h e t erm ‘ M em o ry ’ rat h e r

t h an M em o rie s , in spit e o f t h e fa c t th at th e m em o ry o f th e
‘ ’

eye , fo r exa m p l e, is t o so m e e x t ent d ist inc t fro m t h e m em o ry

o f t h e e ar . Ano t h er reas o n, b es i d e s c o nve nienc e, is t h at it is

frequ e nt ly i m po ss i bl e t o analy se t h e m em o ry i nt o d ist inc t p ar t s .

Thu s w h en in t h e di st anc e w e h ear a c rick et b a ll h it , b ut c an

-

no t s ee t h e h i tt er, w e m ay t h i nk w e o nly h ear a so u nd b ut w e

really d o far m o re th an th i s We rem em b er, p erh aps so
.

rapi dly o r so d im ly as no t t o fee l it,t h e si gh t o r th e m o t i o n o f a

p l a y er h itt i ng th e b a ll w i th a b at : t h e ap p l a u se w h ich fo ll o w s
d o e s no t c o m e as a m ere so u nd— it a l so h as it s as so c i at io ns .

And as t h e o rig inal im pre s sio n m ade by th e c ri ck et stro k e is -

‘
c o m p l e x ’, so th e m e m o ry o f t h e c rick e t st ro k e w i ll b e co m
-
‘

p l e x .
’
It m ay e v en c a ll up t h e fu rth er re m em b ranc e o f so m e
c ri ck et st ro k e o f o ur o w n
- .

So if w e t h i nk o f h av i ng t o u ch e d ic e w ith a nee dl e, t h e
m em o ry nee d no t b e t h e m ere m e m o r y o f t o uch , fo r t h ere m ay
b e t h e m em o ry o f th e app earanc e o f t h e ice, and o f t h e so u nd
th at t h e nee dl e m ad e .Th e t h re e o r m o re m em o ries, h o w ev er,
are t o all i nt ent s and p u rp o se s bl end e d i nt o o ne
! .

’
See Sto ut s Psycho logy , vol. i .
p 92
. .
[0 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

The u se of i ngul a r w o rd , M e m o ry has

t he s
‘

o th e r draw backs F o r no t o nly is it o ft e n p o ss ibl e

.

t o dis t i nguish , t o s o m e e x t e nt , t he m e m o ry o f t he

ey e a nd e ar , e t c , but the re a re als o vari o u s d e gree s

.

o f m e m o ry , as it w e re , in a n a s c endi ng scal e .

Th ere are so m e w h o sa y t h a t t o h av e e v e r se en o r h eard

a ny t h ing im p l ies t h a t it h a s l eft a n i m p res s io n u po n u s, u p on

th e c e ll s o f o u r b o dy , and t h at t h er efo re w e m u st r em e m b er it
s o l o ng a s w e l iv e .Th is in a sense is t r u e ,b u t it is a s tre t ch ing
o f the w o rd M e m o ry ’ b ey o nd it s no rm a l l im it s .

M o s t peo pl e, h o w ever, w o uld say t h at w e m u st re m em b er ’

an y th ing t h at w e h a v e o nc e l earnt , e ven if at t h e m o m ent w e

‘ ’

c annot re c all it It m ay b e a m ere jingl e o f so u nd s, b ut t h ere

.

it is w i t h in u s, so m ew h e re .

A h igh er m e m o ry w o uld b e t h at o f t h ing s w h ich w e h a v e no t

o n ly ‘
l ea rnt
’
b ut h av e a l s o u nd ers t o o d We m ay b e sai d to
.

rem e m b er t h ese t h i ng s e v e n if w e c anno t r e c a ll t h e m a ll a t any

requ ire d m o m ent We m ay b e sai d t o ‘ k no w ’ t h ese t h ing s,
.

and
‘
kno w l e dg e ’ presu ppo se s M em ory .

M o re u seful s t i ll a re t h o se t h i ng s w h i ch w e ca n rec all at any

requ ired m o m ent : t h ese t h i ng s w e m ay b e sai d t o rem em ber
in a fulle r s ense .

In a st i ll full e r s ense, a gai n, w e rem em b er t h o se t h i ng s w h i ch

w e h av e no t o nly l earnt a nd u nd ers t o o d and can r e c a ll at any

requ ire d m o m ent , b ut w h i ch w e c an al so u se and apply Th i s .

is far h i gh er in t h e l ist .

In s pit e o f t h es e d i sa dv ant a ge s , h o w ev er, I h av e pre ferred to

u se t h e w o r d M e m o r y ’ I m ay h a v e b een w ro ng in d o i ng so ,
.

b ut I fe l t t h at t h e P lura l M e m o ri es ’ w o uld b e perpet u ally

t ripp ing up t h e r ea d er as h e m o v e d t h ro ugh t h i s b o o k , w h i ch ,
fro m it s v e r y nat u r e, is b o u nd t o b e qu i te h ar d eno ugh a l ready .

I h av e a l so u se d t h e w o rd Fa cul t y ’ v ery frequ ent ly , w it h o u t

i nt endi ng it to h ave any t e ch ni c a l sense of a spec i al fa cul t y o f
th e m i nd . I h av e o ften preferre d it to the w o rd ‘ capab i l it y , ’

w h i ch I m i gh t h a v e u se d .
S EC TI O N II . TH E IDEA L WA Y O F LEA RNING
A ND REM EM BERING .

IT m ay be w ell t o be gi n by s ayi ng wh at t he id e al
way o f re m e m b eri ng w o uld be .

I. We sh o uld lik e t o re m e m be r t he great es t

p o ss ibl e nu m ber o f go o d and us e ful
2. We w ant t o re m e mb e r t h es e thi ngs w i t h t he
gre at est p o ss ibl e r ap idity , with t h e l e as t p o ssibl e
e xp e nditur e o f ti m e .H e re it m u s t b e re m em b e re d
that a lit t l e e xtra ti m e sp e nt in t h e fir st s ta ge s m ay
save a gr e at d e al o f tim e a ft e rwards .

3 The gre at e st p o s sibl e ea se and fa cility a nd

.
,

t he l e ast p o s sibl e di fficulty and e ffo rt , are als o t o b e

d e sired ; and a lso

4 . t he gre at es t accuracy and cer ta inty ( w ith
re gard t o t he full nu m b e r o f t hi ngs t o b e r e m e m
b e re d and , if ne ce s s ary , th e ir righ t or der ) , and th e re
fo re t he l e ast cha nc e o f m istak e o r fa ilur e .

5 We sh o uld be abl e t o r eca ll t he t hi ngs , a nd

.

m ahe u se of them a t w ill , at a ny ti m e o r plac e, a nd

,

und e r a ny c o ndi t i o ns .

Througho u t th e bo ok it m ust be borne in m i nd that m y m ai n

s t o tell the reader how to rem em ber things, taki ng it fo r
obj ec t i

granted that he has already decided o n th e things them selves I t is

.

no t m y m ai n o bj e c t to te ll the reader w hat to rem em ber

.
12 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

6 . The way l e arni ng and re m e m b e ri ng must

of

be full of interes t a nd eve n o f pl e a sur e : it must not

be dull— s t ill l e ss m ust it be an a nnoyi ng drudge ry .

7 O ur m eth o d o f l ea rni ng and of re m e mbe ri ng

.

sh o uld no t be u nthi nki ng a nd sl a vish , as if w e w ere

m ere parro ts or ph o no graphs ; but it shoul d bring
t h e gr eat e s t and b est develop m ent of a ll t he finest

f acu lties of ou r m inds We w ant t o d el e gate as

.

m uch as p o ssibl e o f t he m echa nical w ork to t he

lo w e r faculti e s , so as t o l e ave t he high e r free for t he
high e r tasks o f rea s o ni ng e tc
, .

We wa nt to us e facu ltie s w h ich hith ert o have

b ee n littl e us ed , o r u nus e d , o r ev e n m isu s e d , such as
t h e facul t y o f ass o ciati ng togeth e r thos e words that

s o u nd lik e each o th er— a faculty which is Often

m isus e d fo r t he purpo s e o f pu nni ng .

8 Th ere are in o ur m i nds rich stores of m a ter ials

.

als o , which hith e rto hav e b ee n l it t l e us ed , o r u nused ,

or e ve n m isus ed ( s uch as t h e id e as ass ociate d with
an Om nibus , which have b ee n u nus e d — see t he
‘ ’

P r efa c e) .

9 Above all w e mu s t k now how w e c an l e ar n

.

and re m e m b e r b e st , and w hy this is so : w e want to

k no w just e xactly what t h e proce s s es are so that at

,

first w e m ay l e ar n and re m e m b er by a conscious

fior t of w ill, which w ill so o n, howe ve r, be c o m e
’

e
u nne c essary , if w e prac t i se pro p e rly .

This is o f t he utmost im portance : fo r, u nl e ss we

k no w each st ep in t he pr o c es s, w e ca nno t practise
 L E A R N I N G A ND R E M E M B E RIN G 13

e ach st ep s eparate ly and th er e fo re canno t practi se

prop e rly at all F o r part by p a rt is t he s ecre t o f
.

practice in its first stage s .

A gai n, if w e d o no t k no w e xactly how t o l e ar n

and r e m e mb e r , i e
. t h e actual pr o c e s s o f l e ar ni ng
.

and r e m em b e ri ng, by s tep , h o w c a n w e exp e c t

t o te ach a nd to h elp oth ers to l e ar n a nd t o re

m e mb er
S EC TI O N II I . SOM E H INDRANCES TO MEMORY,
OR WHY WE FORGET .

H O W is it that w e are apt to fo rge t ? H o w is

so

it that w e o ft e n find it so h a rd to re m e m be r ?
I will try t o s ugge st s o m e of t he re aso ns , at t he
sa m e ti m e re ferri ng t o t he Se ctio ns in w hich I have
o ffe re d hi nts as to h o w t he d eficie nci es can be
re m edi e d .

i is a co m c a u s e— if no t
() B a d hea lth V
( )L m o n

t he com m o ne st caus e— O f bad m e m o ry and forget

ful ne ss . M uscular te ns i o n may be i nclud e d h ere .

( ii) B a d conditions ( V L) , such as a hot roo m

with littl e o r no ve ntil a ti o n, also c o ntribute .

( iii ) Wa nt of a ttent ion whil e w e are l ea rni ng

thi ngs , h o w e v e r , is p erhaps t he gr e at e s t mistak e o f
all ( see A nd t his in its tur n is gener ally
d ue to a nu m be r of caus es acti ng to ge the r .

( iv) We m ay fee l no inter es t in t h e subj ect ( see

a nd h enc e w e shall be, as it w e r e writi ng
,

o ur id e a s in wat er i nst e ad of in ink, e ngravi ng

t h e m ligh t ly o n t h e sur fac e i nst e ad of cutti ng them

d ee p .

(v) Pe rhaps, agai n, w e have no t s yste matically

collected o u r id e as or H e adi ngs
( IX ) i nt o a d efi nite
.

lis t
. O r, if w e have d o ne so , it m ay w e ll b e that
 S O M E H I ND RA N CE S M E M OR Y 1 5

( vi) o ur list is too l arge : w e have c o ll ecte d , it is

tru e , but ( see X I ) w e have no t rejected t h e No t
.

Want e d
O r, e ve n if all th e above c o ndi t ions have b ee n
compli e d with , viz good h e alth , go od enviro n
.

m e nt c o nc entrat e d att e nti o n, i nter est , coll ecti o n o f

,

H e adi ngs , and s el e ctio n o f H eadi ngs , still th ere

may b e som ethi ng l acki ng, fo r
( vii) w e may have fa il e d t o a r ra nge ( X I I ) th es e
.

H e adi ngs in a good o rd e r ;

( viii) w e may have fa ile d t o find out the cau ses

and o th e r co nne xio ns b e twee n t he vario u s id e as
( X I I I ) : though this do e s no t apply t o all subj e ct s
which hav e to be l e ar nt o r rem e m b ere d .

( ix) A gai n, possibly w e m ay never hav e had in

o u r m i nd any cl e ar g e ne r a l ou tline o f o ur s ubj e ct ,

b e fore w e sta rt e d t he d e tail s ( X IV) ;

x
( ) w e m ay no t hav e r ealised our subj e ct , es ec i
p
ally by formi ng vivid m ental picture s
xi
( ) or n o car e ful study and anal y s is o f e a ch

part has b een m ad e — o ur notio ns about m any o f

th e s e parts m ay b e still vagu e and misty ( XVI ) .

xii
( ) C o m m on sens e is a wo nd e r ful h e lp t o t h e

m e m o ry ( see ( XV I I ) : w e m ay , p e rh a p s, have
ne gl e ct e d to use it at a ll, for t he id e as o f o the rs

o r m e re words m ay have be en swall o we d u ndi

‘

ge ste d '
.

xiii H o use b ee n m ad e of Compa r isons ( see

( ) as n

XV I I I ) , o r of
16 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

xiv
( ) C o nt r a s ts ( X IX,) as h e lps t o ward s l e ar ni ng

a nd re m e m b e ri ng ? If so , th e n that its e l f would

acco u nt fo r a gr ea t d e al o f failure .

xv T h a ve ri ed ea ch a nd e xplai n t h e
( ) o t t o t

thi ng t o o t h ers ( XX ) , or e ve n m e re ly

( xvi) t o h av e r epea ted t he H e ad i ngs ( XX I ) , m ight

hav e b ee n w h at w as wa nte d to i nsur e t he rec o llec
ti o n o f th es e id e as O r is it no t lik e ly t hat the
.

id e a s w e re re p e at e d in th e w ro ng way ? F o r th ere
is a wro ng way o f re p eati ng, as we ll as a right
way .

( xvii) The id e as m ay have o ffe r e d m any usef ul

points t o h e lp o ne t o h o ld t he subj ect fast ( XX I I ) ,
and th e re m ay hav e b een ma ny

( xviii) things w hich one knew a lr ea dy ( XXV ) t o

w hich o ne m ight have a ttached t he ne w id e as .

( xix) In a w o rd , th e re hav e pr o bably b ee n no

sy stem o r sy s tem s at all ( see P arts I I I . and IV ) .

all has b een d o ne haphazard , anyhow , j ust as chance

d ire c t e d
.

( xx) No att e m pt has b ee n m ad e to fi nd out

w hich are y ou r s t rong es t hinds of m em ory , fo r in
c
s t an e t he m e m o ry fo r thi ngs s ee n, and t o u se the se ,
a nd , at the sam e tim e,
( xxi ) to fi nd o ut which are your w eakes t ki nds o f
m e m o ry , fo r i nstanc e t h e m e m o ry fo r thi ngs he ard ,
a nd t o cul t iv a t e a nd pr a ctis e th e s e .

( xxii) P ro bably th e t h o ught o f p ractic e o f any

ki nd , and es p eci a lly o f t he ri ght ki nd
 S O M E H IN D RA N CE S TO M E M O R Y x;

h as ne ev r t r d i nt o yo ur h e ad
en e e , o r, if it has ,
has b ee n i m m ediate ly rej e cte d as no t wo rth
whil e ’

( xx ni) M any e xcee di ngly use ful f aculties that

wo uld hav e l e nt stro ng supp o rt , and that wo uld
hav e re li eve d o f much tro ubl e and dul ne ss , and that
wo uld have sav e d fr o m m a ny a s e ri o u s if no t fatal
lapse o f m e m o ry , might have b ee n d e vel o p e d and
co nstantly e m ploy ed , i nste ad o f b e i ng l e ft idl e : I
nee d m e ntio n h e re o nly t h e faculty o f re m e m be ri ng

thi ngs b etter wh en th e re is ab o ut th e m a r hy thm

or a s im ila r ity of sou nd ( a s in R hy m es ) .S ee XXX .

and XXX I .

( xxiv) U nus e d or litt le us ed , m o reo ve r , m ay hav e

b ee n t he m a ter ials w ith which yo ur m i nd is as richly
fille d as any tr e asure h o us e ( XX I I I )
-
.

B e sure that bo t h the s e faculti e s and th es e

mat e rials are o urs that w e m ay put th e m to a go o d
use ; and th e re are fe w b ett e r and no bl e r us e s t o

which w e ca n put th e m than t he h e lp o f t he

m em o ry , t h e pr e ve nti o n o f fo rge t ful ness .

( xxv ) P r o bably t h e re has b ee n , in o ur cas e , no

general k no wle dge o f how w e re m e m b e r o r how ,

w e c an bes t re m e m b e r ; still l e ss has th e r e b ee n a ny

sp e cial k no w l edge Still l e ss has a ny such gene ral
.

or S p ecial k no wl edge bee n put t o any ge neral o r

sp e cial use .

No : w e have c e rtai nly l eft u nd o ne , u nc o nsid e re d ,

u nl e ar nt , and u ne m ploy e d , a v ery gr eat de al that
2
18 H O W TO RE M E M B E R

m ight have ly
no t o n m i ni m is ed l ab o urs and o ur
o ur

lapses o f m e m o ry and t he m a ny gri ev o u s re sults

th e refro m , but m ight al so have positive ly d e ve l o p e d
o ur m e ntal facul t i es t o a n e x t e nt which at pre se nt

can scarc e ly e xp e ct t o r e alis e .

S EC TI O N IV . AN D ISTANCE LEA RNT AND
REM EM B ERED WITH OUT
M EM ORY-SYSTEM S .

GENER AL pri nc ipl es are o ften b e st le ar nt , if no t b e st

re me m be red , by m e ans o f c o ncrete i nstance s F r o m .

th e i nsta nce t he general pri ncipl e may be show n, and

this gene ral pri ncipl e m ay th e n be applie d to and
illustrat ed by additio nal i nst a nc es .

A fte r much d e lib e rati o n I d e cid e d o n The C ause s

‘

o f R o m e s S ucc e ss
’
as t he b e st subj e ct to be l e ar nt

a nd r e m e mb e r e d ( first w itho u t M e m o ry S yst e m s and

-

then w ith the m) . The re ason for ch o osi ng this

apparently Scho lastic i ns tanc e will app ear b e low
’

anothe r re ason was th a t I alre ady had M e m o ria

te ch nic a for it re ady t o ha nd . A s a C o ach at
C a m bridg e, I d et ermi ne d that this o ne topic , at a ny
ra te , my pupils sh o uld no t o nly u nd erstand but
sh o uld also re m e mb e r .

I F o r l ear ni ng and re m e m b eri ng this e xampl e

.

o r a ny oth er) ,good health a nd as ma ny othe r good

(
cond itions as possibl e are almost a s ine qud non Of .

the s e I shall spe ak later o n .

I I Concentra ted
. a tt ention is t he s eco nd r equisit e.
22 H O W TO R E M E M B ER

You m ust put asid e all o the r co nsid e rations and fix

yo ur m i nd s eye upo n this
’
.

B ut you say th a t y o u c annot . Y o u do no t car e

a b o ut t he subj e ct , and it d o e s no t i nt e re st you If
.

it did i nterest yo u, yo u w o uld no t m i nd so m uch .

A s it is , you do no t want t o k now why R o m e

succeed e d .

In ord er , th en, t o b e abl e t o fix your attentio n o n

t he subj e ct , you re quire th a t it should have

III . an interest— and an i nte re st fo r y ou

.

In a work which I a m pr e pari ng o n this qu esti o n,

I am t ryi ng to e m ph a sise som e of t he poi nts o f
i nt erest that it has fo r all of us I s elect a fe w
.

h e re
( a) If w e l e ar n and r e m e m b er why R om e suc
cee d ed , th e n w e l e ar n a gre at d e a l as to why E n la nd
g
he rs e lf has succ eed ed . It is a t o pic of which w e, as a
Nati o n, are sadly igno ra nt , and this igno r ance has
led to ma ny evils .

( b) I nd irectly , t he l e ss o n will t each us m any

r e aso ns why R o m e fa il e d , and
()c why E n gla n d m ight fail — a s e rious co nsid e r a

ti o n
( d ) why is it that gr o ups o f p e opl e , for i nsta nce
C o m pa ni es , o r famili e s , succ ee d o r fail ? This would
be worth k nowi ng . B ut s till more wo rth k nowi ng
wo uld be an answer ( e ve n if o nly a partial answe r)
t o t he qu e stio n .
A N I N S TA N CE L E A R N T A ND R E M E M B E R E D 2 3

( )
e
‘
Why hav e i ndividual s succee d e d or fail e d ?
Why w ill th e y succee d o r fail ? H o w can I succee d
or ho w am I lik e ly t o fail ? ’

Thus t he th e m e has in it a ve ry pr a ctical l ess o n

fo r li fe , so that it w ill no w have i nt ere s t .

A nd s p ecial p o i nt s w ill have the ir l e ss o ns and

th e ir i nte re st t o o : fo r e xa m pl e , a c o ns id e rati o n o f
( f ) t h e i nflu e nc es o f Geo graphy ;
( g ) t he c o l o ni e s , a nd t he m anage m e nt of t h e
e m pir e ;

( h) t he syst e m o f allianc e s ;
( i) t he u nity o f t he p eo pl e ;
(j) t he m il itary d is c ipl ine ;
(h) t he S e nat e at its b est , as b e i ng p e rhaps t he
fi nest A rist o cracy that t h e wo rld has e ve r see n
(l) t he R o m a n R eligi o n ; and so o n .

A ll the s e thi ngs it will no t be dull to co nsid e r , if

w e c ompar e and c o ntra s t R o m e with o ur o w n N ati o n

and oth e r N ati o ns as we ll

— fo r exa m pl e, A m e rica
or Ge r m any .

B ut this is no t all

( )
m T h e re may b e o th e r m ot ives to give t he
subj e ct an i nt e rest Why d o e s that stud ent wo rk
.

up that th e m e ? Is it m er ely to i m pr o ve and t o

st o re h is m i nd , t o d e vel o p his p o we rs o f co m pari so n,
co ntr as t , i nfe r e nc e, and so o n ? M ay no t s uccess in
som e Exami nati o n, and t he co ns equ e nt re putati o n ,

or position, o r mo ne y , have som ething t o do with it ?

L et m e add a noth er p o i nt .
2 4 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

( )n l
Toe ar n this th o roughly o nc e fo r all m ay sav e

m uch tr o ubl e in t h e end , e spe cially fo r t he l e ar ne r o f

H ist o ry .L at e r o n h e will c o m e t o A ugustu s , o ne o f
t he gre at est p o litic a l orga nis e rs th at w e k no w o f in

H ist o ry .H is o bj e ct w as t o re s t o r e t h e app e ara nc e

o f t h e o ld state o f a ffa ir s : a nd s o h e tri e d t o r e vive

th ese s am e fe at ure s in R o m e s e arly succe ss

’
.

If o nc e t he re ad er has l e ar nt t he l es s o ns, no t
s lavishly but i nt e llig e ntly , th en h e w ill no t o nly be

m o r e fi t te d t o tak e his part in t he Go ve r nm ent

o f his cou ntry , but h e w ill al s o sav e hims e lf m uch

t o ils o m e l e arni ng in t h e future .

(0) L et m e add th at he will have a t o pic fo r

r e fl ectio n at o d d m o m e nts : he m ay o ft en be glad o f
it whil e h e is waiti ng o r w alki ng o r trave lli ng .

H avi ng, th e n, fix e d his atte nti o n o n t h e qu es ti o n,

b ec a u se it w ill no w have its i nt e rest for h im , t he
l e ar ner will pr o c e ed

IV t o collect id e as , as H ea dings ; he will no t go

.

straight t o his b o o k s , but will first thi nk o ut t h e

subj ect fo r hi m se l f, usi ng his c o m m o n s e ns e , c o m
p ari ng vari o u s and ge ne ral caus e s o f s ucc ess , a nd
c o ntras t i ng vari o us cau s e s o f fa ilur e .

To t hi s c o ll e cti o n he will add by re adi ng , e t c .

V I f o nly he h ad a complete lis t o f N ati o ns

.
’

succ e ss e s , ho w e asy it wo uld b e to coll e ct t he

H eadi ngs that he wa nted .
A N I N S TA N CE L E A R N T A N D R E M E M B E R E D 2 5

V I B ut e ven his o w n c o ll ect e d H e adi ngs w o uld

.

fo rm a ve ry l o ng li s t Pe rh a ps it w o uld no t , fo r
.

ordi nary purp o se s , b e w o rth whil e t o study and

l e arn a ll o f t h e H e adi ngs H e m ight, the re fo re ,
.

select s o m e , a nd r e ect o th e rs
j .

H e wo uld s e l e ct t he m ost importa nt , or t h e hard est

t o r e m e m b e r , and he w o uld r ej e ct t he l e ast i m p o rta nt ,
a nd
( p o ssibly) he w o uld rej e ct s o m e o f the e asie st t o
re m e m b e r Th o ugh thi s last c an be carri e d t o e xce ss
. .

H e m ight find o ut w hich H e adi ngs w e re hard e s t

and which w e r e e asi e st by a n e xp e ri m e nt — h e m ight

try t o re pr o duc e t h e li s t , and th e n see which H e ad

i ngs he had o m i t t e d .

S o far t he H eadi ngs w o uld still b e in a ny or der .

VI I B ut it wo ul d be ne ce ssa ry t o a r ra nge th es e
.

H e a di ngs ; fo r t he id eas wo uld app e a r as H e adi ngs ,

a nd if p o ssibl e as s i ngl e wo rds , such as R o ads ,

C o lo ni e s S e nate
, .

As to t he b e st m e th o ds o f arra ngi ng , see S e c t i o n

X I I , and also H o w t o P r ep ar e B o o ks Es says , et c
. ,
’
.

( R ivingt o ns) .

H e re o ne m u s t be bri e f : o ne m ight gr oup t he

H e adi ngs u nder g r ea t M a in H ea d ings Thu s

. we

m ight have
e o f t h e Wo rld s C ivilisati o n th en ;
’
A
( ) S tat
G eo graphy a nd its E ffe cts ;
( )
B
C h e R o m a ns in d e ali ng with o th e rs ;
( ) t

h e R o m a ns th e m s e lve s
( )
D t .
2 6 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

We n otic e that ( B ) give s Ge ography and it s

’

efiects . It will be ne ce ss ary th e refore

VI I I w o rk o ut w hat a r e eff ects , causes, hin

. to
d r a nces, and o t h e r re a l conne xi o ns
‘
This will be
a gr eat he lp t o wards l e arni ng and re m e mb eri ng,
b esid es b e i ng a spl e ndid m e ntal ex ercise .

I X A rough ou tline o f t he t h e m e might now be

.

m ad e , a ge ne ral o u t li ne free fro m d etails This .

sh o uld b e th o ro ughly grasp e d and u nd e rstood .

No w it is al l v e ry w e ll fo r t he t each e r to say
’
Grasp this th o ro ughly : but t he questio n is
’
H ow ?

X O f a truth , to r ea lise a thing is oft en half the

.

battl e We fee l as if w e m us t re m e mb er an id e a
.
,

willy nilly , if o nly w e c o uld o nc e realis e it fully

-
.

What is this reali si ng, t hen ?

To a great e xt e nt it c o nsists in what most
o f us do so much and so we ll wh en w e are
you ng, so littl e and s o badly ( alas !) as w e gr ow
o ld e r : viz pic tu r e f or m ing o r pictu re pa int ing in the
.
- -

m i nd .

Y o u te ll a child a s t o ry , y o u d e scrib e an ogre, and

t he child sees t he o gre ( p erhaps no t your ogre but
his o r hers 1)
O bviously , this can b e practis e d at o dd mom ents ;
’
we can watch B ro w n s fac e a nd the n try to rep r oduc e
A N I N S TA N CE L E A RN T A ND R E M E M B E RE D 2 7

a pictur e o f it in o ur o w n m i nd o r ( as it is s o m eti m e s
call e d ) in o ur o w n i m agi nati o n
‘ ’
.

P ictu r es, D r a w ings , P hotos S ta tues a nd M od e ls , ,

will go a gre at way t o w ard s m aki ng t he id e a a

livi ng and a m oving re ality , a nd , if w e c o uld o nly
ente r i nt o t he l i fe o f t h e R o m a ns , and he R o m a ns !
for th e t i m e be i ng , o r act t he p a rt of R o m ans ,
‘ ’

this w o uld h elp us Thi s a ct ing c a n b e a m o st

.
‘ ’

i m p o rtant aid t o l ear ni ng and re m e m b eri ng, as w e

shall see b e l o w .

A s w e t ak e e ach H ea di ng o r id e a ,le t it no t m e re ly
b e a w o rd o r w o rd s : let it b e a pic t ure , and let us
o ur se lve s b e t h e ac t o r s in it I m agi ne fo r i nstanc e ,
.

t h e m ilitary di s cipli ne , t he family li fe , t he R el igi o n -

of t he R o m ans .

X I It w ill als o h e lp us t o re ali se if w e divid e t he

. ,

w h o l e i nto its par t s , and s tu dy a nd a na lyse each pa r t

sepa r a tely .

O ne go o d way o f a nalysi ng is t o ask qu e s

ti o ns m aki ng o urs elv es t he cru e ll est Exa m i ne rs
,

and t h e m o st c o nsci e nti o u s Ex a m i nee s ro ll e d i nt o

o ne . Wh at e ffect had t he se ve n hill s up o n

‘

R o m e s succ e s s ? Th es e e lab o r at e r e ligi o u s c e re

’ ’ ‘

m o ni e s — why did they h e lp t he R o m a ns t o

’
succ ee d ?
We are t o o apt t o b e co ntent with a wo rd lik e
‘ organisatio n , without havi ng any id e a o f ho w it
’

showe d its elf, what its par ts were ; e g m ilitary . .

2 8 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

discipli ne , R e ligio n, L aws , sub m i s si o n to t h e fath er

o f t h e fa m ily .

'
X I I O f com m on sens e a nd a p r ior i r eas oning
.
‘

w e hav e a lre ady s p o k e n . Why w o uld any p eo pl e

‘

succee d ? Wh en s h o uld w e expect th e m t o succ ee d ?

F o r surely w e nee d no t go t o a H ist o ry B o o k , as so
m a ny d o in t h e ir u nt hi nki ng hast e , t o k no w that
th ey m ust hav e wo rk e d w e ll t o ge th er , that th ey m ust
have had wis e l e ad e rs , and so o n .

I f w e o nly had eye s t o see , a plan o f R o m e , a

’

M ap o f Italy , and a M ap o f t he M e dit e rra ne a n,

w o uld t ell us a tal e that w e sh o uld no t s o o n fo rge t .

We h ave so m any fa m iliar starti ng p o i nts alre ady

-

in o u r m i nd s , and , if w e c o uld but l e a rn t o use th e m ,

w e sh o uld s ave an e no r m o us a m o u nt o f drudge ry .

F o r e xampl e, eve ry o ne k no ws ab o ut C at o ; no w he
was a t yp e o f t he b est R o ma n o f his day— brave,
p e rs eve ri ng, h o ne st ( afte r a fashi o n) , frugal , s e nsibl e ,
and so o n This is a c o ncre t e i nst a nc e fro m which
.

it wo uld be e asy fo r a child to draw i nfe rence s as t o

why t he R o m a ns succ eed e d .

H e re w e
might al m o s t class
X I I I Compa r isons , fo r i ns t a nc e— as w e have see n
.

ab o v e — t he caus es o f t h e succ e ss o f o th e r Natio ns

( e g t he B ritish Nat i o n) , o f C o m pani es , of i ndividuals
. .

in fact , t h e caus e s o f a ny succ e ss or stre ngth any

wh e re m ay give us som e thi ng that will be t o t he
A N I N S TAN CE L E A R N T A ND RE M E M B E R E D 2 9

p o i nt , and will also be ea si er to le ar n and t o re

m em b e r than the C ause s o f R om e s S ucce s s t h e m
’

s e lve s would be Why d o e s R ob ert s succee d as a

.

B illiard playe r ?
-
P a rtly b e cause his eye and ne rve s
and brai n and muscl e s all w o rk in harmo ny . Why
have m any oth er playe rs s ucc ee d e d ? B e caus e th ey
have practis e d patient ly a nd slowly , at first , and
e g have tak e n t he strok e s o ne by o ne till th e y have
. .

mad e c e rtai n of what m ay be call ed t he fo u ndati o n

stro kes of th e gam e .

O r w e m ight co nsid e r a whol e host of illus t ratio ns

and a na logies—t he faggo ts s o stro ng wh e n t i e d i nt o
,

o ne, so weak wh en tak e n s e parate ly .

X IV No t o nly C ompari s ons , but also Contr as ts,

.

may h e lp us to lear n and to re m e mb er . Why did

R o m e fail ? Why has any Nation fail ed , any C o m
pany, any individ ual?
Whe n yo u are worki ng by yo urs elf, it m ay no t
o ccur to y o u to r e m e m b er by th es e m e a ns : b u t , if

e ve r you c o m e to te ach th o s e who are igno ra nt and

u ne ducate d , as jesus , fo r i nsta nce , had to te ach , yo u

will be driv e n to b e gi n with C ompariso ns and Co n
t ras t s ( S e cti o n othe rwis e t he le ar ne rs will
no t l e ar n, and of cours e w ill no t re m e mb e r , in t he

highe r s ens e o f the wo rd .

XV Teaching oth ers , howev er, wh eth er it be by

.

sp e aki ng or by writi ng, d o e s no t t e ach m e re ly t h e

30 H O W TO RE M E M B ER

le arner : it teaches t he te ach er to o . On this all are

agree d .

XVI Teachi ng a m o ng o the r thi ngs , is a fo r m o f

.
,

R ep etition y o u re p e at w hat y o u k no w , o r yo u t ry to
re p e at it and the n see whe re yo u fail .

R e pe titi o n ( Se cti o n XX I ) m ust be do ne s tep by

.
-

ste p : it d o e s no t d o t o rep e at t h e wh o l e thi ng at

o nc e. A ft e r y o u h a ve m astere d t he ro ugh o utli ne,

y o u m ust t h e n divid e t h e subj ect i nto p a rts No w .

t a ke P ar t I , a nd m a st e r tha t ; fo r i nsta nce , re alise it :

.

th e n attack I I , but , b e fo re yo u a ttack it , go o ve r I

. .

agai n, t o m a k e sure o f it A fte r m aste ri ng I I , . .

att a ck I I I , but first go o ve r I a nd I I agai n A nd

. . . .

so o n to t he e nd .

This w e c a ll t he R es u m ee M ethod a nd it is o f in
'
-
,

es ti m abl e v a lu e B e l o w , w e shall find it appli e d t o

.

M aps .

L at er o n w e s h a ll see that t h e re are s e veral ki nds

or classe s o f R ep e titi o n w e m ay repe at t he
u nd e rst a ndi ng a nd re alisi ng of th e id e as , o r t he s ight
o f t he wri t t e n or pri nt e d w o rds , o r t h e sou nd of t h e

wo rds ; as I s hall p o i nt o ut , C o m p a ris o ns a nd Co n

t rast s are al s o, in a way , fo r m s o f R ep e titio n
L ET m e assum e— very rashly— that t he re ad e r has
e m pl o ye d all th e s e m e a ns or as m a ny a s h e ca n in
, ,

s o m e give n i nstanc e Ev e n th en, h o w eve r , he pro b

.

ably fi nd s that he d oes not r em em her the w hole lis t

it is a li s t that will be always c o m i ng in use ful fo r
his H is t o ry , let us supp o s e , a nd he wo uld lik e t o
hav e it a l w ays re ady t o ha nd .B ut , lik e pigs in
cl o ve r , aft e r h e h as caught all but three he is at
t he e nd o f his r e sourc es . What is he t o d o ?

XVI I . Look at the list w hich yo u have m ad e

see if y o u o bser ve a ny t hi ng t hat will h e lp . Thi s
should alway s pre c ed e t he s e ri o u s l e ar ni ng o f any
thi ng, as it m ay save m uch ti m e and tro ubl e .

Fo r e xa m pl e y o u h ave t o re ali se how s lo w ly R o m e

,

succee d e d at first , h o w f as t she succeed e d a fte r

wards : y o u k no w that afte r about 5 1 0 ( or 5 0 9 ) R C .

sh e had t o struggl e fo r h er v e ry e xi s t e nc e ; th e n, by

39 0 sh e had go t a t i ny littl e E m pir e, fo r s o m e m il es

aro u nd h e r ; at l a st , by 2 6 7 , she has c o nqu er e d and
s ettl e d practically t he w hol e o f Italy s o u t h o f t he
A p enni nes . F rom 2 6 7 t o I 33 s he h as bec o m e
m oth er o f a gre at Em pir e , i ncludi ng no t o nly Italy ,
3:
32 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

but also eg S icily , p a rt o f S pai n, part o f G aul , part o f

. .

A frica , and t he w h o l e o f M ac e d o n a nd Gr ee c e .

No w obser ve . F ro m 5 10 y e ars ,
to 39 0 is 12 0

fro m 3 9 0 t o 2 6 7 is 1 2 2 y e ar s , fro m 2 6 7 t o 1 3 3 is
1 34 ye a rs It m ust s trik e yo u at o nc e that , if yo u
.

o nly had 5 1 0 — 39 0 — 2 6 0 — 1 30 , y o u w o uld j u s t

h ave to l ea r n 5 1 0 , and c o uld th e n tak e o ne in

t erv al o f 1 2 0 and t w o i nt e rvals o f
, 1 30 y e ars ,
e ndi ng up w ith 1 30 B C This would h e lp , a nd t he
. .

fe w y e ars di ffe re nc e c o uld e a s ily be c o rre ct e d late r o n

’
.

F o r o t he r p o i nts w hich m ay b e o b se rv e d h e re I ,

m ust refer t o A H ist o ry o f R o m e up to A D 5 0 0

‘ ’
.

( Grant R ic h ards) .

XV I I I No w l o o k at t he list agai n ( b e l o w) , and

.

le t us supp o s e that y o u wa nt t o re m e m b e r th o s e
fiv e H e adi ngs a b o ut t he R o mans th e m s e lve s , viz
‘ ’
.

t h e S e nate , U ni t y , C h aract e r , O rganisati o n, F ath e r s

’

p o w e r in t h e F a m ily H o w is t his t o be d o ne ?
.

The L ais ette or L ink Sy s tem w ill be appli e d first

-

o f all . We w a nt t o li nk th ese t o gethe r i nt o a

s i ngl e fir m ch a i n I will give o ne w ay h ere, l eavi ng
.

t h e e xpl a na t i o ns fo r Se ctio n XX I I I .

S ena te— sa ni t y Unity

Unity o ne m an ma ny parts actor

Cha r acter to c arry a barrel o rga n

-
O rga ni
sa tion

C p Shak espeare
. A nd one m a n in his time play s m an
y pa r ts .
 TH E S A M E I N S TA N CE WI TH S YS TE M S 33

O rga nisa tion h

far- r e achi ng o rganisation— F a ther’s
pow er
’
F a ther s po w er .

R ead thi s thr o u gh sl o wly and o n t he pri nciple s

laid d o w n in Se cti o n XV , reali s i ng e ach m ai n .

H e adi ng as y o u c o m e t o it Th e n tak e it back

.

wards . Th en try it by y o urs e l f, and str ength e n

t h e w e ak L i nks ( e g a barre l o rga n a nd t o car ry)
. .
-

by practice .

Th e s e L i nks w e re al m o s t t he first that ca m e i nt o

my h e ad : o f c o urs e e v e ry re ad er c o uld m ak e a far
b ette r set o ut o f t he thousand s of ass o ciati o ns that
he has in h is m i nd .

Go ing up th e l i st ( s ee b el o w ), w e m i ght h ave

—
F ather’s po w er — fa rth e r o ne s t ep far th er— Gr a d u a l S teps
Gr a d ua l S t eps—g ra du a l s t r uggl e—E nem ies
E nem ies—any m i ss—m i ss t rai n— l at e —[ sola t ing :
I sola ting—ice—sl ippery Trea chery
Tr ea chery —trea cl e— st i cky —j o in— A lli a nces
’

A llia nces —all - all ri gh t —r igh t s—E xtend ed Rights

E xt end ed R ights— ex t end e d roads—l o ng ro ad s R oa ds -

R oa d s — R o m anising
R om a nising R o w m an - c all o ut- Co lo nies
Colo nies—c o l o n—st o p— fixt ure— M ix t u re of P eop le
M ixt ur e ( of P eop le) m i x ed b is cu it s ru sk s E t r uscan

E tr usca n K ings—E t r u ri a—tra v e ll i ng t o u r—Geography

Geogr aphy ro ugh u nc o u t h and b a ck w ard B achw ar d
S t ate of the Age
B ackw a r d S ta te of the Age— draw b a ck s A bsence of cer ta in —
D r a w ba chs

No t ic e h o w h ere th e Li nk w ill pro bably be w eak : it is a Li nk

—
in fo rm , A lli A ll, rather th an in s o u nd .

3
34 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

A bsence ( o f c ertain D raw b a ck s) —h eart fe nd er— h eart y w i sh es

fo r succ ess—S uccess .

Th i s l i st s h o uld b e t re at e d in th e sa m e w a y I t w i ll b e a
.

g o o d fi na l t est t o b eg i n at S uc c ess and go ri gh t t h ro ugh t h e

l ist, b a ck w ard s.

O th e r L i nks ill be s ee n b e l o w B ut th e se will

w .

fo r m a su ffici e nt illu s trati o n fo r t h e pres e nt .

A t first t he pr o gre ss will be sl o w : it will gro w

fas t e r and fa s te r with practic e , u ntil at last t he
L i nks are fo r m e d i nsti nctive ly Then t he practic e is
.

rea lise d t o h ave b ee n wo rth whil e .

B u t , let m e r e ea t ,
p the id eas them selves m u s t be
r ea li
s ed befor e the L inh sy s tem is applied
-
.

X IX L ocalis ing is p e rhaps t he old e st o f all

.

A rtificial S y s t e m s I give o ne way in which it

‘ ’
.

c o uld be appl ie d h e re .

P icture t o y o urs elf t he ro o m that y o u k no w b est .

There is its wi nd o w— its fi re plac e— its do o r— its -

b o o kcas e— its tabl e— its arm chair— its s o fa— it s -

d esk ; all the se y o u have in y o ur m i nd alre ady ,

fir m ly fix e d C p D iagram V I I No w tak e t he
. . .

H e a di ng s— let us say th o s e u nd e r Geo gr a phy— a nd

l o c a lis e e ach H e adi ng, o r c o nne ct it with s o m e o ne
o f t h e vari o us t hi ngs in t h e r o o m .

The w ind ow its el f m ay s ugge st Ge ography —yo u

c a n ( p e rhaps
) see a vie w fr o m it ; i m agi ne that t he
fi r e place has a n Etruscan vas e o n its m ant e lpi ec e
-
,

and this will r e call t he Etrusca n K i ngs

; th e d oor
l ets in a nu m b e r o f diffe r ent p eo pl e : M ix e d Peopl e
 TH E S A M E I NS TA N CE WI TH S YS TE M S 35

c an th e refore be t h e id e a ass o ciat e d with t he door ;

a nd so o n.

If y o uconc entrat e y o ur atte ntio n o n th e gam e

and if you o nc e
get t he pairs o f thi ngs firmly ti e d
toge th e r r the n th e thi ng that y o u can alw ay s rec all
( e g t he part of t he roo m ) will in its tur n r ec all t he
. .

id e a .

F o r fu rth er d etails , se e S ecti o n XX IV .

XX . C l o s ely
aki n t o this is the P eg or A nchor
Sy s tem , accord i ng to w hich y o u rem e mb e r id eas , no t
by tyi ng th em t o plac es that you alr eady k no w ,
but by tyi ng the m t o other id eas that you already
k no w ( or can e asily l e ar n) .

O f cours e you ca nno t l e ar n o r re m e mb er why R o m e

succ ee d e d u nl e ss you k no w a bout her Geography .

L o o k , then, at a pla n o f R o m e, a M ap o f I taly, a

M ap o f th e M e dite rra ne an : how are yo u go i ng t o
re m e m b er even t he o utli ne s o f it ? Italy y o u say
at o nc e , is like a le g w i t h a b o o t o n ’
‘
Y o u s ee .

h o w w e re m e mb er thi s : Ita ly is lik e so m e t hi ng

which w e k now already A s to t he M edite rr a ne an,
.

see D iagra m s X I I — X IV H e re I shall m ere ly give

. .

t he o utli ne of R om e a nd t h e Tib er : I shall giv e it

part by par t .

F irst draw a Y , but give it two l e gs fo r it t o

sta nd upon Tak e it s righ t ha nd half, and m a ke
.
-

it u p i nto a thi ng lo o ki ng lik e a n e gg l e ani ng to t he

right The l eft li ne s will r epr esent t he Tib e r In
.
.
36 H O W TO R E M E IIIB E R

t he North were the S a bi ne s , w ith t he Tib er

to th eir
West , b eyo nd t he Tib er we re t he Etruscans, with
t he Tib e r to th e ir Ea st , fl o wi ng dow nwards to O stia
and t he S ea In t he S o uth w e re t he L ati ns
. .

Os rla
a
.

t h e Sea

D i ag ram 1 .

B y t he i ni t ial i si ng S y st em ( b e l o w ) w e m i gh t rem em b er th ese

nam es by th e w o rd S TER O L, l i nk i ng it t o t h e ‘ Lat in P l ain ’
th u s
‘
L a tin pla in—f lc h - st e ril e— S TER O L ’

By
this m e ans anyo ne might
e asily l e ar n a M a
p or P la n of
a nythi ng : it would be i nac
curat e but it is usually j ust
,

t he ve ry accu r a cy and f ulness

of a M a p that pr events its

I)
b e i ng grasp ed as a whol e .

It will b e ti m e enough to
Ol
S llfll t hi nk o f d etails whe n w e hav e

D i agram 1 1 .
go t o ur o utl i ne safe and su re .
 TH E S A M E I N S TA N CE WI TH S YS TE M S 37

O ther i nsta nc es will be give n in S ectio ns XXV .

and XXXV .

XX I D ates , and numbe rs ge ne rally, have been

.

fou nd ve ry h a rd t o r e m e m b e r, and S yste ms have

bee n d evise d by which inste ad of numb ers we have
l etters , and e spe cially c o ns o nants Thus , by o ne .

S ystem , 5 =f , 1 = p , o = s , and so 5 1 0 ( t he dat e

assigne d to the be ginni ng o f th e R epublic at
R o m e) m ight b e r epre s ent e d by f ops : t he vow el

( 0) does no t c o u nt We no w have to link

.

B e gi nni ng o f R e public t o fo ps ( “ B eginning

‘ ’ ‘ ’

beg— b e ggars —F ops m ight d o ) See furth er Sec

.

tio n XXVI .

B ut it is obvious that thi s is al m o s t us el ess u nl e ss

w e hav e practis e d a gr e at d e al and com e to k now

e xactly which le t t er = w hic h nu m b e r This tak es .

a lo ng whil e, but t h e wid e appl icati o n o f t he

Syste m , and al so t h e cer ta inty o f it , e g for t h e . .

re m e mb eri ng of t he nu m be rs o f h o use s o r cabs ,

m ak es it worth whil e, in t he end , fo r thos e w ho are
b ad at re m e mb ering nu m b e rs .

26 7, w h en It aly w as c o nqu ere d, m igh t b e [d = 2 , n= 6, y = 7]

d eny . H en ec “
I t a l
y
— i t
’
s a lie— ~
I d e ny.
”

1 30, w h en t h e d ang e ro u s Wars w e re o v e r, and Sp ain,

M ace do n, Afri c a, C art h a g e , a nd A si a M ino r, h ad b een re c ent ly
a dd e d t o t h e E m p ire , m i gh t b e [p , = r ch = 3, s =o ] P each es
’
.

H en e SM ACAM ( t h e ini tial s o f t h es e c o u nt r ie s, see XXV II )

c “

—
.

sm a c k em sm a ck t h e l i p s— lu s c i o u s
— P each es
” .

This m ight be calle d the S u bs titu ting-Sy stem .

38 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

We shall s ee a di ffe rent ki nd of i nsta nce b el o w

( Se ctio n XXVI ) .

XX I I . all t he w ays o f re m e m b eri ng lo ng lists I

Of ,

k no w o f no ne t h at e quals t he I niti al is ing S ys t em

‘ -
.

F o r re m e m b eri ng thi ngs rapidly , c e rtai nly and ,

( o fte n) in t he right o rd er , it m ay be si m ply in

valuabl e .

Th e p o w e r o f u s i ng it c o m e s o nly with practic e

but it is t he e asi e st s o rt o f practic e fo r a ny odd
m o m ents : t he pro c ess is rath e r fasci nati ng and t he
re sult s are m o st satis fact o ry .

F o r i nsta nc e , I will assu m e that w e have r e alis e d

a nd l e ar nt all t he H e adi ngs fo r t he C aus e s o f
R o m e s S ucc e s s : a nd that w e no w wa nt t o t e
’

m e m b er t h e m all , u nd er the ir prop e r M ai n H e ad -

i ngs H o w o n e arth are w e t o d o it ? Fo r th e re

.

a re a b o ut 2 0 , a nd th e re w o uld b e o th e rs b e sid e s , if

w e h ad t h e ti m e t o tak e th e m i nt o acc o u nt .

We ca nno t e stimat e t he valu e o f t he I nitial isi ng

S y s t e m u nl e ss w e try to re m e m b e r the s e H e adi ngs
with o ut it . We m igh t sp e nd a l o ng tim e o ve r
th e m , and y e t neve r be qu ite sure that two o r three
w o uld no t have e scap ed o ur m e m o ry a wee k he nce .

If any o ne d o es no t b eli eve m e, le t him mak e t he

e xp e ri m e nt H e re is t he list
. .

St ate o f th e Age ( b a ck w ar d ) , Ab senc e o f c ertain d ra w b a ck s

G e o g raphy and it s influ enc e s M i x t u re o f P e o p l es in R o m e
Etru s c an Ki ng s and t h eir w o rk .
 TH E S A M E I N S TA N CE WI TH S YS TE M S 39

G radu al suc c ess by c o nst ant st ruggl es ; E nem i es and t h eir

w eak ne s s, and R o m e s L u ck h er po l i cy o f I s o l at i ng h er s ub
’

ject s and enem ies ; h er Trea ch e ry ; h er s y st em o f A ll ianc es ;

h er E x t ensio n o f h er R i gh t s ; h er R o ad s ; h er c apa c it y for
R o m anis ing ’
h er C o l o ni es .

H er S enat e ; h er U ni t y ; th e C h ara c t er o f t h e R o m ans ;

t h eir O rg ani sat i o n ( in Law , in A rm s, in R e l i g i o n) ; t h e F am i ly
Li fe and espe c i ally t h e F at h er s po w er
’
.

Thi nk of Rome as
c e ntre o f Italy , t he central
t he

Ge m o f Italy , t h e Fo cus o f C ivili s atio n, and th e n

re p e at a few ti m e s t h e w o rds
A S G EM C R EA T I NG F O CUS .

Th e s e y o u c o uld l e ar n in a fe w m o m e nt s : and th e y
w o uld giv e yo u t h e i nitials of th e s e H eadi ngs This .

is t h e li s t.

[Genera l]
Abs e nc e o f ce rtai n drawbacks
S tat e o f t he A ge ( backward— whil e Rome was a
C i t y—S tate )

[Geogr aphy a nd its Ef ects ]

Geo graphy ( e s p geo graphic a l p o s iti o n o f R o m e) ;
.

E trusca n K i ngs and t h e ir wo rk ( e g t he w a lls . .

o f R o m e , and t h e C l o aca fo r drai ni ng and

dry i ng R o m e) ;
M ixture o f P eo pl e s in R o m e .

Th R o m a ns d ealing w ith other P eoples ]

[ e

C o l o ni e s
R o ads
R o m anisi ng faculty
E xte ns i o n of R ights , sl o wly , and by a gradu ate d
S yste m
40 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

Allia nc e s ;
’
Tre ach e ry a nd D ipl o macy ;
I s o lat i ng subj ect s a nd e ne m ie s
e Ne m ies ( th e ir w e ak ne s s and disu nio n, a nd
’
R o me s
L uck ) ;
G radual S t e p s ( and consta nt struggl es) .

[The R om a ns them selves ]

F a m ily li fe ( e sp F ath e r s p o w e r in t h e F am ily) ;
’
.

O rga ni sa t i o n ( t he w o rd O R A L , agai n, sug gests

R e ligi o n, A rms , and L aw ) ;
C haracte r ( c p C ato s C haract e r) ;
’
.

U nity ;
S e nate s Go ver nm ent
’
. We might add S lave ry .

O bs e rve h o w N fo r eNe m ies is an i nsta nce of

S ub sti t uti o n ( a bove) .

Th e re ad er w i ll say Th is is all very w e ll , b ut it t ak es a l o ng

‘

t i m e t o m a k e w o rd s l i k e t h i s it s j u s t a pi e c e o f lu ck th at t h ese
’

w o rds A s G e m C r eat ing F o cu s ) h appen t o fit in

’ ’
.

B ut it is no t h ing o f t h e k i nd . If yo u pra c t i se if yo u l earn

,

t h e ar t o f I ni t i a l i s i ng w h i ch is d e s c rib e d in XXV I I , yo u w i ll
, .

s o o n b e abl e t o m ak e e qu ally g o o d l is t s fo r y o u rsel f It is.

s u rpri s ing h o w eas y t h e pro c ess b e c o m es aft er a v e ry few

e x p eri m ent s.

H e re fo r i ns t a nc e, is an al t ernat iv e l is t, t ak i ng th e H ea d
,

ing s all t o g e t h er . O b se rv e h o w m any a l t e rnat i ve w or ds t h ere

a re . Yo u r p o w er o f s pe ak ing and w ri t ing E ngl i sh w o uld b e
m u ch im pro v e d by prac t i c e in fi nd ing s uch sy nony m s .

Tak e t h e w o rd s “ C R ISPER C O AT P LU M ES ” as giv ing t h e

ini t ial s o f s om e o f t h ese H eadi ng s .

C h ara c t er ;
R o m ani si ng facul t y
I so l at i ng
S enat e and S l aves
P o sit io n
 TH E S A M E I N S TA N CE WI TH S YS TE M S 41

Ext ens i on o f R igh ts

R o ad s
C o l o nies
rg ani sat i on
O
A ll i anc e s
Treach ery
P at ria P o testas (and F am i ly l i fe) -

L uc k ( e g w eakness o f Enem i e s)
. .

U nit y
M i x t u re o f P eopl es
Et ru s c an K ing s ;
S t rugg l es w i t h Nat u re and w i t h Enem i es .

”
To l ink T e C u
“
t o C R I SP ER C OAT
’
h a ses o f R o m e s S ucces s

P LU M ES,w h i ch w o rd s yo u w o uld b e l i k e ly t o rem em ber b e c au se

t h e y m e an so li tt l e,b ecau se th ey are s o ab su r d ( XX IX) , t ak e

th e init i al s C R S ( C au ses of R o m e s S u ccess) , and yo u h av e
’

th e ch ain Causes of R om e s S u ccess—C R S—C risper C o at

’

P lu m es ” .

Th is l i st is inferi or t o th e o t h er b ecau se it is
(a ) l es s com pl et e ; and
( b) b adl y arrang ed .

For a list of A lter na t ive w ords, e g L uck o r . .

F o rtu ne , U nity or C o h e sion or H armony, see

XXVI I .

O r, agai n, tak e a S ub H e adi ng, such as t he-

G eo graphy o f R om e : fo r a n expla nation I m ust

re fe r to A H istory o f R o m e ( Grant R ichards ) ;
‘ ’

h e re I c an o nly tak e a fe w H e adi ngs and arra nge

th e m so that t he i nitials fo rm a word O bse rve h e r e .

how a us e ful pri ncipl e co m e s in : the vow els d o not

cou nt

—sc
.

Geography e ne s— H e R S c e Ne S would give

t he chai n .

H ills ( for h ealth and safe ty , e tc ) ;

42 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

R iv er wat e r , and as a fro nti e r, and as a

( fo r
m ea ns of c o m m u nicat i o n) ;
S e a and S oil ;
C e ntral pos iti o n ( in Italy and in t he M ed it er
rane an) ;

Ne ighbours
e

S icily and S pai n ( fo r

co rn, slave s , m o ney , e t c) .

The u se o f I nitialisi ng in M aps and P la ns w e

hav e no t ed alre ady ( p .

When thes e H ea di ngs are als o li nk ed togeth er

by t he L o iset t e Syste m ,! a nd fo r m e d i nto a R hy thm
-

or R hy me as w e ll ( s ee XXX , t he chai n
.

b ec o m es extraordi narily p o w e r ful .

Where there is a d zfi cu l y
l a bou t f or m ing the
init ials into w or ds , they ca n eas ily be f or m ed into
sentences ha ving the s a m e init ia ls though this is a
cu m brous pro cess , co m pare d w ith the oth e r B ut .

still , let us tak e a sa m pl e, w ith t he C R I SPER CO AT

PLU M ES i niti a ls
'
.

“
C o nsistently R o m a n I ndividuals S ac rificed P er
so nal E nds , R igh t ly C o ns id e ri ng O ne A lo ne To
P rofit L ittl e U nless M a ny E xc e ll e d S imulta neously

XX I I I Th e B r u nch Sy stem o f B l end words I

.
‘
-
’
-

hav e nam ed aft er t h e O xfo rd w o rd which express es

that m eal ( e spe cially o n a S u nday mor ni ng) which
The Pelman-System has a great advantage in deal ing with indi
vidual pupils and correc ting thei r exerci ses .
 TH E S A M E I N S TA N CE WI TH S YS TE M S 43

is both a B r ea hf as t and a L u nch . L e wi s C arr o ll

w as ve ry fo nd th e s e wo rds , but he d id no t i nve nt
of

th e m . M e n have us e d th e m by accid ent ti m e s

i nnum erabl e , as w e shall see lat e r o n .

L et us tak e a fe w H e adi ngs and fo r m th e m i nt o

a B ru nch wo rd : t h e pr o c ess is no t u nlik e that o f
-

I nitialisi ng , e xce pt that , as a rul e , a large r p o rti o n

o f e ach w o rd is tak e n Tr (e ache ry) , I s ( ol ati o n)
.
,

E n( e m i e s) , G r a( dual st eps) , F ( amily li fe) O ( rgani sa ,

ti o n) wo uld fo rm B ru nch words tr is eggraph o ( G ree k

-

i Wd
’
0 ?
71 e )
O ne is re m i nd e d o f thos e C o mbi na ti o n P hotos o f -

t w o o r m o re fac es : in t h e wh o l e P h o t o w e r e co g nis e
som e o ne o r m o re o f t he fe ature s o f e ach i nd ividu al .

A B ru nch w o rd R om a nis oles t r eacha r ac m ight

’
-

gath e r up i nt o a u ni t y R o m anisi ng— I s o lati ng

‘

E xte nsi o n o f R ight s Tre ach ery — C haract e r

’
-
.

B u t I do no t re c o mm e nd this as a go o d ge neral
S yst e m .

XX IV A bsur dities, and humorous w ay s o f re

.

gardi ng t hi ngs , a re to so m e a go o d m e ans o f l e a r n ~

ing and r e m e m b eri ng Th e re are m a ny w h o h ave

.

l e ar nt R o ma n H i s t o ry b es t fr o m A B e ck e t s C o m ic -
’

’
H istory o f R o m e .

A caricature o f t he e arly R om a n s i m plicity

might r epr e s ent ( a) C i nci nnatus as havi ng j ust
att end e d to a turnip , and co m i ng i nto t he kitch e n
in ord e r to put so m e gard e n s nails i nto th e soup as -
44 H O W TO RE M E M B E R

a gre at tr eat and t h e n ( b) t he R o m a ns t e ll i ng him

,

h e m ust b e th eir general no w , and C i nci nnatus ,

gru m bli ng at havi ng t o l ea ve t he s o up , but goi ng
o ff at o nc e and ga i ni ng a spl e ndid vict o ry , and th e n

(c) r etur ni ng wi t h a chuckl e t o war m up t h e s o up

agai n, and t o go o n with t h e tur nip t e nd i ng -
.

I d o no t say that this is a go o d pla n fo r m a ny

but t o m any sch o o lb o y s I k no w it w o uld app e al
-
fo r t h e y require a p eculiarly o bvi o us ki nd o f
ab s urdity !
The fa ct o f it is that such a pl a n s illy as it m ay ,

s ee m yet has t he po wer t o i m pr e s s an id e a o n

,

c e r t a i n m i nds because it is so silly : it c o m es so

u ne xp e ct edly , a nd it is so s t r ihing, o r in o th er ,

wo rd s , it m ak es so vivid an impr ess ion, that the id e a

canno t fail t o be re m e mb er e d : fo r a vivid i m pre s
si o n is j ust w hat w e wa nt .

The cha nge is al s o a go o d feature : fo r w e s hould

no t r ec o m m end t hi s as a go o d ge ne ral S yst e m a ny

m o re tha n t h e B ru nch Syst e m ( ab o ve)

‘
-
’
.

XXV . R hy m es , and al so A lliter a tions , hav e b ee n

a M e m o ry S yst e m fro m t h e N urs e ry d ays till no w
- -
.

Fo r fa m iliar i ns t a nc e s ( such as Thi rty days hath ‘

S e pt e m b e r ) see S ec t i o n XXX F o r c e rtai n subj e cts

’
.

th ey are an i nesti m abl e b o o n .

I h ere give a R hy m e fo r t he C aus es o f R o m e s ’

S ucc e ss , taki ng t he H ea di ngs in t he o rd e r in AS ‘

GEM C R EATI N G FO C U S It is a halti ng R hy m e,

 TH E S A M E I N S TA N CE WI TH S YS TE M S 45

but then t he words and th e ir ord e r are fix e d— littl e

ch o ice is possibl e .

R om e was t he FO CU S o f t he w o rld : t h e C aus es

let us gauge
The A bs enc e o f som e d r awbacks , and t h e back
ward S tate o f t he A ge ;
Ge ography,t he E trusca n ki ngs , M ix e d P e opl es in
t he t o w n,

C o l o ni e s , R o m a nisi ng , R oads , and R ights E x

te nd e d d o wn,
Allia nc e s and Treach e ry , Isol a t i o n of her fo es ,
her e Ne m ies , t he G radual struggli ng steps by
which sh e grows ;
’
t he F ath e r s powe rs , h er O rga nis ed [R el igi o n
A rms a nd L aw ] ,

her C haract e r, her U nity , her S e nat e gr e at in

w ar .

H e re , o nc em o re , l e st it should b e th o ught that

it is d i fficult to m ak e such R hy m es , I assure t h e -

read er that with a littl e practice , and a study o f

sy nonym s (see be low) , and ignomi nious as it
s o u nds — a R hymi ng D ict i o nary , t he c o ncocti ng
b ecom es v e ry quick and e asy .

I add an alte r native, taki ng th e H e adings in

’
th e ir C R I SPER CO AT PLU M ES o rd e r .

H er C h a ra c ter ( b ra v e, fr ug al , g rav e, o b e dient to th e S tat e) ,

h er R o m a nisi ng fa cul t y , h e r s ch em es t o I so l at e ;
h er S enat e , h er P o s i t i o n, h er E x tensi o n by d e g re es
o f h er pri v il eg es, R o a d s, and F o r ts and C o l oni es t o t h ese

and h er O rg ani si ng g eni u s, and Al l i anc es , w e ad d

46 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

h er T reac hery and th e P o w ers s u prem e t h at e very Pater h ad,

L uck, U ni t y, th e M ixt u re o f t h e P e o pl es in t h e t o wn,
Th e Etr u sc an kings w h o ra i se d t h e fo l k, by S t ruggl es s t u r d ier
g ro w n .

R hy m es do no t s uit all p eopl e equally well , and

a nyhow th ey are m o re li abl e t o b e abus e d tha n any
o t he r M e m o ry S yste m : they lend themselves m ore
-

to the
‘
P oll-P a r r ot M em ory
Th e ideas th ems e lve s m ust be fully realised bef ore
R hy m e s are atte m pte d I insist o n this
. .

A llitera tions are cl o s e ly akin to R hym e s , and are

m uch he lp ed by si m ilarity o f R hythm I will.

suggest j ust a few h e re, for s o m e of t he C aus es o f

R o m e s S ucc ess
’
.

1
. d iplomacy , divi s i o n o f e ne mi e s , discipli ne ;
2
.
( R om e —
) R om a nisi ng roads , rolli ng o n gradu
,

ally , r ogu ery , r ows of discipli ned troops , acti ng by

r o t e , a nd ( at first
) with r oyal l e ad ers .

3 Th e R om a n R eligion m ight be d escrib e d as

.

no t d e ali ng with d o g m as or i de als , bu t wi t h d ull

i nd e fi nit e d ivi niti es , a nd as havi ng no charity o r

pri estly caste, but as co nsisti ng rathe r o f corre c t
c e r e m o ni e s .

In this last i nsta nce , obs e rve t he two ki nds o f

A lli t e ratio ns , viz t he si m ilarity o f t he sou nd , a nd
.

t he s im ilarity o f t he app e ara nc e of words e

( g charity , . .

ca s t e , ce re mo ni es
) .

XXVI . In t he ab o ve R hym e s have b een i nclud e d

R hy thms (o f a s o rt If R hym e s are fairly o ld ,
 TH E S A M E I N S TA N CE WI TH S YS TE M S 47

R hythms are fa r old e r R hythm app eals to the

.

savage and t o t he brut e be as t far m ore than m ere

R hy m e s alone .

A s English R hyth m has alre ady b een illustrat ed ,

I shall give h e re a L ati n R hyth m , t he H exam eter
M e tre I do no t de fe nd t he L a t in as good , fo r I
.

am cramp e d by k ee pi ng pra ctically to t he ord er in

C R I SPER CO AT PL U M ES viz C haract er , R oma nisi ng, .

e t c.

I recom m e nd b ett e r sch o lars than mys elf, and

b ett er v ers e wr it e rs , t o tur n th e ir gre at faculty i nto
-

a som e what more useful channe l than that to which

at pre s ent th e y rigidly c o nfi ne it The go od th ey .

do with the ir be auti ful F air copi e s is extrao rdin

‘ ’

aril y sm all : t h e g o o d th ey m ight do by tur ni ng

i nto m etr e useful lists ( such as lists o f Co nst it u
t io nal C ha nge s in H istory ) the y c an hardly r e alis e .

I o nly ask the m to us e the ir re as o n and thinh over

t he matt e r .

Qu om od o R oma I ta lia n: s ubzgit

M oribus h aec s ub igit , m ores qu e e t ifi ra sub ac tis

d at t am e n u t d ivisis im p ere t fi na
sua, sic .

r i
m ul t a iuvant P at es, R om ae s t u s p se, c o l oni i
at qu e v iae so c ii, t um d is c ip lina d efim q ue
c ul t u s, e t i ll a fid és p el o r qu am P o ena po t es tas
pat ria . Tum fo rt unam u rb is , fo rt is sim a v inc la
qu ae iungunt ad e6 div ersas sangu ine g ent es,
Tuscorum add e et 0pés e t grand ia fa c t a t yrannfim,
at qu e per h b s c résc at luc t a nd c) s t rénua pl eb es
'

XXV I I M usic has no t ye t b ee n much use d to

.

h elp t he m e mory , but if the id e a we r e d evelop ed it

48 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

m ight b e of val ue . A tu ne m ight h elp s o m e m i nds

to rem em ber t h e R hy m e s .

XXVI I I Ep igr a ms a nd pointed say ings are usually

.

e xagge ra t i o ns : but , if w e k ee p th at in m i nd , t h e y

will b e fo u nd us e ful h e lp s Th ey lik e a b s urdi t i e s ,

.
,

are a p t t o i m pr e s s by th e ir v e ry u ne xp e ct e d n e ss ;

and th ey als o ar o us e o u r i nt e re st b ecaus e t h e y fo rc e

us t o e xami ne th e m , t o thi nk about th e m , and o ft e n

t o r efut e the m .

I o ffe r a fe w h er e— t he l ist might be m ultipli ed

a d lib .

R o m e in
Italy was t h e l e av e n in t h e l o af : her
‘
1 .

natur e spr e ad its el f ev erywh e r e

’

2 .A ll ro ad s le d t o R o m e : th e re w e re no go o d
‘

cro ss cou ntry ro a ds in Ita ly : th ey we re t he l e gs o f

-

a huge s pid e r , attach e d to t h e b o dy and no t t o o ne

ano th e r
’

D ivid e et i m p e ra was h er m otto in d e ali ng

‘

3 .

w ith h er e ne m i e s a nd h er s ubj e cts .

4 .G eo graphy is t he pal m ist ry o f H istory : it

‘

w ill h e lp us t o gu e ss t h e past and t o fore t e ll

t h e futur e o f a c o u ntry , if w e o nly r e ad rightly

t h e li ne s t h e m s e lve s , and r ead righ t ly b etw een t he

li nes ’
.

XX IX Th ese
various S y s t e m s c a n be us e d in
.

co m bina t ions , es p ecially wh er e s o m e thi ng is ve ry

i m po rtant And , a gai n th ey c a n b e us e d as a lter
.
,
 TH E S A AI E I N S TA N CE WI TH S YS TE M S 49

na tives . O ne will be fo u nd mor e sui t a bl e than

ano th e r
( a) fo r vari o us subj e cts and ,

( b) fo r vari o us i ndivid uals .

E xp e ri m e nt a nd e xp eri e nc e w ill a lo ne e nabl e

e ach re ad e r to choos e a nd t o d e cid e fo r hi m s e lf .

XXX P r a ct ice is a rul e o f s ucc es s that appli es

.

he re as e ve rywh e r e I s hall keep m y sugge sti o ns

.

o n practic e till Secti o n XXX IX , e xc ept fo r th e

.

re mark that it is v ery e asy t o have a gre at d e al o f

practice , and t o get littl e o r no go o d fro m it if t he ,

practice is no t o f j ust t he right ki nd and if it is no t

do ne in j ust t he ri ght w ay .
 PA R T I II .

TH E H ELP S TO M E M O R Y , A P AR T FR O M M EM O RY
SY STE M S : IN D ETA I L, WI TH F U R TH E R
EXAM PLE S .

E
S CTIO N S

VI . H EALTH AND G o o n C O ND ITI O NS

V II . C O NC ENTR ATED ATTE NTI O N
V I II . INTER EST .

IX . TO C O LLECT H E AD I NGS
X C O M P L ETE L I STS
. .

X I To S ELEC T
. AN D R EJ EC T H EA D I NGS
X II To A R RANGE
. A ND EM P H A S I SE H EAD I NGS
XI I I . TO F I ND C AU SES A ND OTH ER C O NNEXI O NS .

XIV R O U GH O U TLI NE
. A ND F R A M EW OR K
XV TO R EALI SE
.

XV I C AR EFU LLY To STU D Y

. AND ANAL vSE TH E
P AR TS
XVI I C O M M O N S ENSE
. A ND A P R I OR ] R EAS O NI NG
XV I I I C O M P AR I S O NS
.

X IX C O NTR ASTS
.

XX TO TEAC H O TH ER S
.

XXI . R EPETI TI O N, A ND TH E R ESU M EE

 S EC TI O N VI . H EAL TH AND GOOD CONDI TIONS .

Th e subj e ct Of H ealth I hav e d ealt with in d etail

in s eve ral boo ks A dvic e about D i et , bas e d chi efly
.

o n p e rs o nal exp eri enc e will be fo u nd in Quick and ‘

,

Easy R e cip es , and Eustac e M il e s R e staurant

’ ‘

R e cip es
’
.

O th e r ve ry importa nt m atters , such as t h e positio n

of t h e b o dy, and ways o f breathi ng, are d iscussed
in t he Eustac e M il es S yste m of Physical C ulture
‘ ’

and
‘
Te n R ul es O f H ea lth .
’

Th e re are i nsta nce s whe re p eopl e s ee m t o work

b ett e r w hil e they are u nh e althy , fo r e xa m pl e , whil e
th ey are fe ve rish : but fe w would d eny that , as a
general rul e, t he M e m o ry is b est wh en t he H e alth
is b est H ealth I do no t m ea n m erely
’
. By ‘

t he physical str e ngth o r physical e ndura nc e of a

trai ne d athl e te , who p erhaps has d e ve l o pe d his
brai ns rath e r l e ss , in pro p o rtion, than an average
’
hors e ; fo r this is no t tru e H ealth , but o nly o ne
sid e O f it The whol e p ers o n ca nnot b e h e althy ‘ ’
.

as long as so m uch of his most imp o rta nt s elf

re mai ns al m ost u nus ed .

’ ’
By H e al t h I m ean all rou nd H e alth -
and

d evelopm ent, p hysical , and m ental , and moral , in

53
54 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

pr opor tion acultie s which t he i ndividual has

to t h e f

i nh e ri t e d , a nd in pro p o rti o n t o t he c o ndi t i o ns u nd e r

which he h as b ee n abl e t o us e th e se facultie s .

The re is apt t o b e a no th e r m isu nd e rsta ndi ng

ab o ut H e al t h : H eal t h is a t e rm which is O ft en
‘ ’ ’

appli e d t o t he s t at e O f p eo pl e w ho a re no t su flering
'

fro m a ny recognisa ble for m o f bad H e alth ie w ho . .

are no t abs o lu t e ly ill Thi s is a c o ars e t e s t , and

.

t o say th a t e ve ry o ne w ho is no t ill is th ere fore

‘
he althy , is lik e s ayi ng that anyo ne w h o d o e s no t
’

sin agai nst t he letter O f c e rtai n C o m m and m e nts ,

e g w h o do e s no t
. . m urd e r o r st e al , is the re fore a
virtuous m an Virtue i nclud es no t d o i ng har m ,
.
‘ ’

but it go e s far b eyo nd t he ne gative and i nclud e s

al so t h e p o sitive and a ct ive d o i ng go o d — the re
‘

must be a living tendency t o d o go o d .

S O it is with H e alth : it is no t a ne gative s tate

’
,

no t b e i ng ill , but a p o si t iv e and activ e li fe , which

‘ ’

i nclude s , a m o ng o t h e r thi ngs , a t end e ncy , o r rath er

a d esir e, t o d o good w o rk , and t he p o we r t o d o
th a t work w ell ( a po w er re lative to o ne s natural ’

facul t i es , e t c ) .

F o r, a fte r all , H e alth 15 lik e m o s t o th e r thi ngs

‘

by t h e ir f r u its ye s hall k no w th e m A nd o ne
’
.

o f t h e frui t s O f tru e H e alth is t he p o w e r o f l e ar ning

’

and r e m e m b e ri ng thi ngs— o r rath e r t h e t e nd e ncy

a nd d e sire t o l e ar n t h e m and r e m e m b e r th e m re ally

This is o ne O f t he fi nest t ests of H e alth that we

 H E A L TH A ND G O OD CO ND I TI ON S 55

can apply . I f w e fail t o sati s fy its requir em ents , w e

had b ett er lo o k t o o ur way o f living, possibly to
various ite m s , but alm o st c e rtai nly t o our food .

B efore I b e gi n, h o w eve r, let m e say that, as

individu als d i ffe r e ach individu a l had bette r k ee p a
,

care ful registe r O f h is persona l exper iences— this will

be his safe st guid e . F o r t he right and t he wro ng
way o f k ee pi ng such a re giste r, see the above
m entio ned b o o ks .

H e alth and w i t h it M e m o ry , will greatly d ep end

o n t h e purity a nd t h e vigo ro us cir cula tion o
f the
blood ; which aga i n w ill p a rtly d ep end o n t he air

( see b elow) , partly o n t he fo od ( see p . and

pa rtly o n oth e r c o nditi o ns .

The f ood must be no t o nly nou r ishing— it must

no t o nly co ntai n enough O f t he right e l e m ents ( esp e

c iall
y P rot e ids ) — but it m u s t a l s o be free fro m
impuriti es I mpu r it ies are no t a lways d ue t o excess,
.

though exc e ss is o ne cau se ; far m ore Oft en th ey

are d ue to actu a lly i m pure el e m ents in th e food ,

and e sp ecially to s t im u la nt s or to narc o tics .

M od e ration in all thi ngs is a n a ccurs e d P ro ve rb ;

it has d o ne a vas t a m o u nt o f har m in t he world ,
chi efly be c a us e it has s o u nde d so plausibl e .

B ut if w e avo id e d d e fici e ncy , e xc ess , and t he

wrong thi ngs ( fo r a li s t O f which , see
w e m ight still be m aki ng a se ri o us m istak e, e g . .

by e ati ng too fast , o r by dri nk i ng at or soo n afte r

m eals .
56 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

B e sid es fo o d and fe e di ng t h e re are m any o th e r

he lps t o H e al t h , and am ong the m is m oder a tion
thus to stop t he wo rk wh e n w e b e gi n t o fee l tire d , if
i nd ee d it b e fe asibl e t o d o so , will O ft en save t he
H e al t h c o ns id e rably .

No r d o e s to st o p t h e wo rk ne c essarily m e a n to
b e idl e : fo r a cha nge o f w o rk is o fte n t he tru e st
re st We c an change e ith er
.

(a ) t he s ubj e ct , o r
( b) t h e pl ac e at w hich w e are w o rki ng, o r
( c) t h e m e t h o d in which w e are w o rki ng o r ,

( d ) t he c o ndi t i o ns u nd e r which w e are w o rki ng

w e can w o rk sta ndi ng i nst e a d o f S itti ng — a hi nt
e .
g .

fo r S ch o o l m ast e rs , by t h e way .

S l ee p is t o o Obvi o u s a form O f re st to be m o r e
than m e nti o ne d h e re : but I hav e m ad e so m e sug
ge sti o ns , w hich m ay be o f u se ( ab o ut sl ee p and
m uscular re p o s e) , in Te n R ul s o
‘
e f H e alth ” .

Exer cise, it is nee dl e ss t o r e m ark , is a valuabl e

aid t o H e alth : it sh o uld no t b e too vi o l e nt .

es p e cially j ust b e fo re o r j ust a fte r w o rk — ano th er

hi nt fo r S ch o o l m a st e rs Ge ntl e a nd sho rt sp ell s
.

O f e x e rci se O f t h e right ki nd at i nt e rvals b e tw ee n

w o rk a re a gre at h elp : it is p o ssibl e th at th es e alo ne

m ay e na bl e a w o rk e r t o d o t w ic e as m uch w ork in
t h e d ay Th e b e st e x erci se is in th e fo r m o f
.

Ga m e s : fo r G am e s , owi ng t o th e ir e nj o yabl e e x
c it e m e nt , actually i m prov e t he che m ical c o nditio n ’

o f t he blo o d , a nd s e rve as a fine nerve t o nic -

.

And, in m o re detail , in the ‘

Eus tace M il es System of Physic al
C ul t u re
’
.
 H E A L TH A ND G O OD C O N D I TI O N S 57

M a ssage is a sort o f substitute fo r, and c o mpl e

m e nt t o , e x e rcis e . F o r i m pro vi ng t he circulation,
fo r i nsta nc e, it has a gre at valu e .

B ad c o ndi t i o ns , such as t e m ptati o ns to e xc es s

o f a ny ki nd , sh o uld alway s b e s hu nne d I t is t o o
.

co m m o n a thi ng t o see s o m e o ne lea d him self i nt o

t e mp t ati o n, and th e n— fall If, fo r e xam pl e , y o u
.

canno t go t o a di nne r part y wi t h o u t o ver e ati ng and

- -

ove r dri nk i ng, th e n avo id t he di nne r party i t s elf If

- -
.

t he i nvit e r is no t satisfi e d with yo ur d e sire fo r

H eal t h , as y o ur e xcus e , th en— har s h as it m ay

s o u nd — t he l es s y o u have t o d o w i t h h im the b ett e r ,
u ntil he l e ar ns to re sp e c t thi s rea s o n .

O ne o f t he ea s i e st bad co nditi o ns to avo id

‘

is t he wr o ng p os it ion O f t he b o dy : t h e sid ew ay s
pos iti o ns , t he cr a m p e d p o siti o n, th e exce ss ive s itti ng,
all m ay b e h i ndrance s t o H e alth a nd t o t h e
‘ ’

M e m o ry . See furt he r t he b o o k o n trai ni ng and

athl e tics , t o which I allud ed j ust no w .

The Temp er a tu r e o ne ca nno t always so e asily

c o ntro l. F ee t war m and he ad c o o l is t h e s o u nd est
’

m axi m h e re S o m e h elp s t o achie vi ng this as a

.

re gular s tat e are give n in th e sa m e b o o k .

Good a ir a nd good vent ila t ion a re O fte n still

hard e r t o i ns ur e O n a rail w ay —
. j o ur ne y in C hurch ,
,

in L e cture — ro o m s in D i ni ng and D rawi ng ro o m s ,

,
-

a nd e l se wh e re , th e re w ill ne arly always b e so m e one

w ho will i nsi s t o n t he w i nd o ws b e i ng S hut Y o ur .

b ed ro om will Oft e n be your o nly chance u nl e ss yo u

58 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

wo rk o ut O f d o o r s We are b e t t er O ff tha n m o st
- -
.

o th er c o u nt ri e s , b ut t he Na t i o n has s till t o l e ar n

what c an b e d o ne fo r H e al t h by fresh air— what

can, in fac t b e d o ne fo r H e alth by no o t h e r m e a ns
,
.

Am e rica in t h e w i nter is a t e rribl e c o u nt ry fo r bad

v ent il at i o n .

L ight is a n i m p o rta nt factor : as I shall sh o w in

t hi s sa m e w o rk , b a d ligh t d o e s no t i nj ure t h e e y e s

al o ne : it i nj ur es t h e w h o l e b o dy , as plants m ight
l e ad us t o judge , and wh e n o ne is s itti ng d o w n
, ,

bad light is apt t o e nc o urage sto o pi ng . I k no w

thi s t o m y co st .

S u r r ou nd ing sights , a nd sou nds ca nno t al w ays

,

b e u nd e r o u r c o nt ro l . The y a re apt t o b e v ery

di stra cti ng t o t he a t t enti o n, a nd t h e re fo re ve ry grea t
Obstacl es in t h e w ay O f l e ar ni ng and re m e m b eri ng .

B u t th er e is h e re a p r oblem w hich has hi t h ert o

re ce ive d but littl e att ent i o n If w e ge t i nt o t h e
.

habit o f d o i ng e v ery t hi ng u nd e r the b est p o s s ibl e

c o nditi o ns O f h e al t h s uch as fo o d , ch a nge , sl eep ,
,

e x e rci s e, p o si t i o n O f t he b o dy t e m p e r a t ur e , go o d air ,
,

go o d l ight , and freed o m fro m d i s tr a cti ng s ights and

s o u nd s , th e n ho w shall w e fa r e wh e n w e want t o
r e m e m be r t he vari o u s t hi ngs u nd e r m o re adve rs e
c o nditi o ns ? In a h o t st u ffy r o o m w h e re t h e re is a
great d e al O f no is e go ing o n, fo r e xa m pl e , h o w s hall
w e m a nage t o r e m e m b e r ?

I h ave t rie d t o sugge st a so luti o n in an articl e o n

‘
P ract ice it is that w e should be gi n by practisi ng
’
 H E A L TH A ND GO OD cozvo l n ozvs 59

thi ngs by p arts u nd er t he e asi est and most favourabl e

conditi o ns , and th en, wh e n w e have got th e s e parts
we ll u nd e r our co ntrol , practise the m u nd er l e ss
favo urabl e conditio ns .

F o r o bviously , if w e b e gi n to try t he thi ngs u nd e r

,

th e hard e st co nditio ns , w e are littl e lik ely to suc

ceed : wh e r e as , if w e c an o nc e b e com e fairly pro fici e nt ,

th en w e shall be prepare d fo r t he hard est c o nditions,

a nd w e shall find th e m l es s hamp e ri ng . We s hall
no t do o urse lve s j u s tic e , but at any rate w e shall
’

no t bre ak do w n altoge the r .

Tea ch e rs , how eve r , a re Ofte n w o nt t o negl e ct all o r

ne arly all O f th es e c o nsid e rati o ns , and t o t ry t o trai n

t he w ill alo ne, although , as a matt e r of fact , u nl es s

t he ab o v e co nsid e rati o ns hav e b een att e nd e d t o , t he

will c an s eldom be give n its fair cha nc e In t h e .

cas e o f a fe w isolate d i ndividuals , shee r forc e o f will

m ay w o rk m iracl e s : but the se are t he brill iant
e xc e pti o ns . Th e will fo rc e O f t he m ajority d e pends
-

t o a v e ry gr e at e xt ent upo n H e alth — m o r e up o n

that than upon any a m o u nt O f co nvicti o n t hat
a c ertai n course O f acti o n is right in its e lf and , in
t he l o ng run, pro fitabl e . I app eal to t he e xpe ri
e nc e Of age s rath e r th a n t o t h e th e ori e s o f phil o

so ph e rs
.

Nev e rth e l e ss , the w ill is a most potent fa ct o r

in l e arni ng and re m e m b e ri ng w ell : and t he will ,
lik e e ve rythi ng els e, nee ds to be practis e d and to .

be practis e d in t he si m pl e r thi ngs first b e fo r e it is

60 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

bro ught t o d eal with t he hard e r thi ngs and t he l e ss

favo urable c o nditio ns Trai n t h e w ill in e as y thi ngs
.

u nd er e asy co ndi t i o ns ,a nd yo u w ill hav e stre ngt h e ne d

it agai ns t t he evil day ’

I m ay m e nti o n h e re m y o w n e xp e ri enc e , that

t he re is in t h e m i nd s o m e thi ng ve ry lik e a faculty ’

fo r practi s i ng : if you use y o ur w ill, a nd st e adily

pra c t is e a ny o ne go o d thi ng rightly , y o u m ay
th e reby a cquire a p o we r , a s o rt O f a fa culty , fo r
‘ ’

practi si ng any o t h e r thi ng rightly F e w hav e thi s

.

faculty by nature , and fe w tro ubl e t o acqu ire it

’

M or a lity is O f c o urse a m o st e ss ential c o ndi t i o n o f

a c o nti nu e d go od M e m ory A nd m o rality , it m u st
.

b e re m e m b ere d , co nsi st s no t m e re ly o f acti o ns but

,

al so O f ge sture s, loo k s , sp o k en and writte n wo rds ,

and th o ughts . O ur m o rality d e p e nd s p a r tly upo n
o u r o w n free will and ch o ic e , a nd partly o n t he

thi ngs w hich w e ca nno t h e lp fee li ng , s ee i ng, h eari ng,

or re adi ng B ut m o rality m ay als o d e p end o n
.

H e al t h t o a far gr e at e r e xte nt tha n cl ergy m e n

a nd t e ach e rs and pare nt s are apt t o suppos e .

A s t o t h e qu e s t i o n O f t im e
( a) When sh alfw e try t o l e ar n and to re m e m b e r
ca n b e a ns w e re d bri e fly by t he wo rds Whe neve r it
‘

is p o s s ibl e or at l ea s t fea s ibl e ’

. Thi s will i nclud e
h o urs, m i nu t e s , and m o m e nts , wh e n o th e r w is e w e
sh o uld be idl e such as fo r i ns ta nc e whil e w e are
,

waiti ng fo r s o m e o ne o r s o m e thi ng, o r while w e

are in a bus o r car o r cab o r trai n . Th e s e are
 H E A L TH A ND G O OD CO ND I TI ONS 61

t he best tim es for practice And w e s h o uld

.

always k ee p a stock O f thi ngs to be practis e d .

( b) Afte r doi ng what ? N ot i m m e diat e ly a ft e r

s eve re e x ercise, and no t i m m e diat e ly aft er s ev e re ‘ ’

fee di ng— if y o u w ill fe e d s ev e rely And no t j ust

.

bef ore e i t h er O f th es e t w o.

(c) F or how long ?

‘
Tire d ness is no t always a
sa fe t e s t— w e are s o m e ti m e s so i nt erest e d in o ur
wo rk that w e work t o o l o ng Th e fee li ng o f tire d
.

ne s s o nly co m es wh en w e have stopp e d Th e n .

agai n, th e re is so m et i m es w o rk to be d o ne by a
c ertai n tim e : w e canno t a ffo rd to rest— w e must
t o il o n and o n till w e have fi ni sh ed the task .

Wi t h th es e t w o exce pt i o ns , howev er , Wo rk till ‘

y o u beg in to feel tire d is a s afe general rul e

’
Whe n .

y o u do b egi n to fee l tir ed th e n rest , tak e ex e rcis e, o r

cha nge t he work .

It w ill be ess e ntial t o have at your fi nge rs e nds ’

change subj e cts fo r w o rk , o r new m e th o ds o f d e ali ng

-

with t h e subj ects : this preparatio n O f m at e ri a l s a nd

m ethods b e fore th ey are actually wa nte d is a
P ri ncipl e almost u nive rsally ne gl ecte d by th o s e
whos e labour is wi t h t he brai n A nd t erribl e is
.

t he co ns e qu ence , and t he waste O f tim e and e ne rgy

b e yo nd calculati o n .

B e s id e s tryi ng t he cha nge o f work , you sh o uld

’
al so re s o rt to t he sp e ci a l e x ercis e s fo r re laxi ng
‘

t h e m u s cl e s of t h e b o dy : th e r e is no t hi ng m o re
re fre shi ng Fo r exa m pl e , s t and with b ent l e gs , and
.
62 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

wi t h arms ha ngi ng down quit e li m p a nd as a d e ad

we ight , and with a co nt e nt e d s m il e o n t h e fac e .

There w ill foll o w a fee li ng o f qui e t and co nt e nt

m ent— u nl es s yo u t ry this in public ! It is almost
i ncr edibl e t hat , duri ng thi s ex e rcis e , t he att enti o n
c a n b e c o nc e ntra te d o n t h e subj e ct quite e asily . I
s upp o s e it is t hat t h e m ag ne tic fo rc e o r ne rve e ne rgy
-

is no t dis s ipate d thro ugh t igh t ly cl e nch e d hand s o r

sti ff l e gs , e tc , but fl o ws all i nt o the wo rk of t he
.

brai n, o r sto r e s its el f up for future use .

I s h all be o nly t o o gl a d t o giv e to anyo ne w ho

se nds m e a s ta m p e d e nve l o p e , addres s ed to 40
C ha nd o s S t re e t L o nd o n, W C , so m e O f m y o w n
, . .

fav o urite recip es a nd al s o a few gene ral hi nt s ab o ut

,

e x e rcis e and h e al t h b ase d o n m y o w n p e rs o nal

,

e xp e ri e nc e s
.
SEC TI O N VII . CONCENTRATED ATTENTION .

O UR powe r over ou r att enti o n must t o a gr eat exte nt

d ep end o n o ur o w n free will w hich I b elieve must
,

in its turn d ep end t o a gre at e xt e nt no t only o n our

ha bits but also o n o ur H ealth at t he t im e be i ng .

Vari e ty and change s , ho w e ve r, co m bi ned with

gigantic e fforts of will and back e d up by t he habit
o f co nc entrati ng t he att enti o n, and by go od H e alth

at the tim e— even a ll th e s e will s o m eti m e s fail if the

subj ect its elf lacks inter est .

Y o u will fee l i ncl i ne d t o say I f th e subj ect its elf

lacks i ntere st , it ca nno t p o ssibly— be i nte resti ng
you cannot give it a n i nt e re st
Wait a l ittl e b efo re y o u d ecid e : it is p o ssibl e that
w e m ay no t b e abl e t o giv e a n i nt e r est to t h e s ub

ject s, but may still b e a bl e t o dis cover an i nt erest

in the m alre ady, a nd , havi ng disc o ve re d it, t o mak e
t h e m ost of it.

Th e power o f c o nc e ntrati ng t he atte ntion o n o ne

particular thi ng, and O f no t l e tti ng it be distracte d
by anythi ng e l se , is s o m e ti m e s a natural gift : but ,
lik e m o st natura l gi ft s , it m ay be acquire d and im
proved , if o nly w e can find o u t t he right m ethod ,
and c an mak e up o u r m i nds to use it .

In t h e cas e Of N ap o l e o n, w ho did so m uch by his

63
64 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

‘
c onc ent r atio n , I supp o s e w e m ay S p eak o f a gr e at
’

natural facility i ncr e a se d by habitual use .

M uch will d ep e nd o n this— w e m ust rigidly i nsist

o n doi ng onl y one th ing a t a t im e and that o ne thi ng
,

must no t be compl ex bu t m ust be simpl e It will .

be o f littl e use fo r us t o b e gi n by t e lli ng an ordi nary

child to c o ncentrat e its a tte nti o n o n the wo rds
“
C A T sp e lls C A T— th e r e is a cat o n t he r ug
!
- -
.

S impl e as it may s ee m t o us , this is really very

compl e x— t h e sight Of t he w h o l e word , the sight of
e ach l e tt e r , t h e s o u nd o f t h e w hol e word , t he sou nd

o f t h e nam e O f e ach l e tt e r ( alt o geth e r di fferent from

the sou nd of t he l e tt e r its el f, in t h e cas e of C and

A) , t he sight O f t he c a t its el f, and th e id ea O f cat

‘ ’

this is no t so simpl e a ft er all , is it ?

The energy which is sto re d up withi n us can be
’

le t out by m ea ns Of e g t he limbs , t he ey e, t he ear,

‘ ’
. .

o r t h e r easo ni ng fa culty I f w e wish to do the

.

work w e ll w e m ust try t o le t it all o ut by m eans of as

fe w e xits as possibl e— I d o no t say by m ea ns O f o ne
si ngl e e xit , for that m ay b e alm o st impossibl e, at
l e ast as a rul e B ut O ne se ns e at a tim e to start
.
‘

with is a use ful , if i naccurate, pie ce Of advice L et .

th ere be no distracti o ns if y o u c an h elp it . O ne

thing at a tim e, and o ne w ay at a ti m e — r em e mb er

this gold en rul e .

The work which at first need s an effo rt , a disti nct

and co nscious and w ill e d e ffo rt , must , aft e r co nsta nt

and car eful practic e , b e c o m e by d e gree s easy and

 CON CE N TR A TE D A TTE N TI ON 65

natural and
al m o s t o r quit e aut o m atic : at t he b egi n
ni ng t he lab o ur a nd the clum s i ne ss will strik e you

most , but that is , in m any cas e s , i nevitabl e, if you

wish ev er to succ ee d .

And he re I would p o i nt o ut that this conc entra

tion O f attenti o n doe s no t m e an No change —it
m eans that , for t he ti m e be i ng, there is to be O ne ‘

simpl e thi ng d o ne in o ne way there is to be no

distractio n : but this is only fo r t he tim e b ei ng
’
.

Af ter y o u b e gi n to get w e a ry o f this ,o r even b efo re,

you c an cha nge t o
( a) a no th er s impl e thi ng d o ne in the first way
or to
(b) the first si m pl e thing d o ne in another way
‘ ’
.

R e ad and r ealis e this twic e , fo r it is importa nt .

This va r iety , in fact , is ess ential fo r the att ention

without it the i nte r est is b o u nd t o flag B ut , e ven
.

with a gr eat d eal o f vari ety, e ve n if you att ack t he

sam e thi ng in m a ny diffe re nt ways ( see or
apply t he sam e w ay to m a ny di ffe re nt thi ngs ,even th en
your attentio n may flag a nd m ay be distracted ,
,
’

u nl ess you d e term i ne to k ee p it w e ll in hand .

An effort of w ill, then, canno t be dispense d with

yo u must w ill t o bring back y o ur attention agai n
and agai n, to c o ll e ct it and t o fo cus it o n t he
'
‘

m att er in hand .Thro w y o ur wh o l e will i nto t he

work , j ust as , in ordi na ry practic e for Gam es , I
should advise you ( as S andow d o es ) to throw as it
wer e you r whol e will i nt o t he m uscl es .

5
S EC TI O N VI II . INTEREST .

TH ER E is no law fo r te aching ( and th erefore for

l e ar ni ng and there fo re fo r re m e mb eri ng) , which has
b een more ne gl ect e d — till re ce nt tim es, at any rate,
—than th e law o f inte res t B ut in future years ,
.

thanks to t he effo rts O f F ro eb e l and othe rs , w e shall

see this law gradu ally i ntr oduce d m ore and more
’

thoroughly i nto our Ed uc at io nal m etho ds . It is

alre ady bei ng appli ed to P rim ary Te achi ng : in a
few centuri es w e m ay hop e to see it i ntroduc ed
e v en i nto c ertai n d epartm ents O f t eachi ng at our

S chools and English U nive rsitie s .

H o w can this subj ect b e m ad e i nt eresti ng ? ’

‘

m ust be a gr e at pro bl e m for te ach ers , fo r l earners ,

fo r would be r em e mb e re rs
- . S O l o ng as w e omit t he
motives of action fro m t he subj ects which w e
study, so long w e S hall fail t o s o lve this probl em ,
u nl ess w e happ en t o have bee n bor n wi t h the genius
for solvi ng it B ut , whe n o nc e this subj ect of t he
.

motive s o f acti o n, t he i ncentives to action, has b een

carefully sifte d , no t only have w e an eno r mous h elp
ready to hand for te achi ng, l e arni ng, and re m emb er
ing, but w e also find a new fi e ld for Obs ervatio n
Op ened to us—t he great fi eld o f human actio n in
t h e world.
 IN TE R E S T 67

No w it is Often sa id th at , w h e n w e app eal to

’
p eo pl e s m o t iv e s , S O as t o get th e m t o d o s o m ethi ng,
w e sh o uld always app e al o nly t o t he high es t . This
is a gro ss e rr o r a nd savo ur s O f t he th eo rist w o rki ng
,

in a study from which all t h e sight s and s o u nds o f

l ivi ng hu ma n b e i ngs — t o say no t hi ng O f go o d air
and go o d light— hav e b ee n car e fully shut o ut .

B y all m e a ns app eal t o t he high est m o t iv es — let

th e m b e as high as p o s s ibl e : say t o t h e l e ar ne r o r t o
yo urs e lf Y o u m ay b e ne fi t o th ers ; y o u m ay i m pr o ve
t he no bl e r p o w ers O f y o ur mi nd B ut d o n t fo r o ne
’ ’
.

m o m e nt i m agi ne t h a t a ny m o tiv e b esid e s th ese must

b e bad . NO : if y o u say als o Y o u m ay succeed, y o u
‘

m ay gai n fa m e and re sp ect , y o u m ay ga i n a g o od

po siti o n, y o u m ay gai n m o ney and t he go od thi ngs
that m o ney w ill buy y o u w ill pro bably b e far m o re
lik ely to p er s uad e , t o ar o us e rea l interes t, t o e nabl e
t h e l e ar ne r o r y o ur s e l f t o concentr a te t h e att e nti o n,

and S O grasp a nd re m e m be r t h e s ubj e ct i t s el f .

Th es e m o tives , b e li eve m e , are no t w i t hi n us that

th e y m ay be igno re d : th e y are m e ant to be m o tive s
fo r, a nd i nc entives t o , go o d wo rk .

Nay m o r e : y o u may find t hat t h e m o tive that

will r e ally i nflu enc e a l arge clas s O f l e arne rs m o r e
tha n any o th e r will b e rivalry : no t nec es sarily the
d e sire that o th ers sh a ll fa il , but t he d esir e that fo r
o ne s o w n part o ne m ay succ ee d m o re tha n o th e rs
’

d o , o r— t h e no bl e st rivalry in t he w o rld—m o re tha n

o ne s form e r s e l f
’
.
68 H O W TO RE M E M B ER

Th es e m o tive s would Often a ro use i nt e rest and

’

h elp t he atte ntio n .

The d es ir e to e scap e pu nish m e nt is a still l o w e r

m o tive : but no o ne w h o has s een a P ublic S chool
’

‘
at w ork c an d e ny its p o we r It is still a gr e at
’
.

l e ve r , and , a s such , it sh o uld no t b e m isus ed To .

apply this motive so as to comp e l boys to

’

m aste r
Th o s e huge dull us el e s s lists Of things ,
D at es , R ul es , Exc epti o ns , P r o ph ets , K i ngs ,
seem s to m e littl e short Of cri m i nal If any o ne .

is m o r e resp o nsibl e for t his tha n a no th e r , it is t he

H ea d M as t e r : he has it in his powe r no t t o let
th es e things b e ask e d in Entrance Exam i nati o ns o r
taught in t he Sch o o l ; S p e a ki ng o f t he typ ical lists ,
I say that the y are no t wanted in afte r life , and that
th ey O ft e n i nstil a l o athi ng fo r B ibl e H ist o ry , for
Geo graphy , fo r Gree k , for L ati n, and for a great d eal
mor e as w ell .

’
A noth er h elp towards i nte rest is t o k eep y our
‘

o w n r ecords o f t he tim e it t ak e s y o u t o d o thi ngs , o f

t he e as e w ith which you do th e m , O f t he quality

O f yo ur w o rk , Of what yo u find to b e t he b est c o n

d it io ns for w orki ng Th e record will m ak e th e work

.

its el f i ntere sti ng H o w a m an loves his o w n pro

.

ductio n— a sm all thi ng y et his o w n

‘
The s elf
’
.
‘

r ivalry which th es e records almost comp e l , is a great

aid to progress .

A nd as t o t he a d vantages which may com e to

 IN TE R E S T 69

you o r to y o ur fri e nds , o r to m any o th ers as w e ll ,

,

if y o u yours e lf do your w o rk we ll , d o no t c o nsid er

m e rely the i m m e diate adva ntage s , but re fl ect that
a c o nc entrat e d att enti o n practis e d no w , and h enc e
a m e mo ry we ll store d no w , will be your m ost
val uabl e poss essio n in futu re y ears and— in t he
fu t ur e life . A nd , if y o u still nee d an i nc entiv e,
r efl e ct o n the many dis a dvantage s o f forge tti ng .

’
‘
I ntere st in a rath e r different s e ns e is som e w hat
hard e r to e xplai n : but y o u will r e alis e w hat it
m e a ns whe n y o u t e ll an i nte resti ng fairy st o ry t o
-

a child : t he child has no ulte rior m o tives O f gai n

but ye t is i nte re ste d s e es th e wh o l e picture y o u are
‘

pai nti ng, and acts the part of, and almost is , the
actu a l h ero or h e roi ne .

S o m e will be i nte rest e d in o ne thi ng o r o ne as p e ct

,

Of a thi ng, oth ers in ano th er thi ng o r a d i ffe re nt

,

asp e ct B ut th ere are certai n thi ngs that app eal to

.

nearly e v e ry o ne .

The app eal t o t he ey e, by what c a n b e cl e arly s e en

or a t any rat e c an b e cl early imagi ne d or picture d in
t h e m i nd , will i nt er est m o st l e ar ne rs , a nd h e lp th e m
‘ ’

to l e ar n and t o re m e mb e r— this is e s pe cially t he cas e

with t h e y o u ng ; but I see no reas o n why w e sh o uld
los e t he facul t y , as much as w e are wo nt to d o , as
w e gr o w Old e r a nd com e t o thi nk r a th e r by m e ans
of id ea s o r— alas , Oft en— by m eans o f words ,vagu e
‘ ~

words .

The app e al to t h e ear will i nt ere st oth ers They

‘ ’
.
 70 HO W TO RE M E M B E R

d o no t re m e m b e r we ll w hat t h e y hav e o nly s ee n

— ah actio n in r eal li fe o r a picture o r a ph o to—o r
wh at th ey h a ve s ee n in w riti ng o r pri nti ng— t he
wo rd s and l ett e rs o n a p a ge w hat t h e y d o tak e
‘
i nt e res t in, wh at t h ey d o l e ar n, a nd what th ey do
’

rem e m b e r , is w hat s o m e o ne e l se has said — O ft e n ( O h

t he pi t y o f it , if th ey d o no t k ee p it t o the ms e lv es )

j ust ex actly what h e ( o r she) has said .

O th e r s , agai n, are no t i nt e r e ste d , o r are no t

appr e ciably i nt e re ste d , u nl ess t he app e al is t o the ir
r eas o n : th ey m ust u nd e rsta nd a thi ng , th ey must
’
‘

u nd e rs tand t he cause s of it , th e y mu st u nd e r s ta nd
t end e nci e s and results O f it, ar— th ey m u st thi nk
that th ey u nd e rstand ! O the rwise th ey have no
‘
i nt ere st in t he thi ng , t h ey canno t co nce ntrat e
’

th e ir atte nti o n o n it, th ey ca nno t l e ar n it , th ey cannot

re m e m b er it .

B ut in all three cas es alik e the re will Oft en be

littl e re a l i nt e re st
‘ ’

(a ) u nl e s s t h e m i nd has in it alre ady s o m ethi ng

o f t h e ki nd s o m e fa m iliar starti ng poi nt se e XVI I I ,
,
-
( .

XXV) , and
( b) u nl ess t h e work Of l e ar ni ng and r e m e m b eri ng
is t o s o m e e xt e nt t he p e rs o n s ve ry o w n wo rk
’
.

I n t e achi ng a large and m ix e d audi e nc e , if yo u

re ally wi s h t he p e opl e t o b e i nte re s t e d , and h ence to
l e ar n and t o r e m e m b e r , th e b est and safe st way is to
interest the dulles t and , abov e all , to m ention t o o

m a ny motives rath er tha n t o o fe w : no t t o co nfi ne

 I N TE RE S T 71

yo urself t o t h e i m m e diate i nt e rest O f t he subj e ct ,

‘ ’

or to t h e im m e diat e advantage s O f att e ndi ng t o it ,

l ear ni ng it , and rem e m b e ri ng it , but t o i nsist o n t he
furth e r and lat e r advantage s also, and —t he disad
vantage s O f forge tti ng . This will save ti m e a nd
troubl e in t he e nd .

L e t m e c o ncl ud e w ith a s o m e w hat h e retical c o n

fess io n
. I f y o u S h o uld t e ll m e that t he subj ect is
u ni nt e res ti ng t o y o u , that y o u ca nno t find a ny i nte re st
in it as a subj ect , th en I advis e y o u t o re fl e ct o n t he
adva ntages O f l e ar ni ng and re m e m b e ri ng it ( e g t he . .

m arks to be gai ne d in an Exa m ) , or o n t he dis

adva ntage s O f fo rgetti ng it ( e g t h e pu nish m ent)
. . .

B ut , if yo u t e ll m e e ithe r th a t th ere is no s uch

m o tive in y o ur cas e , o r that s uch a m o tiv e d o e s
no t m ov e y o u eno ugh t o m ak e y o u l e a r n y o ur huge
‘

d ull us e l es s li s t o f things , such as th e or nam e nts

’

in S ol o m o n s t e m pl e , th en I c o ngratulat e you o n
’

your c o m m o n s ens e and I canno t fo r the life o f

,
’ ’
m e sugge st a ny m otive o r i nter est at all
‘ ‘
.
S EC TI O N IX . TO COLLECT READINGS .

S UPPO S I NG you already hav e your L ist o f H eadi ngs

(e g see XXVI I , for a L ist o f M e ms o f what you
’
. . . .

have t o d o duri ng t he d ay) , th e n o f c o urs e t he

coll ecti ng it se lf will b e as good as d o ne .

It may be necessary , h o wever , both h ere , and

in t he cas e wh e re t he H e adi ngs are no t so e asy to
coll e ct , t o e xpre ss an id e a, Oft en a whole s ente nce,
by as few w o rds as possibl e , and , if it is possibl e to
do so with o ut b ei ng Obscure, by o ne si ngl e wo rd .

“
If you hav e to call o n M rs Jones at 4 3 B i ngl ey
.

P lac e , t he w o rd Jo nes may be enough , o r Jo nes

! ‘ ‘

4 3 if yo u are sure to re m e m be r B i ngl e y P lace all

r igh t .

B ut t he art Of thus compressi ng id e as or whol e

sent enc es is no t bor n with ev ery o ne : look , for
i nsta nce , at t he p eopl e c o ncocti ng t el e grams in a
Te l e graph O fiice —how hard they find it to com
’

pre ss ; you can prove this by t he bitte n ends Of t he

public p e ncils — tha t w o uld not be d o ne fo r m ere
pl easure ! O r y o u c an pr o ve it by t he r esult— the
Obscure m e ssage which m ight m e an thre e thi ngs or
nothi ng .

If you want practic e in compressi ng , and you ‘

alm ost c ertainly do , th en c o m pr ess a C hapt er of a

 TO C O LL E C T H E A D IN GS 73

book ( Ofte n t he C hapte r will have its o w n H eadi ngs ,

which you m ay c o m pare w ith your o w n) , o r a
s ermo n, or a co nve rsati o n It is no t a bad o c
.

c upat io n fo r O d d m o m e nts Fo r oth e r hi nts , see

.

H o w to P repare E ssays , et c
’
.

Fo r t he use s Of t h e C ard S yste m , also , I must

-

refer to this sam e bo o k ; but I may say h ere that

co ntinu e d practic e at su m m arisi ng id e as by H e ad
i ngs , and at usi ng the C ard S yst e m , has h elp e d to
-

m ak e my work at l e ast three tim es as rapid as it

used to be, and many ti m e s— I will no t say b etter ,
but— l es s bad , and m o re succ essful .

B ut let m e assu m e that t he H e adi ngs are no t

yet all gath ere d t o geth er . Y o u k now th ere are

som e thi ngs that y o u have no t writt e n dow n,
but, for the l ife of y o u , you cannot find th e m .

What are you t o d o ?

The right way O f c o ll e cti ng H e adi ngs is al most
e nt ire ly negl ect e d in e ducati o n in Engla nd In .

t h e abov e m entio ne d book I have given som e hi nts

-

o n th e a rt—for it is a n art : h e re I will s e l e ct o nly

a few poi nts .

A s a rough and re ady pla n fo r r e calli ng id e as o r

- -

H e adi ngs , t ry t he A lphab e t A ll w o rds must begi n

.

with o ne Of the l ette rs as an init ial l e tt e r : and t he

i nitial ( see XXVI I ) will Oft en suggest t he actual
.

word . It is an o ld plan, and very us eful .

O ther h elps , esp e cially if yo ur subj ect is O f t he

Essay or A rticl e o r S p eech typ e, w o uld be -
74 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

wo rk y ur id e a s o n t h e subj e c t
a( ) to o ut
o o w n

b efo re y o u go and c o nsult a b o ok o r Encycl o p ae dia ;

it is a gre at e rro r t o l e ar n fro m others if you have
ti m e t o t hi nk t he que sti o n o ut fo r y o urs el f Y our .

h o m e m ad e no tio ns may no t b e c o mpl e te per s e, but

-

t h ey will be e asi e r t o re m e m b e r, and m o re pr o fitabl e

fo r t he m i nd ; c o m m o n s ens e ( s ee XVI I ) must be .

br o ught i nt o pl ay , e sp e cially with re gard t o

( b) c o m pariso ns a nd contras ts ( XV I I I , X I X ) ;
.

(c) picture pai nti ng in t he mi nd m ay ve ry lik ely

-

bri ng o ut s o m e d e tail .

A ft e r y o ur first coll e ction — always supp o si ng

that y o u hav e t he ti m e t o S pare— l e av e an inter val,
a nd th e n a d d any ne w H e adi ngs that m ay hav e
‘
c o m e m e anw hil e Then add o th e r H e adi ngs by
’
.

re adi ng, aski ng, talki ng, or h e ari ng about t he

s ubj e ct .

It is needl ess to say that b o o ks , articl e s , qu es

tio ns , c o nve rs ati o ns , l e cture s , e t c , m ay a ll add
.

s o m e thi ng A ll, m o reo ve r, will giv e y o u practic e in

.

c o ll e cti ng H e adi ngs ( bef ore a nd af ter re adi ng o r

li s t e ni ng t o t he b o o k , e t c ) , if you w ill o nly use t he
Op p o rtu nity .

TO thi nk o ve r c ertai n s ubj e cts at o dd ti m e s , and

t o jo t d o w n t he H e a di ngs in a No te b o o k aft e r
-

w ards , is al so e xc e ll e nt practic e .

O f C o m pl e te L is t s O f thi ngs as a he lp t o w ards

t he c o ll e cti o n Of H e adi ngs , I S hall sp e ak in t h e
fo llowi ng S e ction .
 To C OL LE C T H E A D IN GS 75

Whil e y ou coll e cti ng t he H eadi ngs , use pl e nty

are

O f pap e r, and writ e t he wo rds u nd er o ne a no th e r ,

w ith spac e s in be twee n, s o as to l eav e ro o m fo r

additi o ns F alse eco no m y is as bad thi e f Of ti m e

.

as pro cr asti natio n .

NO TE .

I S h all be glad t o send a leaflet ab o u t the Card S y st em t o

-

an o ne w h o w
y ill wri te and s end m e a stam ped and a ddressed

e nve l o pe, at 40 C h and o s S treet , Lo ndon, W C. .

S EC TI O N X . CO M PLETE LI STS .

IF y o u have t e n thi ngs t o d o , and have no t a v e ry

go o d m e m o ry , it is Obvi o us that it w o uld be quite
e a sy t o r e call a ll o f t h e t e n thi ngs if a ny o ne sh o we d

y o u a list which inclu d ed all o f t he t en, ev en if

it happ e ne d t o i nclud e t en othe rs which you did no t
wa nt t o re call This is o ne o f t he m a ny i nsta nc e s
.

wh e re e xce ss is b e tter tha n d e ficie ncy .

S upp o si ng, fo r e xa m pl e , that y o u w a nt e d t o pla n

o u t a h o us e , and that y o u wa nt e d t o r e m e m b e r all

t he r o o m s , a nd t o l e av e o u t no thi ng o f i m p o rta nc e ,

it w o uld pr o b ably be quick e r and e asi er and safer

fo r y o u to choose f r om a comp lete lis t o f ro o m s , e v e n
if that c o m pl e te list went far b eyond w hat y o u
ne e d ed , than t o trust to yo ur o w n m em ory , as t he

m a n did w ho planne d his o w n hous e and — fo rgo t

t he staircas e .

A gai n, if y o u w e re go i ng fo r a l o ng o r a short
j o ur ne y , it w o uld be a gre at h e lp fo r t he m e m o ry
t o hav e a ( m o r e o r l e s s) c o m pl et e li s t Of thi ngs

which might b e re quire d : it wo uld b e so si m pl e

t o ch o o se.

Th er e are ma ny subj ects wh er e this appli es with

no l ess fo rc e : fo r e xampl e s , I r e fe r t he r e ad e r to

t he abov e m enti o ne d work o n Essay writi ng

- -
.

16
 C O M P LE TE L I S TS 77

O f the Of t he A lphab e t I have alre ady spok en

use .

It is a c o m pl e te li s t O f t h e i nitials o f all t he words

in our L a nguage : X and ! c an usually be dis
re gard ed .

Webster s D icti o nary wo uld be ne arly a complete

’

list In ce rtai n C o m p e t itio ns w hich we re the rage

.

som e years ago , e specially in tho s e for fi ndi ng o ut

all t he wor ds to be got o ut Of som e o ne word , th ere
were m any w ho w e nt thro ugh pages and pages Of a
D ictiona ry , so as no t to mi ss a nythi ng B ut this
.

course is , as a rul e, impossibl e— t he ti m e and t he

troubl e forbid .

The read er w ill d e cid e fo r hi m se lf wh eth e r th ere

a r e any compl e t e lists t hat wo ul d h elp him I .

have alre ady spok e n O f a li s t O f thi ngs fo r jour ney s,

and O f lists of H e adi ngs fo r E s say s ; si m ilar lists
for H istory , fo r Geo graphy , e tc wo uld hav e th e ir
valu e A nd , with r e gard t o thes e , I wo ul d m entio n
.

h ere that th es e lists are no t m e re cram m i ng : the y ’

do no t so much te ll y o u thi ngs as ask yo u ques

tions , as if they w e re sayi ng H e re is a H e adi ng
is this what you are loo ki ng fo r ? D O y o u k now
anythi ng about this ?
Th e se c o mpl ete lists the m s e lve s c an b e e asily
re m e mb ere d by t he v ari o us S y s t em s , e sp ecially by
L i nking ( XX I I I ) , by I nitialisi ng o r by

R hym e s .

A s ingle insta nce w ill of ten give a com plete list

the be st exampl e O f all would be a co m pl et e list
78 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

Of virtu es which wo uld b e given by th e li fe o f je sus

,
.

This h as t he adv a ntage O f starti ng with w hat is

c o ncre te , and t hus e asie r to r e a li se
.

In t he vari o us ki nds O f Es says w hich are u s ually

se t in Exa m i nati o ns , th e re are c e r t ai n Ge ne ral
H e a di ngs w hich are o f al m o st u nive rs a l applica ti o n .

S o m e O f th e se are give n in R hy m e o n pp 8 3, 9 2 ,
.

et c , O f t he b o o k o n Essay w riti ng : it is e xplai ned

.
-

t he re that t he H e adi ngs are no t facts but rath e r t he

m ea ns O f e liciti ng facts , et c , which w e alre ady have

.

in o u r m i nd ; and t he m e a ns O f e liciti ng m o re o f
th es e tha n w e should oth erwis e be abl e to elicit .
S EC TI O N XI . TO SELECT AN D REJ ECT
H EADINGS .

I WI LL suppos e that , som ehow or oth e r t he re ad e r

,

has c o ll e ct ed a list Of H e adi ngs , writt e n d o w n in a

li ne, o ne u nd e r ano th er, and not in a c o nti nuous
list D O no t le t him write th e word s a ll huddl e d
.

up in a m ass : o r grudge pap er , fo r it is ve ry ch e ap .

If he m ust e co nomis e ( fr o m nature or fro m nec e ssi ty) ,

th e n le t him use C he ap p a p er : but le t him no t
spar e t he p a p er and spoil t he work .

Thes e H e adi ngs will b e such that each will call

up a wh o le id e a , o r even two id eas The y will no t
.

be th e id e as the ms elve s , but w ill o nly r ep r esent th e m ,

som e what as a M e m b e r O f P arlia m ent is no t his
C o nstitu e ncy its e lf but o nly re pr ese nts it , or as land
m arks b e twee n o ne plac e and a no the r are no t t h e
track its e lf but will b e e nough t o enabl e y o u t o find
t he track .

A gre at d e al of tim e and tr o ubl e w ill b e sav e d

if y o u ca n m anage no t o nly t o c o ll ect but als o
t o select — which will m e a n t o r eject as w e ll Y o u
.

must econom ise, as far as poss ibl e .

Y o u m ay s e l e ct e ith e r

(a) the m o st us e ful a nd imp o rtant H eadi ngs ; or

( b) t he H e adi ngs hard e st to re m e mbe r .

79
80 H O W T0 RE M E M B ER

Yo u m ay rej ect e ithe r

(a) t he most us e l ess and th e l east im po rta nt
H e adi ngs ; o r— t h o ugh it is not a good general
rul e
( b) the H eadi ngs e as i es t t o re m e mb e r
.

SO lo ng as Educ a ti o n is what it is , so long as

pu nishm e nts and m arks and m o ney and success and
future prosp e cts d e p e nd , if o nly in pa rt , upo n huge
d ull us el ess lists it wo uld be o f littl e use to advise
the r ead e r to r ej e ct the s e l ists altoge the r
. I c an
o nly say to him , R ej e ct as m uch as it is f easible for

y o u to r ej ect In a n ordi nary M ap , for i nsta nc e,

’
.

you m ay usually ( fo r o rd i nary purpos e s ) rej ect ni ne

t enths Th e sad thi ng is that it is no simpl e task to
.

rej ect— that is to say, t o rej e ct in th e s ens e O f

‘ ’

Th er e is s o m e truth in t he Epigram , The

’
‘
forget .
‘

hard e st part Of r em e mbe ri ng is the fo rgetti ng This

e xaggerat es t h e cas e, as Epigra m s ( XXX I I I .
) are
wo nt to do, but t o rej ect a nd forget the not
’
wanted , and to s el e ct and c o nc e ntrate the att ention
o n t he wante d — thi s is i nd ee d o ne O f the s ec rets
‘

O f a good and us e ful m e m ory o f t h e high est t

ype .
SEC TI O N XII . TO A RRANGE AND EM PHASISE
H EADINGS .

I WI LL imagi ne that yo u hav e alre ady co ll ect ed

and se l e cte d y o ur H e adi ngs :
y o u m ust no w tak e in
ha nd t he H e rcul e an task o f arra ngi ng the m .

Th e art o f a rra ngi ng H eadi ngs , agai n, is littl e

taugh t in th e o rdi nary English Education : I canno t
t each it h ere, but have tri e d to d o so in m y work
H o w to P repare Essays , etc ( p I 7 2
’
on . .

The re is , th e re m ust be, at l e ast o ne b est po ssibl e

way o f arra ngi ng any giv en list Of H e adi ngs ,if w e set
asid e th o se lists ( s uch as a list of engage m ents) wh er e
t he ord e r is fix e d alr e ady
. No w w e m ay no t be abl e
to fi nd this ord e r but th e ve ry s earch for it will hav e
,

its go o d e ffect Th ere is scarc ely any d epar t m e nt in

.

life, fro m dressi ng in t he m orni ng t o goi ng to bed

at night, whe re a co nsid e ratio n of t he best possibl e
ord er ( fo r gene ral occasi o ns) will no t be worth whil e .

I say fo r gene ra l occasi o ns , b ecau se , in prepari ng

a sp ee ch for i nstance, t he o rd e r will di ffer acc o rdi ng
to e g t h e l ength O f the sp eech ( 5 mi nute s o r 30
. .

mi nut e s ) , t he audi enc e ( peda nts o r workm en) , and

variou s o th e r co nditio ns (e g wh eth er it is to be
. .

mad e be fore or aft e r a large m ea l ) .

No tic e t he di ffe re nc e in packi ng luggage : yo u

have sh o v e d t he thi ngs anyhow i nt o your bag—it
looks so full that y o u hav e n t r o om fo r all yo u wa nt
’

6
82 H O W TO R E M EM B E R

to tak e Th en, wh en yo u want som e thi ng duri ng

.

yo ur j o ur ney , y o u ca n t lay yo ur ha nd o n it at o nc e
’
.

O ut m ust c o m e spo nge bag, boots , and hair b rush ,

- -

befo re you c an find that h a ndk erchi ef B u t study

.

t h e art o f arra ngi ng thi ngs , and t he bag will h o ld

m o r e a nd you will k no w j ust wh e re e ach thi ng is

,
.

F o r t he purpos e s o f arra nge m e nt I k no w O f

no thi ng b ette r than t he Ca r d Sy s tem ( see th e b o o k
-

m e nti o ned above) . Th e re is no t spac e t o explai n it

h e re : I can o nly say th a t o ne Of its p r i ncipl e s is t o
write down H e adi ngs e ach o n a s eparat e card and no t
a ll t o ge th e r o n a si ngl e sh e e t o f pap er B y this pla n,
.

y o u c a n e asily ad d , tak e away , alter , o r r earrange .

I ndent ing , agai n, is a gre at boo n I t m e a ns

‘ ’
.

that yo u need no t writ e all yo ur H eadi ngs u nd e r

o ne a noth e r : t he m a in H e adi ngs can be written
thus , but S ub H e adi ngs can be written a littl e
-

Thus w e might tak e o ne or two O f t he

’
‘
i nland
H e adi ngs O f this S ec t i o n, as fo llows

HOW TO ARRANGE HEADING

S .

Card .
Sys te m fo r
addi tions
l t
a tera ion
s
e s p. of o rder

Indenti ng distinguishes
Important headings
Sub-Headi ngs
groups of Headings
Di agram III .
TO A R R A N GE A ND E M P H A SI SE H E A DI N GS 83

We see here that t he two M ai n H eadi ngs com e in a

li ne , and t he two S ub H eadi ngs O f ea ch are i nland
-
‘

more t o t he right and out o f t he w ay .

’
B y ind enti ng , th en, y o u can S ho w which H ead
‘

i ngs are impo rt a nt , and which are no t so i m p o rtant

but are o nly subdivisions under thes e i m p o rtant
H eadi ngs : i nd enti ng is thus a c o nveni ent way O f
‘ ’

m arki ng Off H e adi ngs i nt o groups .

Th e ord e r its e lf may be accordi ng to

“

a ) impor ta nce— t he co ns picu o u s plac es b e i ng t he

(
b egi nni ng and t he e nd it will th e re fo re be ne ce ssary
t o d e cid e which H e adi ngs are t he m o st i m p o rtant :
see b e l o w ;

b u nity : H e adi ngs w hich b el o ng t o t h e sam e

( )
general class ( such as t h e R o m a ns in th e ir d eal
‘

i ngs with should be gr o up e d t o ge th e r ;

so m e connexion or t r a ns it ion : if o ne H ead
()c

ing w ill call up a n id e a which will in its tur n l ead

o u t o thi nk o f a no th e r H e adi ng th e n th e s e two
y ,

H eadi ngs should b e k ept ne xt t o e a ch oth e r : thus ,

’
ab o ve , t h e H e adi ng R o m an Co l o ni e s , which were
‘

partly i ntend e d t o guard t he R o ads m ight com e

ne xt t o R oads

d
( ) ca use a nd f
ef ect fo rm so p o w erful a m ea ns

of c o nne xio n and o f tra nsiti o n t h a t th ey d es erv e

a s eparate m e nti o n : thus R om e s Geo gr ap hical
’

positi o n wo uld caus e t he Etru s ca n K i ngs t o

’ ’

i nvad e R om e , and th e ir i nvasio n m ight be o ne

of the cause s O f t he R o m a ns be i ng a M ix e d
84 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

Peo pl e : h e nc e t he se three H e adi ngs m ight c o m e

’

t o ge th e r .

No tic e th a t , w ith this arr ange m e nt , to r e m e mb er

one id e a w ill O fte n l e ad us t o r e m e m b e r the id ea s on

either s id e of it .We c a n w o rk backward s or fo r

w a rds.

( e) C o nnexi o ns o f sound (see furth e r S e cti o ns

XX I I I , XXX ) are by no m e ans t o be negl e ct ed
. . .

B ut th es e m u s t be class e d rath e r u nd e r t he
M e m o ry Sy s t e m s
-

R e a r r a ngem ent a ft e r an i nte rval may be a wis e

-

pl a n : s o m ew hat as thi ngs that have b ee n pack e d in

a b o x are fo u nd shak e n d o wn and b ett e r arrange d
a fte r a j our ney , so it m ay b e with t he brai n, o w i ng

t o what th ey call u nc o nsci o us c e r e brati o n

‘

I sp o k e ab o ve Of e m phasisi ng a H e adi ng by
putti ng it i nt o an i m p o rta nt p o si t i o n, t he m o s t im
p o rtant p o s iti o ns b e i ng t he b e ginni ng a nd t he e nd ,
as o ne m ight a l m o st gu e ss m e re ly fr o m t h e w ay in

w hich s o m e p eo pl e t re at no v e ls !

B u t the re are o th e r m ea ns b e s id es this , a nd th ey

a re w e ll w o rth a li t tl e a tt e nt i o n
.

Th e E m p h as i s i ng O f t he m o s t u se ful H e adi ngs ,

o r O f th o se w hich are h ard es t t o r e m e m b e r c an be
,

se cure d no t o nly by t h e o rd e r but als o by

(a ) inter va ls b efo re and a fter , c o rre sp o ndi ng to

pa uses in s p ea ki ng ; o ne p a r t icul a r poi nt is thus
m ad e t o st a nd o ut fr o m a m o ng t h e res t ;

( b) u nder lining, pri nt i ng o r wri t i ng in it al ics , in

TO A RRA N GE A ND E M P H A SI S E H E A D IN GS 85

t h ick type , in C AP I TA L S , in TH IC K C AP ITAL S ,

or in unusualtyp e ; th e se would corre spo nd chi e fly
to loudness a nd stress in talki ng, but also perhaps to
s o m e extent to di fferenc e s Of no t e ; [t he illustratio ns
O f a write r in his book o r articl e might corre sp o nd

in a way to t he gestures and surrou ndi ngs o f a

sp e ak er in his sp ee ch ] .

Th e gre at fe ature is that t he atte ntio n is attracte d

s o m e tim es the m e a ns are rath er startli ng .

TO give a S impl e i nsta nce of t he pow e r O f

di ffe rence s in type : wh e n I want ed m y C las s ical
pupils to re m e mb e r that t he Endi ng O f t he D ative
C ase was—A I, I wrote d At Ive , thick typi ng t he -

first two Vowels O f D ative ; si m ilarly t he L At In

AbL at Ive re mi nds t h e m that t he L ati n A bl a tive
w as a three fold C ase, A blative L ocativ e and I n
-

’
s t ru m e nt al . See H o w to L ear n P hil o l o gy ( S wa n
S onnensch e i n) .

P ractic e is ess ential , or e ls e w e shall no t b e abl e

to arra nge quickly , o r to d e cid e qu ickly w hat is t o be
e m phasis e d , o r to e mphasi s e it quickly . A nd am o ng
t he b est fo rms O f practic e is what m ay be call ed t he
o ne t w o thr ee

( a) ( b) (a)
S yste m . A n illustratio n w ill be fo u nd e ls e wh e re
.

L e t m e give o ne fi nal war ni ng with r egard to

e mph as isi ng D o n t use e mphas is wh er e it is u n
’
.

ne ce ssa ry D o n t u nd e rli ne e ve rythi ng, or writ e

’
.

e v erythi ng in large typ e .

86 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

Th ere is a w e ll k now n sto ry of a workm an w ho

-

s w o re so much o n ordi nary occasio ns , that o n o ne

o cca s io n, wh en h e was r e ally a nnoye d , h e could s ay

no thi ng fr e sh— h e could no t add a nythi ng to his

fo r m e r blasph e m i e s and fo ul ness es , and nothi ng that

h e c o uld say c o uld give him what he call ed t he
‘

fee li ng O f a re a l sw ear
’
.

Th e A m e ricans O ffer a sim ilar w ar ni ng : so

habitual , so ordi nary a nd com m o nplace has it
b e c o m e to a d ver tise ev erythi ng with huge l ette rs
and Not e s o f E xclamati o n, that th es e thi ngs have

almost c e as ed to be a sign O f e mphas is at all

they hav e b eco m e a sine qu d non .

Th er efore, d o n t emphasis e too many thi ngs

’
.

NO TE .

If anyo ne is interested in th e ubj ec t o f C ard h o lders fo r

s -

m em o rand a and no tes for spee ch es, arti cl es, e s s ays , e tc , I w i ll

.

s end h i m part i c ul ars as to o ne o r t w o o f th e m ost c o nvenient

k inds t h at I h ave t ried , if h e w ill enc l o se in a l etter to m e a
s t am pe d and a ddresse d e nv e l o pe .
S EC TI O N XIII . TO FIND CAUSES AND
O TH ER CONNEXIONS .

WH ILE sp eak ing of th e

arrange m e nt o f id e as , I said
th a t it was a gre at h e lp if, in a list , w e c o uld se e
that c ertai n H e adi ngs we re co nnect ed as ca use a nd
efl o r in oth e r ways I m ust be c o nt e nt h e r e
'

ec t , .

to d o littl e m ore than r ep e at what I said abov e,

viz that th ere are m any w h o ca nnot l earn thi ngs
.

( and th e re fore cannot re m e m b er th e m ) u nl ess they

u nd e rs t and th em first, and w ho cannot u nd e rstand
th e m p r operly u nl e ss th ey see t he causes and e ffe cts
a nd o t h e r r e latio ns .To tak e an exampl e, if o ne
wante d to l ear n and t o r e m e m b er about E gypt
in o ld en tim es , and what ki nd o f p eo pl e t he
Egypti a ns w e re , and w hat ki nd o f Go v e rnm e nt
th e y h a d , o ne would re ad B uckl e s famous C hapt e r
’

H isto ry of C ivili s atio n in England

’
in h is He
give s s o m e o f t he cause s , such as t he rich ne ss o f
t h e land , and t h e huge nu m b ers o f p eo pl e that it

will e as ily support A ft e r t he causes have b een

.

grasp e d , t he facts will b e r eadily l e ar nt and w ill

b e r e m e mb ere d for e ve r .

It is ne edl ess t o say that the m e ntal e x e rci se

o f fi ndi ng out ca uses is m ost e xce lle nt fo r th e
re aso ni ng faculty .

A s a h elp , I should s uggest genealog ica l tr ees !

Thu s , if w e wante d t o ge t an id e a of s o m e o f t he
87
88 HO W TO R E M E M B ER

evils o f t o day , w e might take one o f t he caus e s ,

-

viz A lco h o li s m , and see w hat e ffe cts it produce s

.
’

!
I will s el e ct o ne o r two e f
f ct
e s

sslt mfjla
‘

iet on)
’
'
e

laz iness

desir e for more

Al cohol
D i agram IV .

Fo r i nsta nc e w h e re a s i ngl e c e ntral caus e will

an

accou nt fo r a w h o l e s eri e s o f H e a di ngs , thu s gath e r

ing th e m to ge th e r i nto a ki nd o f ( u nhappy) fa m ily ,

The Evils o f t he R epublic in A H i s t o ry o f

‘ ’ ‘
see

R o m e ( G ra nt R ichard s) Th e D iagra m m ight h e re

’
.

tak e t he fo r m o f a spid e r — t he b o dy ( r e prese nti ng t he

c entral c a u se) in t he m iddl e , and t he l e gs ( re pr e s e nt
ing t h e e ffe cts ) go i ng out fro m it in a ll dire ctio ns .

S uch D i a gra m s are go o d b e caus e th ey app eal t o

,

t he ey e as w e ll as t o t he r eason .

C aus e s and e ffe cts are no t t he o nly r elati o ns

b etwee n H e adi ngs : b e s id e s c a u s e s w e hav e kelps .

H zndm noes als o are w o rth c o ns id e ri ng

’

See fu rther Quick d Easy Reci pes,’ etc

‘
an .
S EC TI O N XIV . ROUGH OUTLI NE AND
FRA M EWORK .

IN l e ar ni ng c erta in subj e ct s it is a co m m o n e rr o r
t o b e gin by l e a r ni ng a d e tail b e fo r e t he ge ne r a l o ut

li ne h as b ee n grasp ed We m ay hav e c o nee n

.

t rat e d o u r att e nt i o n, w e m ay hav e i nte re st in

‘ ’

t he s ubj e ct , w e m ay hav e a wh o l e m ass o f go o d

H e ad i ngs , c o ll e ct e d , s e l e ct e d , and e v e n t o s o m e
e x te nt e m phasis e d and arra nge d ; but y e t w e m ay

fa il to l e ar n t he subj e ct pro p e rly , ie so as t o re

. .

m e mb e r it and to be abl e t o m ak e use o f it .

H o w o ft e n w e se e a specialis t w ho is an e xp e rt
a t his particular d e part m e nt , but w h o y e t ca nno t b e

s a id t o k no w t he subj e ct co nsid e r fo r i ns t a nce , t h e

,

b o o ks e ll e r s cle rk w h o k no ws price s a nd P ublish e rs

’ ’

na m e s a d lib , b u t is igno ra nt o n t he subj e ct o f

.

L it e rature . O r, t o m ak e a c o m pari so n, h o w o fte n

w e see a pictur e in w hich e ach p a r t is c a re fully and

accurat ely d o ne, and w hich yet ca nno t be call e d

a go o d picture Th e general e ffe ct is bad
. .

No w as , in a M ap , w e m ust b e c o nte nt w ith a n

o utli ne which al w ays will b e inacc urrat e ( it w ill
ne v e r re pr e s ent t he coast li ne qu ite accurat e ly) , but
-

which still ser ves ou r pu rpose ; and , as fe w o f us c an

d o a goo d M ap without doi ng a rough o utli ne first,
39
90 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

or a drawi ng with o ut a ro ugh sk e tch , so it is with

many subj ect s : w e m u st be c o ntent to put t he
d etails o n o ne sid e till w e have go t a ge ne ral
gr asp of t he wh o l e .

A P rover b is a ve ry go o d i nstance of t he e ffe ct

which such a r o ugh o utli ne has up o n t he m e mo ry .

It is so e asy t o re m e m be r th o s e short crisp simpl e

P roverbs : but m o st o f the m a re inaccur a te .

H o w shall w e d e fe nd th is P Is it right to l e arn

thi ngs that are i naccurat e Y es : to begin w it/z , it
o ften is A ft e rwards w e must c o rrect and e m end
.

and fill in t he picture , but at t h e outs et it would

fr equ ently b e quite wro ng . We should be so over

whelm ed by d e tail s that no us e ful i mpression would
b e l e ft
.

A ft er all ,w e pro bably get accurate id e as about very

v e ry few subj ects in t hi s wo rld : w e c an o nly k now
‘
in pa rt ; and as l o ng as w e c o ns t a nt ly b e ar this in
’

m ind , viz that o ur k no wl e dge is o nly a co nveni ent

.

approximatio n t o t he t ruth , that it is only a part ,

t he da nge r will no t be so gre at .

B ut , as I say , w lzen t he ge ne ral ( and usually

i naccurate) outli ne h as been o nc e grasp ed and
dige ste d , tlzen t he d e tails and t he corre ctio ns will
fit i nto the ir prope r plac e s , and the parts can th en
b e mastere d i nd ividually .
S EC TI O N XV . TO REALISE

A GA I N a nd aga in and agai n w e are t o ld to u nd e r

stand t hi ngs , t o gra sp th e m , t o r ea lise th e m We .

s h o uld lik e ve ry m uch i nd ee d t o do so , but it is

j ust ab o ut as us eful a pi e ce o f advic e as t e lli ng a

b e gi nne r a t crick e t to play w ell ‘ ’
.

I s hall try h e re to giv e t h e gist o f what I tre at

in m o re d e tail in t he Essay B o ok -
.

L e t m e b e gi n by aski ng a qu e sti o n that w ill

s o u nd quit e o ff t h e p o i nt : What d o childre n
“

lik e P A mo ng t he a ns w e rs th ere w o uld b e the s e

— th ey lik e p ersonal sto ri e s full o f d e tail s, t h ey lik e
picture s , th ey lik e acti ng, t h ey lik e d o i ng o ne thing
at a ti m e , e nte ri ng i nto it h eart and s o ul .

The p ersona l a nd concr ete ins ta nce li e s at t h e ve ry

ro o t o f re alis i ng L e t m e t a k e a n i nst ance o r t w o
. .

( I ) M r S t o ut b e gi ns his M anual o f P sych o l o gy

.

thus
“
L e t us supp o s e that a m an is tes ting t he

q uality o f a cigar H e looks at it ; h e f eels it ; h e

.

puts it t o his ear and lis tens to t he crackl e w hich is

a m ark o f dry ness ; he sm ells it b efo re c o m m e nci ng
to sm o k e
Th e ans w ers to this questi o n w o ul d te ll us a great m any of the

princi pl es o f learning and rem em bering .

9!
92 H O W TO R E M E M B ER

( 2 ) P ro f M ichael F o s t er b egi ns h is P hy s i o l o gy
.

P ri m er
“
D id y o u eve r o n a wi nte r s day , wh e n t he
'

gr o u nd w as as hard a s a sto ne , t he p o nds all

fr o z en ask th ese t w o qu es ti o ns Why am
I s o w a r m wh e n all thi ngs aro u nd m e , t he gr o u nd ,
t he tr ee s , t h e w ate r , and t h e air , are so cold ? H ow
is it t hat I a m m o vi ng ab o ut , ru nni ng walki ng ,,

j u m pi ng, w h e n no thi ng e ls e that I c an see is stirri ng

a t all , e xc e pt p e rhaps a stay bird s ee ki ng in vai n

fo r fo od P
No w tak e this third qu o tatio n fro m a no the r
w rit e r
“
( 3) B y t he pri ncipl e o f re lativity it is
d eni e d that a ny psychic facto r , o r c o m pl ex
“
psychosis c an e xist without h a vi ng its d e fi nite
quality , quantity , t o ne o f fe eli ng, valu e in com
bi nati o n, and i nflu e nc e upo n si m ultaneo us o r
s ucc e ssive fact o r s and psych o ses , d e t er m i ne d by
t he r ela tion in which it s ta nds t o o th e r facto r s a nd

p sych o s es , in t he e ntire m e ntal life C an

yo u mak e h e ad or tail of it ? O r of this
e i t he r ?

“
( 4 ) In a s i m ilar w ay , in A m erica, t he sh o ck
o f p o litical th o ught br o ught ab o ut in t he i nt e ri o r o f

e ach o f t he thirtee n c o l o nies , by t he d e l e gati o n

of i m po rtant pr e ro gative s t o a new fashi o ne d
c e ntral go vernm e nt , re nd e re d t he criticism o f that
G o ve r nm e nt, o f its fu nc t i o ns , and o f its rights and
 TO R E A L IS E 93

duties as natural as , in oth e r tim es and circu m

sta nc es , w as t h e u nqu e sti o ne d submis s i o n t o t he
claims o f any Go v e rnm ent b e li ev e d t o b e duly
auth o ris e d
.

No w to som e y ecialis ts t he last two quotati o ns

w ill b e as cl e ar a s t he t w o first , o r pro bably cl e are r

t h e m e ani ng a nd t he id e as w ill com e b e fo re t he

mi nd quite e asily B u t fo r t he av e rage l e ar ne r t h e

.

last t w o qu o tati o ns are i nt o l e rably obscure Th ey .

have t o b e r e ad thr e e o r fo ur ti m es , and ev en t h e n

t h e m e ani ng m ay no t be o bvi o us .

No w w hy is this ? It w ill b e worth w hil e t o

d e cid e , b e caus e , if t h e re ad e r will l o ok b a ck o ve r
his past, it will o ccur to him t hat o ne re as o n why
h e has no t l e ar nt or r em emb ere d a large pr o p o rti o n
o f w hat h e has r ea a , or h e ard ( e g in L ecture s) , is
’ !

. .

that t he language w as like t h at o f ( 3) and and

no t lik e that o f ( I ) and Is it no t so ? A m

I no t right wh en I say that, had yo u read and
list e ne d t o m o re la nguage l ik e ( I ) and ( 2 ) —let
us say o n t he s ubj ect o f R e ligi o n and l e ss lan
,

guage l ik e ( 3) and y o u w o uld hav e l ear nt

and re m e m b e r e d and us e d d o ubl e as m uch as y o u

have d o ne
I f this is so , y o u se e that t he qu e s ti o n is o ne
o f t h e gr e at e s t imp o rta nc e
. Y o u h av e realis e d ( I )
and a nd y o u w o uld lik e t o k no w w / zy . I t will
h e lp y o u t o u nd er s ta nd wh at y o u r e ad in t he futur e ,
and t o e xplai n th ings cl e arly t o o th e r p e o pl e ( fo r
94 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

th ey— d ep end up o n it — will fee l sim ilar di ffi culti e s) ,

and generally t o thi nk a nd sp e ak and write mor e

d efi nite ly and e ffe ctiv e ly .

F o r a noth e r i nsta nc e lik e ( I ) and see t he

P re face .

Y o u have no t r ea lis e d ( 3) a nd and yo u would

like to k no w w ay I t w ill h e lp yo u to k now what

.

to avoid wh en y o u are thi nki ng and spe aki ng and

writi ng It w ill he lp y o u to l e ar n and re m e mbe r
.

what you read .

L ook o nc e agai n at ( I ) and and th en at

and y o u ca nno t fail t o see w i

( 3) and l
y ( I) .

and ( 2 ) are per sona l, the y give yo u an actual

concrete picture ; ( 3) and ( 4 ) a re i m p e rso nal , th e y

give yo u no picture but m o r e o r l ess abstract

id eas , ( 3) b e i ng m o r e abstract tha n
L e t m e no w give a ge ne ral rul e for r ealisi ng ‘ ’

— th e re will be e xce pti o ns , but , fo r o rdi nary pur

pos es th ey c an be disre gard e d I f y o u wish t o
.

‘
re alise an id ea , as a rul e yo u m ust first see a
’

pictur e of it , e ith e r a rea l s c e ne, o r a pai nti ng or

ph o t o o r drawi ng, o r a picture in yo ur mi nd s eye , ’

in yo ur i m agi nat i o n
‘
I t is no t i nvariably t he
cas e, but it o ften is so , that y o u m u s t see some one
d oing so m ething , so viet/t in doing som ething .
‘
or
g
’
L et doi ng i nclud e s e e i ng h e ari ng, touchi ng
‘ ‘
, ,

tasti ng, pe rc e ivi ng, thi nki ng, sp eaki ng o r writi ng,
and acti ng
’
.

I d o no t for o ne m o m e nt ass e rt that you should

 TO R E A LI SE 9;

alw ay s e xpr e ss yours el f in this w ay , that yo u sh o uld

always be d es cribi ng s o m e o ne as d o i ng s o m e
‘

’
thi ng : but , u ntil yo u hav e go t i nt o t h e habi t o f
being a ble to e xpre ss y o urs elf in this w ay , y o u c an
ne ve r b e s u r e that you are r e ally l e ar ni ng a thi ng

a nd that you are lik ely to re m e m b e r it .

I w ill no w give s o m e hi nts fo r i m provi ng t he

p o we r o f r ealis ing ’
.

Wh en y o u see a nythi ng, e g a street w ith its

. .

s h o ps and h o us e s , no tic e it with a vi e w t o r ep r o

d uc ing t he picture o f it a fte rwards Wh en y o u try

.

t o r e pr o duc e this , at first y o u will prob a bly fail in

that case yo u m ust l o o k at t he s t ree t a ga i n a nd ,

try a gai n No tice es p e cially t he p o i nts that y o u

.

fa il e d t o no tic e t h e fir st tim e .

Y o u can practis e this , at i nt e rv a ls duri ng t h e d ay ,

w ith p eo pl e s fac e s o r w ith a ny t hi ng t hat y o u s ee
’

( e g in yo ur r o o m ) ; yo u c an practi s e it no t o nly
. .

w ith actual thi ngs b u t als o w ith pai nti ngs and

ph o to s and drawi ngs M o d e ls are still b e tte r

’
. .

C o m i ng t o l e s s c o ncre t e t hi ngs , y o u c an try t o

re alis e M aps and P lans .

If y o u wa nt t o t es t y o ur o w n picture t o s ee ,

wh eth e r y o u lia ve r e alis e d o r no t , a go o d pl a n

‘ ’

wo uld be t o try t o draw it o n pap e r A ft e r w ards .

y o u sh o uld c o rre ct y o ur drawi ng, if p o s s ibl e .

A ct ing is a no th e r e xc e ll e nt m ea ns : go thr o ugh

’
t he thi ng y o u wi s h to r e m e m b e r D o n t m er ely s ee
.

t he pictur e o f s o m e o ne d o i ng s o m e thi ng, but be

96 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

t he m e o ne yours e l f, if, th at is to say , t he s o m e

so
’

thi ng is no t a thi ng t o b e as ha m ed of I t is w o n .

d e rfu l ho w this will i m pro v e yo ur sy mpa thy , y o ur

’
p o we r o f putti ng yours e l f i nto oth e r p eo pl e s
p o s itio ns .

S i m pl e and co ncre te la ngu age, as w e have j ust

s ee n, is a val uabl e h elp A t first it is a m o st sl o w
.

and t e di o us and d i fficult e x e rcis e, and it m ak es

o ne d o ubt wh eth e r t he id e a ca n be e xpre ss ed in
this way Y o u ge ne rally have to go w o rki ng
.

back till yo u co m e t o a picture of som ethi ng ‘

b e i ng d o ne by so m e o ne o r by som e thi ng A nd
’
.

so t he proc ess r e ally b e c o m e s that o f a na l y s is ,

o f which w e shall sp e ak b e l o w Th e re w e shall
.

see that t h e s e ri es o f qu e stio ns Wh o did what ?

‘

wh en ? wh er e ? why ? h o w ? m add e ni ng as
they are in re al life, have th e ir valu e wh e n y o u
y o urs e lf c an ask th e m o f y o urs e lf Y o u c an al m o st
.

fo rgive yourself fo r be i ng i nquisitive when yo u k no w

it is fo r your ultimat e go o d
M e re ly to satisfy yo urs e lf, p erhaps , y ou will no t
care t o go thr o ugh this drud ge ry . Ve ry we ll th en,
d escrib e th e thi ng to s o m e o ne els e, e ith er by w o rd
o f m o uth , or by writi ng In my book o n E ssays ,
.

etc .
,I sugge st a stupid l o o ki ng doll as a go o d
-

re cipi e nt for a d e scripti o n by word of m o uth It .

will b e ch eaper tha n an i nte llige nt loo ki ng d o ll , and

-

will a l w ays r e mi nd y o u o f what y o ur futur e audi e nce

m ay b e .
S EC TI O N XV I CAREFULLY TO STUDY AND
.

ANALYSE THE PARTS .

TH E re ad er has no w c o ll ected , s el ected , arra nge d ,

a nd e m phasis e d , t h e C aus e s and oth e r c o nne xio ns

hav e b ee n work ed out , the n t h e rough outli ne h as

b ee n m ad e and re alis e d ; thro ughout h e has
co nc entr ate d his atte nti o n o n t he subj e ct .The
ne xt thi ng is to realise each individual H eading by

A go od d eal of what has b een said in t he last

S ecti o n will apply her e . Fo r h ere agai n t he
pictur e pai nti ng in t he m i nd s eye, t he se archi ng
-
’

qu es tio n of Wh o d o e s
‘
will be o f valu e .

With re gard to t he study o f t he i ndividual parts

a nd th e s e s e archi ng qu e sti o ns in pa rticular , B re we r s
’

G uid e and sim ilar wo rks suggest o ne use ful fo rm o f

qu e sti o n O f cours e w e e sch e w almost abs o lutely
.

t he qu estio n lik e O h, d e ar M am m a, is it i nde ed

‘

tru e that t he Emp ero r Vit e llius was an e gre gious

glutto n Yes, my d a rli ng H arriet , it is o nly t o o
tru e The littl e prig k nows too much alre ady !
’
.

B ut L o isett e suggests that, if w e te ll o ne part o f t he

qu esti o n, and l e ave a s e c o nd part to be fill e d in,
a nd th e n vi ce ver sa, w e are h elpi ng t o si ft t he id e a

th o r o ughly Thus t he fo nd moth er m ight say

98
 TO S T UD Y A N D A NA L YSE TH E P A R TS 99

Th e Vite llius a glutto n , and th en

w as
’

The w as a glu t t o n a nd t h e n The ‘

E mp er o r Vitellius a glutto n , a nd th e n The

’ ‘

Em p e ror Vit e llius w as a It m ay have its

hu m o ro us sid e , if d o ne in m o d e rati o n, and thus it
m ay b e a shad e l ess dull th a n sh ee r rep etiti o n .

L o isett e give s s o m e g o o d advic e ab o ut t h e divisi o n

o f a thi ng i nt o parts , and a study o f it part by part .

I sugge st s o m e m o re exa m pl e s b e l o w .

Th e gr e at gai n o f taki ng a thi ng part by part ,

co nce ntrati ng t h e att enti o n o n o ne part at a ti m e ,
and l o o ki ng at that part fr o m a ll so rts o f diffe rent
p o i nts o f vi ew , and then pr o c ee di ng to a s e c o nd
part , is t hat this is an e asi e r pro c ess o f re m e mb e ri ng,
at l e ast t o m o st m i nds , than t o pass rapidly thro ugh
t he w h o l e agai n a nd aga i n B y t h e latte r m e tho d
.

w e are apt t o mas te r no part th o r o ughly , w h e r e as ,

i
f onl
y we ha ve alr ea dy got a g ra sp f
o the gener a l

ou tline, t he c a r e ful s t udy and a na lysis o f p a r t s w ill

be i nte re s ti ng as we ll as u s e ful fo r t he purp o s e s o f
l e ar ni ng and r e m e m be ri ng .

A s I have s ho w n in an ar t icl e o n Practic e t he ,

P a rt b y P art Syst e m is t he b e s t , at any rat e fo r t he

- -

average l e ar ne r .

A no th e r adva ntage is that it e nc o ur a ges s elf

activity : t h e l e ar ne r is d o i ng t h e w o rk by hi m se lf .

Its r es ults will th er e fore probably be m ore las ti ng .

 SEC TI O N XV II . C OM M ON SENSE A ND A P R I O RI
REASONING .

A I
FR E ND of m i ne o nc e w e nt in fo r Exa m i natio n
w ith t w o o th e r m e n w h o m h e k ne w : all three go t

full m arks fo r a ll the qu es ti o ns exc ept o ne That .

o ne w as no t a nswe r e d in t he Te xt b o o k , and it w as
-

“
Wh at are t h e c o nditio ns ne ce s sa ry fo r t he prop e r
”
fu s i o n o f m etals ? The t w o o th e rs did no t try
it : but m y fri e nd wrot e d o w n s o m ethi ng lik e
this
“
.I The m etals m ust b e ab so lute ly fr ee fro m
all o y ;
2
. t h e m e tal s m ust b e m ix e d in exactly t he right

pro p o rti o ns
3 t he m e tal s m ust b e h e at ed t o t he requisit e
.

d egree ; x
4 t h e pro c ess o f fu s i o n m u s t c o nt i nu e fo r t h e
.

ne c e s s ary l engt h o f t i m e
!

H e had never h ea rd t h e qu es ti o n b e fo re, but he

u se d h is c o m m o n sense : r e as o ni ng o n t he a p r iori
pri ncipl e ,h e w o rk e d o ut ,fro m what h e k ne w alre ady ,
an e xc e ll e nt answ e r t o an e ntir e ly ne w qu e sti o n.

Th e re is in thi s a v e ry use ful l e ss o n, a nd w e nee d

no t h esitat e to call t h e a ns w e r a v e ry cl e v e r o ne :

fo r he appli ed t he m aterial s which h e had t o t he

I “)
C O M M ON SE NS E A ND A P R I O R I RE A S O NIN G 101

b est advantage, and t he cl evere st c annot do more

tha n this .

B ut what I w ish t o poi nt out is t he troubl e that

would be save d in l e ar ni ng and in tryi ng t o re m e m
ber, if w e woul d only u se o ur c o m mo n s ens e : which
r eally m e ans— if w e w ould o nly use t he m aterials
which w e alre ady have .

To say to t h e would b e l e ar ne r, D o n t l e ar n
-
’

from others a nythi ng th a t yo u c an po ssibly find out

for yours elf is go i ng t o a n e xtr e m e— it is r efusi ng
”

to tak e advantage o f t h e accumulat e d exp eri ence

and k nowl e dge o f all past age s . M oreover, life is
too short fo r this rul e t o be appli e d u niv ersally .

B ut withi n c e rtai n li m its it is exc ell ent : it is

esp ecially e xc e ll e nt if y o u have t h e tim e
.

B ut , you will say it is all v ery well to talk

‘ ’ ‘
,

about “ mat erials which I alre ady p o ss ess —ki ndly

tel l m e what th e y are ’
.

In t he two fo ll o w i ng S ec t ions I will poi nt o ut

som e of th e m , and you w ill ad m it ( wh en you add
thos e which are sugges t e d e ls ewh e re in this b o ok )
that you alre ady po s s ess a s pl endid store— eno ugh
for most thi ngs th a t y o u are e v e r lik ely to want to
l e arn and re m e mbe r
.
S EC TI O N XV I I I . CO M PARISONS .

I F t he re ad er re fe r s t o S ectio n X , b e will see that I

.

was tryi ng t o i m pr e s s up o n him , t o m ak e him l e ar n

and r e m e m b e r , t he valu e o f c o m pl e te lists . P e rhaps
it had neve r o ccurre d t o him th a t th e re we r e such
thi ngs : p erhaps , e ve n if it h ad , it had never o ccurred
to him that th ey m ight b e valuabl e S o I had t o .

start with s o m e thi ng that he k ne w alre ady . What

is m y re ad er lik e ly t o k now alre ady ? I ask e d
’

my self, w h a t , that is t o s ay , th at c an b e compa red

w ith the s e c o m pl et e li s t s o f t he caus es o f S ucc e ss
’
.

We ll , he k no ws that , if he w a nt s I O nam e s o f
frie nds t o fo r m s o m e club , and if he has a c o m pl e te
li s t o f all his fri ends th en h e can e asily pich ou t
,

t h e I O h e wants : he can e asily di s card t he o t h ers

’
.

S o I might h ave us e d this as a starti ng p o i nt , a nd ,

-

wh e n h e agreed with m e, I m igh t hav e shown that

t he c o m pl e t e li st o f t he C aus e s o f Nati o ns S ucc e ss e s
’

wo uld be a parall e l i nstance .

H e re , t h e n I m ight have s t a rt e d w ith s o m ethi ng

,

which was m o r e fa m iliar t o him , b ett e r k no w n, and

th er efo re m o re e as ily l e ar nt and re m e m b e re d .

Th e nc e I m ight have pr o c ee d e d t o what I re ally

wa nt e d him t o u nd e rs tand , and I sh o uld have b een
alm o st sure that he would have u nd erstood it .
 COM P A RI S O N S 1 03

‘
Italy and t he leg give s us a noth e r i nstance
'
.

L e t us suppos e that t h e re ad e r doe s not k now th e

shap e of Italy , but does k no w t he shap e of a leg .

H e m ust r eally k now it h o w ev e r prudish h e may be

, .

Ther efor e I start with t he leg and th ence proc ee d t o

I taly I proc ee d fro m t he w e ll k now n or fam iliar t o
.

t h e more o r l ess u nk no wn o r u nfam ilia r, from t he e asy

a nd si m pl e to t he m o r e di ffi cult and complicat ed .

A qu estio n which m ust i nte r e st us all is What is

t h e e xact co nne xion b etween G re at B ritai n and her

C o l o ni es ? H o w clos e are th e bo nds of u nion, o r

ho w loos e ? Try t o thi nk it out, and— u nl e s s
o u hav e tri e d b e for e— y o u w ill no t find it a n easy
y
m att er to a nsw er t h e qu esti o n all of a sudd en .

Even if you hav e re ad B urk e or F roud e, y o u m ay

no t r e m e mb e r much . Ther ef or e find a c o mparis o n :
find som e bo nds o f u ni o n that you do u nd erstand
and k now ; fo r i nstanc e , What holds toge th er y o ur

fa m ily , your S cho o l , y o ur C o ll e ge, your U niversity ,

y o ur C lub , or any o th e r o f your groups
O f t he fa m ily s b o nds o f u nio n you w ill at o nce
’

m ention B lood and t h e k no wl e dge of it, fa m ily

‘

traditio ns , lik ene ss o f a pp eara nc e, i nt erests in c o m

m o n, littl e family sayi ngs , t he hom e and its fur niture
-

and its associatio ns , ki nd ne ss , t h e ma nage m e nt by

t he fath e r and m oth e r , a nd — p e rhaps — a littl e

’
rival ry with som e o the r fam ily .

No w apply this , m u ta t is m u ta ndis , to t he b o nds

of u nion b etween Gre a t B ritai n and her C ol o ni e s .
1 04 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

L et me p o i nt o ut o ne o r t w o a d vantages o f th ese
c o mparis o ns : fo r o t h ers, s ee p 2 8 4 fo ll , in t he
. .

Essay B o o k o f which I have s p o k en

- .

( I ) Th ey are go o d fo r r e calli ng t hi ngs which you

k no w already but ca nno t ea s ily recall o th e r w is e ;
( 2 ) the y h e lp y o u to realis e and to l e ar n ne w
s ubj e c t s

3) they sugge st fre sh id e as which a study of t he

subj ect itse l f (s ee a b o ve) m ight no t sugge st ;
( 4) th ey are a great h elp fo r t e ach e rs and fo r
a ll sp e ak e rs and write rs : t he qu esti o n will be
What do m y h eare rs o r r e ad ers u nd ers ta nd alre ady
—what that is lik e this ne w id ea which I wish to
i m pre ss up o n the m ? What c o mparis o n will at
o nc e attract th e ir atte ntio n and i nte re st and be
e asily u nd e rs t o o d ?
’

( 5 ) this e nc o urage s te ach ers t o o bserve and

e xa m i ne t he mi nds o f l e ar ners — h enc e an i ncr e as e d

sympathy ;
( 6 ) th ey give us a use fo r t he rich tre asure s in
o u r m i nds — fo r t h e m at e rials which m ight oth e rwis e

b e us e l e ss ;

( 7) th ey i m pr o ve o ur powers o f l e ar ni ng and
re m e m b e ri ng and re as o ni ng ge ne r ally ;
( 8 ) th ey will e nc o urage us to obser ve : fo r a ny
th ing that is ar o u nd u s or wi t hi n us m ay pr o ve

valuabl e as a co m pariso n The study o f Nature,

.

e sp e cially , b e com e s still mor e ess e ntial tha n it has

b ee n be fore ;
 COM P A R I S ONS 10 5

( 9 ) they will sav e a gre at d eal o f troubl e and

i nco nve ni e nc e— th ey will sav e t he s eparat e l e ar ni ng
and r e m e mb e ri ng of various thi ngs , which will no w

b e gro up e d t o geth er . L e ar n how t he s eed grow s ,

a nd l e ar n ho w to com a r e, and th en
p y o u need no t
l e ar n s eparat e ly , and as if it we re an entire ly ne w
subj ect , how eve ry oth e r thi ng grows— fo r i nstance ,

how y ou gro w M uch lab o ur will be save d : y o u

.

will kill t w o o r three o r m a ny birds w ith o ne sto ne .

( I O ) C o ntrasts are scarc ely , if at all l ess valuabl e

,

than compariso ns : but o f the m I sh all sp e ak in t h e

fo llowi ng S e ction B oth d e rive part o f the ir valu e
.

fro m t he fact th at th ey are R epet it ions in d isgu ise ’

.

Fo r th e truth of this , see X L I I , wh e r e I quot e a

.

passage fro m t he Ne w Testam ent .

The sa m e comparis o ns and co ntrasts will no t

always suit e ve ry o ne : th e r e are, it is tru e, som e
w hich practically ev e ry o ne c an u nd e r s ta nd ( such as

fire , c o ld , a nger , walki ng h o us es ,

, s o m e which
th e maj o rity can u nd e rsta nd ( such as ga m e s) ; so m e

which sp e cialists alo ne c an prop erly u nd erstand ,

a nd som e w hich p e rhaps no o ne els e but yours el f

can prop erly u nd e rsta nd .

A n extre m e i nsta nce , a o ne sid e d e xaggerate d

-

cas e, will o ft en giv e t he v e ry b es t star t i ng poi nt

-
.

B uckl e was fo nd of b egi nni ng with such a n i nstanc e .

It bri ngs o ne thi ng, or o ne asp e ct o f a thi ng, so

clea rl y a nd s t r ihingl
y b e for e t h e att enti o n
. H e nc e

t he e ffe ct of P rove rbs and Epigram s

106 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

Fo r P ractic e- ex erci se s
I re fe r t o t he Essay B ook
-

(p 2 8 8
. I qu o te t w o o f th e m h e r e
( a) Tak e a subj e ct s o m ewh a t d ifficult to e xplai n,
and ask yours e lf : Wh a t e asier subj ect will be a
good starti ng p o i nt ? What eas i e r subj ect is som e
-

t hi ng lik e this ? F i nd e a s ie r subj e cts which are

analogous to th e hard e r subj e cts .

( b) Take an e asy s ubj e ct ( e g build i ng a hous e) ,

. .

a nd ask yours elf : Fo r what m o re di ffi cult subj ect

will this be a go od s tarti ng poi nt ?
-
S EC TI O N XIX . CONTRA S TS .

IT has b een we ll said that w e should nev er p ro

p erly k no w what sw ee tne s s was if everythi ng w er e
’

always quite sweet ; that w e sh o uld never prop erly

appre ciat e th e black ness o f s o m e thi ngs u nl e s s s o m e
o th e r thi ngs we re white that none but he who has
‘

work e d c an have the full id e a of rest , that calm ’

’
nes s w ould c eas e to be cal m ness if the sea w e re
’

nev e r ro ugh .

In fa ct , nothi ng c an b e c o m pl et ely realis ed w ith

o ut contrast , and t he i m pr essiv eness o f jesus
’ ’

w ords ( see S e ctio n X L I I ) was partly d ue t o his

.

use o f this gre at m e ans o f e nlight eni ng and o f

i m pressi ng .

A d d to this that c o ntras te d id e as are ofte n easie r

t o re alis e , to l ear n, and t o re m e mb e r, tha n t h e id ea s

th e ms elve s c an b e Thu s s o m e p eopl e canno t re ali se

.

what a fe eli ng o f ho nour m ea ns , u ntil you t e ll th e m

'

that it is , e g a shri nki ng fro m disgrace

. . .

I said above that , w h en I had wa nted y o u t o

u nd ersta nd and to r e m e m b er t h e valu e of c o m pl et e
lists , I might have us e d s o m e compariso ns : I m ight
also hav e use d som e c o ntrast s I might have ask e d .

y o u to co ntrast t h e co nditi o n of two gu ests who

arrive at a strange cou ntry hous e j ust b efore d i nne r

-
.

1 07
108 H O W TO RE M E M B E R

O ne has in his bag a ( p ractically) c o m pl e te se t o f

thi ngs h e m ight wa nt : fro m t h e se he e a sily se l ects
al l t hat he w a nts and discards t he re st . The oth er
h as in h is bag j ust what h e had th o ught h e might
want : h e had no t tak en any tr o ubl e t o wo rk out the
p o ssibl e r equirem e nts car e fully , a nd no w h e fi nds
that , th o ugh his bag has ce rt a i nly b ee n light to
carry y et it d o e s no t c o ntai n his dre ss sho es o r his
,
-

dr ess t ie , o r his pyj a m as !

-

Th e m an w ho has a c o m pl et e list o f H e adi ngs

is lik e t he first gu e st : t he m an w ho has no
s uch list but trusts t o chance is lik e t he s eco nd
gu e st.

F o r other illustrati o ns o f co ntrast I re fer t o

p 2 9 1 foll o f t he Essay B o o k , and t o t he passage
. .
-

fr o m th e Ne w Te sta m ent , in X L I I .

C o ntrasts have ve ry m uch t h e s a m e adva ntages as

c o m paris o ns : if the r ea d e r w ill tur n back t o Secti o n
XVI I I , and tak e w h a t I h ave s aid th ere and apply
.

it ( m u ta t is m u ta ndis) t o c o ntrasts , h e will find that

the ir fu ncti o ns are no t di ss i m ilar B oth o f th em
.

a re g o o d fo r rec alli ng o ld s ubj e cts , fo r re ali s i ng,

l e ar ni ng and re m e m b e ri ng ne w s ubj e ct s , fo r sug
,

gest ing fre sh id e a s , fo r t e achi ng , sp ea ki ng , and

wri t i ng, fo r i m pro vi ng o ur k nowl e dge o f hu m an
natur e , fo r givi ng us a u se fo r t he m at e rials that w e

alre ady p o ss ess fo r s avi ng t h e tr o ubl e o f l ear ni ng

,

e ach thi ng s e parat e ly ( si nc e th e y will group t he

di ffe re nt subj e cts t o ge th e r) : b o th o f th e m a re go o d
be caus e th ey are re p e ti t io n without t he drudgery
of rep etitio n
.

The P ractic e ex ercise s in fi ndi ng

-
and wo rki ng
o ut c o ntrasts will corre sp o nd to t he ex e rcis e s o n

co mp aris o ns
S EC TI O N XX . TO TEACH OTHERS .

TH ER E is a ge neral consensus o f opi ni o n that by

no m e a ns can yo u ev er l ear n and re m e m b er a thi ng

so we ll as by e xplai ni ng it to o th ers : that , until

yo u have succ eed e d in maki ng o th e rs u nd e rsta nd
it ( and , t he m o re stupid th ey are , t he b ette r t he
t est) , you can neve r be quite sure that you re ally
u nd er s tand it y o urs el f
.

A part fr o m any gre at a nd o bvi o us adva ntage

which m ay c o m e t o y o urs elf if yo u try t o te ach ,
in t eachi ng y o u are followi ng t he natural te nd ency
t o i m part i nfo rmati o n, wh e th e r t he d e sire be to
‘
sh o w o ff o r t o he lp oth e rs
’
.

B ut why s hould t eachi ng h e lp us t o l e ar n ?

O ne re as o n is that th e re will b e a c e rtai n re
sp o nsibility fo r t he t e ach e r ; fo r no w h e has t o
s ati s fy no t hims el f alo ne— alas ! o ft en a far t o o e a sy

task — but o th e rs as we ll H e is ( or sh o uld b e) p ut

.

upo n his m e ttl e .

Th e re fo re it will be ne c e s sary fo r hi m t o hav e his

id eas cl e ar a nd t o e xpre ss the m in cl e ar la nguage
ie in la nguage cl e ar t o t he l earne rs
. . .

The l e ar ners nee d no t be real l e ar ne rs : as I said

ab o ve, th e re m ay be an i m a gi nary audi e nc e or
no
 TO TE A CH O TH E R S xxr

imagi nary re ad ers : for t eac hi ng is no t done by word

of mouth al o ne .

Te achi ng in its wid e r s e ns e will h er e i nclud e no t

m erely h o m e and Sch o o l and U niversity t eachi ng, -

but also L ectures , d e bate s , conversat i o ns , essays ,

articl e s, and l etters : all th ese can be m e a ns of
imparti ng i nfo rmation . In all th es e w e m ay be
wishi ng our public to l e ar n and re m e m b er L
‘ ’
so m e

thing .

L et m e give a si ngl e e xampl e, which w ill be ve ry

much t o t h e poi nt H ave y o u l e arnt and r eme m
.

be re d what are t he vario us M e m o ry S yste ms -

( illustrat e d in Section Y o u are no t quite sure ?

Th en t ry t o explai n th em to som e o ne e ls e and you ,

will very s o o n find o ut .

The fact o f it is that in life most of us s o ak in too

much i nfo r m atio n and let o ut too littl e : w e as
‘ ’

it w ere e at and dri nk o ur m ental fo o d , but do no t

tur n it i nt o activ e ene rgy Th e re is a w e alth of
.

force and o f m at erial u nap pli ed Just as w e br e ath e

.

in and breath e out alte r nate ly , and j ust as Nature

hers elf c o nst a ntly e xhibits this alt ernati o n o f rece iv
ing and givi ng, o f absorbi ng and e m itti ng so should ,

our mi nd s alt e r nat ely r e c e iv e and giv e .

Try t o d o as I sugge s t , a nd see what y o u fail to

r e m embe r : in a note b o o k m ak e no t e s o f these
-

failures , and correct the m , and t hen try agai n .

 -
S ECTI O N XX I . s er um n on, AND TH E
B fisumfm .

R EPETI TI O N is t he last o f t he h elps which I shall

o ffe r , apart from M e mory S yste ms I t is p erhaps
-
.

t h e com m o nest way o f l e ar ni ng thi ngs with a V i ew

to re m e m b eri ng th em : in its bare st and l east
scie ntific fo r m it is most assuredly t he dull est and
t he l e ast pr o fitabl e .

When you want to ham m er a nail firmly i nto

a wall , y o u hit it agai n and agai n : at fir st , by t he
way, y o u hit softly a nd sl o w ly and care fully .

Wh en yo u are k nocking a h o l e in anythi ng, y o u

also re p e at t he blows : this m ake s t he hole d eeper
and d ee p e r.

It is a c o m m o n fa ult t o r ep eat t h e sight o f‘ ’

words o r t h e sou nd o f wo rds b e fore graspi ng the

real m e a ni ng o f t h e wo rds— ia bef or e r ea lis ing the
. .
’

id eas . This is t he w o rst m istak e I t will i nclude .

readi ng o r l o oki ng at w ords , copyi ng the m out , or

sayi ng t h e m t o o ne s s el f o r out loud M a ss es and
’
.

m ass es o f w o rds are l ea r nt in England and else

‘ '

wh ere by p ers o ns w ho d e grad e th e mselve s t o t he l evel

of Pho to gra phic cam e ras , o f Pri nti ng m achi ne s , or
- -

of P ho no graphs . It is sh eer sacril e ge — nothi ng

l ess
.
 RE P E T1 TI O N , A N D TH E R ES UM BE 1 x3

F irst of all , must coll ect and s e l e ct and

yo u
arrange a nd e m phasi se y o ur H e adi ngs ; the n— c o n
ce nt rat ing y o ur atte nti o n thro ugh o ut yo u must
-

find cau ses a nd o th e r c o nne xi o ns ( if th e re are any ) ;

you must re alise t he ge ne ral o utli ne , y o u m ust car e
fully study and analys e e ac h part , and y o u m ust
co m p el your com mon sens e, your compari so ns , and
your c o ntrasts , to re li ev e yo u of t he burd en o f l ear n
ing, as far as yo u p o ssibly c an . Th ese two latte r
w ill als o be , in th e m se lv e s , fo r m s o f r e p e titi o n, and ,

if yo u can te ach and explai n to oth e rs, that wil lbe

ano ther fo rm o f it .

A nd no w com es t h e task o f r ep etitio n its elf . L et

m e try to mak e it as easy as I c an, in t he sho rt
spac e at my c o m m and , re fe rri ng fo r d e tails to
C hapt e r X L IX o f m y w o rk o n E ssays , e tc
. .

Y o u hav e m any d i ffe re nt ways o f impres si ng a

thi ng o n t he mi nd and t he m e m o ry, o r w e m ight say
that yo u have s o m e d iffe rent ki nd s o f m e m o rie s .

( I ) The p o wer o f l e ar ni ng and r e m e m be ri ng by

t he ey e yo u c an use

( a) by s ee i ng t he thi ng its elf,

( b) by s ee i ng a pictur e o r ph o to o r drawi ng of
t he thi ng ,

(c) by s ee i ng a m e ntal picture of t he thi ng,

— h s o m e cas e s — by acti ng a part , wh e n t h e
( d i
bo dy may also he lp ;
e) by s ee i ng t h e w or d o r w or ds writt en d o w n or
( ,

pri nt ed , wi t h o r without diffe re nc es o f t yp e, et c

8
1 14 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

( f ) t he ha nd w ill h e l p t h e ey e it, fo r e xa m pl e ,you

p a i nt o r dr a w t he t hi ng, o r w ri t e d o w n t he w o rd
o r w o rds .

Th e re are m a ny w h o r e m e m b e r by ( f ) b e tte r
t h an by ( e) , and by ( e) b et t e r th an by ( c) D o no t .

always u se yo ur s t ro nge st p o we r , but s o m eti m e s

prac t is e y o ur we ak e r p o w e rs .

( 2 ) To m a ny l e ar ni ng and re m e m b eri ng by t he
,

ea r are— by nat ur e o r by trai ni ng— m o r e s e rvic e a bl e

t han by t h e ey e Y o u c a n u se t his p o w e r
.

(a ) by list e ni ng t o t he wo rds actu ally sp o k e n, and

t h e nc e ge tt i ng t h e id e a i nt o y o ur m i nd ;

( b) by sayi ng t he w o rd s o ut l o ud ;
by i agi i g s b sayi g rds !
()
c m n n o m e o ne t o e n t h e w o ,

o r by sayi ng th e m o u t l o ud t o o ne s s e l f ;
’ ’

d
( ) — i n s o m e c a s e s — by acti ng t h e id e a as w e ll ;

(e) by li s te ni ng t o a repro ducti o n o f t he wo rd s ,

e g by a P h o no gr a ph
. . .

( 3) Whil e l e arni ng and r e m e m b e ri ng by t he

( in r a t h er a w id e s e ns e o f t he w o rd ) , y o u
‘ ’

r ea s on

nee d no t b e conscious o f usi ng t h e ey e o r t he ear

at all t h e p ic t ure o r t he writt e n w o rds o r t he sp o k e n

w o rd s are thr o w n i nt o t h e b a ckgr o u nd : o ne m ight

a l m o s t s ay thr o w n a w ay and fo rg o t t e n but this

‘

w o uld no t b e c o rre ct A nyh o w , o nly t h e id e a its e lf,

.

p erh aps w ith caus es a nd e ffec t s e t c m ay s ee m t o , .

,

C p th e e f ec t o f sa yi g lf Agai n I qui et
’ ‘
. n to o ne s s e seem to hea r th e
i p pling of th e
r p l ash w aves on th e sands that w hi t e-h o t m id - da in
y
July
’
 RE P E TI TI ON, A ND TH E R ES NAM E 11 5

be the impr ession l eft o n your m i nd by what you have

see n o r h e ard or th o ught .

A ccordi ng to your i ndividual powe rs ( e g t he . .

p o we r to draw) , accordi ng t o your subj ect, acc o rding

t o y o ur c o nditio ns ( such as t h e pre s enc e o f p encil a nd

pap e r) , s o you must d e cid e which m eans t o ad o p t .

I will supp o s e that y o u have grasp e d t he ge neral

o utli ne ( if th er e is o ne) , and that you hav e m o re o r

le ss u nd erstood e ach part, and that y o u w ill no w

co nti nu e to c o ncentrate y o ur at t e ntio n, no t all o w i ng
it to be distracte d , if y o u c an p o ssibly h e lp it .

Tak e the first H e ad i ng by it se l f, re alis e t h e id e a

( Secti o n by for m i ng a pictur e of it in yo ur
m i nd s eye ( if yo u c an)
’
.

C o nqu e r this H ead i ng th o roughly , ei t h er by

attacki ng it from t w o o r m o re sid e s , o r by at tacki ng
th e s a m e spot agai n a nd agai n ; e ith er by bri ngi ng

t w o o r mor e po w ers t o b e ar upo n it o ne a ft e r t he

o th e r o r togeth e r, o r by bri ngi ng a si ngl e p o w e r

t o b e ar up o n it agai n a nd a gai n .

P ro c ee d sl o wly , c a r e fully , and with co nc e ntrat e d

a tt e nti o n : r ep e at t he H e adi ng ( t he sight o f t h e
picture , o r of its writt en o r pri nt ed word o r w o rds ,
’

o f t he s ou nd o f its sp o k e n word 0 w o rd s , o r t h e
‘
id e a o f it o r first o ne and t h en a noth er) u nt il y o u
’

, ,

have t he H ead i ng safe a nd so u nd .

When you hav e gras p e d t he first H ea di ng, pro

c ae d to t he s eco nd ; b ut gath e r up the firs t o nc e
agai n b e for e you b egi n t he s eco nd Th e n c o nquer
.
I I6 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

t he c d H ead ing as yo u h av e alre ady co nqu e red

se o n

t he first . B efore attacki ng t h e third , gath e r up t he

first and s e co nd o nc e m o r e A nd s o o n
. .

Y o u m ust be agai n and agai n m aki ng R es u m ees

'
.

R ep e tit i o n by co nsta ntly i ncre asi ng R ésu m é e s is

p erhap s t he s o u nd e st pl a n o f all .

A ft e r a short i nte rval , r ep r od uce t he wh o l e list ;

notic e yo ur mistak e s ( if t h e r e are any) ; cor r ect

th em ; s ay or write t he list o nce m o re ; t h e n, a ft er

ano the r sh o rt i nt erval , aga i n reproduce A ft er e ach
.

repro ducti o n and corre cti o n, s trengthen y o ur grip of

tho se H ea di ngs which it h o ld s l e ast s e curely .

Wh ere this di ffe rs e ss entially from th e c o m m o nest

m eth o d o f r e p etitio n is that it co nqu ers t he wh o l e
no t as a w h o l e , all tak en t o geth e r , but

(a ) p a r t by pa r t, at t e nt i o n b e i ng co nc entr at e d o n
e ach p art in tur n till it has b ee n mast e re d p er se ,

( b) e ach tim e m aking cer ta in of the old g r ound,

go i ng o ve r it b e fo re addi ng what is ne w ;
(c) a t i nt ervals r ep r oducing , c o rrec t i ng, and
s t re ngth e ni ng t he we ak p o i nts .

D i a gram V will sh o w
.

h o w s t ro ngly t h e firs t H e ad
i ngs will b e c o m e i m pre s s e d
up o n t h e mi nd : t h e las t D i agr a m V .

H e a d i ngs m ay be s tr e ngth
ened by t h e r e v ers e p ro c e ss , ie . .by b e gi nni ng at
t h e end a nd going bachw a r ds — a m e thod no t always
go o d , but ofte n very go o d i nd eed .
 R E P E TI TI O N , A ND TH E R ES UM EE I17

In t h e l e ar ni ng o f P ro s e o r P o e try ( se e XXXV I I I )
.

this R ésu m ée is o f ve ry gr ea t valu e : it o ft e n m e a ns

a previ o us analy s i s and s tudy o f t he vari o us parts .

Thus ‘
M agnani m ity in p o li t ics is no t s eldo m t he
tru e st w isd o m m ight be l e ar nt thus
’

M agnanimity is wisd o m
M ag na ni m ity in p o litic s is w isd o m
M a gnani m ity in p o litics is no t s e ld o m wi s d o m ’
,

M ag na ni m ity in p o li t ics is no t s eld o m t he tru est

wisdo m ’
.

With t he si m pl e w e begi n and t o t he si m pl e w e

,

add by s low d e gree s .

To dr aw picture s o f a n id e a , t o d escrib e it in
writi ng ( in as m any ways as p o ssibl e w hich w ill be
,

go o d practic e in paraphras i ng) , t o write it a gai n and

agai n, t o s ay it agai n and aga i n, t o e xpl ai n it t o
o th e rs ( a re al o r i m agi na ry audi e nc e ) t o di s cuss it
,

with o th e rs , t o ask qu es t i o ns ab o ut it (see ab o ve) , t o

thi nk ab o ut it , t o co m par e it and c o nt rast it w ith
o th e r id e as — all t h es e c an b e r e g a rd e d as fo rms

o f r e p e titi o n . B ut wi t h o ne and all o f t h e m the re

s h o ul d b e no hurry ; w ith a l l o f th e m th ere sh o uld
be c o nc e ntrate d atte nti o n a nd re ali s i ng .

B ut d o no t i m agi ne that thi s m ea ns a tight

grippi ng o f t h e ha nds and a se t bicycl e race ‘ -
’

expre ssi o n o f fac e The b e st ki nd o f c o nc e ntrate d

.

att enti o n is wh e r e t he b o dy is all o wi ng no such

nerve e ne r gy , o r m ag ne tis m , o r what e v er w e call it ,
-

to pass thro ugh it s vari o us o utl e t s .

118 H O W TO RE M E M B E R

NO T E .

M r H enry
. Wo o d, o f B o st o n, M ass .
, in h is “
I deal Sug
”
g est io n t h ro ugh M ent al P ho t o g raphy ( Lee and S h epard) ,
appl i es th e g re at p o w er o f th e Eye M em o ry t o a v e ry pra c tical
-

p u rp ose H e g i v es c areful d ire c t i o ns o n p 1 0 8

. P l easant . .

and h e alt hy i d eas, fo r ex am p l e, ar e p ri nt e d cl ear ly o n p i eces

o f p ap er ; th e i deas are u nd ers t o o d and real i se d fi rs t ( see

C h ap . and t h en, w h i l e th e p erso n is rel ax ed and s i l ent,

th e m ind s eye is ri v et ed on t h e w o r ds, e g

’
. .

PAI N IS F R IE ND LY,

fo r m a ny m inu tes a d ay, u nt i l t h ese

rd s bec o m e ind el ibly
wo

print e d u p o n t h e m i nd s eye Th en th e pie c e o f pape r b e co m es

’
.

u nnec essa ry H is int erest i ng b o o k sh o ul d b e read , a l ong w ith

.

“ ”
J. H ud so n s L a
’
w o f P s ych i c P h en o m ena w h i ch

It seem s t o m e th at t h i s m e th o d
’
e x p l ains t h e r aison d it r e .

s h o uld b e rei nfo r c e d b y v ario u s P araph rases ( C h ap XV . .

p 94
. and by th e R é s u m é e ( C h ap X X L) : i e fo rm er . . .

s ent e nc es s h o uld b e repeat e d b efore th e new sente nc es are

a cqu ire d M o reo v er, so m e sh o uld e m pl o y th e Ea r M em o ry

.
-

( ie t h e w o rd s sh o uld b e sai d o ut l o ud , ac t u ally o r m entall y,

. .

o r by a P honograph) O th ers a gai n, sh o uld e m p l o y the

.
,

P i c t u re fo rm ing M e mo ry o r I m a g inat io n : fo r i nst anc e, P ain

-

c o uld b e personi fi e d as a fri end B ut t he sugg est io ns w ill be

.

i nvalu abl e to th o se w h o a l ready h ave ( or w i ll d evel o p) the

Eye M em o ry fo r w or d s
-
F o r t h o u s and s o f peo p l e w o r d s are
.
,

at p res ent, w ord s rat h er th an id eas .

 P A R T IV

M E M O R Y SY S TE M S I N D ETA IL, W I TH
-

F U R TH E R E X A M P LE S .

E CT I O NS P AG E
XX I I . TO O B SER V E U SEFU L P O I NTS
XX I I I . To L I N K ( TH E LO IS ETTE S Y STEM )
XX I V To . L O C A L I S E ( TH E R OO M SY STEM )
-

To C O N N EC T WI TH T H I N GS TH AT AR E

E AS I ER To R EM EM B ER ( TH E P EG OR

A NC H O R S Y STEM )
XXV I To . S U B STI TU TE (A S YSTEM I
ESP EC ALL Y
U S EFU L FO R NU M B ER S)
XX V I I .I N ITIA L I S E, O R TO P U T TH E P A R T F O R
To
TH E W H O L E ( TH E C A B A L S YSTEM ) -

XXV I I I B L END W O R D S ( TH E B R U N C H S Y STEM )

.
- -

XX I X A BSU R D I TI ES AN D H U M O U R
.

R H YM E AND AL L ITER ATI O N

XX X I R H YTH M
.

X XX I I M U S I C
.

XXX I I I E P IG R AM S
.

XXX IV ALTER NATIV ES AND C O M B I NATIO NS

.
 have use d no m e a ns which the gr ossest
S O far, w e
peda nt or p edago gue w o uld no t allow : and the
m eans which w e have u s e d will hav e b ee n quit e
e nough to e nabl e u s t o l e ar n som e su b
jects w ell ,
if no t to rem e m b e r th e m accurat ely And w ith.

these su b
jects the a bo ve m ea ns, or the grea ter part
f
o them , should be us ed bef or e any M emory -Sy stem

B ut ,with a m er e list o f na m e s o r wor ds whic h

have no re al co nnexi o n with o ne anoth e r, th ere are
no t many of t h e ab o ve m e ans which would be

s ervic eable.
S EC TI O N XXI I . TO OBSERV E USEFUL P OINTS .

—
I SAI D , above, that t h e ea rly Endi ng of th e D ative
C as e w as a i, ie . . first t w o Vo we ls of th e word
t he

dAt Ive . It is a m ere coi ncid e nc e , but to o bs erve such

coi ncidenc es d o e s u nd o ubtedly h elp th e m e mory
!

A nd, if w e only get i nto t he ha bit o f obs ervi ng, w e

shall find th at such littl e h e lps ab o u nd eve rywh e re .

L o isett e ( p 3 3) give s an extraord i narily go od

.

i nsta nce of t h e valu e o f obs ervi ng us eful poi nts ,

in th e cas e o f t h e K i ngs and Qu eens of Engla nd .

I alt er his remarks s lightly h e re .

( I ) Th ere are 4 i nd ep end e nt Qu eens , v iz M ary .

( Tudor) , Eli z ab eth , A nne, and Vict o ria .

( 2 ) The first William b egan t he list , t he last

William cam e j ust b efo re t he last Qu een ;
( 3) M ary , t he first Q u ee n, was fo ll o wed by Eli z a
b eth , and she by t he first Jam e s .

( 4) Anne was fo ll o w e d by t h e first Ge orge .

( 5 ) Anne, t he third Q ue e n h e rs elf follow ed t he

,

third William ;
( 6 ) William I and I L , E d w ard I , IL, and I II
. .

George L , I I , I I I and IV , H enry IV V , VI , are

. . . .

to be notic ed .

( 7 ) Jam e s 1 . C harl e s I I .

C harl es I . Jam e s I I .

’
S ee furth er L o ise tte s book its el f, or study t he
Pel ma n C ours e .
12 2 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

In l e ar ni ng Foreig n L a nguages , such co nne xi o ns

fe ath e r
quill a r br e and
as plu m e p and
( en cp .
pe n) ,
-

t r ee ( c p arbour) , ca ni
.
f a nd knif e, m ust have o ccurre d
t o e ve ry o ne B y e xtendi ng this pri ncipl e w e have
.

such h e lps as ja m a is jam , eh nev er l- S ee

B arte s M e mory
’

I nce d no t multiply e x a m pl es : for nu m b e rs a nd

date s ( s ee S ection t h e amou nt o f tr o ubl e
that c an be save d in this way is enorm o us .
S EC TI O N XXI I I TO LINK (TH E ILQISEI TE
''
.

SYSTEM) .

WH AT id eas com e into y o u r m ind wh en yo u thi nk

o f an u nrip e go o se b e r ry J ust refl e ct for a m o m e nt ,
and write th e m all d o wn— is it no t a hard , gr ee n

rou nd , s our, small thi ng, which m ake s you scrugle

all dow n your back , and suggests sugar pl e ase ? ‘ ’

It may also suggest go o s ebe rry tart o r gooseb e rry

fo o l
.

No w h e re are id eas that cluste r rou nd that lit t l e

lu m p , and why sh o uld y o u no t use th e m ? The
id e as are tied to t h e
thi ng tightly E very
.
k

thing has a c e r t ai n
nu m b e r o f id ea s t i e d

to it ; what th es e
id e as actually a re, will
d ep end o n t he i ndi
vidual .

S uppos e you wa nt
to r e m e mbe r two
thi ngs togeth e r, which
D i agram V I .

w e will call I and 2 .

Mr
’ ’
I m ight b e B e rry and 2 m ight be S chool . .

B erry m ight k eep a go o d school som ewh ere .

12 3
12 4 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

pres ent th ey are u nc o nnect ed , and p er haps

At
you co nne ct th e m t o geth e r in y o ur m i nd by t e
peat ing th e m agai n a nd agai n : o r els e you ought
to connect th e m t o ge th e r, but d o n t tak e t he ’

troubl e .

No w let us apply th e L o ise t t e syste m : 1 ( B erry)

sugge sts i . and 2 ( S chool ) suggests
ii . a nd i Go o s e b e rry ) or at l e ast
.
’

i ( U nrip e G oo se b erry ) sugges t s ii Scrugle

.
‘ ’
So
.

w e hav e conne ct e d o r li nk e d o r ti e d t o ge th er two

thi ngs which b e fo re we re no t c o nnect e d togeth er :
t he chai n will b e

1 ( B e rry) , i ( G o o s eb e rry ) , ll ( S c rugle) , 2 ( School ) ,

. .

and , backwards ,

2 ( S chool ) , ii ( S crugle) i ( Go os e b e rry) , 1 ( B erry )

.
, . .

I f yo u want to thi nk o f w hat B erry is , y o u will no w

be abl e t o pass ( quick er a nd quick e r wi t h practic e)
through Goose b e rry and S c rugle , t o S chool : o r vice

To
change th e c o mpariso n, yo u have no w put
steppi ng sto ne s acro ss t he riv e r, a nd 1 and 2 no
-

l o nger requ ire a vi o l e nt j u m p t o be m ad e The .

crossi ng will b e co m e e as i e r e ach tim e y o u try it .

A nd , be sid e s thi s , a ft e r a t i m e y o u will be abl e to

pass from 1 to 2 with o ut be i ng co nscious of going
ove r i and ii. .

S om eti m e s o ne st eppi ng sto ne is e nough ( as -

abov e, from jam a is thro ugh j am eh ? to never) , ‘ ’

som etim es two are b e t t e r som etim e s even three , .

 TO L I N K ( TH E L O I S E TTE S YS TE M ) 12 5

M ore than three li nks o r ste ppi ng sto ne s are neve r

-

ne c e ssary , m o re tha n t w o v e ry s e ld o m .

A s y o u try t he Syste m at fir st y o u m ust i m a gi ne

,

t he word o r id e a A gr o pi ng ab o ut so a s t o find

s o m e a ss o ci at i o n t o bri ng it ne a re r t o B , a nd yo u
m ust i m a gi ne B gr o pi ng si m ilarly . A ft e r a t i m e A
and B will ve ry quickly b e abl e to find a m utual

fri e nd t o i ntroduc e th e m .

B ut , y o u will say , sur e ly this is very u nna tu r a l

w e hav en t go t th es e gr o up s o f id e as in our m i nd s ,
’

hav e w e ? L e t m e c o nvi nc e y o u that w e ha ve, and

th en, i ns te ad o f calli ng t he syste m u nnat ural , y o u
‘ ’

w ill o nly call it hit he rt o u nk no w n t o y o u w hich

‘
-

is a v e ry diffe re nt m a tt er !
Tak e t he t w o w o rds asp a r agus and spa r row
g r ass : what is t h e c o nne xi o n b etw ee n th e m ?
No ne , y o u will i ndig nantly a ns w er a t l e ast no ne
’ ‘
,

w o rth m e nti o ni ng— this is o nly a w re tch e d so rt o f

pun L e t m e s ub m i t t o y o u o ne o r t w o c o nsid er a
ti o ns to sh o w y o u t h a t eve n in y ou r m i nd , wh et he r
,

o u are c o ns ci o u s o f it o r no t , t h e se t w o w o rd s a r e
y
m e m b e rs o f t h e sa m e gro up , and are b o u nd t o ge th er
by very cl o se ti es .

( )
I T h ey sou nd alik e : y o u ad m it that by a d m it

ti ng that th er e w a s a so rt o f p un— a nd t he rhyt h m

o f t h e two w o rd s is s o m e what alik e ;

( )
2 in app e a ra nc e t h e w o rd s hav e a c o nne xi o n,

fo r b o th a s paragus and sparrow grass c o nt ai n -

spar — gs
-
12 0 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

( 3) t he t hi ngs th em s elve s [ooh s o m e thi ng alike ,

fo r they are b o t h gr ee n h erb s ;

( 4 ) o ne charac t e ri s t ic is c o m m on t o asparagus
and gr as s : b o t h ca n b e e at e n ;

ia ted t o g e th e r in t h e m i nds
( )
5 t h e t w o a re a s s oc

o f m any uneducat e d p e o pl e , w h o s o m et i m e s call

’
‘
asparagu s sparr o w gr as s o r ev e n grass
’ ‘ -
’ ‘
.

Th e fa c t o f it is tha t a sparagus
’
‘
is a str ange
w or d t o t h o se p eo pl e , w h er e as s parr o w a nd grass
‘ ’ ‘ ’

are b o t h fam ili a r w o rds .

Th e c o nnexi o n is the r e fo r e that o f t he s o u nd o f

t he w o rd s , o f t h e app ea r a nc e o f t h e w o rds ( fo r t he

t w o d o no t alw ay s go t o get h e r ) , o f t he app e ar a nc e

o f t h e thi ng s , o f a charact eri s t ic o f t he t hi ng s , a nd

o f ass o cia t i o n in t he m i nd ( at l e as t in t h e m i nds o f

m a ny u neduc a t e d p eo pl e) .

If y o u l o o k at t he e xa m pl es in S ecti o n V , y o u .

w ill s ee th a t t h e c o nne xi o ns b et w ee n v a ri o u s w o rds

are s e ld o m so nu m e r o us as th o s e b etwee n t h e s e t w o

w o rd s : o ft e n t h e c o nne xi o n is m e re ly o r m ai nly

o ne o f s o u nd ( c p t e n, d e n) o r o f asso ci a ti o n
’

( cp
‘
.
, .

D i ng d o ng d e ll The gre at p o i nt ,
’
and
‘
- -

h o w eve r , w h e n yo u w i s h t o c o nnect any t w o w o rd s ,

is t hat t h e c o nne xi o n sh o uld be a s tr o ng o ne f or

y ou ind iv id u a ll
y .

L e t m e m e nti o n s o m e t yp e s
c o nne xi o ns of .

( A) S ound of w or ds Tw o w o rds m ay be lik e

.
-

o ne a no th e r to so m e ex tent : th e ir ge ne ral rhyth m

m ay b e t he s a m e , o r a ny o ne sy lla ble o f t he o ne
 TO L I NK ( TH E L O I S E TTE S YS TE M ) 12 7

m ay be lik e any syllabl e o f t he o th er : e g

o ne . .

u nta m e d and nam e less attentio n ( wh en p ro

no unc e d t e n shu n ) and
‘
-
’
shu nting , taboo and
‘ ’ ‘ ’

tabby cat e tc P u ns a nd riddl es suggest hu ndre d s

.

o f e xa m pl es .

No t ic e words care fully as y o u pr o no u nc e th e m ( fo r

i nstance , North ern, tub e rcul o si s , flabb ergast , disi nt e r
est e d) a nd y o u will s ee t ha t t h e b e gi nni ng is i m p o rt
,

a nt
( o ften t he first l e tte r a l o ne is quite enough t o
re call t he whol e wo rd ) t he e ndi ng is imp o rta nt ( as
,

R hy m e s c an prove) , and t he acc ent e d syllabl e s are

i m p o rtant In Novel s a nd all ki nds of C ompositi o ns ,
.

t h e b e gi nni ngs and e ndi ngs are i m p o rta nt .

In fi ndi ng a sou nd c o nne xi o n o ne has t o as k

-

What d o es this w o rd s o und lik e ? Wi t h um ’

fa m iliar words ( e g te ch nic al t e rms , for eign w o rds ,

. .

nam e s o f p eopl e o r places) o ne h as to ask Wha t

‘

fa m iliar word o r w o rd s d o es this u nfa m iliar w o rd

so u nd lik e ? H ypo t e nu se s o u nds lik e high po t
’ ’ ‘
‘

in use

( B ) Appear ance o f t he t hi ngs word s It or of t he .

w as b e caus e o f its app e ara nc e that t he m echa nic a l

cra ne was call e d a cra ne The word C RA NE

‘ ’ ‘ ’
.

l o o ks lik e G R AV E H e re a gai n, any part o f o ne ,

wo rd may look like a ny part o f t he o th e r wo rd, o r

t h e wh o l e words m ay l o o k rat h e r lik e o ne a no t he r .

It is o ften a good h e lp t o m ark t he si m ilar parts by

u nd e rli ni ng, o r thick type , o r capitals .

( C ) Cha racter istics , a nd m ea ning f

o w or ds .
12 8 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

The w o rd ‘
w ea t l h sugges t s a
’
w h o le h o st o f ot her
wo rd s , e g. .

t ra nslati o ns ( w h oa-m c divit iae, rich e sse ,

,

sy no ny m s
( rich e s) ,

p a rt o f t he wh o l e ( go ld ) , w hich is al so
a sign o f we alth , and is al so
c o ncret e as o pp o s e d t o abstrac t ( c p a l s o we alth .
’

a nd a w e althy m an
e ffe ct luxury , happi nes s ) ,
caus e ( i ndu s try , di s h o nes t y ) .

( D ) Contr as ts, e g p o ve rty . . .

( E) A ssocia t ions , e g t he crisp pap e r O f a if; 5

. .

B a nk No t e
-
Go o d i nsta nc e s o f ass o ciati o n c o uld
.

b e go t fro m A dve rti se m e nts ( e g a spad e a nd . .

B ra ns o n s C o ffe e E xtract)
’
-
.

It is th es e ass o ciatio ns that each i ndivid ual has

in s uch abu nda nce : s o m e o f t h e m as th a t b et w ee n ,

S m ith and a l a m p p o st , m ay b e that si m ply d ue to

-

a casu al c o nnexi o n at a ce rtai n plac e and at a

c e rta i n t i m e ( S m ith w as o nce s ee n walki ng by a
la m p p o s t )
-
.

M a t erial s fo r th es e c o nne xi o ns are fur ni sh ed so

lavishly by o u r d aily life , by all that w e see o r re ad
o r h ea r o r thi nk o r d o , th a t th e r e are no t w o w o rd s

which c a nno t be li nk e d t o ge t h e r ve ry easily and

afte r a littl e e xp e ri e nce— ve ry quickly .

O nly be s ure th a t , bef or e y o u b e gi n m aki ng o r

us i ng t he li nk s, y o u first r ea lise t he id e a .

The list o f H e a di ngs b e i ng re ali s ed and b e i ng no w

 TO L I NK ( TH E L O I SE TTE S YS TE M ) 12 9

co nne cte d and fo rm e d i nto a si ngle chai n by li nks ,

procee d t o master t he li nks b etween I a nd 2 , both
forwards and backwards , th en thos e b e t w ee n 2 and
3, and so o n . When t he w hol e chai n has thus been
mastere d by the R ésumée System ( abo ve) , then tak e
-

it back w ards as we ll .

Try t o r eproduce it afte r a short i nt e rval ( e g . .

duri ng a walk ) ; notice wh e re you fail , and str ength en

the we ak li nks It is i m portant no t to let t he
.

i nt erval be t o o lo ng R e p e titio ns at short i nt ervals

.

are usually b ett e r tha n at l o ng i nt e rvals .

A fe w Note s m ay b e h e lpful .

( I ) The b est l i nks are usually those which are

li nks of s o u nd and se ns e as we ll ( e g asp a ragus and . .

s parrow grass ) Words which are co nnect e d ety m o

-
.

logically , l ik e reason and ra ison, are i nvaluabl e

b ecau se o f this H um o ro us li nks are o ft en valuabl e
.

b ecau se they are u nusual and a r rest th e att en

tion.

S ou d —
li nks ( as b e tween dough and fo e
( )
‘ ’
n
‘
2

are usu ally str o nge r tha n m e re app earance li nks ( as -

between d o ugh and

3) L o ng words obviously give a b e tt er chanc e fo r
co nnexi o ns than sho rt words do .

( 4 ) To o m any links ( eve n three o r fo ur) are

b ett er than t o o few ( e g o ne rath er obscur e li nk )
. . .

( 5 ) D ouble linhs may be used in th e most

important l ists o f words , w h ereve r yo ur chai n is
w eak e st It is t he o ld sayi ng o f t w o stri ngs to
.
‘

9
1 30 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

yo ur R e m e mb e r that stre ngth of a chain

’
b ow . t he

is th e stre ngt h o f its w ea hes t li nk .

( 6 ) L i nks I al w ays c o nsid e r t o be b es t in c o m

bi nati o n wi t h I niti ali s i ng or with R hy m e s
as in Se ctio n V .

( 7 ) A v o id usi ng t he s am e wo rd in m a ny chai ns
if y o u d o us e it thus , y o u w ill be liabl e t o tak e t he
w r o ng tur ni ng wh e n y o u c o m e to t h e cro s s r o ads
‘ '
-

( 8 ) M ak e up y o ur o wn exercises fo r y o urse lf, and

practis e th e m at o dd moments .

S tudy A dv e rtis em ents ve ry care fully as yo u walk

al o ng in t he street , o r as you sit in a carriage o r
train, e tc Try t o find out w hy o n e arth and how
.

o n e arth it is that c e rtai n pictur e s can m ana g e t o

be A dve rtis em e nts fo r c e rtai n go o ds Th e picture s

.

are s triki ng, but what is th e ir re al a nd vital co n

nex io n with t he goods ?

F re qu ently th ey have no such c onnexio n at all !

And yet th e y he lp y o u to re m e m b er t h e go o ds .

Why and h o w ? B e caus e they are li nk ed t o the

go o ds — by m o re o r l ess casual and i nad equat e li nks
y o u m ight s ay , but s till t he li nks h o ld fir m .

Far t h e b e st te st o f eve ry chai n

W ill b e it s p o w e r t o b ear t he strai n .

Th e r e is t h e pic t ure o f a j e st e r at a New Y o rk

stati o n : what h as he t o d o wi t h A ye r s P ills ? Th e ’

li nk is giv en by th e wo rds put i nto his m o uth , Tis ’

no m e rry j e st , A ye r s P ills are t h e b es t

’

H e who h a s s e e n this pictur e will pr o bably thi nk

 TO L I NK ( TH E L O I SE TTE S YS TE M ) 1 31

A ye r s P ill s wh e nev e r h e sees t he pictur e o r a

’
of

si m ilar pictur e a nd p erhap s o ft en wh e n he o nly

,

s ee s si m il a r c o l o urs , ye ll o w and re d and gr ee n .

The li nk h as be en e stabli sh e d .

Thi s m ight serve as an e xa m pl e a l so o f t he

L o cali s i ng Syste m which will b e explai ne d in t he
-
,

fo llowi ng Section .
S EC TI O N XXI V . TO LO CA LI SE (TH E ROOM
SYSTEM) .

TH I S is o ne o i t he o ld e st S yste ms , and many have

’

fou nd it very valu abl e I give h ere a plan of my

.

o w n r o o m , which is no t w o rth studyi ng closely ;

th e poi nt to notic e is t hat

Fol di ng Boo k
DES K S helf

for pa pe r s .

fi replac e Shelves

D i agra m VI I .

it co ntai ns , apart fro m its fo ur corners , about 2 0

place s o r thi ngs which I k no w ve ry w ell by sight .

I f I shut m y eyes , I c an c a ll up th e pictur e of that

room .
 TO L O CA LI S E ( TH E R O O M S YS TE M )
-
1 33

No w , j ust as I try to find a pro p e r plac e fo r ach e

pap e r , e t c , in the ro o m , so that w h en I wa nt it I

.

k now e xact ly wh er e t o lay m y hand , in t h e sa m e

way o n e ach place o r thi ng in t h e ro o m I can put
an id e a or H eadi ng . S upp o s e I have 1 2 H e adi ngs
th at I want t o re m e mb e r, say t he signs o f t he
! o diac : then t he C rab I imagi ne t o b e plac e d in
t h e b o x , t h e Twi ns o n t he t w o chairs , and s o o n .

I as s o ciate t he p a irs t o ge th e r , and wh e n I want t o

get all t h e 1 2 H e adi ngs I have only t o thi nk o f
t he 1 2 parts o f t he r o o m .

The di ffe rent r o o m s in a fa m iliar h o us e, t he

di ffe rent fe ature s in a fa m iliar pi e c e o f sc e ne ry , t h e
di ffe re nt parts o f th e body , and so o n, c an all be
utilis ed thus — th e y c an hav e H eadi ngs tie d o n t o
th em .

S tok e s M ne mo nical G l o b e is a m a p o f t h e Wo rld ,

’

and acr o s s t h e E ur o p e A sia A frica H em i s ph e re is a

- -

gr e at f ace . Th e fo re h e a d , e y e s , no s e , m o u t h chi n,
,

and e ars , are all e a s y t o plac e in y o ur i m a gi na

‘ ’

tio n : o n e ach o f th e s e fir m ly fix e d pe gs y o u can

ha ng s o m e part O f t he la nd .

F o r oth e r applicati o ns , I refe r th e re ad er to

St o k es o n M e m o ry
‘
‘
.
SEC TI O N XX V . TO CO NNECT WI TH TH INGS
THA T A R E EASIER TO
R EM EM BER ( THE PEG
O R ANCH O R SYSTEM ) .

L ET us o nce agai n c o nsid e r the rati o nal e of t he

L o cal i s i ng S yst e m
-
.

P eo pl e hang t hi ngs o n a nail o r a scr e w , th ey

t eth e r an a ni m al t o a p eg, t hey s ecure a s hip by
m ea ns o f an anch o r The ge ne ral id e a is t o have
.

som ethi ng fir m ly fix e d , which w e can use in o rd e r t o

h o ld fas t and sure s o m ethi ng e ls e , which o the rwise
w e m ight scarc e ly be abl e t o h o ld at all , and

still l es s be abl e t o se ize upo n at a mom e nt s ’

no tice.

A nd so it is wi t h o ur m i nds : he re also w e o fte n

nee d s o m e t hi ng fir m ly fix e d , so mething tha t w e a r e

su r e t o r em em ber w henever w e w a nt it, s o m e thi ng by

m eans o f w hich w e m ay s e cur e what o th e rwis e w e

m ight l o s e o r m ight no t b e abl e t o find j ust w h en
w e wa nt ed it .

We w ant t o re m e m b er to tak e a parcel with us

w h en w e go o ut , w e wa nt to r e m e m b e r t w o na m e s ,

w e wa nt t o r e m e mb er a M ap : all three thi ngs w e

m ay know , in t h e s ense o f b e i ng abl e t o re cognis e

th e m wh en they are p o i nt e d out to us B ut , when
.

1 34
 TO C O N NE C T WI TH TH IN GS 1 35

we wa nt to re call th e m , w e find ours elve s gropi ng

about in our m i nd— w e s e arch and s earch , but w e
cannot find , becaus e the thi ngs are ru nni ng about
‘

loos e all over th e plac e th ey are u nattach e d to any

-

d efi nite fixe d peg .

What w e require, the re fore, is a peg, a som ethi ng

which shall b e
( a) e asier to r em em b er than the parc e l , or the two
nam e s , or th e M a p , a nd at t h e s a m e tim e

( b) sure to be s e en o r fo u nd t he mom ent that w e

want it .

The parc e l w e p e rhaps put in o ur hat, fo r our hat

w e shall have to put o n b e fo re w e go o u t ; t h e two

nam es w e p erh aps link ( XX I I I ) to som e thi ng which

.

w e shall hav e to see in t h e c o ur s e o f t he d ay , e g t h e

. .

clock ; for t he M ap o f Italy w e thi nk of a boot e d

foot goi ng to t he l e ft : that will b e e nough to recall
t he re quir ed ide as .

Now L ocalising ( abov e) may b e said to i nclud e

’

t he first two , but no t t h e third . This thi rd i nstance

shows us that, if w e want to re m e m be r a hard thi ng,
w e m ust often be gi n by re m e m b e ring so m e thi ng
which is more or l e ss like it, but which w e k now
alrea dy ( or at any rat e can l e arn quite e asily) . It is
e sp ecially us e ful fo r M aps a nd P l ans and drawi ngs ,

and be low I shall giv e a list of thos e which w e

k now alre ady or c an l e ar n quite e asily .

L ook at this M ap o f part o f G r ee c e, for exampl e

rough as it is, it is hard t o ge t it so vividly fix ed in
1 36 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

’
yo ur m i nd that draw it at a m o m e nt s
so y o u c an
no tic e .

No w ho ld your l e ft ha nd
b e fo re you , with t he fi nge rs
p o i nti ng d o w nwards , and
w i t h t h e palm faci ng you .

D raw this , s o m ewhat as

it is in D iagram I X , and .

you will hav e som ething

like this M ap as a starti ng
D i agr a m VI I I .

p o i nt : y o u will always
carry it ab o ut with yo u quite re ady fo r use .

Th e re is i naccuracy h er e , it is tru e : but you m ust

ge t a general impression fir m ly fix ed in your mi nd

weThumblBoeorja)

Thum mfica)
bl

It !Finger(Argolis)

Middle fingeruaconia)

Little and Thin

d fingers ( Messenla
)
D i ag ram IX .

b e fo r e y o u t hi nk of
accuracy o f d etail Af terw ards .

y o u c an tak e t h e M ap part by part ( see and

m a k e t he nee d ed c o rre ctio ns .

 TO CO NN E C T WI TH TH I N GS I 37

The wo rd g iv e yo u B o eo t i a, Att i c a, C o ri nt h ,
B AC ALM A w o uld !

Arg o l i s,L ac o nia, M esseni a, Ar ca d i a : th is w o uld b e Ini ti alising

( see XXV I

The syste m of
starti ng with what is easi e r t o
re m e mb er has already bee n appli e d t o nu m be rs ,
and will be a ppli ed agai n in S ecti o ns XXVI a nd

XXXVI Thus—to alte r t he figures s o m ewhat

.

it is far e asie r to re m e m be r t he so m e w hat i naccurate

dat es 5 1 0 , 39 0 , 2 6 0 , 1 30 , than the m or e accurat e

H ere, i nste ad of
l ear ni ng the whol e thi ng at o nce,
you only l e arn a pa rt o f it Fo r th e o utli ne is a
.

part of t he whol e, and a v ery i m p o rtant part

t oo .

Y ou want
t e ach a child to draw a pig, fo r
to

e xampl e an i nquisitive pig ?

D o es it no t b ecom e e a s i e r if
you b e gi n thus , that is t o
s ay , if w e assum e that t he

child has no id e a o f drawi ng ?

I be li eve that t he id e a is A l m a D i agra m X ,

Tad e ma s
’
.

Y o u ca nno t r em e mb e r which sh o uld b e practis e

’

’ ’
a nd which sh o uld be practic e ? B ut advise
‘

( V erb ) an d a dvice ( No u n) are e asi e r : so start with

them Fo r sp e lli ng, thi s is a us e ful h e lp

.
.

O f t he m a ny thi ngs o f which t he sounds are

familiar to you , and which th ere fore will fo rm good
starti ng poi nts , I may m e nti o n nam e s o f p e opl e (e g
- . .
1 38 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

C hristia n am e s) , o f t he m o nt hs , o f the days ,

and s ur- n

of place s , and so o n .

Th e se will s e rve as pr omp ter s : but fo r d e tails I

m u s t re fe r t o XXXV and XXXVI I , whe re I apply
. .

t h e S yst e m to dr a wi ngs , and to e ngage m e nts , e t c .

We hav e t o be c o nstantly o n t he l o o k o ut fo r
-

th es e pro m pt e rs o r s ti m ul i , exciti ng cause s : for,

‘ ’

t o cha nge t he c o m pariso n, w e hav e t he littl e bits

o f ir o n s om ew here, and all that w e need is the

magne t t o coll ect th e m wit h .
S EC TI O N XXVI . TO S UBSTITUTE (A SYSTEM
ESP ECIA LLY USEFUL
FOR NUMB ERS) .

TH ERE are m any w h o find it very d i ffi cult t o

re m e mb e r numb ers . If t he e xact nu m b er is no t
of gre at importa nc e, the task is e asier : but if, as in
t he ca se of a numb e r of a house, or of a stree t in

New Y ork , t he e xact nu m b er is o f impo rta nce , th e n

it b e c o m es almost a nece ssi t y fo r the above m enti o ned -

peo pl e to have som e Syst em ‘

O ne such Syst e m has b een m entio ned alre a dy

L o isette s is sim ilar, and I give his her e, r eferri ng
’

to his adm irabl e l ittl e b o ok for fu rth er exa m pl es .

E ach nu m ber has t w o o r t hree conso na nts c o rre

sp o nd ing to it L o is e t t e s Tabl e is
’
.

Nu m ber Consonant Way s of rem em ber ing ( s om e

are my o w n)
’
0 S,! ( and so ft C) S e iz e nought

I T,D , TH O ne-Too TH e D
2 N n has two strok es
3 M m has three strok es

4 R l as t l etter o f Fo u R , o r t he
wo rd A rthur ( R 4 )
L the R om a n l ett er fo r 5 0 ,
or t he word fi le
1 40 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

Nu m ber Consona nt Way s of r em em ber ing ( so me

are my own )
6 S H ,J , C H , S ix SHy J e w e s s es
G ( s o ft ) C H O SE G EO R G E

( L o iset t e)
7 G ( hard ),K , C S eve n G re at K i ngs C am e

( o r Q ) , NG Q U arre lliNG
8 F,V Eight F avo urs

9 P, B P is lik e 9 turne d ro u nd .

Th e re are vo w e ls h e re ; wh e n yo u have go t the

no

l ette rs fo r any gi v e n nu m b e r , th e n y o u c an fill in

vo we ls so as t o m ak e up a w o rd o r w o rds Thus .

L o ise t t e give s C harl e s D arwi n s date by t he words

’

S P ec ies ( S o, P 9 , D ate I Notic e s ev eral

p o i nts here
i
() T h e re is no nee d t o put t he 1 8 you r ej e ct

as m uch as p o s s ibl e ( X L) ;

( ii) t he fir st t w o l e tt ers al o ne c o u nt ;
( iii) t he wo rd its e l f is i nti m at ely ass o ciated with
D arwi n, b ecaus e o f h is O rigi n o f S p eci e s
’
.

iv
( ) A fo ur t h p o i nt is t o b e no tic e d T o y ou thi s
.

word S Pec ie s m e a nt no thi ng : yo u had to r e fe r to t he

Ta bl e , t o s ee w hat 8 a nd P r e pre s e nte d B e fore .

y o u c an find t he S yste m r e ally us e ful , y o u m ust give

up good d ea l of t im e to m as ter ing the nu m ber s a nd
a

letters , and t o practisi ng th e m A ny o d d m o m e nts

.

m ay be pl o ye d in this way
em .

( v ) Wh er e no conne xio n e xists b et w ee n th e w o rd

 TO S UB S TI TUTE

and the numb er word , then you had be tt e r li nk

‘ ’
-

t he t w o togeth e r : thus , Wat erloo ,

’
‘
m ight
be te al : h e nc e Wate rloo —water—fish— te al
’

A nd s ee furth er XXXV I .

In t he ne xt Se ction w e shall see that Subst it u

tio n will h e lp I nitialisi ng a great d e al
.
S EC TI O N XXVII . TO INITI ALI SE, OR TO P UT TH E
P AR T FO R THE WH O LE
( THE CA B AL-
SYSTEM) .

O N the very sam e day that I writ e this I re ce ive a

notic e fr o m t h e C e cil H ot e l , s h o wi ng p eo pl e h o w t o

wire for rooms , etc , by a S p e cial Cod e : R os ebu d

.

15 w o uld be an i nstanc e The vow els d o no t

c o u nt , and R m e ans R e s e rv e , 5 S itti ng ro o m , B -

B e droo m , D D ressi ng ro o m , I 5 o n t he 1 sth - H e re, .

t h e n, is a gr eat savi ng in t e l e grams ( at l e ast from

abroad) .

I se e t h at , in t he C o d e, T m o rni ng , Y e enin
v g . Th is
w o uld be an e am p e o f
x l S ub st i t u t i o n ( or R epresent at i o n) vide
r i
th e p e v o u s S ect io n .

The word CAB AL gave t he i nitials o f t he five

M i ni s t e rs , RY GB U ( o r, reve rs e d , U BGYR) gave th o se
o f t he chie f colours ; W G , eg , ie , etc , are . . . . . . .

o th e r w ell k now n i nsta nc e s C p also P and O

‘ ’
- . .

s t e a m e rs .

When w e com e t o exa m ine w hy this is so ,why w e

c a n so e asily r e m e mb e r t hi ngs by th eir i nitials , w e

s ee that it is b e caus e t h e i nitial is so p r o m inent a

par t o f the word It is t he first thi ng th a t m ee ts

.

t h e e ye , it is lik e t he first w o rds o f a b o ok : it

catch es t he att enti o n .

A nd , wh en w e c o m e t o l o o k about fo r o th er
 TO IN ] TI A LI SE 1 43

e xampl e s, w e see that this way of re m e m b eri ng

wo rd s o r thi ngs or pe rs o ns or id e as by m e ans o f a
pro m ine nt part is no t o nly ve ry com mo n, but also
alm os t inevita ble
. Y o u say you k now J o ne s by
sight : but you re ally k now little more tha n t he
f r ont vi ew, or possibly t he pr o fil e as we ll
-
. Yo u do
no t k no w Jo nes thor oughl y by sight : for all i nte nts
and purpos e s , howeve r , y o u k no w enough —you k now

eno ugh to r e m e mb e r him by a nd to r ecog nis e h im by .

No w , why o n e a rt h sho uld no t this pri nciple be

e xte nd e d ? Y o u have a list, le t us say, of 1 2 thi ngs
t o b e re m e mb ered , of 1 2 p e rso ns to be s ee n. Yo u
have discard ed — for ec o no m y s sak e— all t he na m e s
’

that yo u are no t in t he l e ast lik ely to forge t , o r all

t he nam es that are u ni m p o rt a nt ; but still y o u have
twe lve Y o u k now t h e m all, you have reali se d
.

( see XV ) all the thi ngs o r people , and yo u c o uld

.

recall th e m all dire ctly, if only you could be to ld

t h e ir fir st letters. Ve ry w e ll th en, take th o se first
l ett e rs and mak e th e m up i nto a word or i nt o two
or m ore wo r ds Th en hang th ese new words o n
.

so m e peg ( see o n som ethi ng which yo u are

sure t o r em e mb er, e g o n th e wo r ds call o n

. . Th e
new words nee d no t be rea l wo r ds— a fa ncy wo rd

may b e actu ally e as ie r t o re m e mb e r .

I f possibl e, your ne w w ords should be s o m eh o w

c o nnected with the general ide a of t he list, j ust as
R o m e , t he centre o f Italy , m ight be associat ed w ith
As G EM C R EATI NG FO C U S ( S ectio n
1 44 H O W TO R E M E M B ER

If yo u ca nno t fo r m a wo rds , th e n fo rm
rd or wo

a sentence o f w hich th e w o rds hav e t h e s am e

,

i nitials Vid e id This , h o weve r , s ee m s t o m e to

. .

b e a cu m bro u s m et h o d .

If, in addi t i o n y o u c an li nk t he wo rd s t o geth er ,

,

o r fo r m t h e m i nt o so m e s o rt o f a R hy m e so m uch ,

t h e b e tt e r — as l o ng as t h e subj e ct is i m p o rtant

e no ugh t o d e m a nd t his car e B ut a nyhow it

.

wo uld be go o d pr a ctice .

I will o ffe r a fe w i nsta nc e s and hi nt s , fo r at first

t h e task will o fte n see m i m p o s s ibl e .

I n a b ko o o n fo o d I th o ught it wo uld be as
!
,

w e ll t o i m pre ss up o n p eo pl e th o s e thi ngs which I

c o nsid e red it sa fer to a void I d et er m i ne d t o in

.

it ialis e th es e thi ngs ,a nd t o fo r m t h e i nitial s i nt o words .

( 1 ) O bvi o u s ly the ideal w or ds w o uld have been

To B E AV O I D ED or s o m e thi ng o f th e sort .

( 2 ) I pr o c ee d e d t o write d o wn t he vari o us words

u nder nea th one a nother ; tho se that b e gan with co n
s o na nts w er e in o ne c o lum n, th o s e that b e ga n with

v o we ls wer e in a no the r .

3) I wro te d o w n a l t e r na tiv e s wh er ev e r I could ,

thus S m o ki ng o r To bacco ( o r eve n C igars , C igarette s,

o r P ip e s) w o uld a pp ea r as

S m o ki ng
To b a cco
C igars and C igarett es
P ip e s
.

No t up to date .
 TO I NI TIA L I SE 1 45

( 4 ) Then I trie d t o find words t hat would give

t he se ns e of som ethi ng to b e avoid e d Eventually ,
.

afte r I had
( 5 ) trie d ve ry m any co m bi nations , I arrive d at
t he followi ng list .

M E — It is needl ess t o say that it is o nly a

rough and re ady list , and , w hil e it m ay be t o o
- -

swee pi ng in som e dire cti o ns , is c ertai nly inco m

plet e in oth ers .

Alc o h o l ( wi nes , spirits , b ee rs , etc )

.

S m o ki ng
D rugs
E ggs
F l esh , F ish , and F owl
E xtracts o f F l esh
C o ffe e and C ocoa
Te a
S auce s and S avourie s ( and Irritants) .

It is o f t h e gre ate st i m portance to k no w a

nu m b e r of alter na tive w or ds , to b e substitu t e d ( se e

XXVI ) for t h e awkward custom ers A s an ex er

. .

cis e, re fe r back to any o f t he lists giv e n ab o ve , and

try t o find alt er native s fo r e ach H eadi ng .

Y o u m igh t get res ul t s l i k e t h e fo ll o w ing

C h arac t er—v irt u es
R o m ani si ng—ass im i l a t i ng—l eavening — e x t end i ng

lso l at ing—divide et z mper —separat ing

’

S enat e—g o v ernm e nt — ari st o crac y—c o u nc il

P o si t i o n—g eo g raphy
L uck—fo rt u ne
U nit y— h arm o ny —c o h esio n and c o Operat i n
-
o .
1 46 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

Needl es s say , s uch an e x e rci s e will gr e atly

to
i m pro v e y o ur c o ntro l o f language , b o th in sp ee ch
a nd in wri t i ng Th e y w ill als o e nc o urage y o u in
.

l e ar ni ng t he v o c abulari es o f F o re ign L anguage s ( e g . .

divide et imp era ) , w hich , as w e hav e s een, are o f

va lu e al s o a s li nk w o rd s -
.

L i nk w o rds th e m s elve s c an b e substitute d fo r t he

-

origi nal w o rds in a fe w ca ses Th us fo r A lc o hol .

’

m ight b e substitute d I nc o h ere nt pr o vided tha t t he

t w o w o rds we r e cl o s ely ass o ci a t e d toge th er in y ou r

m i nd .

Y o u tak e t h e first l e tt e r o f ea ch w o rd , th en, and

write d o w n th ese l e t t ers ( o r t h e w h o l e wo rd s ) in a
l i ne , wi t h a l t e r native s ( sy no ny m s, trans lat i o ns ,
A s a lt e rna t iv es y o u m ay a l so no tice

( a ) J and I
V and U
H or no H

( b) fir st t w o l ette rs , e g AT fo r A ttica ;
t he . .

(c) t he s ec o nd l e t t e r , e g N fo r e ne m i e s ( c p the
. . .

illi t er ate s p elli ng o f x q s, xl , y f wi fe , e tc ) ; o r

( d ) any pr o m i ne nt s yll abl e , w hich wh en yo u ,

draw up yo ur fi na l list in o rd e r had b et te r be ,

m ark ed by so m e s p e ci al s ig n ( e g u nd e rli ni ng o r . .

c o l o ure d ink) .

Y o u t h e re fo re h a ve a go o d ch a nc e o f fo r m i ng
w o rds : and so m e of t h e C o m p e titi o ns in t he

We ekly P ap e rs ( e g Tit B its , A ns we r s, and P e arso n s

. .
-
’

Wee kly) will be t he ve ry b es t prac t ic e you c an get .

 TO I N] TI A L I S E 1 47

B ut , supp o si ng th at th ere is s till a di fficulty , and

that you d o no t lik e t o re s o rt to
( e) formi ng a s e nt e nce with t he word s which have
these i nitials th en y o u may find it e asi e r
(f ) to cho o s e t he wo rds wi t h consona nts , and
th en arra nge th e s e co nso na nts s o as t o fo r m w o rds ,
inser t ing a ny vo w els y ou like they w ill not

cou nt .

Thus yo u wish t o re m e m b er “ R eb e l s in t he S o uth

”
Tyra nts in t he No rth : t he w o rd aR iS To N will
give y o u this C p apw r ov p év w p o n t he S alut
. .
’

aris Wat e r b o ttl e s O r

-
.

( g) yo u c an add only t he v o we l e .

( h) C as e s wh er e y o u could ch o o s e v o we l words , -

and add y o ur o w n c o ns o na nts a d lib , w o uld . be

ve ry rar e i nd ee d The w o rds A b st Em IO U s and
.

fA c Et IO U s w o uld giv e t he v o w e ls in th e ir ord e r ,

t h e c o ns o nant s no t co u nti ng .

( i) Y o u m ay i nse rt l ette rs ( e sp ecially at t he

)
e nd , o r

( 7) you m ay o m it l ette rs , always pr o vid e d that

this will no t caus e a ny c o nfu s io n t o yo u .

In fact , t h e o nly li m its t o cha nges and alt e r

nativ es are that t h ey m ust no t be t h e c a u s e o f

ob s curity o r c o nfusi o n fo r y o u If N is cl e a r t o
.

yo u as t h e re pr e s ent a tiv e o f e Ne m ies, th e n by a ll

m eans let it tak e t he pl a c e o f E .

L et m e r e p e at it , fo r it is ess e ntial : if y o u
ca n, t h e n m ak e ne w w o rds w hich are co nne ct e d
1 48 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

with the word o r t h e id e a that yo u want to t e

m e mb e r In th e c as e o f a s e nt ence yo u are certai nly
.

far more lik ely t o b e abl e t o d o thi s .

’
In A H ist o ry o f R o m e up t o A D
‘
5 00
.

I have sugge s t e d IT C R AM P S ALL as good

Me m o ria Tech nica fo r t he Em pe ror s powe r at
’

R om e, s ee i ng that it was supre m e and did k eep

oth ers fro m fr ee and i nd epe nd ent action .

In t eachi ng, it is a go o d pla n occas ionally to o ffer

such words : it h e lps t he l e ar ne rs t o bri ng to th e
surfac e what th ey alr e ady k no w A t l e ast it is
.

b ett er than to s pri ng a list upon th e m without aski ng

th e m first to try to m ak e o ne fo r th e mselv e s ; and it
c ertai nly arouse s s o m e i nte r est
.

We have s een, no w , that som e what as we can

r em emb er whol e id e as by H ea di ngs , which are not
so much t he whol e id ea as a n i m p o rtant part o f it ,
so w e can r e m e mb e r t h e H e adi ngs th e ms elves by

th eir i nitials , or by s om e part o f th e words I f we .

wish to r ecall t he wh o l e , w e nee d o nly recall a

part .

O ne or two c o m pariso ns ( which are no t to be

press e d to o far) may m a k e t he re as o n for i nitialisi ng
a littl e cle are r .

I n k ee pi ng to a path , w e are often su ffi ci ently

guid ed by j ust a land m ark h e re and the re ; in ord er
to r em em b e r a w h o l e s o ng o r tu ne, w e oft en need
o nly rem em b er its first fe w bars , o r even its first
not es .
 TO I N] TI A LI SE 1 49

By m e ans o f words fo rm e d by t he i nitial s , w e

c an have a necklace of di ffe re nt c o l o ure d b eads
stru ng s e cur e ly t o geth e r I ns t ead o f havi ng a
.

numb er of b e ads lyi ng about h er e th e r e a nd e ve ry

wh er e , w e no w have th e m all faste ne d to ge th er .

NO TE .

Th e Initial i si ng S y st em h as
-
b een appl ie d t o advertisem ent s .

Fo r e x am p l e , I h a v e appl ie d it t o m y o w n P ro tei d F o o d

thu s

Pu re
R ea d i ly prepared
O v erc o m es w ea ness k
To nes t h e ne rv es
E c o nom i c al
Im p ro ves th e di gest i on
D el i c i o u s
.

g oo d prac t i c e t o tak e vario u s arti c l es th at

It is are a dv erti se d,
and w o rk out si m i l ar Init ialisings ’ .
S EC TI O N XXV III . B LEND-WO RDS ( TH E B RUNCH
SYSTEM) .

WE c an e xtend t he P ri nc ipl e by which B ru nch ‘ ’

c an r e pre s e nt B reak fast L u nch C lo t c h C l o ck

‘ ‘

Watch , and so o n A m an w riti ng in a hurry

’
.

o nc e put Give m y ki nd respem branc es t o your

‘

family
’
.

D o y o u thi nk that this is u nnatural ? If yo u

‘ ’

d o , it sh o ws how very littl e y o u k now about t he

way in which L anguage is fo rm e d In future, wh en .

y o u he ar gra m m a t ical m istakes, ask yo urs el f w hy

they have bee n m ad e , and aga in a nd aga in yo u will
find that they have b een d ue to t w o e xpre ssi o ns
havi ng b ee n fu se d or bl e nd e d toge th e r i nto a si ngl e
e xpre ssi o n. Thus t he o the r day I he ard a m an
call o ut that s o m e littl e p enny book was t he
m asterpi ec e of a ny p e nny articl e in t he wo rld
’

he w as c o nfusi ng t w o e xpr essi o ns , the m as terp iece of

all p enny articl e s ’
b e tt e r than a ny penny a r ticle ’

Th e b e gi nni ng o f o ne e xpressi o n t he end o f t he

o t h e r we re bl e nd e d t o ge th e r and pro duc e d quite a

cl ear gene ral i m pressio n .

L e wi s C arro ll was ve ry fo nd o f t h e B ru nch words , -

which he calls P o rt m a nt e au wo rds -

The e as i est
.

typ e t o re m e m b er is whe re t he b e gi nni ng o f o ne

! so
 B LE ND - WO R D S ( TH E B R UN CH - S YS TE M ) 151

word is bl e nd e d w i t h t he e ndi ng o f t he ne xt , o r v ice

versd .Thus , if w e w ishe d t o re m e m b e r A l m a and
I nk e rma n w e c o uld s ay A lm e rm a n whil e L ispy d
’ ‘ ’
,
‘ ’

m ight b e a w o rd fo r P hilip s co nqu e st o f A mphi

’

and
po lis
S EC TI O N XX I X . ABSURDITI ES AND H UM OUR .

A NYO NE who gla nce s at t he m ass e s o f C o mic

P ap e rs o n a b o o k s ta ll , o r w h o k no w s t he s t atistics
o f th e ir e no r m o u s sal e , o r w h o studi e s t he Pit o f t he

A d e lphi duri ng t h e c o mic busi nes s in a m el o

‘ ’ ‘ ’

dram a , w ill re ali s e t hat he r e is a gra nd educatio nal

fa cto r , if o nly w e c o uld use it — a ve ry Niagara o f
p o we r — th o ugh no t fo r al l Natio ns e qually, nor yet
fo r all i ndividual s .

H o w many o f us , fo r e xampl e can re m em b er w ell

,

t he ne ws o f t he m o nth by St e ad s p ages , in t he
’

R evi e w o f R evi ews re pre s enti ng the ev e nts o f t he

m o nth by caricature s P u nch als o , and oth er
‘ ’
.

C omic P ap e rs , have d o ne m uch t o e ducate t he

Nat i o n : th ey hav e h e lp ed us t o re m e m b er that
with which oth e rwis e w e m ight no t have b een im
pr ess ed in t he v ery l e ast .

I will m enti o n o ne litt l e i nsta nc e wh ere t he ve ry

absurdity o r m e a ni ngl e ss ne ss o f t he wo rd may
‘ ’

h elp it t o cli ng in t he m em o ry If w e tak e J ulius

.

C ae sar s D e ath in 44 , this w o uld be r r by L o iset te s

’ ’

Tabl e : t h e w o rd J u liu rr might be fo r m e d

’
.

I hop e to treat o f this subj e ct m o r e fully in t he

future : so fo r t he pre s ent I l e ave it wi t h t he su gges
tio n that it d eserve s i nve stigati o n .

1 5:
S EC TI O N X XX . RH YM E AND ALLITERATION .

B Y R hym e , be it u nd erstood , I d o no t m ean m erely

P o etry : I call t he fo llowi ng li ne s R hym e
Thirty days hath S ept e mb e r ,
A pril , J u ne , a nd Nove m b e r ;
February hath t w e nty e ight alone,-

all t h e r e s t h av e thirty o ne , -

e xc e pt in L e ap Y e ar : th e n s t he ti m e
’
-

wh e n Febru a ry s days are twe nty ni ne

’
-
.
’

B ut I d o no t c all th e m P o e try NO : by R hy m e
.

her e I m e a n a special kind of s im ila r ity of sou nd ,

gene rally with R hyth m also, tur ned to a usef ul
purp ose .

O f t he R hy m i ng A dve rtis e m ent ( s uch as Th e y

‘

co m e as a b o o n see t h e P re fac e) I have alre ady

sp o k e n C hildr en are usually ve ry fo nd o f R hy m es ,

.

and l e ar n l o ts o f idi o tic m ea ni ngl e ss j i ngl e s qui t e

’
e asily and qu ite i nd e libly
‘
.

R hym i ng is o ne o f t h e v ery gre ate st aids t o

m e m o ry t hat w e poss ess : it is als o o ne o f t he
gre a te st obstacl e s t o l e ar ni ng , if it is u se d i m pro p e rly
( S e c t i on A nd it is so apt t o b e us e d

impr o p erly , so apt t o b e us e d by p eo pl e as a m e ans

0 1 r e m e mb e ri ng t he m e r e sou nd s o f w o rds , apart

fro m any id e as , that with such p eo pl e I sh o uld say

rs:
1 54 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

tha t it w as ge ne rally an u ns afe m e a ns to e m ploy

but , eve n wi t h s uch p eo pl e , R hy m e s m ay be valuabl e
as a m ea ns o f s e curi ng lists o f lif eless facts a nd
‘ ’

date s , et c , if th e se li s ts have t o be s e cure d so m e

.
’

ho w .

B efo re I go o n, let m e purge the re ad er s mi nd 01

’

t he id e a that R hy m e is s o m e thi ng s acr e d . It is

tru e that R hy m es are u se d in H y m ns , and that
R hy m e s are u se d in b e auti ful P o e t ry , such as
that o f M ilto n o r Tennys o n B ut Tennyson him
.

s e l f, acc o rdi ng t o M ax M ull e r, w o uld no t hav e

ad m itte d anythi ng t o be re v e re d in t h e R hy m i ng
it self . No : R hy m e h as no sa cr ed ne s s— it is no t ,
lik e so m a ny thi ngs ( alas l) , cut o ff fr o m be i ng
appli e d t o a us e ful purp o s e b e caus e it ha s s o m e
c o nne xi o n w ith re ligi o n R hym e w as give n us t o
.

be us e d , a nd w e c a n u se it fo r scarc e ly any better

purp o se tha n fo r re m e m b e ri ng .

The ! o diac S igns , t he li sts of L ati n P rep o si

ti o ns , t he li s t s o f L ati n Ge nd e r s , t he English
H ist o ry R hy m e ( In 4 3 a R o m a n host
‘
fr o m G aul
a ss ail e d o ur S o uth e r n C o ast t he R ul e s o f

Whi st , and m a ny o th e r i ns tanc es , will be e no ugh

t o pr o v e tha t , in past ti m e s , R hy m e s hav e b ee n
a ve ry gr eat h e l p t o t he m e m o ry —m o re than o ne
o f t h e s e li s t s , if e x a m i ne d c a re fully , will also be
e no ugh t o pro v e that R hy m e s have b e e n m ad e a

m eans o f stu ffi ng t he brai n with s o m e si ngularl y

u sel e ss i nfo r m ati o n .
 R H YM E A ND AL LI TE R A TI ON 1 55

B ut t he frequ ent misus e o f a th i ng is , in its elf, no

real argum ent that it should no t be us e d at all .

And , if only t he dir e cti o ns in P art I I I are care .

fully att end e d to, Rh ym e s will be come, I thi nk , a

gre at savi ng of ti m e and e nergy : though I k now
t h er e are som e who say that they cannot l ear n
the m .

I wil l sugge st a few hints h e re .

A fter c o ll e cti ng and s e l e cti ng a nd arra nging your

H eadi ngs , and aft er tho ro ughly r ealisi ng ( XV ) ’
.

first th e gene ral outli ne, and the n t he i ndividual

parts , o ne by o ne , and aft er rep eati ng by t he
R ésum ée m e thod , th e n try t o tur n th em i nto
R hym e s .

Th ere are ma ny m etr e s to ch o os e from , and a

R hym i ng D icti o nary ( e g . . Walk e r s) sho uld be
’

us ed at first— but as littl e as p o ssibl e D o no t .

thi nk that this is silly w o rk : m a ny gre at writ ers

and sp e ak ers hav e practis ed tur ni ng thi ngs i nto
Ve rse, and th ey say that it has wo nd erfully improved
th e ir styl e and th e ir c o m m and o f language .

I find that a j o ur ne y ( e sp e cially in a tr ai n) is t he

b est plac e fo r composi ng R hy m e s .

In writi ng o ut th e res ult, d o no t begin e ach

fresh li ne with a capital l ett e r . I t is apt t o
d istract the atte ntion in t h e m iddl e o f a s e nte nc e,
and I re gard it as o ne o f t h e gr e at obj e ctio ns to

the re adi ng of P o etry .

I f you find the trans iti o ns ( fro m o ne id ea to

 1 56 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

’
a no th er) d i fficult t o re m e m b er , th e n li nks sh o uld
‘

b e u se d : but in IV y o u w ill find an i nsta nc e

.

wh ere th e re is no nee d fo r this , b ec a use t he H e ad

i ngs have alre ady b een i nitiali se d i nt o w o rds .

It is wo nd e rful ho w qu ickly t he faculty o f

R hy m e maki ng is acquire d
-
O f cours e t he b etter
.

t he clas s o f R hy m e, that is t o say t he ne ar e r it

is t o P o etry , t he be tt er it w ill be fo r y o u Th e re .

fo re study g o o d Po e t ry , and ( see XXXVI I I ) l e ar n .

s o m e o f it re ally by hea rt , no t m ere ly by ro t e

’

A s to t he re asons why R hym e s are easie r to

re m e mbe r , first o f all th e re is t he re gulari t y of
th e R hyth m ( see ne xt S e cti o n) , and th e n the re
is t he si m ilarity of s o u nd : if y o u c an re m e m b e r
th e e ndi ng o f e ith e r li ne, th en t hat will v e ry lik e ly
h e lp yo u t o re m e mb e r t he e ndi ng o f t he li ne which
rhym es with it Y o u have a d o ubl e chanc e
. .

A lliter a t ion is o fte n fo u nd t o be at t he root of

that which impr ess es its elf up o n our m e m o ry .

‘
Willia m s P i nk P ills fo r P ale P eopl e , C art er s
’ ’ ‘ ’

L ittl e L ive r P ill s , R hy m e and R e as o n , D e ad

’ ‘ ’ ‘

w o o d D ick s B ig B o na nz a
’

( see t he Essay B o o k ,
’
-

p . Wh e r e as t he R hyme as a rul e m e ans

that o nly t he endi ngs o f t he tw o li ne s re sembl e o ne
ano t h er in s o u nd , the A llite r a ti o n m ay m ean that
m a ny w o rds re s e mbl e o ne a nothe r , e sp e cially in the ir
b egi nni ngs I nstanc e s have b ee n give n in S e ctio n V
.
.
S ECTI O N XXXI . RHYTHM .

TH E p o wer that R hythm p o ss e s ses o ve r t he hu m an

mi nd is old e r than t he power that R hy m e p o sse ss es :
no t o nly savage s but al s o a ni m als are gr e a t ly
a ffect e d by it I t see m s t o be cl o s e ly c o nne ct ed
.

with t he rhyth m o f phys ical m o v e m e nt s , such a s

o ne s ee s in a M ao ri War danc e -
A s an i nsta nc e
.

of ho w R hyth m c an he lp to carry o n, w i t h o u t a
halt , what w o uld o th e r w is e bre a k d o wn, o ne m ay
tak e t he case o f t he sta m m er er , w h o — e sp eciall y
if he be h e lp e d by m us ic— can o ft e n c o nti nu e
rhyth m ical sp e aki ng with o ut a paus e R hyth m a nd
.

R hy m e to ge t h e r fo r m a str o ng c o m bi nati o n . P ar a
phras e P o etry i nt o P r o se , and it w ill be twic e as
hard t o r e m e m b e r .

B ut th ere is this t o b e b o rne in m i nd : if th e

sounds ( as o ne r e ad s o ut l o ud , or re ad s to o ne s e lf,

o r si m ply list e ns ) are apt to car ry o ne aw ay , if

in th e m s e lve s th ey are e no ugh t o i m pre s s t h e m s e lv e s
o n t h e m e m ory , like a pie c e o f m usic w ith o ut w o rd s
/

and — fo r t h e m illio ns— w ith o ut m e a ni ng , th e n th e r e

is a gre at d ange r that, whil e o ne re m e m b er s t he

s o u nds , o ne will no t re m e m b er t h e se ns e Nay .

m o re, sp e aki ng fo r m ys e l f, I may say that , th o ugh

fo r ov er tw enty y ears I have re m e m b e r e d t h e sou nd
‘ 57
1 58 HO W TO R E M E M B ER

of Gray s
’
hav e b een abl e to rep e at it
El e gy , and

e a sily , I never prop e rly r e alis e d t he s ens e till a

littl e while ago : and what o ne has ne ve r properly
r e alis ed o ne ca nnot pro pe rly be said t o re m emb er
e ith e r .

R hyth m , th en ( exc ept in the cas e o f lifel ess

li s ts ) , should nev er b e us ed to h elp th e m e mory
u ntil the sense, t he id e as, have b een thorou ghly
r ealised I a m firmly c o nvi nce d that the fine
.

swi ngi ng R hythm of t he English v e rs io n of t he

L ord s P r ay er ( a R hyth m no t to b e fo u nd in t he
’

G ree k) has h a d almost as much to d o with the

prayer b e i ng ill u nd e rst o o d and scarc e ly r e alis e d
-

as eve n t he l anguage its elf .

It must b e bor ne in m i nd that oth er L a nguages

are us e ful h e r e : G r ee k Ia m bics, and L ati n H ex
a m e t ers ( S e c t io n V ) a nd El e giacs , are all us e ful ,
.

a nd are go o d practice in t he l e arni ng of thos e

L a nguage s .

R hyth m cem ents t h e whol e mass toge th e r

‘ ’
.

In ordi nary P ro s e th e re is littl e to h elp t h e m em o ry

b eyo nd e g ce rtai n l o gical conne xi o ns ( caus e
. .

and effe c t , e t c ) b etw ee n o ne id e a and t he

. next ,

or p erhaps a n occas i o nal similarity of sou nd .

With R hythm , however w e hav e an add itio nal ,

h elp , viz t he m etre itse l f, which is in r e ality a

.

s o rt o f fra m e work It gives us t h e pa tterns and

.

qua ntiti es o f th o s e wo rd s which w e wa nt to t e

member .
S EC TI O N XXX II . M USIC
.

OF music as a h e lp to t h e m e mory I shall say

very littl e, e xce pt (a ) t o s ugge st it as a subj ect
d es e rvi ng ve ry care ful re s e arch , a nd ( b) to give a
war ni ng, l ik e that which I have alre ady given
abo ut R hym e s and R hyth m s : v iz that music .

should no t be appli e d as a h elp to t he m emory u ntil

t he ideas th e ms e lv es hav e b ee n thor o ughly r ealis ed .

I nto t he qu esti o n o f why music should h elp

t he m emo ry I ca nnot e nt e r h e re : no r would I
ass ert that a ny s o rt o f tu ne w o uld h elp us t o
rem e mb er any s o rt o f w ords B ut two poi nts may
.

be worth no tici ng .

In th e first plac e , with o ut d o ubt th ere are c ertai n

ki nds of music sp ecially a d a pt e d fo r c ertai n to nes of ‘

feeli ng, ange r, s a d nes s , h a ppi ne s s , m aj e sty , and so o n .

Seco ndly, c ertai n no te s are cl o s ely c o nnect ed

w ith c e rtai n vo w e l and c o nso nant s o u nds : thus

t h e cat s cry ( as I have p o i nt e d o ut in H o w to

’
-

L earn P hilology ) is s o m e tim es a tu ne in which

’

ce rtai n vo wel and c o ns o na nt s o u nds and glid e s

—y h— w
( m) ee a ) seem to a ccomp a ny the var ious notes,
oo

as naturally as p eople say ha ! ha ! wh en th ey ‘ ’

laugh o n a lo w no t e and ( s o m e ti m es , in t he case

,

of t he fe mal e sex ,) h e l h e ! whe n th ey laugh o n

‘ ’

a high not e .
S ECTI O N XXXIII . EPI GRAM S .

TA KE car e of the p e nni es and the pou nds will tak e

care o f the ms elve s is a n alli t erative Proverb o f a n
’

e pigrammatic ki nd : it is also grossly i naccurate,

th o ugh a certai n lady c o uld nev er see t he i naccuracy ;
sh e o nc e took an ha ns o m to the S tore s and
back , b ecaus e sh e could ge t som ethi ng the r e at
three penc e l ess than it wo uld have cost at t he local
sh o p
.

The r easo n why Epigrams are e asy to r em em b e r

is this : th ey are oft en allit erative, th ey are sh o rt
and c o mpact , th e y a re striki ng ( partly b ecaus e th e y

are u ne xp ect e d , and partly b e c a us e th ey arous e o ur

di s trust , o ur feeli ngs o f re sistanc e , our fee li ngs o f

fair play and th e y c o nce ntrate the attention o n

a si ngl e asp ect of a thi ng ; it is no t distracte d by

pros and co ns, but m e re ly has t o look at o ne pro
I should no t reco m m e nd the m to be us e d o n
all occasi o ns i ndiscri m i nately . H ere and there,
how eve r, th ey— lik e t he occasio nal raisi ng o f an
’
o rat o r s voice o r t he o cc a s i o nal thumpi ng o f his
fist o n t he tabl e or pulpit — do s erve to wak e up
the flaggi ng att e ntio n . The o rato r, how eve r , m ust
bewar e o f shouti ng t o o o ft en, o r o f thumpi ng c o n
t inuo usly : if he us e s th e s e m e a ns too oft en, and
1 6°
S EC TIO N X X X I V . ALTERNA TIV ES AND
CO M BINATIONS .

I H AVE alre ady i nsi st e d o n t he fact that , o f th e s e

h elps a nd sy s t e m s s o m e are o f al m o s t u nive rs al
,

a pplicati o n ( e g R ea lisi ng , whilst oth e rs are

’
. .

s ui t e d fo r c ertai n subj e cts ( e g t he S ubstituti o n ‘

. .

S ys t e m , XXVI , fo r D ate s and Nu m be rs) , o r fo r

’
.

c e r t a i n p eo pl e ( e g t he S ubstituti o n S yste m fo r
. .
‘ -
’

t h o s e w h o find it hard t o r e m e m b er Nu m b ers) ,

but m ay b e u nsuite d fo r o th er subj e ct s and fo r

o th e r p eo pl e.

In o th e r w o rds , e ach subj e ct which is t o b e l e arnt

and t o b e r e m e m b e re d probably h as s o m e o ne o r

m o r e he lp s o r Syste m s w hich are b e s t a d a p t e d fo r it

in t h e c as e o f e a ch i nd ividu a l ; fo r e xa m pl e in y o ur ,

case p erhap s t he R e ali s i ng a nd R és u m ée M et h o d

‘ ’ ‘
-
’

a l o ne m ay b e su ffici ent , at a ny r a t e fo r m o st o f t he

s ubj e ct s th at y o u m ay wish t o r e m e m b e r .

If, h o w e v e r , t h e re is s o m e s ubj e ct w hich it is

o f t h e ut m o s t i m p o r t a nc e th a t y o u S h o uld r e m e m b er

with a b s o lu t e c e rt a i nty at a m o m e nt s no tic e , th e n I ’

re co m m e nd y o u no t t o ve nt ure all y o ur l e ar ni ng
‘ ’

in o ne M eth o d o r S y s t e m , but (see I V a nd V ) t o . .

c o m bi ne t w o o r three M e th o d s o r Sy s t e m s , m aki ng
th e m r e ady t o re i nfo rc e o ne anoth e r , so t hat , in
ca se o ne stra nd o f the r o p e s h o uld giv e way ,

th ere m ay still be o th e r stra nds that will h o ld firm .

l 6a
 AL TE R NA TI VE S A ND CO M B I NA TI ONS 1 63

A good general guards agai ns t t he possibi lity o f

d efeat in any o ne place R e fl e ct , also, that t he .

strength o f a fo rtress o ft e n d e pe nds upo n t he strength

of its w eakes t p o i nt To use a noth er compariso n,
.

in cas e th e e l e ctric light should fail yo u wh il e you

have imp o rtant work to d o , k ee p candl e s and
matche s no t far o ff .

The instanc es o f C o m b inat io ns w h i ch I h av e g i ven s c ar c e ly

need reinfo r c i ng : b ut let m e a d d ano t h er C l assi c al H i st ory
e x am pl e,v iz P h i l i p s c o nqu es t s fro m 35 7 t o 346 I w i ll s u pp ose
’
.

r
th e fac t s, and th e i e ffe c t s, et c .
, to h av e b een alread y ‘
real i sed ’

by th e aid o f a M ap, et c .

1 . Rhy m e.

F ro m 3, 5 , 7 w h e n At h ens is figh t ing h er All ies,

Am ph i po l is and P ydna I are w o n b e fo re h er e y es,
P o t i daea t h en P h il ip p i a m ine o f g o ld s uppl ies
M eth ane in th ree fifty-t h ree in Th es saly h e b eat s
i
t h e P h o c ans , al so P agasae b ut fro m t h e Gat es et eat s r r .

r
O lynt hu s in t h ee fo rt y e igh t t h e P h o c ans 3, 4, 6 i .

Aft er th e Peac e h e TA M E ly -
s eem s in co nfli ct s scarc e t o
m ix .

2 .

A kind of H ex am et er R hyt hm m i gh t b e s ugg est ed, as

fo ll o ws
Am ph ipo l is P yd na P ot i da ea i i
P h lipp M eth one,
P h o c ians, t hén P agasae, t h en Th erm o pyl ae, th en
O ly nt hus .

3 I nitia lising
. .

TAM E s ugg est s his qu iet o rg ani sing o f

Th essaly a nd Th ra c e ; h is at t em p t s t o b ecom e pro
t ec t or o f
A r g os and
M essene ( ag ainst Sp arta) , and h is sch e m es in
E ub oea .
1 64 H O W TO R E M EM B E R

P e ac e —War- m arch ing

Am ph ipo lis and

 PA RT

TH E SYSTEM S APPLIED TO V AR IO U S

NU M BER S AN D DA TES
XXXV II ENGAGEM ENTS,
.

XXXV III . LEAR NING

S EC TI O N XXXV . M AP S AND PLANS .

To be abl e to draw M aps and P lans is ve ry us e ful ,

no t o nly fo r t h e purp o s e o f le ar ni ng Ge ography a nd

H istory , and fo r rem e mberi ng ab o ut R ailway li nes ,

-

and for givi ng a n i nt er e st t o a ny ki nd o f trav e lli ng,

but also fo r such subj ects as A nato m y , P hysiology ,

et c
. It is a w ell k no w n fact that t he k nowl edge of
-

thes e subj ects is he lp e d ve ry m uch by t he use

of pictures , ph o t o s , and m o d el s ; but, out o f t he
th o usands who study th e s e s ubj e cts , th e re are
v ery few who c o uld re pro duce t he drawi ngs for
these .

Fo r exampl e, out of s o m e hu ndre ds o f H onours

’

P upils at C ambridge , m e n w ho have b een l e ar ning

( or are suppos e d t o hav e b e en l earni ng) Gr ee k and

R oman H isto ry fo r many ye ars b efo re, only quite a

few have been abl e to draw a M a p o f Greec e or o f
t he M e dit errane an, o r a P lan o f R o m e : and what is
tru e of an e ducati o nal subj e ct lik e this is equally
tru e of oth er subj e cts o f a m o re practical nature .

The re are m any w h o cannot dra w a M ap o f England ,

or o f Engl and s p o si t i o n in t he Wo rld
’
.

It is a gre at fallacy t o supp o se that drawi ng by

m ere traci ng o r c o pyi ng m u s t nece ssarily impress
1 61
1 68 H O W TO R EM E M B E R

t he subj ect upo n the mi nd D rawi ng is of littl e use

.

’
u nl ess t he subj ect itse lf be thoroughly realis e d at
‘

t h e sam e tim e .

In accordanc e wi t h t h e ord er o f t he Se cti o ns in

this bo o k , a l e ar ne r is advis e d to co nc ent rate his
attention o n t he subj e ct , to i nterest hims e lf in it,
partly by thi nki ng ov er t he advantages of m asteri ng
t he subj e ct , and partly by try i ng to repr o duc e at
inte rvals what he has l e ar nt .

A bo ve all he is advise d to s el ect , and to rej e ct as

much as possibl e : that which will distract his atte n
tion far more than any t hi ng el se , in an average M ap
o r a n av e rage P lan, is its e xc e ss of d etail ; in r e ality ,

to b egi n with , he should om it whatever ca n b e

safe ly omitted .

A t t h e sam e tim e h e should e mphasis e, e ith er

by thick typ e or by u nd e rli ni ng, or by diffe rence s
o f c o l o ur, a nythi ng which is of particul ar impo rt

ance .

A noth e r great help to wards l earni ng and re me m

b e ri ng a Plan, for i nstanc e a Pla n o f t he hu m a n
b o dy , is to find o ut what are t he us es and t he co n
nex io ns of the various parts .

A s in most subj ects , so h e re , it is no t e asy to

b e gi n ( as 9 9 p e opl e o ut o f a 1 0 0 do) by studyi ng t he
who l e M ap or Plan all at o nc e The l earne r sh o uld
.

first get a v ery rou gh o utli ne, the rougher it is t he

b ett e r ; then he should get this outli ne thoro ughly
’
into his mi nd s eye ; and the n try to repro duc e it ;
 M A P S A N D P L A NS 1 69

after he has tri e d , let him l o ok at t he outli ne its e l f

and corr e ct his atte mpt by it H avi ng thoroughly
.

mastered th e general o utline, he may no w proc eed

to study t he various parts : to tak e e ach part by
its elf and to ge t it ab s o lut ely i nto his h ead .

If you wish to t e st ho w far you have mastere d

t he whol e with its vari o us parts , t ry t o d e scrib e and

e xplai n it to oth ers , o r t o r eprod uc e it for yours el f .

This will b e o ne form o f rep etitio n, a nd t he M ap

or P lan should be co nstantly re p e at e d at sho r t
’

i ntervals and corr ect ed as we ll A ft er c o rrection y o u

.

should practise and stre ngth en the poi nts where you
are we ak .

C omi ng to t he M e mory S yst ems , a vast amou nt

-

of t rouble can be saved by

t he obs e rvation of us e ful
poi nts P ro fessor M eic kle
.

j oh n has d o ne a gre at
d eal towards maki ng t he
study of Geo graphy e asy
by showi ng what are t he
chief li ne s a nd di rectio ns
in M aps ; I give a sampl e
of my o w n h er e .
D i ag ra m
The
’
L i nk Syste m
‘ -
is
as useful fo r M aps as it is for oth e r thi ngs ; by it
you can re m e mber quit e e asily all the mai n statio ns
o n any give n li ne .

'
O f ‘
L ocalisi ng I have already spok en in XX IV
1 70 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

P rofe ssor Stok es has bro ught it t o gr e at p er fectio n

in his gl o b e o f t he w o rld ( s ee ab o v e). B ut , o f all
t he Syst e ms that I k no w fo r r e m e mb eri ng M aps
and P la ns , no ne e qu a l s t h e fo llowi ng in r esp ect of

facility and rapidity a nd c e r t ai nt y . Eve ry o ne feels

that the M ap o f Italy is e asy t o re m e mb er b ecause
it looks lik e a b o ote d leg : it l o o ks l ike som ethi ng
which is fa m iliar to e veryb o dy ; let us apply t he
sam e pri ncipl e to a few othe r c o u ntri e s .

We have had a M ap o f the P el o ponnesus : it is no t

e asy to re m e mb er , as y o u w ill find , if you try and

r eproduce it som e days h e nc e ; but, supposi ng you

h eld your l eft hand Opp o sit e t o yo u, with t he fi ngers
poi nti ng dow nwards and t h e pal m faci ng you , and
Supposi ng y o u dr e w w hat yo u s aw , you would hav e

som e thi ng which yo u co uld always r e produce at a

m om ent s notic e, and which would be quite lik e
’

e nough to t h e P e l o p o nne sus fo r all ord i na ry pur

pos es .

A gai n, tak e t h e M ap o f t h e M editerra nea n, o f

which I sp o k e be fo re : tha t is no t e asy to re produc e .

B ut study it and t he fo ll o w i ng D iagra m s in the ir

ord e r , and you have at o nce a m e th o d which will
h elp y o u t o draw t he M e d ite rrane an in rough out
l i ne in a few s ec o nds No tice also how e asily the
.

C apitals o f t he A nci e nt E a st e r n World can be

re m e mb ere d by m e ans o f t he D iagrams and
I nitialisi ng b elow .
 M A P S A N D P L A NS 1 7-
1

D iagram ( Sahara)

D iagram X I I I .

x1v
“

.
(s
1 72 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

l o o k at t he M ap o f England , and the n

L a s tly ,
lo o k at th e s e m e ans o f re m e m b e ri ng it , and se e
b el o w as w e ll Th e re are at l e ast t en o th e r w ays
.

w hich w o uld be e qually go o d ; fo r a list o f thi ngs

which are s o fa m iliar t o eve ry o ne that th ey fo rm

e asy s t a rti ng p o i nt s fo r th es e
- rou gh o utli ne s , see
t he e nd o f t h e S ectio n .

Diagr a m XV . D i ag ram XV I .

will say that this is ve ry i naccurate

You So .

it is ; but M aps th e m selve s are i naccurat e ; no

M ap has ever y et abs o lute ly reproduc e d t he e xact
c o ast li ne : w e have t o be co nte nt with s o m ethi ng
-

ne ar to t he truth ; w e m ust get a gene ral impre ssio n

o f t h e wh o l e b e fo re w e b e gi n to s tudy any o ne part ,

and the n o f co urse e ach part can aft erwards be

studi e d by its el f .

Th e I nitialisi ng Syst em c o m e s ne xt in i m porta nc e

-

afte r this R o ugh O utli ne S yste m

- -
.

The chi e f Ea st er n C apitals and C ou ntri e s in old

ti m es might be re m e mb ere d by t he I nitials , P S , . .

NB ,E S P
. . . See D ia grams XVI I XV I I I X IX
. . . . .
 M A P S A ND P L A N S 1 73

D i agr am XVII .

v
ne eh

‘
Ecbalene
°
Suse

Persepoli s

D iagram XVIII .

Susp
ELAM
PERSIS
Persepolis

D i ag ram X IX .

The i nitial s of t he di ffere nt L a nguages spok e n in

the No rth o f t h e M e dit e rra ne a n na m e ly C e ltic ,
, ,

Italic , Gree k , A r m e nian, and A ryan, w ill for m t he

wo rd Ciga r The i nitials o f t he three Gree k Tribe s ,
.

A eo lic , I o nic , D o ric , w ill form t he word A id ( s ee

D iagra m In D iagram XX I w e see th es e .

G r ee k Trib es in G re e c e pro p er : t he figure 5 give s

I 74 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

a rough id e a o f t he shap e of t he East coast of

’
Gree c e pro p er .

D iagr am XX . D i agram

Nam e s , ve n ridicul o us na m es, are b ette r tha n

e

no thi ng : fo r i nsta nc e b , a , c , a , l , m , a ( see ab o v e) .

The u se of absurditi e s and of even t he fee bl est j o k es

is by no m ea ns t o b e o v e rlook ed ; I c o nsid er so m e o f
P ro fe ss o r S to k e s pu ns t o be so abs o lut e ly silly , that
’

t h ey are a m o ng t h e b est aids t o m e m o ry that can

p o s s ibly be i m agi ned : th ere are m a ny who c an

nev e r fo rge t t he very w orst pu ns .

R hy m e s a nd R hyth ms are als o extraordi narily

go od fo r fixi ng l o ng lists of nam es in t he m e mory :
C a no n F arrar has an art of stri ngi ng t o geth er such
lists , so that t he s w i ng of t he rhythm h elps the
w o rd s th e m se lve s t o cli ng to t he mi nd .

L is t o f use ul f S t arti ng p o i nt s fo r M ap s
-

and P l ans .

The A lpha b e t fo rms a ve ry go o d starti ng poi nt -

t he capital l ett er s, t he small l e tt ers , and Gr eek

Fo r a list o f useful hel ps fo r the Eye M em ory, see belo w

-
.
 M A P S A N D P L A NS 1 75

l ett ers , e ith e r s e par at ely o r c o m bi ned , will give a

great nu m b e r o f shap es .

S traight li nes a nd curv e d li ne s, gene rally sp eak

ing, are also o f assista nc e ( D iagram I , . A lma
Tad e ma s draw i ng o f a pig, c o mpose d o f straight
’

li nes , will form a ve ry good e xam pl e ( D iagram

Vari o us figu re s, such as t he circl e, t he oval , t he
triangl e, and t he cro ss and co m bi natio ns of th es e,
,

also a ffo rd go o d starti ng p o i nts ; pictures o f m en

-

and wo m e n in vari o us p o siti o ns and o f vari o us siz e s

,

upsid e dow n o r in pro fil e, will he lp as w ell ; and

D iagram No X I might h e lp t o impress up o n t he
. .

’
mind s eye the general shap e o f Engla nd . S ee
page 1 6 9 .

P arts of m en, such a s t he fo o t or leg, t he hand

( D iagram t he fa c e , t he a rm , a nd t h e hats o r

umbrellas o f p eo pl e ,t he vari o us nu m b e rs such as t he

,

numb er 5 ( above) , and th e ir c o m bi nati o ns , all th es e

may b e utilis ed .

Thi nk agai n o f all t h e thi ngs i nsid e a hous e,

thi ngs which o ne k no ws by sight as well as po ssibl e,
candl e sticks , la m ps , basi ns , j ugs , cups , spo o ns, sugar
to ngs , glass b o ttl e s , brushe s , chairs and so fas , et c ;
, .

or thi nk of t he thi ngs in a stree t, such as carts,

lamp posts , and ho use s ; o r o f t he various im ple
-

m ents in ga m e s, e g bats and rack e ts ; thi nk o f tr ees

. .

and th e ir vario us parts , fo r e xa m pl e th eir l eave s .

Thes e affo rd endl e s s vari e t y , and th ere is practic

ally no M ap o r Pla n which m ight no t be r em emb ered ,
1 76 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

if c e rtai n thi ngs from t he ab o ve lists were arrange d

a nd combi ne d in t he right o rd e r.

Wh en once t he ro ugh ou tline has been thus

i m pressed upo n t he m e m o ry , t he various nam e s and
parts c an easily b e add e d a nd se cured by m ea ns o f
R hym e s or L i nks , o r by m e a ns o f som e of t he oth e r
S yst em s.
SEC TI O N X XXV I . NUM BERS AND DA TES .

O NE of t he great di ffi cultie s in rem e m b eri ng numb e rs

and date s is t he di fficulty o f worki ng backward s we
m ay be abl e to re m e mb er t h e dat e o f an eve nt , but
it is no t so e asy , wh e n w e have t he date itself, t o be
abl e to re m em b er w hat was t h e event b el o ngi ng t o
that date This s ee ms t o m e a gr e at we ak ness o f
.

m o st o f t he M e mory Syste m s : w e need a pro c e ss by

-

which w e can w o rk e qually we ll fro m t he dat e t o

t he ev e nt , or from t he e vent t o t he dat e .

A s t o t he valu e o f nu m b e rs , w e o fte n wi s h t o
re m em b er t he nu m b ers o f cabs a nd h o u ses , o f
dista nc e s, o f tim e s, and als o variou s l arge numb e rs
fo r various purp o s e s . The di ffe r e nt c o i nages o f
di ffe re nt cou ntri e s give a noth e r i nstanc e of whe re it
wo uld b e us e ful t o r e m em b er nu m b ers .

D at es, if the y are pr o p erly ch o s en and pr o p e rly

us ed , also have th e ir valu e Th ey form a ki nd o f
.

fra m e work o r scaffo ldi ng : th ey S how us wh ethe r

cha nges , such as p o litical change s , were quick o r
slo w ; th ey t e ll what was happ eni ng in o th e r
cou ntri es at th e sa m e ti m e . I gra nt that m o st
of t he dates which are l e ar nt at sch o o l s are ab
so lu t e ly us e l e ss , but that h as no thi ng t o d o with m e ;

all that I try to d o is t o sh o w yo u ho w yo u m ay

12
l 7s H O W TO R E M E M B E R

l ea rn a date, assu m ing that you have som e reaso n

for l earni ng it .

I nee d no t re p e at th e vari o us helps which I have

suggeste d in Se c t i o ns V I fo ll , e g co nc entrated
. . . .

atte ntio n and i nt e res t in t he subj e ct , and a col

le ction o f t he date s o r nu m b e rs the m se lves All .

this I will suppo se t o h a ve b ee n already att end ed

to .

With dates a nd u b e rs , as wi t h M aps and

n m

Pla ns , t h e first thi ng t o d o is t o r ej e ct what ever is

u nnecessary : j ust a s y o u s h o ul d l e ar n t he fe w est
p o ssibl e na m e s o n any give n M ap, so you should
l e ar n t he fe west p o ss ibl e d at e s in any give n H istory .

A gai n, yo u c an o m i t t h e c enturie s , if you k no w th em

( c p It happ ene d in 8 4 o r y o u c an o m it th e last

‘
.

figure o f a dat e if it is no t i m portant In very e arly

.

dates t he e xact figur e is s eld o m of t he slightest

co ns equ enc e . U nfo rtu nat e ly , S choo l mast ers and
Exam i ne rs thi nk oth e rwis e ( if the y e ver thi nk abo ut
it at all ) , and , as l o ng as th e y e xp ect exact dates
to b e give n, so long w ill th o s e who are e xamined
have to l e ar n e xact dat e s S ch o o lboys have no idea
.

ho w ma ny cause s th e y have fo r strik e s S ch o o ls

‘ ’
.

are still go ve r ne d o n t h e d e sp o t ic pri ncipl e .B ut

fo r p ractical purpos es w e m ay safely say : O m it as
much as yo u c an .
’

The next p o i nt o f i m p o rta nc e is t o arra nge yo u r

d at es and t o e mph as i se t h e m , m arki ng great dat es
in thick typ e, and m a rki ng trivial dates e ith er by
 N UM B E R S A N D D A TE S 1 79

ti ny figures, o r by putti ng the m in s o m e po s iti o n

whe re they will no t b e notic ed .

’
D o n t be afraid t o alt e r a few y e ar s , if ( c p X IV )
. .

by this m eans yo u c an ge t a c o nve ni e nt way o f

r e m e mb eri ng t he nu m b ers We have s ee n that this
.

sam e Syste m can be appli e d to M ap s a ls o .

The ne xt m e th o d o f l e ar ni ng dat es is t o get t h e

sight of t he dat e i nto o ne s m i nd s eye, o r t o ge t t he
’ ’

sou nd of t he date i nt o o ne s mi nd s e ar, if t h e e x

’ ’

pressio n m ay b e pard o ned ; y o u m ust ge t a go o d

‘
i m pressio n o f t he l o o k o f t he figur es or the sou nd
o f t he numbers .

C o mpariso ns may b e of s o m e u se , as t he dat e

5 0 9 in Greek and R o ma n H ist o ry ( t he R e public
begi ns at R o m e, and C l e isth enes D e m o cratic re
’

form s at A th ens) : 1 0 6 6 was t h e date o f C odrus

at A thens and o f Willia m t h e C o nqu ero r in Engl a nd ,

though o ne, o f co urs e , was B C and t h e o th e r A D
. . . .

C o ntrasts occa s i o nally are u s e ful , as w e se e with

t he dat e s 4 94 a nd 4 4 9 .

R ep etiti o n nee d no t d e tai n us h e re , but it may b e

as we ll t o no tice that y o u c an r e p e at e ith er t he
s o u nd o f a dat e, by liste ni ng t o y o urse l f o r t o,

som e o ne else , o r t o a P h o no graph , o r e lse t he sight

o f a date — a m e th o d which suits s o m e p eo pl e b e tt e r

than o th e rs
.

A us eful pla n is t o writ e t he date s in large figure s

acro ss picture s o f t he ev e nt s A no th e r plan, which
.

is a re p etiti o n b o th for t h e ear and fo r t he eye , is t o

1 80 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

write out t he numb e rs agai n and agai n, sayi ng the m

to o ne s s e lf e ach tim e
’
.

With regard t o t h e o bservatio n of useful poi nts ,

that also m ay be ve ry he lpful , as w e see in the c as e
o f t he K i ngs and Q u e e ns o f Engla nd ( above) : t he

B attle o f I ssus, w i t h its three 5 5 , h as an easy date,

viz.
333 . So m e o f t h e se use ful poi nts ( such as
numb e rs of cabs like 1 3 5 7 , 1 2 4 8 ) o ne notice s at t he

tim e as very e as y to re m e m be r, but aft erwards all

that o ne does re m e m b e r is that th ere was som ethi ng
convenient about th e numbe rs Th ese obs erved
.

poi nts are apt to b e fo rgo tt e n wh en the critical

’

mom ent co m es .

O f t he L i nk S y s te m
‘
and of t he L ocalisi ng
’
-

Syst e m w e shall sp eak be l o w .

The S ubstituti o n S yst e m is t he commo nest of

‘ ’
-

all , though it nee d s lo ng prac t ice and preparatio n

b eforehand Th e pri ncipl e o f it ( see XXVI ) is
. .

that each numb e r has o ne or m o re consonants cor

respondi ng to it : fo r i nstanc e , 2 has T, D , and TH
corresp o ndi ng t o it, as w e saw ; and 6 has the
l ette rs S , S H , J , C H , G Th e s e corre spo nd enc es
.

must b e thoroughly m aste re d , so that d irectly o ne

s ee s the le tte r T o ne thi nks o f 2 , and 2 in its turn
calls up t he le tte r T .

This , agai n, is a go o d thi ng to thi nk o f in idl e

mom ents .

H avi ng tak en a given numb e r, and havi ng fou nd

t he l ett e r corresp o ndi ng t o e ach nu m b er , all that you
 N UM B E R S A N D D A TE S 18 1

have to do is t o fo rm th e se l ett e rs i nto a word o r

wo rds by s upplyi ng t he vowe ls y o u nee d . I f yo u
c an possibly fo rm words w hich a re c o nne ct e d wi t h

t he ev ent , e tc , so m uch t he b e t te r ; as I p o i nt e d
.

o ut above, C H A RL ES D A R W I N a nd t he w o rd

S Pec ies, which give s t he d ate ( I 8 ) 0 9 , is an id e al

i nstance .

S o m e prefe r t o form th e s e co nso na nts i nto se n

t ences, maki ng e ach wo rd in t he se nt e nc e b e gi n with

a cons o nant which represents the nu m be r of t he

date ; c p S ecti o n V
. .

If you canno t thi nk of a word connecte d w ith t he

id e a, the n yo u have t o li nk t h e wo rd a nd t he id e a
togethe r in s o m e way or oth e r ( see XX I I I ) ; t h e
fo rmation of new words by alte ri ng t h e endi ng o f
the w o rd its e l f ( se e XXVI ) may als o be o f u se
.

occasio nally .

A s econd S ubstitutio n Syst e m can o nly be em

-

ploye d rare ly : t h e pri ncipl e o f it is t hat all t he

numb ers up to I O have di ffe re nt endi ngs , so th a t ,

i nste ad of putti ng t he nu m b ers the mse lv es , y o u can

put sy lla bles w hich rhy m e w ith them , and fo r m th ese
syllabl e s i nto w o rds A c ertai n am o u nt o f free d o m
.

can b e all o we d A c o upl e o f i ns t anc e s will be

.

su ffici ent : supp o s i ng that m y c ab t o K i ng s C ross

’

was 2 I 8 4 , th en t he wo rds , D o run G r eat No r( t h ern)

would rhym e with th e se numb e rs Tarqui n s date
.
’

was 5 1 0 ( five o ne naught ) , and t he words P r ide a nd

H a ugh( t iness) w o uld give a near e nough res e m bla nc e .
182 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

followi ng A lge braical fo rmula for P rogressio ns

Th e
m ay also be suggest ed as an i nstanc e of t he sam e
gene ral sou nds b ei ng use d : {2 a + ( n m ight
be D ouay do es n t find us ( Tw o a plus n m i nus
’

The word bea ut if u l w o ul d b e quite e nough

t o suggest t he numb e r 2 34 B ut , as I say , there
.

a re no t ma ny cas es wh e re this S yste m is of any

us e .

The for Tim e S yst e m , as it is call e d , is

S pac e
‘ ’

no t o ne to be negl e cte d S pac e app eals t o t he

.

eye, and a lar ge i nterval m ay be repre sented by

a large space P rofe ss o r S to k es plan of a circl e ,
.
’

m ark e d o ff i nto spac e s o f 1 0 years, has much to be

said fo r it : I refer to his b o o k for t he Syste m itsel f .

A gai n, lo ng spac e s of tim e c an be repr es ent ed by

large numb ers in large typ e , and small er spac es by
s m all er nu m b ers in s m all typ e Wh en a number o f .

e vents are cramm e d i nto a si ngl e ye ar , t he e ve nts

can b e in small e r typ e ; a nd th e re are m any o th e r

ways in which space c an b e substitut ed for tim e .

In t he history of L anguage , ma ny words no w

d enoti ng tim e origi nally d e no t e d space ( e g L ati n . .

u bi wh er e and wh e n ‘

The R hym e Syste m is a ve ry old o ne fo r numb ers

-
.

The b est k nown e xa m pl e is t he English H i s t o ry

R hy m e b eginni ng, I n 4 3 a R om an host F rom Ga ul
assa iled ou r S ou thern
’
coas t .

U nd e r R hym e m ay be i nclud ed jingl es , such as

th e date of Philip s C o nqu e st o f M e tho ne ( M et h Oné,
’
 N UM B E RS A N D D A TE S 1 83

three five thr ee) ; t he dange r o f this is that t h e

ji ngl e is apt t o re m ai n in t he mi nd with o ut any
id e as , but the re is no r e as o n why it sh o uld b e so , if
t he facts are pr o p erly r e ali se d fir s t
. Th e re is no
d o ubt th at , by m e a ns o f R hy m e s , date s can be
re m e mb ere d by m o s t p eo ple far m o re quickly a nd
far m o r e th o ro ughly than by any o th er m et h o d .

I wo uld no t sugge st th at t h e sa m e m eth o d s h o uld

be always us e d : rath e r let t h e m e t h o d s b e vari e d
and , in cas e o f any nu m b er o f gr e at imp o rta nc e , let

th em b e co m bi ne d.

L e t m e r ep e at that, wi t h any S y s te m , a nd with

t he D a te Syste m s e sp e ci ally , it is ne ce ss ary t o go
-

thro ugh s o m e t edi o us appre ntic es hip if o ne w i s h e s

,

to succee d in th e e nd : no re al h elp can be go t fr o m

th e S yst e m s wi t h o ut a good d e al of lab o ri o us wo rk

by way o f pr eparation .
S EC TI O N XXXVII . ENGAGEM ENTS, ETC .

O NC E aga in, I will as s um e that yo u have c o ll e cte d

and se l e c t e d all t he pro p e r H e adi ngs , t h e m o r ni ng o f

c o urs e b e i ng t h e b est t im e fo r this wo rk : I will

assu m e, al s o , t h a t yo u have arrange d th e m in t he
’
pro per o rd e r The ne xt thi ng t o d o is to re alise
.
‘

t h e m , and y o u c a n r e alis e th e m e ith e r by m e ans o f

t he eye o r by m e a ns o f t he ear .

S o m e p eo pl e find it a gre at he lp to act in

i m a gi nati o n what eve r th ey hav e t o d o duri ng the
day If th ey have t o call at No 7 , which has a
. .

gree n d o o r , th e n th ey i m agine th e mse lve s go i ng up

t o No 7 and s e ei ng t he green d o o r
. O th ers may
.

b e h e lp ed by drawi ng a picture o f No 7 ; o th e rs by .

sayi ng to th e m s e lve s, o nce o r twic e, I have t o call

at No 7 o t h e rs by writi ng it d o w n
. .

Th e L o calisi ng S y ste m is suggest e d by P ro

‘ ’
-

fesso r S t o k e s ; a n i nstanc e might b e t he foll o wi ng .

If y o u h av e t o p ay a n i m port a nt call at 3 o cl o ck ,
’

a nd y o u k no w th at at 3 o cl o ck y o u will see a c e rtai n

’

thi ng, fo r i ns t anc e a b o o k o n y o ur sh e lf, o r t he fac e

o f s o m e p a rticular p e r so n : i m agi ne no w that o n thi s

b o o k o r o n thi s fac e th e re is w ritt e n t he wo rd

C all ; th en, wh en yo u see this b o o k o r thi s fac e at
’

3 o clock ,yo u will i m m e di a tely be re mi nd e d that yo u

’

1 84
 E N C A GE M E N TS , E TC . 185

have t o go and pay a call , the gr ea t re quis it e b e i ng

to ch o o se so m e thi ng which y o u are c ertai n t o re
m e m b e r at t h e ti m e , and t o this thi ng t o attach t he
id e a which y o u want to re m e m b e r o f c o urse t he
two may be at t ache d toge th er by t he L i nk Sys t e m -

The pri ncipl e is s o m ewhat t h e s am e wh en a m an,

w ho is in t he h a bit o f l e avi ng his u m bre ll a at d i ffe r e nt

h o us e s , ad o pts t he plan o f putti ng his u m brell a i nto

his hat o r fixi ng his hat o n t he to p o f his umbrella
in t he hall , b e caus e h e k nows that wh e n he go e s o u t
he will be b o u nd to tak e his hat , and t o t he hat will
be attach e d t he u m bre lla .

O ne gentl em an, wh enever he travell e d by o m nibu s ,

use d to rest his u m brella agai nst his leg ; wh e n he
go t up to go he was re m i nd e d o f his umbr ella by
its fall ; a k no t in t he ha ndk erch i e f is no t a re liabl e
m e ans , u nl e ss, pe rhaps , o ne has a co ld .

Fo r my o w n part , I have fo u nd I nitialisi ng ( se e

XXVI I ) t he b est h e lp fo r re m em b e ri ng e ngage m e nt s
. .

R hym e s als o I hav e s o m et i m e s us e d , a nd allit era

ti o n als o ; and , wh ere t he m atte r has b ee n a trivia l
o ne , I have re s o rt e d t o No t e b o oks and M e m ora ndum
-

cards Fo r this help , see Secti o n X L

. .
S EC TI O N XXXV III . TH E LEARNING O P
P OETRY .

WH EN I was about ye ars old , I k ne w Gray s

10
’

El e gy by ( what th ey curi o usly call ) h eart : th e re

w as r eally no h e art in it— I k new t he sou nd per

fec t ly , but scarc ely had a no tio n of the s ens e . It

did very littl e good ; a nd y et most po et ry that is
l e arnt is l e arnt in t he s a m e poll parrot o r Phono -

graph fas hio n I only o ffe r h e re a fe w sugge sti o ns

.

which may h elp to kee p the le ar ner from m aking

t he sam e mistak e that I did .

S upposi ng that a l e arne r has s ecu re d good c o ndi

ti o ns fo r l e ar ni ng, that he has co nce nt rate d his
att enti o n, and that h e h as go t som e i nt erest in t h e
wo rk , he may find it us efu l t o proc eed as fo ll o w s
F irst of all let him analys e t h e pi ec e o f p o e try
so as t o get hold of t he id e a o r id e as o f it le t th e s e
id e as be express ed as H e a di ngs Pe rhaps he m ay .

lik e t o u nd e rli ne t he H e adi ng words in p e ncil in

-

t h e P o etry its el f. Th e n let him work out t he co n

ne x io n b etwee n t h e vari o u s H e adi ngs : le t h im see,

fo r i nsta nc e , how o ne id e a is co nnecte d with a noth er

as caus e and e ffe ct .

Eve n y et it is no t tim e t o be gi n t o thi nk o f t he

P o etry its elf
. B esid e s e m phasisi ng and marki ng t he
i m p o rtant ide as , he must ge t a gener al id e a o f the
1 86
 TH E L EA RNIN G OF P OE TR Y 1 87

whol e piec e Th en let him tak e e ach part and

.

analys e it : t he qu estio ns which I suggest ed ab o ve

will be fou nd us eful h e r e .

R epetition is t he next ste p , o nly it must neve r

be rep e titio n m e rely of t he sou nds o f t he wo rd s ,
or o f the s ight of the words : both th e s e ki nds o f
rep etitio n are d egradi ng Y o u m ay, it is tru e, write
.

down afresh t he words th e ms elves ,but you m ust thi nk

o f th e m no t as word s, but as id e as : no m att er h o w

s lowly you hav e to write , you must realis e e ach

s ent ence, as you see it or re ad it .

Fo r my o w n part, I have always fo u nd it b est t o

say the P oetry o ut loud , or out loud to mys e lf ’
.

It is t he gre at est m istak e to t ry to l ear n t he

wh ole pi ece at o nc e : a si ngl e stanz a at a tim e, o r
even a si ngle s ent ence, is quit e su ffici e nt.

A fter th o ro u ghly maste ri ng o ne part , do no t go

straight o n t o the next : first o f all r ead thro ugh
w hat you have alre ady d o ne, th en mast er t he s ec o nd

part thoroughly ; b efore you tak e t he third part ,

go through th e first and s eco nd parts , and so o n ;
by the tim e you com e t o t he t enth part , if th e re is
o ne , t he first fe w parts will hav e alr eady b een l e ar nt

( see XX L) ; o nly let me e mphasis e t he i m po rtanc e o f

neve r att endi ng to t he sight or to t he sou nd o f t he

P o et ry , but always to t he id e as it may see m stra nge ,

and it may no t b e a u niv e rsal rul e , but at l e ast it

is a general rul e that by this m e a ns you not o nly

acquire the s e ns e of t he P o etry , but it also cli ngs
1 88 HO W TO RE M E M B E R

in yo ur m i nd as a s eri es o f s o u nds as well ; in o th e r

w o rd s , y o u have l e ar nt t h e s o u nds , witho ut havi ng

l e ar nt th e m as so u nd s at all At i nte rval s yo u

.

s h o uld r e p e at fr o m m e m o ry a nd t e st y o ur acquisi

tio ns , no tici ng wh ere you fail , and stre ngth e ni ng t he

w eak p o i nts .

In conne cti ng t he vari o us H e adi ngs togethe r , so

t hat aft e r o ne part y o u m ay pas s o n e asily t o t he

next , y o u m ay e ith e r o bs erv e u s e ful p o i nts ( see

XX I I ) o r y o u m ay li nk t he H e ad i ngs togeth er
.
‘ ’

or l i nk t he last w o rd of o ne part with

‘ ’

t h e first w o rd o f t he next .

B arter s ugge sts t he syste m o f L ocalisi ng ( see

XX IV ) t h e id e as which are t o be re m e m b ere d
. .

I nitiali s i ng ( XXVI I ) m ay als o be used to h e lp

’
.

y o u t o rem e m b e r t he H e adi ngs .

M usic m ay possibly b e a gr e at h e lp .

L a s t o f all , I might sugge st that y o u should try

t o write P o e try fo r y o ur s e l f, or rath er , I sho uld say ,

t o writ e R hym es It is e asi er to b egi n by tur ni ng

.

s o m e o ne e ls e s P ro s e i nto P o etry , o r, c o nvers ely,

’

y o u m ight paraphras e and tur n P o e try i nt o P ro s e .

A go o d ti m e fo r t hi s is a rail w ay — j o ur ney , and

no t a bad ti m e is wh e n y o u are ge t ti ng up o r go i ng

to bed , but ab o ve all , if t he P o e try is re ally P oe try ,

do n t t ro ubl e ab o ut t he s o u nd o r t he sight of t he
’

words , but r ealise the ideas I b eli eve that by doi ng

.

this t he l e arner w ill , in m ost cases , be l e ar ni ng t he

Po etry its e lf as well .
S EC TI O N XXXI X . P RACTI CE, AND H OW TO
PRA CTISE.

A GO O D d eal o n th e subj ect of practic e has already

b een suggest ed in t he different Se cti o ns a nd u nde r
t he di ffe r e nt S yst e ms , so h e r e I shall c o nfi ne m y se l f

t o gene ral advic e, and I shall try t o p o i nt o ut how

o ne ought to practi se , w hen o ne o ught t o practi se ,

w her e o ne o ught t o practis e ; and also w hy o ne

o ught to practise .

F irs t o f all , as to t h e qu estio n o f how t o practi se

it will i nvo lve a good d e a l o f drudgery at t he
b egi nni ng, b ecaus e , as in e very ne w e m pl o y m ent ,
the i niti a l steps are al w ays apt t o b e di fficult . In
tryi ng ne w e x ercise s , in t he s a m e w ay , w e find an
awk w ard ne s s and clu m si ne s s at first , b e caus e fr esh
m uscl e s a nd fresh c o m bi nati o ns o f m uscl e s hav e t o
be u sed . It is an al m o st u nive rsal rul e th at t h e
m o re c o rr ectly and s l o w ly and grad ually o ne pro

gresses at t h e o ut s et , t h e fast e r and b ett e r o ne w ill

be a bl e t o d o t h e thi ng its e l f e ve ntually.

I hav e a lre ady mad e it cl e ar that , wh e never o ne

wish es t o l e ar n and t o r e m e m b e r anythi ng,o ne sh o uld
first o f all concentra te one s a ttention o n that ,no t all o w
’

ing t he att e ntion t o b e di s tra cte d by a ny t hi ng el se .

I po i nte d o ut that it w as hard t o d o thi s u nl e s s t he

1 91
1 92 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

subj ect had its inter est I th en went o n to

say that with ne arly all subj e cts it was nec essary to
collect t he H eadi ngs , to select th e m , and to arrange
’
the m , and then t o b e sure t o realise e ach H eadi ng
thoroughly , usually by picturi ng th e id e a as an actual
scene ,by imagi ni ng s o m e o ne d o i ng som ethi ng The
‘ ’
.

m o r e i m porta nt a subj e ct is , t h e m ore thoro ughly must

e ach H eadi ng be re alis e d .

Th en com es t he wo rk o f re p etition, which ( see

XX I ) has a gre at m any di ffe rent m e ani ngs : but
.

t he chi e f thi ng t o no tic e ab o ut r ep etitio n is that

e ach H e adi ng must b e m ast e r e d by its e lf b efore t he

next H eadi ng is attack e d , and that th en, when t he

s eco nd H e adi ng has b ee n m aste re d, the first and the

s econd should be rep e at ed b e fore the third is attack ed ,
and so o n .

A fter this I cam e t o t h e actual M e mo ry Syst ems ,

-

which I suggested ce rtai n ways o f practisi ng ; and

h ere I must add that you should b egi n by pract is
ing u nd e r th e si m pl e s t t h e e asi e st , and t h e b est
,

possibl e co nditio ns , and w hen it does not matter

ve ry m uch wheth er you s ucc ee d or fail . A fter
you have thus acquire d skill at som e o ne system ,
th en it m ay be as we ll t o put that syst em to t he
t est in vari o us thi ngs o f s o m e i m portanc e The .

Ex ercise s which will b e b est fo r yo u will be those

which you mak e up fo r yo ursel f ; for i nsta nc e, if yo u
wish to p ractise t he L i nk S yste m
‘
-
’
tak e
t he nam e of som e o ne you k no w , and his addr e ss ,and
 P RA C TI CE, AN D H O W TO P R A CTI S E 1 93

‘
li nk th ese two toge the r . O r tak e the nam e o f
so m e o ne you k now, a nd som e p e culiarity in th e

app earance o f that p ers o n, such as re d hair , and

‘ ’

’
then link those t w o t o ge th e r D o no t be afraid
‘
.

of sp endi ng a littl e ti m e o n th ese Ex ercis es : do the m

ve ry slo w ly and carefully .

A gai n, if you wish t o practis e the m e mory of t he

ey e ( cp . notice a hous e : th en look away fro m

it , o r shut your eye s and try t o reproduc e it in your

m ind s eye, or els e t ry t o draw it o n pap e r A ft er
’
.

wa rds look at the h o us e, correct your att e mpt, and

th en try again .

The great advantage o f this ki nd of practic e is

that it is possibl e anyw h e re and eve rywh ere .

As to w hen to practise , th e re are thousands o f

o ccasi o ns, in fact , o ne m ight say that almost any

m o m e nt at which o ne is no t d o i ng anythi ng particular

can be use d for practic e— fo r i nstanc e, whil e o ne is

dre ssi ng, or trave lling, o r walking, or waiti ng ; and

it m ay be as we ll t o k ee p no te s of one s experi’

enc es ( see so as to see ho w much o ne is

i m proving .

The qu e stion o f how long o ne ought to practi se

is ve ry e asy to answe r O ne o ught o ften t o practise
.

till o ne s attentio n b e gi ns t o wand er ; it will th en be

’

tim e eithe r for a r e st, o r el se fo r a change o f t h e

subj ect o r of the m e thod o f tre ating it .

A s to w her e to prac t is e, this qu e stio n has bee n

already practically answe re d , when I suggeste d th e
13
1 94 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

t i m es fo r practi s i ng : trains, buse s , waiti ng ro o m s

’
-

will be a m o ng t h e plac es that are m o s t o bvi o us .

L a st o f all , as t o w hy o ne sh o uld practis e b efo re

hand It is qui t e nece ssary t o prac t is e, b ecau s e oth er
.

wise, wh en yo u c o m e t o d o anyt hi ng o f i m p o r t anc e,

y o u w ill find t hat y o u d o it sl o w ly , o r eve n that y o u fail
a lt o g e th e r . O f c o urs e y o u will fail ve ry o ft en duri ng
prac t ice, but th a t is m uch b e tte r than t he failure
w hil e y o u a re d o i ng t h e t hi ng it se l f, fo r h e re succ e ss

o r t h e re v e rs e m ay m e a n a gre at d e al . To tak e an
i nstance — it is m uch b e tte r t o fail whil e yo u are
practis i ng in a trai n, t h an whil e y o u are actually
a ns we ri ng t he qu esti o n in t he Ex a m i na ti o n, o n
which a gre at d e al o f yo ur future m ay d e p e nd . It
is pro b ably b ec a use o f c o nstant prac t ice t hat pro
fessio nals are u s ually so much b e tte r th an a m at e urs
at G a m e s . I t is no t that t he a m at e ur d o es no t
m ak e brilli a nt str o k e s o cc a si o nally , but that he do es
no t m ak e c ertai n o f t he s i m pl e r s t r o k e s : whe re as t he

pro fess i o na l d o e s H e h as practi se d th e m so o ft en

.

b efo re hand , that h e succeeds in the m al m o st as

i nfallibly as an aut o m atic m achi ne .

Y o u m u st have o ft e n no tic e d t h a t s o m ethi ng that

y o u d o ve ry e as ily no w , and which y o u d o a l m o st

i nst i nctive ly and u nc o nsci o usly, w as o nc e a v e ry great
e ffo r t and d e m and e d y o ur w h o l e a t t e nt i o n ; and e ve n

t h en it had t o b e d o ne v e ry sl o w ly, and m istak e s

w e re fre qu ent : in t h e i nitial s tage s y o ur worki ng was

very clu m sy L ater o n,yo u l e arnt by y o ur failur es as

.
 P R A C TI CE , A ND HO W TO P R A C TI SE 1 95

we ll as by yo ur s ucce ss e s ,and a ft e r c o nstant rep etiti o n

t he pr o c e ss e s b e ca m e e asi er a nd e a s i e r : th ey nee d e d

l e ss att e ntion, and c o uld be c a rri e d o ut m o re and m o re

quickly ev e ry day Th en p e rhaps it b e c a m e al m o s t
.

u nco nsci o u s , s o m e w hat as in playi ng t he P i ano o ne

m ay be al m ost u nc o nsci o us th a t o ne is playi ng rightly ,

u nt il o ne s t o ps d o i ng so , e g by playi ng a wr o ng
. .

no t e ; in o the r w o rd s , y o u are u nc o nsci o us o f any

effo rt : y o u are al m o s t u nc o nsci o us o f d o i ng t h e

thi ng at a ll, u ntil y o u m a k e a m i st a k e ; t he fi nal
s tage is that t h e w h o l e thi ng is d o ne practically

u nc o nsci o usly o r, ra t h er, sub c o nsci o u s ly

-
.

Y o u c an apply this t o v a ri o u s e x a m pl es , such as

fe nci ng o r bicycli ng . Whe n y o u h ave re ache d this
s tage, y o u h a ve s ucc ee d e d in ha ndi ng o ve r as it w e r e ,

to a s e rv a nt , a pi ec e o f w o rk w hich b e fo r e y o u had

t o d o fo r y o ur sel f w i t h an e ffo rt o f w ill Y o u can

.

no w trust thi s serva nt o f y o urs t o d o it quit e righ t ,

whil e yo u d ev o te yo ur se l f t o s o m e thing high e r, t o

s o m ethi ng, that is t o say w hich w ill e x e rcise t h e
,

high e r p o we rs and faculti e s, s uch a s t h o se o f rea s o n

and i nfe re nc e .

In c o nclu s i o n let m e e xp o se t he fallacy t h at

P r a c t ic e m ak es p e r fe ct I t is tru e th a t p e r fe cti o n
’
‘
.

canno t c o m e w ithou t pr ac t ice , but t he practice

m ust be o f t he right ki nd a nd m u st be d o ne ,

in t h e right way . A t firs t y o u m u st practis e o ne

m et h o d o r S y st e m at a ti m e , care fully and s l o wly,
wh e n the result is u ni m portant and wh en t he c o ndi
1 96 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

ti o ns are easy ; and th e n, a ft e r fre que nt re p e titi o n,

y o u will be abl e t o d o t he thi ng m o r e rapidly , a nd
wi t h l e ss e ffo rt , and w i t h gr eat e r succ ess , where
th e c o ndi t i o ns a re hard e r and succ ess or failure
o f i m port anc e
.

F o r it is e ss ent ial to ge t y o ur m e chanical w o rk

as p e r fe ct as p o ss ibl e and t o ge t y o ur failures o ve r ,
,

be fo re y o u hav e t o tes t y our skill o n any critic al

o cca s i o n
.
S EC TI O N XL . GENERAL HI NTS AND H ELPS .

I WI LL t ak e it fo r grant ed that yo u have d o ne what

yo u could t o i nsure go od h e alth and t h e b e st co n
d it io ns ( see y o u sh o uld no w pr a c t i se all t he
m et h o d s and t he S yst e m s , a nd give e ach a fair trial .

Thi s m e ans c o nc ent rati ng y o ur atte nti o n o n o ne par

t ic ular m e th o d o r S yst em at a ti m e , and ge tti ng

i nt ere st in t hat m eth o d , e i t h er b ec a u se it w ill b e an

advantage t o yo u t o i m pro v e yo ur m e m o ry fo r so m e
particular purp o se , o r e ls e b e cause t he m etho d i t s e l f
has so m e i ntere st F o r exa m pl e , try t o get at t he
.

re aso ns fo r th e se S yste m s, aski ng y o ur se l f w hat it is

t h a t childr en m o s t e a s ily r e m e m b er
. O r agai n, s tudy
ho w L a nguage is m ad e and change d ( see
Whil e yo u are tryi ng a ny part icular S yst e m k eep ,

reco rds o f y o ur pro gr es s in re spe ct o f facility and

rapidi ty and p er m anence o r re liability .

Then, whe n you h av e give n a fa ir trial t o all ,

ch o o se which eve r m eth o ds o r Syste m s are m o st s uit
abl e t o y o u indiv id ually Y o u will find that it is quit e
.

w o rth w hil e t o s p e nd s o m e c o nsid e rabl e ti m e in

t e sti ng and ch o o sing, so t hat yo u m ay m ak e quit e

sure that so m e m e th o d o r Syst e m will no t suit yo u,
b efo re y o u d e cide to rej e ct it alt o get he r .

Th e w ay not to try t h e s e Sy s t em s is to rush

thr o ugh t h e b o o k , and t h e n t o try the m casually o n
1 97
1 98 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

a few i nstanc e s tak e n at rand o m Y o u cannot

.

prop erly judge o f t h e m e rits a nd d em erits of any

S yste m u ntil yo u have t a k e n it by its e lf, and tri e d
it at first sl o w ly a nd re p e at e dly, u ntil you have got
th e fou ndati o ns firm , tha t is to say , u ntil t he pro

cesse s have b e co m e a l m o s t aut o m atic . D o no t

grudge t he ti m e spe nt at t h e o u t s e t in se curi ng the
first st eps ; wh a te ve r y o u d o , no re al good will be
accomplish e d u nl e ss t h e fo u ndati o ns are laid d eep
a nd firm : this appli es u niv e r s ally ; it h o lds go o d for

all G am es, such a s Gol f, and fo r all occupations

(see X L IV and.

If so m e particular m et h o d o r Syst em does no t

suit you , if it is yo ur we ak p o i nt , as it were,— th en
give up a littl e ti m e t o practis i ng it It will be a
.

good way o f maki ng use o f a ny o d d mom ents .

Each m eth o d and Syst e m havi ng b een fairly

tri ed , it is no w ti m e fo r y o u to pick and ch o ose
your m eth o ds acco rdi ng t o yo ur faculti e s . You
will hav e to study a nd find o ut by obs e rvatio n
which are you r b es t facul t i e s : this m e a ns that
you will have to go o ve r your m e ntal stock in -

trad e Y o u m ay find that your faculty for s ee i ng

.

picture s in t he m i nd is s t ro nge r than your faculty

for reaso ni ng o r fo r u nd e rs t anding id e as .

Fo r ordi nary purp o s e s , th en, y o u will cho o s e th e

m ethod or S yst e m which s uits y o ur b est facultie s .

And , s ec o ndly , y o u m u s t b e c a r e ful t o cho o s e you r

m et hod o r Syst e m acc o rdi ng to th e subj ect ; thus,
 GE NE R A L H I N TS A ND H EL P S 1 99

fo r casual engage m ents, which o nly nee d t o be re

m e mb e re d fo r a fe w days , and are the n be st fo rgo tte n,
you w ill pro bably find t he I nitial Sys te m ( see
‘
-
’

S ection XXVI I ) o r t he L i nk S y s t em ( see XX I I I )

.
-
.

to be t he b e st O n t he oth e r hand , y o u will have t o

.

give more e ffo rt, o r t o use t he s e ve ral Sys t e m s sid e

by sid e, fo r re ally imp o rt a nt subj ect s In E duc at i o n,
.

fo r e xa m pl e, c o m pl et e lists are a m o ng t he t o pics b e st

wo rth r e m e m b eri ng .

A s far as y o u p o ssibly c an, u se y o ur o w n ho m e

mad e exa m pl es fo r what yo u mak e fo r y o ur s el f yo u
are lik e ly t o fi nd m o r e valu a bl e t o
y o u tha n w hat
yo u re c e ive re ady m ad e fro m o th e rs In t h e L i nk
-
.

S yst e m , fo r i nsta nc e , use y o ur o w n ass o ciati o ns o f

’

tim e and pl ace ( see XX I I I ) .

Fo r ge neral i m p r o ve m e nt o f ma ny p o w e rs o f t h e
m i nd , I s h o uld sugge st E s say pr e pari ng : no t t he
-

writing o f actu al Essays , but t he j o tti ng d o wn and

arrangi ng o f H e adi ngs fo r E ss ays A no th e r go o d
.

pl an is t o ana lys e and m ak e li s t s o f t he m ai n id e as

o f e ve ry b o o k that y o u r e a d , e ven if it is o nly a

no v el. A fte rwards go t hro ugh t h e b o o k quickly ,

and see what y o u hav e o m itt e d .

O ne w o rd o f w ar ni ng m u s t b e re p eat e d : d o no t
atte m pt t o apply any o f t he S ys te m s fo r any
imp o r t a nt purp o s e b e fo r e yo u have practis e d th e m
well , and have b ec o m e fairly s kilful wit h th e m .

A nd e ve n th en y o u ought nev e r t o use a S yst e m t o

rem e mb er a thi ng by , with o ut first re alisi ng t he
2 00 H O W TO RE M E M B E R

thi ng its el f B ut , ab o ve all , do no t be sti ngy of

.

ti m e, e spe cially you r spare ti m e , for practisi ng t he

S ys te m s which suit y o u b est, and even t he S yste ms
which suit you l e ast .

O ne of t he gre at est di fficulti e s of re m e mb e ri ng

is t he di fficulty o f forget t i ng O ne d o es no t w ish
.

t o r e m e mb er everything and y et o ne is co nsta ntly

,

fo rc ed to tak e id eas i nt o o ne s m i nd without t he

’

p o we r of getti ng rid o f th em Th ere are m any

.

things of which t he i nt er e st o nly lasts for a ve ry

s h o rt tim e—thi ngs which w e s hould lik e to fo rge t

as soon as possibl e : w e d o no t wish to burd e n o ur

m e m ory with th e m H o w can this oblivio n be
.

achi eve d ?
No te books and pi e ce s o f pap er for M em o ra nda
-

are p e rhaps t he m o st u se ful m e a ns o f all fo r r e li e vi ng

t he m e mo ry ; and o f all No t e books t h e A B C,

‘ ’
-

or Where is it ? No te bo o ks are p erhaps t he b est

‘ ’
-
.

They c e rtainly classify th e s ubj e cts in such a way

that you can e asily find anything you want Th e re .

is o f c o urse a gr eat o bj e c t i o n to Note book s and

-

M e m o r a nda if th ey are us e d in e xc ess , j ust exac t ly

as th ere is a gr eat o bj ectio n to l eaving all ki nds
o f w o rk to b e d o ne by o t h e rs A s in life, s o in
.

r e m e m b eri ng, it is a fine art t o k now precis ely w hat

t o ge t oth ers to do fo r o ne , a nd pr ecis e ly what to d o

fo r o ne s se lf If o ne le ft no thi ng fo r t he s e rvants to
’
.

d o , o ne would have no ti m e fo r m a ny of t h e highe r

dutie s of life ; and so, if o ne l e ft nothi ng fo r t he
 GE NE R A L H I N TS A ND H E LP S 2 01

No t e b o o ks to d o , o ne would b e sp end i ng ti m e
-
and

ex e rci s i ng t he m e m o ry u nne c essarily .

B ut , e ve n fo r v e ry us e ful subj e cts w hich o ne re ally

wish e s t o re m e m b er , No t e b o o ks are o f t he gre at e st
-

valu e A go o d ti m e fo r usi ng the m is t he las t t hi ng

.

at night , wh e n o ne c an j o t d o w n all o ne h as t h o ugh t

o f duri ng t he day . A t i nte rvals t he ide as s hould b e

revise d and re arra nge d .

No t e b o o ks o fte n a re, th o ugh o ne d o es no t re a li se

-

it at fir s t , a fo rm o f te achi ng Wh en o ne is writi ng
.

No te s o n Essay s and A rticl e s , o ne is putti ng o ne s

’

o w n th o ught s and id e as o n t o t he pap e r Wheth er.

they w ill b e r e ad by a nyo ne e ls e ( b e s id e s t he s erv a nt )

o ne d o es no t k no w , but a t a ny rat e it is quit e c e rtai n

th at no thi ng cl e ars t h e m i nd s o m uch , no t hi ng fix es

a n id e a s o d e fi ni t e ly a nd fir m ly , as thi s o r s o m e

oth e r fo rm o f s elf e xpre s s i o n

-
.

O f l at e y ears I h av e t a k en t o s mall C ard s r ath e r

than t o No t e b o o ks
-
. I d o no t w rit e m o re th a n a
s i ngl e id e a o r H e adi ng o n e ach C ard a nd I al w ays
,

carry ab o ut a nu m b er o f C ard s w i t h m e The id e as .

or H eadi ngs I put i nt o t he c o m par t m e nts o f a sp ecial

C ard h o ld er , ab o ut which I shall b e glad t o s end
-

p a rticulars t o a ny o ne who writes t o m e and e ncl o se s

a stam p ed and addre sse d env e lop e .
 PA R T V I I .

TH E R A I S ONS D ’ETR E , AN D TH E ADVANTA GES

O F G O O D M E TH O D S A ND SYS TEM S, W H E N
R I G H TLY U SED .

S E CT IO N S

O
R EAS NS AND JUSTI FI C ATI O NS
XL I I A P ASSAGE
. FR OM TH E NEW TESTAM ENT
XL I II . AD VANTAGES O F R E M EM B ER I NG, ESP EC IA LL Y
BY M EANS O F TH E S YS TEM S

XLIV AD VAN TAGES . FO R S PEC IA L P U R P OS ES AND

SU B J ECTS
AD VANTAGES FO R S P EC IAL C LAS SES

XLV I AD VANTAGES . FO R S P EC I AL P O WER S

FACULTI ES
S EC TI O N X LI . REA SONS AND J USTIFI CATIONS .

IN this S ecti o n I wish to give reasons fo r the vario us

m ethods a nd S yst em s which I s ugges t , a nd t o ju sti fy
th e m I shall tak e t he m e th o ds and Sys te m s o ne by
.

o ne, and s hall a pp e al t o t h e r e ad e r s r e a s o n, a ski ng

’

him wh e th e r it is no t rati o nal t o apply such and such

a pro ce ss fo r so u s e ful a purp o se as l e ar ni ng a nd
rem e m b eri ng : that m e m o ry its e l f is o f i nesti m abl e
valu e , I have alre ady e xplai ne d in Se cti o n I .

L e t m e tak e t h e o ft re p e ate d e xa m pl e to s ta rt
-

w ith : t h e re ad e r k no ws t he S hap e O f Italy b e c a u se

he k no w s t hat it is lik e a b o o te d le g . I say t o

him , If y o u c an re m em b er I t a ly by this m e a ns ,
‘

w h y sh o uld y o u no t fi nd t h e pri ncipl e which m ak e s

I t aly so e asy t o rem e mb e r, and apply this pri ncipl e

far m o re wid e ly P
B ut , b efo re I pro c ee d t o d etails , let m e first ask a
si m pl e qu estio n : What is it th at y o u d o rem e m b er
‘

b es t ? If y o u go thro ugh a li s t o f v arious thi ngs

’

that are firm ly fix e d in yo ur m i nd , y o u will find

that it i nclud e s A dv ertis e m e nts ; in fact it is part
of t he A dvert is e r s bu s i ne ss t o set thi ngs fo rt h in
’

such a way that gre at m ass es Of p eo pl e s hall and

must re m e m b e r th e m . Th ere fore, I w o uld say ,
study th e m and see what th ere is about t h e m which
”5
2 06 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

m ak e s th e m so asy t o re m e m b er , so i m p o s s ibl e to
e

fo rge t : find t he u nd e rlyi ng principl e s a nd apply t h e m

t o so m e m o r e u seful Obj ec t s .Wh en J es us t a ught ,
he s a id F r o m t his s ight l e ar n a l es s o n Th e
‘ ’
.

S igh t s w e re m o s tly natura l s c ene ry , e t c. TO day

-

he w o uld i nclud e t he sight s O f C ity li fe : he w o uld

-

te a ch m a ny l es s o ns fr o m m o d er n m achi ne ry, and

no t a fe w fr o m m o d er n A dv ertis e m e nt s .

A sk y o ursel f wh a t it is tha t children re m e m b er

b es t ; m a k e a li s t O f t he thi ngs, and find o ut the
u nd e rlyi ng pri ncipl e ; fo r i nst a nce , th ey r e m e m b e r
very w e ll any thi ng w hich app e als t o th e ir eye, o r t o
t h e ir s e nse O f hu m o ur H a vi ng fo u nd t h e v ario us
.

pri ncipl es , apply t h e m fo r t h e purp o se o f r e m e m b e r

ing vari o us thi ngs ; fo r if childre n c a n l e arn by t hi s
,

m ea ns , sure ly gro w n up p eo pl e can l e arn by this

-

m e ans a s w e ll , o r eve n b et te r .

F i nd o u t w h y it is tha t w e d o r e m e m b e r c e rtai n
t hi ngs a nd I thi nk th a t y o u w ill arriv e at t h e c o n
,

c lu s io n that all th e s e m e th o d s a nd m o s t o f the s e

Sy s t e m s are fo u nd e d no t o n a ny t hi ng artifici a l , but

o n pri ncipl es that w e d o c o nsta ntly us e in daily li fe .

Th e s e m e t h o ds a nd S yste m s h a ve b ee n arrive d
at by th es e m ea ns ; I have fo u nd t h e W H Y and

H O W o f tho se t hi ngs which m as se s o f p eo pl e do

e as ily r e m e m b er , I have class ifi e d the se WH Y S
and H O WS i nt o g e ne r a l S y s t e m s , and th en I have

t ri e d t o a pply th es e ge ne r a l S y s t e m s e ls e w h e r e
.

R ec o g nisi ng that every i ndividu al d iffe rs from

 R E A S ON S A ND j US TIF I CA TI ON S 2 07

ano ther in his pow e rs and faculti e s, I have re adsed

that th e sam e m e th o d o r S yst em will no t suit
ev e rybody . I hav e th e re fo r e suggested that afte r
a fai r trial e ach re ad e r sh o uld choos e fo r hi m se l f
tho s e which suit him i ndividually ; but I must r e p e at
that no o ne can pos s ibly d e cid e that any o ne O f t h e se
m e thods or Syste m s will not suit hi m u ntil he has
trie d it by personal exper ienc e . I t is we ll k no wn
that many pe ople asse rt that th ey would no t lik e
oyste rs Th ere is said t o have b een a certai n m an
.

who i nsisted that oy s t e rs wo uld never suit him ; o ne

day he tried o ne, and that sam e day h e manage d
t o get through five d o z en . A t first he had no id e a
that th ey woul d suit him , but exp er ience pr o ve d
o th e rwis e : and so it will b e wi t h m a ny of th e se
m ethods and S yste ms : no o ne has a right t o say
that th ey will not suit h im o r her, with o ut h a vi ng
given the m a fair trial 5 0 I wo uld say this : try a ll
.

the m e tho ds and S yste m s b efo re y o u r ej e ct a ny.

A nd no w to t he d e t a ils . O f good h ealth and o f

satis factory co nditio ns fo r l e arni ng I need no t sp eak
here : th es e two ways Of h e lpi ng t he m e mory need no
j ustificati o n o n my part . No r need I d e fe nd m y
advice that t he l ear ne r sh o uld c o nce ntrat e his at t e n
tion o n a si ngl e thi ng t o star t w i t h , wh eth er it be a
si ngl e m e thod , or a si ngl e part o f th e m et hod ; t his
must be done till th a t si ngle t hi ng b ecom e s e asy .

No r nee d I d e fend my state m e nt that an i nte re st in

a subj ect aids the m e m o ry to an e xtraordi nary
2 08 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

d egr ee .The gre at e r t he i nt e re st , th e gre ater t he

att enti o n is a c o m m o nplac e in P s ycho l o gy .

‘
I nte re st , by t he way , h as t w o s ens e s , t he first
’

s ens e b e i ng— a s w e hav e s ee n— adva nt a ge : a thi ng

h as a n i nter es t fo r y o u b e cau se y o u will gai n s o m e

thi ng— fo r y o ur se lf o r fo r o t h e rs or fo r b o th yours el f
and o th e rs — b y att e ndi ng t o it . The s e co nd s e ns e
Of i nte re st is t he c o m m o ne r : a t hi ng which strik e s
‘ ’

y o u i nte r es ts y o u , and h enc e c o m e s t he pow er o f

u nexp e ct ed o r epigra m m atic sayi ngs . Thi ngs which
are hum o rous als o i nt e re st y o u by tickli ng y o u and

by attr a cti ng yo ur atte nti o n : th e y fo rce yo u to tak e

an i nt e re st in the subj e ct
‘
.

Th e S yst em O f c o ll e cti ng H eadi ngs I hardly nee d

j u s ti fy e ith e r : it is su ffici e nt t o say that , u nl e ss yo u
ca re fu lly and m eth o dically m ak e a c o ll e ctio n o f
H e adi ng s, you probably will fo rg et som e , if no t
m a ny .

C o m pl et e lists O f H e adi ngs I have su ffici ently

e xplai ne d in S e cti o n X . I need o nly say h e re t hat
th ey are as u se ful , fo r t he m e m o ry , as a bag full O f
all nec ess ary thi ngs for tr a velli ng is u se ful whe n y o u
t rav el . It is no o bj ec t i o n to compl et e lists to say
that th e y are t o o c o m pl e t e fo r t he purp o se ; fo r t he
ta sk O f rej e c t i ng and di s c ardi ng w hateve r you do
no t w a nt is a ve ry light o ne : it is so e asy t o s e l e ct .

B u t I m ust say o ne w o rd t o j usti fy t h e se c o m pl ete

li s t s fro m a ch arge which m ight be br o ugh t agai nst
th em ; th ey m ight be accuse d O f b ei ng a m ethod O f
 RE A S O N S A ND j US TIFI CA T1 ON S 2 09

Q
Cra m m ing A ny o ne , how eve r , w h o
’
. l o o ks at o ne
of t he lists ( e g in S ecti o n IV ) will agree with m e
. . .

that th ey are no t facts which are cra m m e d i nto t he

pupil s mi nd , but are m ore o f th e nature O f ques tions
’

which say t o t he re ad e r , D O you k no w any t hi ng

‘

ab o ut this subj ect , and , if so , w hat do yo u k no w o r

t hi nk about it ? In fact they do v e ry m uch w hat
’

qu e stio ns do in te achi ng I magi ne a l es s o n in a

.

class , in which t he master told t he b o ys to wri t e

d o w n what th ey had prepare d : t he re s ul t w o uld be
la m entabl e . What does t he master a ctu ally d o ?
H e asks questi o ns : he say s What d o y o u k no w ‘

ab o ut this and that ? and th en he rec eives a nswe rs ,

’

and e licits what his l e ar ne r s k no w alre ady Thi s .

is what t he co m pl e t e lists w o uld d o .

A gai n, I need no t j usti fy m y r ec o m m endati o n t o

rej ect as m uch as p o s sibl e, fo r it will s ave u nneces
sary tro ubl e If o nly t en thi ngs are t o be r e m e m
.

b ered , t o add ano th e r five gratuitou sly is no t t o be

reco m m end ed .

A rrange m ent o f H e adi ngs p erhaps ne eds l e ss

excus e and ap o l o gy tha n any o th e r m e th o d I re fe r .

to X I I , whe re I sh o w that t he H e ad ings in som e

.

lists can be arrange d in such a way that each H e ad

ing will naturally l ead o n t o t he next .

The di ffe renc e b etw een t he tro ubl e Of l e a rni ng a

list O f H e adi ngs j o tt ed d o w n higgl edy piggl e dy, and -

t he tr o ubl e o f l e ar ni ng a list o f carefully arra nge d

H eadi ngs , is almost i ncre dibl e ; and t he exercis e o f

14
2 10 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

a rr angi ng t he H e adi ngs is o ne o f t he ve ry b e st fo r

t he m e ntal fa cul t ie s.

In a rrangi ng t h e H e adi ngs o ne m u st b e guid ed as

far as p o s s ibl e by t h e re l a t i o ns b e t ween t he id e as ,
s uch a s cau se a nd e ffe ct ; so , if y o u find o ut t he

caus es and e ffec t s , y o u w ill be h e lpi ng t h e arrange

m e nt O f t he H e adi ngs c o ns id erably .

A s t o t he m e th o d O f m aste ri ng a ro ugh o utli ne

b efo re y o u c o nsid e r d etail s , it s carc ely calls fo r
r e m ark B e fo re you c an s ee what any part m eans ,
.

y o u have t o u nd e r st a nd t h e wh o l e o f which it fo rm s
a part : y o u ca nnot u nd erstand w hat t he hand d o es
u nl e s s yo u u nd e rsta nd its c o nnexi o n with t h e rest O f
t he body, a nd e sp ecially t he brai n ; b e sid e s thi s , I

may m enti o n ano th e r re aso n w hy a r o ugh o utli ne

m ust prec e d e t he study o f d e t a ils , a nd that is , that
o nly a few thi ngs c an b e mas t e re d at o ne ti m e , and

to try to l e ar n fi ft ee n d e tails at o nce is ge ne rally a

h o p el ess task B ut , w he n t h e y are t ak e n o ne by o ne ,
.

and w h en y o u have alr e ady go t a ge ne r a l id e a O f t h e

u nd erlyi ng pri ncipl e s , then it b e c o m e s e asy to m aste r

e ach o f th e m se parat e ly , al t h o ugh t h e d e tails m ay

be a l ittl e i naccurat e o r e v en ve ry i naccura t e . It

is a pity , o f co ur s e but thi s m ust be put up wi t h
,

t he e rro rs c an e asily b e c o rr ec t ed a ft erwards.

TO r ea lise is o ne o f t he gr e at s e cre ts o f m e mo ry ,
’

and o f this a gai n I nee d say littl e . That a cl ear

picture o f that w hich y o u wi s h t o r e m e mb e r sh o uld
’
be b efore yo u in yo ur mind s eye , is absolutely
 RE A S O N S A ND j US TI FI CA TI ON S 2 11

e sse ntial t o t he l e ar ni ng o f ni ne thi ngs o ut o f t e n It

.

m ust b e b o r ne in m i nd that re ali s i ng c an b e d o ne

'

no t o nly by t h e ey e , but als o by t he re as o n . Th e re

are s o m e w h o m ast e r thi ng s th at are s p o k e n o r re a d

by fo r m i ng a d e fi nit e picture ; th e r e are o th e rs w h o

c a nno t ( o r rath er , d o no t ) re alise t hi ngs as picture s
in t he m i nd , th o u gh th e y can re a li s e th e m as
‘ ’

‘
id e a s ’
. B ut in t h e la t te r case t h e ey e m e m o ry
-

w o uld b e a gr e at adva ntage . Th e cultivati o n o f t he

eye m e m o ry is j ustifi e d by t he fact that w e r e ali se
-

thi ngs m uch b ette r w h e n w e hav e s een a pic t ure o f

th e m , fo r i nsta nc e a n illustrati o n in a bo o k , o r a
photo .

O f t he re alisi ng Of id e as I nee d o nly say h e re , in

additi o n, that it is gre atly h e lp e d by cl ea r p e rs o na l
c o ncret e la nguage ; this itse l f is t o o i m p o r t a nt a
factor in li fe t o nee d any w o rds o f m i ne t o d e
fe nd it .

I f th e gene ral o utli ne has b een m aste re d to study

,

a nd a naly se e a ch H e adi ng s e parat e ly is o f c o urse a

strictly sci ent ific pro ce ss ; it w o uld no t be s ci e ntific

t o try t o m ast e r all t h e H e adi ngs in a m a ss , but t o

m aste r th e m o ne by o ne is a s o u nd pl an, as s o u nd
R o m e s pla n o f c o nqu e ri ng he r e ne m i e s o ne
’
as

by o ne— and o f usi ng her c o nqu e r e d e ne m i e s as a

m e a ns of c o nqu e ri ng fre sh e ne m i e s .

In S ecti o n X L I I I s hall try t o sh o w h o w t h e

.

use O f p a r a ll e ls a nd c o m paris o ns a nd c o ntra s t s , fo r

helpi ng t he u nd erstandi ng and t he m em o ry , li es at

2 12 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

t he ro o t go o d d ea l O f J e sus t e achi ng in t h e
of a
’

New Tes t a m ent .

We h av e m any c o m paris o ns and c o ntras ts re ady

for use in o ur m i nd s ; and th ey are no t o nly re ady
fo r use but t h ey a re als o m e a nt t o b e us e d ; fo r a
,

few O f t h e m see S e cti o n XVI I I .If o ne wish e s t o

justi fy any furt h er t he e m pl o ym e nt O f co m pari so ns

as a m e ans of l e ar ni ng and r e m e mb eri ng o ne nee d ,

o nly m e ntio n t h e m any m e taph o rs w hich w e c o n

s t ant ly use The wh o l e o f L angu a ge h as b een

.

e pigra m m atic a lly d escrib e d as a st o r e h o us e O f fa d e d

m e taphors This m ea ns that it is c o m m o n t o e xpre s s

.

id e as , no t by a dire c t d es crip t i o n o f the m , but by

m e ans O f co m paris o ns . In o rd er t o m a k e p e o pl e
u nde rstand what th ey m e ant , sp e ak e rs have had to
co m pare t he id ea wi t h so m et hi ng w hich w as e asi er
t o u nd erstand : a nger , fo r i ns tanc e , t h ey expre ss e d

by c o m pari ng it to a fire o r t o a st o r m If this is

.

b o r ne in m ind , t h e proce ss O f usi ng anal o gi e s and

c o ntras ts , fo r purp o s e s O f r e m e m b e ri ng, c e as e s t o be
an ultra art ific ial S y s t e m , and is at o nc e sh o w n to be
-

no m o re artificial than L anguage i t se l f .

TO t each o thers a nythi ng has always b een c o n

s id e re d o ne o f t h e v e ry b e st w ays o f l e ar ni ng it and

o f r e m e mb e ri ng it fo r o ne s s e l f Thi s m eth o d aga i n,

’
.

the n I need no t d efe nd

, .

A nd rep et ition needs as li t tl e d e fe nc e as teach

ing ; as it is sci ent ific t o hit a nail agai n and again
o n t h e h ead if o ne wi s h e s it t o be driv e n s e cure ly
 R E A S O NS A N D j US TI F I CA TI ONS 2 13

i nto a pi ece O f w o o d so it is scie ntific to rep eat t he

,

id e a agai n and a gai n and agai n if o ne wish es it to

be driv en i nto th e m i nd .

O f all m eth o ds O f R epet ition t he R esum e‘e metlz oa is

-
'

t he ve ry b est. It w as by m ak i ng sure o f what sh e

had alre ady w o n, be fo re she pro c ee d e d t o fr esh co n
qu ests , th at R o m e be c a m e m is t re ss Of I taly and
aft erwards of t he M e dit e rrane an .

It is t he S ys te ms them selve s which nee d most

j ustificatio n : t h e a b o ve m e th o ds scarce ly nee d any
th ey are co ns ta ntly negl e ct ed by 9 9 p eople o ut
of 1 0 0 , but th eo r etically t h ey are p erfectly sou nd .

I shall no w say a few w o rd s ab o ut t he Syst ems .

The Observatio n o f use ful p o i nts , such as of those

which we noticed in t h e case Of t he K i ngs and
Qu eens O f England , save s a gre at d eal o f troubl e
and fixe s thi ngs in t he m e m o ry more securely .

The points are th ere alr e ady a nd t o find th e m and

,

to mak e sure Of th em enc o urage s our power of

Obs ervatio n and our p o we r o f i nge nuity .

Th e L i nki ng S yste m m ight, it is said , s ee m t he

most artificial syste m o f all : w hen two words are
( apparently) no t c o nne ct e d w ith o ne anothe r, it s eems
a very u nnatural thi ng t o find s o m e third word which
will connect t he t w o ; but, if th e re is an e asy wor d
which w ill do thi s, it sure ly is a ve ry great mi s tak e to
refus e to us e it .

H ow ev er , let us sp end a m o m e nt in fi nding out

what th e s e L i nk words re ally are , wh eth er th ey are
2 14 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

c o nnecte d with th e o th e r w o rd s, o r wh e th er th e co n
nex io n is e ntire ly artificial C o nsid er t he riddl e s
’
.

a nd pu ns in C o mic P ap e rs , a nd ask y o urs e l f why it

is tha t t he id e as are c o nnecte d wi t h o ne a noth e r ;

why it is , fo r i ns t a nce , that t h e p ers o n, who was t o ld
that a fri e nd w a s su ffe ri ng fro m M elo ncauliflo w er
a nd H aric o t V e i ns , im m e diat e ly k ne w that t h e fri e nd

was actu ally su fferi ng fr o m M el anch o lia and Va ric o s e

Ve i ns ; Obvi o usly t he wo rds w e re c o nne ct e d t o ge t h er
b e cause they sou nded a like Wh et h er t he co nne xi o n
.

is artificial o r no t d o e s no t m att e r fo r o u r purp o s e ;

what I m ea n to e m phasi s e is that it is t h e re alrea dy ,
a nd , as it is th e r e, it is hard t o say why w e sh o uld

no t utilis e it .

Th e fa ct O f it is that , wh e n w e e xa m i ne i nt o t he
mat t e r , w e see t hat t he w o rd s in o ur m i nds are
arrange d in gro up s ; w e cannot h e lp it , w e d o no t
c o nsci o usly m ak e t h e gro ups lik e To psy, th ey
‘
gro w ’
. O ne thi ng is b o u nd t o s ugge st a nu m b e r
o f thi ngs , as w e have s ee n in t h e cas e o f t he gr ee n

go o seb erry ( in The nu m b e r 7 sugge sts t he

days o f t he w ee k , and a ls o t he nu m b ers 6 and 8 ,
b e t w ee n w hich it com e s ; a nd 7 m ay s ugge st m any
o th e r id e a s The L i nk Sy s t e m d o es no t i nvent
‘ ’
-
.

th ese gr o ups and t he co nnexi o n b e t ween th e m , but

s o l e ly us e s t h e m ; it us e s th a t w hich it fi nds a lr e ady

e xi s ti ng, a nd us e s thi s fo r a go o d purp o s e.

F o r t he vari o us o th e r ki nds O f c o nne xi o n, see

XX I I I . It m ight be that s o m e of t he L i nk s which
 RE A S O N S A N D j US TIF I CA TI O NS 2 15

I sugge st e d in S e cti o n V s ee m e d ve ry fo rc ed , espec i

.

ally t he c o nnexi o ns by c o ntrast ; but if yo u t hi nk

fo r a m o m e nt y o u w ill r e alis e that whit e is in your
mi nd c o nne ct e d w ith black that right is co n
‘ ‘ ’

nec te d with w ro ng , and s o o n The histo ry O f

‘ ’
.

L anguage sh o ws that it is full Of such c o nnexi o ns ,

and that t h ey h ave i nflu e nce d o ur s p eech m o re

than w e c an p o ss ibly i m agi ne .

A s to t h e L o calisi ng pri ncipl e , it ad m its Of l ess

’

d efenc e than m o s t O f t he o th er Syst em s ; but h ere

aga in, if yo u have a r o o m o f w hich yo u k no w all t he
parts thoro ughly sure ly it see m s a pity that y o u
,

sh o uld no t put this k nowl e dge t o so m e use Y o u .

re m e m b er wh e r e thi ngs are by thi nki ng o f t he plac e

whe re y o u put t h e m fo r i nstance, yo u say I put it
:

o n t he m a nt e lpi e c e The L o cali s i ng Syste m is

‘ ’
.

just t h e sa m e , exce pt t hat it is appli e d t o id e as

yo u want t o re m e m b er t h e id e a Of a K i ng, let us
say, and y o u put t he id e a o f t h e K i ng o n t he
m ante lpi ec e ; y o u put t h e id e a O f a c o l o ny in a
certai n c o r ne r ; no w wh e n yo u w a nt t o call t o m i nd
t he ki ng o r t h e c o l o ny , y o u thi nk O f t he m ant e l
pi ece o r t he cor ne r ; it is no t s o u nsci e ntific aft e r
all , is it ? At any rat e th o u sa nds hav e fo u nd it
e xcee di ngly us e ful .

A gai n, it m ight s ee m that it is an artificial syst e m

t o l e ar n a nythi ng by starti ng with s o m et hi ng which
is e as i e r to re m e mb e r, fo r i nstanc e , t h e l e arni ng o f
t he M ap Of Gree c e by starti ng with t he figure 5
2 16 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

( Diagra m XX I ) . and pal m o f t he hand ( D iagram

t he

t h e u nt hi nki ng critic s ays at o nc e , Thi s is

‘

m o st u nna t ur a l Y et , a ft e r a ll, a great amou nt O i

’
.

what w e hav e l e ar nt w e have l ear nt by S i m ilar

m e ans . We l ear n by s t a rti ng w ith w hat w e k no w,
and by m e ans o f that w e acquir e s o m ethi ng fr e sh

which w as hith e rt o u nk no w n Th e t ech nical t e r m

.

fo r t hi s s i m pl e pr o c e ss is ‘
A pp erc e pti o n No
'
.

t ea ch e r c an a ffo rd t o ne gl ect this rul e The m o re

.

o ne e x a m i ne s i nt o t h e S yst e m o f l e ar ni ng I taly by

m ea ns o f t he b o o te d le g, t h e m o r e o ne s ees that it is
r e ally s ci ent ific , b ecau s e it no t o nly h elps o ne t o
l e ar n ab o ut Italy, and t o m ake t h e b est use O f in
fo r m ati o n w hich o th erwis e w o uld b e u nus e d , but it
al s o o fte n thro ws fre sh light o n vari o us bra nch e s o f
k nowl edge TO use a no th er t e ch nical t er m , if w e
.

l ea r n ab o ut t h e gr o wth Of a S tat e ( H i s to ry and

P o litics) by s tudyi ng t h e gr o wth o f a pla nt o r an
a ni m al ( Natural H i s to ry) , e ach subj ect b ec o m e s
cl e are r by b e i ng c o rre late d wi t h t he oth e r
‘ ’
.

The Syste m Of S ubs t ituti ng is as Old as A lgebra

’
.

F o r purp o s e s o f c o nve ni enc e , it is u s ual t o r epres ent

c o m plicat ed thi ngs by a s i m pl e x, t he re as o n b e i ng
t hat x is an e asi e r thi ng t o gr as p , a s i m pl er thi ng to

w rit e : it s aves t he tr o ubl e o f m e nti o ni ng t he w hol e

e v e ry ti m e ; so w e sub s titut e x fo r t h e wh o l e thi ng .

Th e pri ncipl e is that t he thi ng which w e subs titute

is e asi e r t o re m e mb er and e asi e r t o d eal wit h t han
-

th e thi ng for which w e substitut e it .

 R E A S ON S A ND [ US TI FI CA TI ON S 2 17

Of
‘
I nitialisi ng w e have alre ady said enough
’
.

The i nitials H R H are qui t e su ffici ent to call t o our

. . .

m i nds H is R o yal H igh ne ss ; this b e i ng su ffici ent ,

w e do no t nee d m o re .

Wh en the init ials o f vario us H e adings are m ad e

to form som e w o rd ( C abal S yste m ) , th en w e are
really connecti ng th e di ffere nt H ead i ngs togeth er
i nto a u nit y ; this is s o m e thing lik e tyi ng faggo ts
together i nto a s ingl e bu ndl e i nst e ad Of carryi ng
the m s eparately It is tru e that t h e new word does
.

no t contain th e wh o l e o f e ach H e adi ng, but it co n

tai ns quit e enough t o bri ng t he wh o l e H e adi ng to

ou r m ind Th e gene ral pri ncipl e is that in this
.

cas e, i nst ead O f taki ng th e w h o l e H e adi ng or word ,

w e tak e its promi nent part and l e ar n that i nst e ad .

Everythi ng that w e l e ar n w e l e ar n in part : w e do

no t as y et k now t he wh o l e o f a nythi ng We l ear n .
‘

p eopl e by l earni ng o nly a part o f th e m , e sp ecially

their fac e s ; and, as w e can re m e m b er p eopl e by a
promi nent part Of th e m , so w e can r e m e mbe r words
by a p romi ne nt part O f the m , t he prom i ne nt part
b ei ng e g the i nitial , but s o m e ti m e s t he e ndi ng
. . .

B l end Words , O f which L e wi s C arroll was so fo nd ,

-

are quit e natural , th o ugh th e y a re m o s tly u nco nscious

in eve ryday life ; th e ir ge ne r a l e ffe ct is no t o nly

cl ear but also striki ng : it i m presse s its elf o n the
m emo ry . Th e w o rd m aeinp r oof suggests at o nce
maci ntosh and wat e rproo f I have point ed out, on
.

p 3 2 2 foll of the b o ok o n Essays, that most of o ur

. .
2 18 HO W TO RE M E M B E R

Gr a m matical m i st a k e s are a bl end m ixture o f

or

tw o c o rre c t c o ns truc t i o ns , e g. . Th e subj e ct is rare ly

h a ndl e d in b oo ks , and s t ill less y in t h e pulpi t
r a r el

is a bl e nd O f l es s c o m m o nly m o re ra re ly
’
B ut
‘ ’
.

ho w nat ural t he bl end s o u nd s .

The use o f absurdi t i e s fo r th e purp o s e o f re m e m

b eri ng m ay s e em st range a t fir st , but thi nk o f Wh at
h as b e e n t a ugh t by m eans o f C o m ic P ap e rs , thi nk
what an e duc ati o nal fact o r P u nch has b ee n t o t he ’

English p eo pl e, p a rtly o wi ng t o it s ab s urditi es ; h ad

it b een s e ri o us it w o uld h ave t a ught very littl e, fo r
'

m o st p e o pl e w o uld no t have r e ad it .

R hyth m h elps t h e m e m o ry , as w e se e in t h e cas e

o f adv e r t is e m e nt s , a nd , s i nc e th e y are a fine m e ans

O f re m e m b e ri ng , it is no t u ns ci e ntific t o u s e th e s e

v ers e s fo r a go o d Obj e ct . R hy t h m , aga i n app ea l s

,

t o ne arly eve ry o ne, i ncludi ng childr e n, barba r o us

t rib es , and m a ny a ni m al s ; it t h er e fo r e c an b e j us t i

fie d as a m e a ns o f r e m e mb eri ng, b e caus e it is s o m e

t hi ng which w e alr eady hav e a nd which w e no w tur n

t o a go o d purp o s e ; t he sam e will apply t o music ,

a nd a ls o t o a llit e r at i o ns
.

The d e fe nc e Of Epigra ms as a m e ans o f r e m e m b er

ing is t h at t h ey are ve ry st riki ng , a nd c o m pact , and
th at th ey e mphasis e o ne id e a at a ti m e : fo r all th es e
thr ee re as o ns th e y are sp e cially adapt e d fo r l e avi ng
a n i m pre ssi o n o n t h e mi nd .

L a s t o f all , t he sugg e sti o n t hat the di ffere nt

m eth o ds and Sy s t e ms sho uld b e us e d alt e r nat e ly o r
 R E A S O N S A ND j US TI FI CA TI ON S 2 19

in c o mbi nat i o n is p er fe ctly sou nd A S t o t h e a lt e r

.

native u se , s o m e S yst e m s suit s o m e p eo pl e and

‘ ’

s o m e subj e cts p a r excellence ; and as t o t h e use o f

,

c o m bi nat i o ns , w h e re it is i m p o rta nt t o r e m e mb er
a thi ng, it is Obvi o usly w i se to have tw o stri ngs to
o ne s b o w , and t o use t w o m e a ns rath e r than o ne
’

al o ne .

Th e principl e s Of practic e w hich I have laid d o w n in

XXX IX are s o m ewhat new , but I thi nk that no t hi ng
.

can b e s aid agai nst th e m : t o start with d o i ng a part

O f a thi ng at a ti m e , and to do that part c o rre ctly ,

s l o w ly , c o nsci o usly , a nd r e p e at e dly , till it b e c o m e s

sub co nsci o us and s el f w o rki ng, and th en to pr o cee d

- -

to t he s e c o nd part , this canno t but be sci e ntific .

P ractic e al o ne c an m a k e p erfect but it m u st be

,

practice O f th e right ki nd A nd m y Syste m is no t

.

m er e practice : it is practic e o f t he right ki nd .

L e t m e no w s u m up t he j ustificati o ns fo r that
w hich m ay s ee m m o st o p en to Obj e cti o n in th e s e

m ethods and S y s te m s .

Thro ugh o ut , I hav e tri e d no t t o bri ng in new

m ate rials , but t o use m at e rials w hich are a lre ady in
t he m i nd , and to apply fo r a s e rvic e abl e purpos e what

wo uld o th erwise lie u nus e d .

A nd t he sam e with t he facultie s— faculti e s w hich

are alre ady lyi ng d o rma nt in t h e m i nd , li t tl e us e d o r

u nus ed o r eve n misus ed , t/zese I have tri ed t o apply

fo r a re ally s e rvic eabl e purp o s e .

O f what use a re o ur l o ng lists O f fo re ign vo cab u

2 20 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

laries, and of wh a t use are o u r th o u s ands Of quit e

ca s ual ass o cia ti o ns ? A s it is , yo u m u s t ad m it that
th ey are lyi ng idl e ; y o u m ust al s o ad m it t hat to
b e abl e t o l ea r n and t o re m e m b e r by m e ans o f
th e m w o uld be a gre at bl e ssi ng .

M y m etho ds and S ys te m s e nd e av o ur t o Sh o w yo u
h o w t o u se wha t w o uld o th e r w is e b e u nus e d , and t o
use it fo r purp o s e s which m ight o th erwis e be unfu l

fill e d.

L et m e add o ne m o re wo rd . It c an b e no thi ng
el s e but r easona ble a nd scienti fic t o ge t a cl e ar im
pressi o n O f wh at e ver y o u wish t o r e m e m b e r , and t o
rep eat that i m pre ssi o n, a nd t o c o nne ct t o ge th e r and
li nk togeth er i nt o a chai n H e adi ngs which w o uld
o th e rwis e b e i ndi s ti nc t and i s o la t e d ; it ca nnot but

b e re as o nabl e and sci e ntific t o r em e m b er t he wh o l e

by m e ans o f a pro mi nent part o f it , pro vid ed that the
pro mi ne nt part is su ffi ci ent to recall th e whol e
S EC TI O N X LII . A PASSA GE FROM THE NEW
TESTAMENT .

To p rove that th es e m ethods w hich I have sugge st e d

abo ve are no t u nsci e ntific, I w ish to give a qu o tat i o n
from t he Se rmon o n t he M o u nt to S how that t he
gr eatest of te ache rs e mploye d at any rat e a numb e r
o f th e m. The re ad e r is advis e d to r ead through the
pas sage first by himself, and t o work out fo r hims e lf
what pri ncipl es and m ethods it illustrat e s . I shall
quote t he R evised Versi o n Translatio n, referri ng,
h o wever, to a simpl er English versio n which is
qu o t e d from The Te achi ng o f J esus TO day
‘ -
.
’

The passage o nly c o ntai ns I 3 v ers es , a nd t h e

r eade r must no t e xp e ct to fi nd eve ry pri nciple
illustrated in it ; it is from M atthew vii ( 1 5 .

to
B ewa re Of fals e prophe ts , which com e t o y o u in
sh eep s clothi ng, but i nw ardly are rave ni ng wolve s
’
.

B y the ir fruits y e shall k no w t h e m . D O m en gath e r

grap es o f th o rns, or figs o f t histl e s ? Ev en so eve ry
go od tree bri ngeth fo rth go o d fruit ; but t h e corrupt
tree bri ngeth fo rth e vil frui t A good tree c anno t
.

bring forth evil fruit , ne ithe r c an a corrupt tree bri ng

fo rth good fruit . Every tree that bri ngeth no t fo rth
ood fr ui t is h ewn down, and cast i nt o t he fire
g
.
2 22 HO W TO RE M E M B E R

Th e refo r e by th e ir fruits ye Shall k no w th e m Not

.

ev ery o ne th a t s aith u nto m e, L o rd , L ord , shall

e nt e r i nt o t he ki ngd o m O f h e av e n ; but h e th a t

d o eth t he will O f m y F ath e r w hich is in h eaven .

M a ny will say t o m e in t h a t day , L o rd , L o rd , did

w e no t pro ph esy by thy na m e , and by t h y na m e

cast o ut d evils , and by thy na m e d o m a ny m ighty

w o rks ? A nd then w ill I pro fe ss u nt o th e m , I never
k new yo u : d e part fr o m m e, y e that w o rk i niquity .

Eve ry o ne th e re fo re which h e ar e t h t h e s e w o rds o f

m i ne , and d o eth th e m , shall be lik ene d u nto a wis e
m an, which built his h o u se up o n t he r o ck : and t he
rai n d es ce nd e d , and t he flo o ds ca m e , and t he winds
bl ew , and b ea t up o n th at h o use ; and it fe ll no t : for
it w as fo u nde d up o n t h e ro ck A nd e v ery o ne that
.

he ar eth th e se wo rds o f m i ne, and d oe th th e m no t ,

sh a ll be lik e ne d u nt o a fo o lish m an, which built his
h o us e up o n t he sand : and t h e rai n d es c e nde d , and
t he fl o o ds cam e , and t he w i nd s bl e w , and s m o t e

up o n t hat hous e ; and it fe ll : and gr e at w as t he fall

”
the re o f
.

I will co nte nt myself h ere with nami ng som e o f

t he m eth o d s which are e m pl o y e d in t hi s t ea chi ng

fo r furth er d e tail s , see t he b o o k o n Essays ( p 2 1 1

.

a nd Th e Te achi ng O f J es u s TO day
’
-
.

F irst o f all t he w o rd B ew are a ro us ed t he inter est

‘ ’

O f t h e h e ar e rs : it w o k e th em up , as it w e re
.

S ec o ndly , t he comp a r isons app e al e d t o t he m i nd

th ey no t only he lp e d it to u nders tand and r ealise
A P A S S A GE F R OM TH E N E W TE S TA M E N T 2 2 3

t he r al m ea ni ng, but t he y als o h elpe d it t o r ep ea t ’

e

that m e ani ng ( see Ab o ut good and b a d

thi ngs t he p eopl e k new co m paratively littl e, but t h ey
u nd erstood what was m e ant by a wolf and a sh ee p ,
by gr apes and thor ns and figs and thistl es t h ey
u nd e rstood what was m e ant by a fruit tr ee, o r by
-

houses built o n rock o r o n sand .

Th ese sam e i nsta nc e s al s o i nclud e contrasts : e g . .

t he h o use o n t h e rock was c o ntrast ed with t he hous e

o n sand ; by this m e a ns t h e id e as we r e cl e arly and

fir m ly impre sse d o n t he m i nds of t he listene rs , w ho

l earnt and rem emb e r e d b e caus e t he te ach e r starte d
wi t h s o m ethi ng which was fam iliar to th e m alre ady
(cp .

No tic e also t he — no t only direct r ep eti

r e et it ions
p
ti o ns, but practical r ep etiti o ns also, wh ere t he sa m e
id e a is expre ss ed agai n and agai n by m eans o f di ffe rent
illustrations .

Notice agai n the r ealising : th ere is no abstract

language lik e th e asse rt i o n o f previ o us gre at a c t s
”
w ill prov e absolut e ly u navaili ng no , the re is a

d efi nite cl ear picture M a ny p eo pl e will say ce rtai n

.

thi ngs to him , and th en he will say c ertain thi ngs t o

litem b efor e t he list ene rs t h ere is se t a d e fi nit e
scene w hich they c an e asily i m agi ne in th e ir m i nd s ’

ey e .

Fo r t h eimpo rtanc e o f this picture pai nti ng in t he

-

m i nd , see XV , and Obs e rve here als o t he vivid ne ss

.

o f t he pictur e s o f t he two hous es ; notic e how each

22 4 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

d e tail h e lps t o m ak e t h e impress i o n Of th e w h o l e

fa ct s tro nge r and C l e arer .

A s t o rhyth m , th ere is hardly a rhyth m o f sou nd

in t he o rigi na l G re e k , but t h e re is w h a t w e m ay call
a rhy t/im o f s e nse ; fo r no o ne c an fail t o Obs erve
h o w p e r fec t ly t h e l a st t w o s ent enc e s balanc e o ne
ano th e r ; ev ery d e tail ab o ut t he h o use o n t h e sand
has , t o b ala nce it, a c o rr e sp o ndi ng d etail about t he
h o u se o n t he ro ck .

As t o t he a r r a ngem ent , at first o ne m ight be

i ncli ne d t o say that th e re is no a rrange m ent at all ,
that t h e w h o l e thi ng w as put i nt o no o rd er B ut , .

w h en o ne lo o ks m o re cl o se ly , o ne fi nd s that th e re is

a strictly sci e ntific arra nge m ent, t h e b e st fo r its

particular purp o s e .

Th e fac t o f it is that , in this s e cti o n O f t he

S e r m o n o n t he M o u nt , o nly o ne H e adi ng is tak e n,
t h e H e adi ng b e i ng that t he r e ally go o d are no t th o s e

o f pi o us app e aranc e, o r who say pi o us thi ngs, o r

w h o d o gr e at acts , but th o s e w h o are go o d in th e ir

i nward nature , a nd the re fo re in app eara nc e and

w o rd and act as we ll ; t h e arra nge m e nt is th ere fo re
p e rfect , fo r it is s p eci a lly fitt e d fo r e m phas i s i ng t his
gre at id e a : t he arra nge m e nt has , as its sp ecial
Obj e ct , t hat which w e saw was abso lute ly vital if a
thi ng w as t o be pro p erly l earne d and re m e mb e red
t h e re ad e r will gu ess at o nce that t he purp o s e was
to concentr a te a nd f ocus tlze a t tention o f the thousands
Up o n a si ngl e id e a at a tim e .
S EC TI O N X L III ADVANTA GES O P REM EM B ERING,
.

ESPECI ALLY B Y M EANS

OF TH E SYSTEM S .

IN this Sect ion I wish to m entio n a few O f the

advantages no t only Of having a good m e mory , but
als o o f cultivati ng t he m emory accordi ng to th ese
particular m ethod s and Syst e ms ; it m ust be u nd er
st o o d that t he advantage s will O nly c o m e if t he
m ethods and S yst e ms are prop e rly carrie d out .

Throughout it m ust be b o rne in mi nd that thes e

advantage s do no t st o p at any particular p o i nt ; for
i nstanc e, if t he m e m o ry is good fo r t he purp o s e Of
l e arni ng Ge ography, th en o ne m ust al s o b ear in
mi nd that t he l e ar ni ng o f Ge ography is its e lf go od
for m any o th er purpos e s , for busi nes s and for
pl e asur e and for t h e study O f hi s tory Each good
.

e ffe ct is sure to b e c o m e, in its o w n tur n a caus e of

,

goo d effe cts.

Th e chi e f adva ntages of th e se m ethods a nd

Syste ms are that th e y h e lp p e opl e t o d eve lop
gradually, co nsci o usly , and syst e m atically that skill
which a genius e m ploys by an u nco nsci o us ki nd o f
i nsti nct TO l e arn a nythi ng in this way is no t o nly
.

b e tt er for t h e l ear ner him se lf, but is al s o b etter for

those wh o m he may think o f te achi ng . If he
u nd er stands t he proc ess, and has b een th rough it
IS
22 6 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

hims el f, he is far m o r e lik ely t o be abl e to e xplai n it

to others and t o sy m p athi s e w i t h th e ir di fficulti e s ;
and t h e pract ic e wi t h t h e s e S y s t e ms w ill b e us e ful

fo r formi ng t he h abit O f pra c t ic e in gene ral . P r o pe r

p ractic e at o ne thi ng h elps pra ctic e at any oth er
thi ng .

In co nsid eri ng t h e adva ntage s Of rem e mb e ri ng,

o ne must als o e m phas i s e t h e di sa dva ntages Of for

ge tting ; it o bvi o usly is a gre at d isadva ntage to

forge t t he na m e s a nd a ddress e s o f p eopl e, to
forget e ngagem e nts , t o cut o ne s friends , and so o n
’

o ne m ay e xcu s e o ne s s e l f by s a yi ng that it has b ee n

’

quite u ni nt entio nal , but a ll t he sa m e t he d isad

vantage re m ai ns Th o u s a nds O f p o u nds o r dollars
.

may d ep e nd o n a s i ngl e s lip o f t he m em o ry .

We may no w tur n t o the gene ral advantages ,

b egi nni ng with pl e as ure fo r w hich m e n a nd wo m en
,

hav e eve r b een wo nt t o m a k e s uch gre at sacrifices .

H o w much O f t he pl e asur e o f li fe is d ue to m e m o ry
o ne s eld o m r e alis e s
. The m e m o ry o f thi ngs which
w e hav e h eard o r s ee n o r r e ad , o f things which w e

hav e e xp e ri e nce d , and O f t hings w hich w e have d o ne,

all the s e are am o ng t h e ve ry high e st pl e asure s which
life o ffers .

B esid e s givi ng pl e as ure , m e m o ry c an give us e ful

w o rk fo r idl e m o m e nts : while w alki ng o r trave lli ng

o r waiti ng, y o u c an al w ays b e d evelopi ng your

m e mory in s o m e w ay o r a no th e r ; y o u c an always
be s eei ng a nd Obs ervi ng , y o u c an always be list ening
 A D VA N TA GE S OF TH E M E TH O D S 2 2 7

and Ob se rvi ng y o u c an be cla ss i fyi ng H e adi ngs and

,

y o u c a n b e li nki ng H e a di ngs t o ge t he r .

M o reo v e r t he prac t ic e o f t h es e va ri o u s m e t h o d s
,

a nd S yst e m s duri ng y o ur S pare ti m e w ill give a

w o nd e rful i nt e r e s t t o t h o usa nds O f thi ngs w hich

o t h e rwis e w o uld s e e m trivi a l a nd d ull .

Th es e m e t h o d s a nd S y s t e m s w ill al s o e na bl e y o u
t o m a k e a go o d us e o f m a ny t hi ngs w hich y o u k no w

a lre ady , b e s id e s h e l p i ng y o u t o acquir e fr e s h k no w

l e dge A s t h ey w ill e nabl e y o u t o r e m e m be r a far

.

l arge r nu m b e r o f t hi ngs t han y o u c o uld p o ss ibly

re m e m b e r o th e r w i se w i t h gre at e r s e curi t y , in l ess
,

t i m e , and wi t h l ess e ffo rt t h a n w o uld b e nee d e d

o t h e r w is e , t h e y w ill als o a ffo rd y o u m o re t i m e and

m o r e Opp o rt u ni t i e s fo r s el f culture o r fo r physic a l

-

r e cre at i o n .

Th e c ertai nty and t he p e r m a nenc e o f t h e m e m o ry

fo r a nu m b e r o f t hi ngs will b e b o u nd t o give y o u a
busine ss — lik e s e l f co nfid ence and s el f suffic ienc y , and
- -

w ill al so by d e gr e es d e ve l o p in y o u t he lia oit Of

re m e m b e ri ng The habi t o f a nsw e ri ng l e tte rs by

.

re turn t he h abit O f m a ki ng pu ns t h e habi t o f see i ng

, ,

the hu m o r o u s s id e o f li fe all th es e are w e ll k no w n,

,

but li tt l e att enti o n is gene r a lly call e d t o t h e habi t o f

a go o d m e m o ry If y o u a d o pt t h es e m et h o d s and
.

Sy s t e ms , y o u w ill qui t e get o ut Of t he w ay o f fo r

ge t t i ng thi ngs ; y o u w ill acquire a fa cility and a
tend ency t o r e m e m b er , and , aft er a ti m e , if y o u use
the m e th o ds and S y s t e m s pr o p e rly, y o u will get to
22 8 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

rem e m b e r thi ngs quit e aut o m atically and sub co n

sc io us l A n d t h e a m o u nt o f w o rry a nd s e l f—
di st rust
y .

which a go o d m e m o ry w ill sav e y o u is b eyo nd all

re ck o ni ng .

A ft er y o u have acquire d skill in arrangi ng y o ur

H e adi ngs cl e a rly and in go o d o rd e r, and a ft e r y o u
hav e cultivat e d yo ur p o w er o f usi ng thes e M e th o d s
a nd Syst e m s e asily , y o u will find that y o u will b e

savi ng a gre at a m o u nt o f e ne r gy e ve ry d ay The .

wo rk O f actually c o m m i t t i ng na m es and lists t o

m e m o ry w ill b e given o ve r t o y o ur l o w er facul t ie s ,fo r
i nsta nc e, y o ur fa culty O f as so ci at i o n O f ti m e and
place ( see o r y o ur faculty fo r r e m e m b e ri ng

R hy m e s a nd R hy t h m s .

Th e pr o c e ss will be ve ry r a pid t he s avi ng o f ti m e

,

will als o be t h e s avi ng O f m o ney , y o u will no t h ave

t o re l e ar n Wh at y o u h av e o nc e l ea r ne d and thus
-
,

y o u will b e e na bl e d t o giv e a gr e at d e al O f ti m e t o
t h o s e p ur s ui t s w hich y o u lik e b e st , o r w hich are b est

fo r y o u .

A ga i n, y o u ill hav e a dd e d ano th er i nt er e st t o

w

life , yo u w ill hav e add e d a no th e r h o bby : havi ng

‘ ’

wo rke d o ut th ese m eth o d s a nd S ys te m s fo r y o urs el f ,

y o u w ill h enc e fo rth s t udy w ith grea t car e y o ur o w n

m e ntal w o rkings , y o u w ill no w k now m o r e Of t he
pr o ce s s by which y o u l ear n a nd re m em b e r, and yo u
will k no w h o w t o i m pr o ve and utilis e vari o us p o w e rs
in y o urs el f and in oth er s .

Th ere will be no m er e abs o rbi ng o f m ethods and

 A D VA N TA GE S OF TH E M E TH OD S 22 9

Sys t e m s i nve nt e dby oth e rs ; fo r y o u will b e fo r m i ng

yo ur o w n L i nks a nd yo ur o w n R hy m e s : your wo rk
will b e good fo r you b ecaus e you will be d o i ng it by
yourse lf and fo r yours el f and oth ers New li nes o f
.

res earch will Op en b e fo re yo u, and t h ere is e v e ry

chance Of yo ur fi ndi ng o ut som e thi ng which m ay b e
O f gre at s ervic e towards h e lpi ng oth ers to l e ar n and

to re m e mb er .

The practic e o f m e m o ry will be m o rally go o d for

yo u : it will discipli ne you . A nd y o u will find that

th e t e dious ki nds o f practic e can b e disp ens ed with
befo re very lo ng If y o u lay firm fo u ndatio ns e a rly
.

in li fe, y o u will have pre pare d yours e lf fo r what ever

occupati o n m ay b e y o urs in aft er li fe -
L et m e
e m phasis e this p o i nt h er e le t m e ask w hat it is that
,

w e are lik ely t o b e d o i ng in aft e r li fe

-
. We shall
c ertai nly be sp e aki ng, c o nve rsi ng, re fl e cti ng, j udgi ng,
wri t i ng, acti ng ; eve ry o ne Of th es e pro c ess es is
bas e d o n m e m o ry Th e re is no t o ne o f th e m w hich
.

will no t b e t h e b e tt e r d o ne if t he m e m o ry itse lf be
impro v e d .

L e t m e tak e a m o r e c o ncre t e i nsta nc e, let m e tak e

t he day Of a busi ne ss m an -
. H e has to do c e rtai n
thi ngs in a c e rtai n o rd e r— he has to pay c e rtai n
calls , t o write ce rtai n l e tte rs ; th en he has to tak e a
j our ne y by trai n at a c ertain tim e ,t o w a lk by a c er t ai n
r oute to a c e rtai n place ; h e re h e is t o b e i ntr o duc e d
to t w o m e n, wh o m it is i m portant that he sh o uld
’
rem e m b er ; he has to r e m e mb e r e ach ma n s nam e
2 30 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

a nd so m e characte ristic in his app e ar a nce Wh e n .

h e m ee t s t h e se m en it is i m p o rt a nt th at h e sh o uld
have cl ea rly in his m i nd t he H e ad i ngs o f that ab o ut
w hich h e m e a ns t o t a lk . I n t h e e v e ni ng no t o nly
,

w ill h e hav e t o talk a t di nne r , b ut p e rhaps aft e r

d i nne r h e will have t o m ak e a S p e e ch , and h e d o es

no t wi s h t o have t o r e fe r t o a ny w ri t t en no t es

duri ng his s p e ech : by na t ur e , h o w eve r h e m ay b e

,

ne rv o us and subj e c t t o laps e s O f m e m o ry .Th e n,

a g a i n in t h e c o ur s e o f t h e day vari o u s id e a s , w hich
,

he wi s h e s t o re m e m b er m ay o ccur t o him
, No w
.

s upp o s i ng h e h a s s tudi e d a nd pr a c t i s e d t h e m e th o ds

and S y s t e m s , all th e se v a ri o u s t hi ngs w ill b e d o ne

by him with o u t t h e slighte st e ffo r t TO r e m e m be r

.

all t h e se will be qui t e as e asy t o h im as ea ti ng o r

dri nki ng and al m o st as e asy a s bre a t hi ng If yo u
, .

i m agi ne y o urs e l f in t he p o si t i o n o f s uch a m an wh e n

h e h as nev e r cultiva t e d his m e m o ry at all , y o u will
t h e n se e ho w t e rribly h e is h and ic a pp e d in l i fe and ,

h o w grea t is t h e di ffe re nc e b etw een a go o d m e m o ry

and a b a d o ne .

Th e d e ve l o pm e nt and t r a i ni ng O f t he M o ra l
M e m o ry is a m at t e r o f s t ill gre a t e r m o m e nt ; b u t
it r e quire s a se p a ra t e b o o k t o i t s e l f . P r o fe s so r
E l m e r G a t e s O f Wa shi ngt o n, has w r it te n ably wi t h
,

r e fe r ence t o t hi s subj ec t .
SEC TI O N X L I V . A DV A NTA GES FOR SP ECIAL
PURPO SES AND SUB J ECTS .

NO T only is t he p o ss essi o n o f a go o d m e m o ry , and

it s cul t ivati o n o n t h es e l i nes O f v e ry gr e a t gene ral
,

utili t y , b ut it als o is o r m ay b e a w o nd e r ful h e lp fo r

c ertai n sp e cial purp o s es . I will b e gi n wi t h a fe w
d etails .

It is qui t e p o ss ibl e t h a t s l e e pl e s s ne ss m ay be
av o id e d if t he m e m o ry o f c er t ain t hings we re call e d
,

i nt o requi s i t i o n : o ne c o uld r eh ea rs e in i m agi na t i o n

c er ta i n ac t i o ns o r c e r t a i n sc e nes , ch o o si ng e sp e ci a lly
t h o se which w o uld h a v e a s o o thi ng e ffec t . I b e li eve
t h at it w o uld b e ev e n p o s s ibl e t o pr ac t i s e ga m e s and

at hl e t ics in i m a gi nat i o n and t o i m pr o ve o ne s s e l f by

’

r ecalli ng t h e vari o u s ac t i o ns in o ne s m e m o ry
’
.

When no pap e r o r p encil is h a ndy t h e n a go o d ,

m e m o ry is o f e xc e p t i o nal valu e fo r e x a m pl e w h e n
, ,

yo u are i nt ro duc ed t o p eo pl e and y o u w i sh t o

r em e m b e r s o m e char ac t eristic o f t h e ir fa c e to get h e r
wi t h t h e ir na m e I f y o u have p rac t i s ed e g t h e
. . .

L i nk S y st e m , t hi s will no t e nt ail t h e sligh t es t

-

di fficulty .

Na m e s a nd ad d re s se s , app o i nt m e nts , birthd ays ,

na m e s Of b o o k s a nd t h e ir a u t h o rs , na m es O f h o t e ls

and s t r ee ts , a ll th e s e c an be m aster e d wi t h t he
2 31
2 32 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

great est eas e and t h e gr e at est c ertai nty and t he

gr e at est p e rm ane nce ; a gai n, if it is nec essary , lo ng
lists O f tow ns , Of s t a t i o ns o n c ertai n li ne s , Of pr es ents
( for i nsta nce o f u se ful pre s ent s for weddi ngs , o r
birthdays , o r b o ys) , O f thi ngs which o ne has to buy,
Of sights which o ne h as t o see , in fact all ki nds o f
lists which o ne so Ofte n us e s , can be rem emb ered
without any troubl e at all .

TO be abl e t o k ee p fix e d in one s mi nd c ertai n

’

lists , esp e cially l ist s o f thi ngs in a fixe d ord er, and
of thi ngs which o ne wish e s t o r em e mb e r both back
wards and forwards , this is surely a great c o n
venience and a gr e at g a i n . Tak e, fo r e x ampl e, t he
thi ngs which o ne h as t o l e ar n in t he cas e o f what is
co nsid ere d a full e duca ti o n , thi nk o f the huge
‘ ’

lists in H istory , Geo gr a phy , M e dical S ci ence, t he

S cie nc es ge nerally , L ite ra t ure A rchit ectur e, L an
,

guage s , Phil o sophy , and A rt t he proc ess O f

acquiri ng such lists is p erhaps t h e greatest drudge ry
in t he w hol e O f e duc a ti o n . B u t , if t he m ethods and
S yst ems we re pro p e rly practis e d b eforehand , t he
d ifliculty would have al m o st e ntire ly disapp e are d ,
’

and t h e actual pr o c e ss O f l e ar ni ng t he lists would

have b ecom e quite i nt e re sti ng .

In t he various S e c t i o ns in t hi s book , I h av e tri ed

to show how t he m e m o ry fo r numb ers and d at es
o r M aps o r P lans ( fo r Geo graphy , et c all
)
. can be
improv ed . I hav e tri e d to s h o w that anyo ne who
studies carefully the r easo ns a nd the pri ncipl es of
 A D VAN TA GE S F OR S P E CI A L P URP OSE S 2 33

th e s e m ethods and Syst e m s h as o n t he w ay l e ar nt

a c o nsid e ra bl e a m o u nt ab o ut P sych o l o gy , P hil o l o gy ,
and Ety m o l o gy ; h e w ho h as prac t i s ed ear ne stly
will hav e l e ar nt h o w t o paraphras e and will hav e
gai ne d a v ery gre at co m m and O f language ; h e will
hav e a cquire d a c ert a i n p o w er Of wri t i ng ( p erhap s o f
writi ng Po etry) ; h e will b e abl e t o m ak e sp ee ch es
of vari o us ki nds , w h e th e r th ey be se r m o ns, o r le c
ture s , o r s p ee ch e s at d eb at es, o r S i m ply c o nve rsa
t io nal; h e w ill h a v e i m pr o v e d his p o w e r O f wri t i ng ,
'

wh e the r h e wi s h es t o write articl es and c o nt r ibuti o ns

t o pap ers , o r o nly l e tt e rs
.

H e will hav e a nu m b er o f thi ngs t o thi nk o f

whil e h e is walki ng o r t rav elli ng and a ny t hi ng
,

which he d o es thi nk o f h e w ill be a bl e t o re m e m b e r

wi t h o ut writi ng it d o wn H e will eve n have im
.

prove d his p o we r O f tra nslati ng a nythi ng i nt o a

for e i gn l anguage .

O ne v ery curio us p o i nt ab o ut t he M e m o ry
S ys t e m s is that th ey are e qu a lly valuabl e w h e t h e r
t he thi ng which w e wi s h t o r e m e m b er is so imp or t

a nt th a t w e wi s h t o r e m e m b e r it a b so lut e ly a nd fo r

ev e r , o r wh et h e r it is S O u nimp or ta nt t hat w e wish

to r em e m b e r it p erhaps o nly fo r a d ay F o r b o th
.

O f th e se class e s o f thi ngs t h e M e m o ry S ys t e m s are

-

equ a lly applic a bl e Wh e th er y o u wish t o l ear n

.

s o m ethi ng fo r e ver, o r wh e t h e r yo u d o no t wish to

r em e m b e r it , le t us say , b eyo nd s o m e Ex a m i nati o n,
the M e m o ry S yst e m s , o r t he c o m bi nati o n O f t h e
-
 W
'

2 34 HO TO R E M E M B E R

M e m o ry S yste m s ,
- will be yo ur quick es t and y o ur
s ures t m et h o d .

As I h av e sh o w n frequ e nt ly t he M et h o ds and
,

S ys t e m s w ill ap p ly t o t h e c o m m o ne st i ncid e nts Of

e ve ryd a y l i fe : let m e t a k e a no t he r day s wo rk ’
.

Y o u h ave t o call o n J o ne s a t no o n a nd t h en t o call

o n R o bi nso n t h e n t o buy a t ie o r o rd e r a b o o k , t o
,

wri t e a l e t te r t o m e e t a fri end , t o do so m e sp ecial

,

Ex e rci se s t o pre p a re a c o nve rsat i o n ( fe w p eo pl e

,

e v e r t hi nk o f pr e p a ri ng c o nv e rsati o n, a nd y e t it is

s ur e ly w o r t h w hil e ) , a nd t h e n t o l o o k o u t a t rai n .

No w w hat is t h e c o nne xi o n b et w ee n all th ese

t hi ngs ? Th e re is no c o nne xi o n w hat eve r , e xc e pt
t hat y ou h av e t o d o t he m all [z er o to— d ay ; and y et

y o u w i sh t o r e m e m b e r t h e m ; I d o no t t hi nk t h at
t h e r e c an b e a ny b e t t e r w ay O f r e m e m b e ri ng th e m

t h a n t he M e m o ry Sy st e m s
-
.

The re is s carc ely a ny l e arne d w o rk o n m e m o ry

w hich give s a ny pr a c t ical ass i s t a nc e fo r a c o m m o n

d ay s w o rk lik e t his th o ugh t he m e t h o ds and

’

S y st e m s wh ich I sugge st ( s uch as I ni t iali s i ng and

R hy m e s ) d e m a nd a c o ns id er a bl e a m o u nt o f pr a c t ic e
be fo reha nd ; b ut e ve n duri ng t he drudge ry o f p rac
t ic e y o u m u s t ne v e r fo rg e t t h a t o n t h e way y o u are

no t o nly i m p r o vi ng y o ur i nt e ll e c t ual a nd m o r al

fa cul t i es but y o u m ay al s o b e a cquiri ng a gre at d eal

,

O f us eful i nfo r m ati o n .

TH ER E are som e Sp e cial classe s fo r w hich I h o p e
that th es e m et h o d s a nd S y s t e m s w ill be a ve ry
gr eat h elp . F o r l e ar ne rs ge ne rally no t m e re ly
,

th o se w h o are l ea rni ng with a vi e w t o s o m e S p e ci a l

e x a m i na t i o n,b ut fo r t h o se w ho w i s h t o acquire
any i nfo r m at i o n O f a ny ki nd a nd o f c o ur se e s p e ci a lly
,

fo r e x a m i nees ( so m uch O f w h o se fu t ure w ill d e p e nd

o n t h e ir d o i ng go o d E xa m s ) fo r t e a ch e r s al so a nd
,

e x a m i ne rs — fo r a ll t h e se t h e m e t h o d s a nd S y st e m s

m igh t b e m o s t s ervic e abl e .

A ll s p e a k e rs , w h e t h e r t h e y be cl e rgy m e n, o r
public sp e a k e r s , o r l e ct ur ers , o r d e bat e rs , o r eve n
m e r ely c o nv e r sa ti o na li s t s , w ill find t h at th ey w ill
succ ee d far b e tt er if th e y at t end t o t h e cul t iv at i o n O f
t h e ir m em o ry . I f b efo r e t h e y s p ea k t h e y get t h e ir
H e a di ngs cl ea r , a nd a rr a nge d in t h e right o rd e r ,

and if t h e y t h en w o rk o n t h e li ne s I s ugg e s t th e y ,

w ill s o o n b e abl e t o s p e a k w i t h a b s o lu t e c o nfid e nc e,

w ith o ut havi ng t o r e fe r t o a ny no t e s at all .

A t first, O f c o urs e t h ey m ay h av e t he no t es
,

by t he ir S id e , ready t o re fe r t o in case o f e m erge ncy .

Thi s pr actic e w ith t h e m e t h o d s a nd S y s t e m s w ill

also h elp wri t er s, w h e t h e r t h ey be auth o rs o r
”S
2 36 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

e ssayists , o r wh eth er th e y b e m e rely l etter writ ers

-

it will eve n h e lp thos e w h o e nt e r fo r M issi ng Word

-

C o m p etitions
The practic e in arra ngi ng a nd in re alisi ng ( see
X I I , XV ) will b e o f valu e fo r p o e ts , fo r artists , and
. .

fo r sci entific m en .A nd t he m e thods Of l e ar ni ng

lists will be o f v a lue no t o nly fo r sci entific men,
but also fo r d o ct o rs and l awye rs , w ho o ften have
t o k ee p a list O f i m p o r t a nt cas e s at th e ir fi ngers
’

ends .

A dv ertis ers , if t h ey w o uld succ e e d ,must find what

it is that p eopl e l e a r n m o st e asily : this is t he ve ry
e ss enc e O f th e ir busi ne ss ; and this b o ok m ight
possibly te ach t h e m o ne o r t w o thi ngs Of which
th ey had no t th o ught b e fo re .

Fo r busi ness m e n it is e sp eci a lly important t o

-

save as m uch ti m e as p o ss ibl e and t o b e abs o l utely

c ertai n O f neve r m is s i ng an e ngagem ent : th ey t oo
m ight be h elp ed .

P lay e rs o f Ga m e s lik e C h e ss and Whist need an

e xc epti o nally str o ng m e m o ry . S o ldi e rs and sailors
might m emorise drill m o ve m ents and vari o us thi ngs
by t he m e ans I sugge s t ; a nd I m ay co nclud e t he
l ist Of classe s wi t h t h e m enti o n of i nventors ( for
all i nventi o ns d e p end ve ry largely upo n a go od
and r e ady m e m o ry) , a nd o f t h e abs ent m i nd ed :
-

t he nu m b e rs o f thi ngs which a re daily s ent to t he

fl
M issi ng P rop erty O ic es t hro ughout t he U nited
‘

K i ngdom , thi ngs which hav e b e e n l e ft b ehi nd and

 A D VA N TA GE S F OR S P E CI AL CL A S S E S 2 37

for go tt e n at various plac e s , and which repre se nt

only a part of t h e thi ngs w hich have actually b een
l eft b ehi nd , th es e O f th e m se lv e s are quite a s u ffici e nt
proo f that th e re are m illi o ns wh o se m e m o ry s adly
nee ds d eve lopm e nt and cultur e .
S EC TI O N XLV I . A DV ANTA GES FO R SP ECIA L
POWER S AN D FA CULTI ES .

TH E part t h at m e m o ry plays in t h e d ev e l o p m ent

o f o u r v a ri o u s p o w e r s a nd fa cul t i es is apt t o be
o v e rl o o k e d as I hav e a lr e a dy s h o w n in S e cti o n I
, .

F o r t h e pr o o f o f t h e s t at e m e nt t h a t m any O f o ur
faculti e s are d eve l o p e d b u t m i s u sed t h a t o t h e rs are
,

o nly p a rtly d ev e l o p e d a nd t h at o t h e r s a re a b so lu t e ly
,

u nd e ve l o p e d , I r e fe r t o w h a t I h av e a lre ady said o n

t h e s ubj e c t
. B ut a s a rul e w e d o no t r e alis e that
t his has any t hi ng t o d o with o ur m e m o ry .

M e m o ry h o w eve r , is i nt i m at e ly ass o ci at e d w ith

,

th ese faculti e s ; in fa c t it is no e x a gge r at i o n t o

say th at w it h o u t m e m o ry t h e se facul t i es w o uld be
no n e xi s t ent
-
. M e m o ry suppli es o ur i m a gi na t i o n,
o u r p o w e r O f r e as o ni ng , o ur p o w e r O f r e pr o duci ng,

and o ur p o w e r o f i nv e nti ng . Tak e a w ay m e m o ry

a nd y o u tak e a w a y th e s e p o w e rs .

I ve nture t o ass e rt t h a t if t h e se m e th o ds and

S y s te m s a nd o t h er s ( w hich t h e r e ad e r c an find
fo r hi m se l f) w e re care fully studi e d a nd put i nt o
pra ctice , t h e d e ve l o p m e nt Of t he w ill a nd o f t he
i nt e ll e ct and o f m o ra li t y w o uld be m o s t e xtra
o rdi nary .

A care ful s t udy o f t he m e th o d s and S ys t e ms that

2 38
 A D VA N TA GE S F O R S P E CI A L P O WE R S 2 39

improve t h e faculty o f o b s erv a t i o n ( a faculty which

is so t erribly ne gl e c t e d in o ur ordi nary e ducation) ,
t he facul t y O f as s o cia t i o n, th e facul t y O f worki ng
out caus e s and e ffe cts , t he faculty o f picture
pai nti ng in t he m i nd ( a fa culty I o fte n d e no t e by
t he wo rd t h e faculty o f classifyi ng thi ngs

and putti ng t h e m in go o d o rd e r , t he faculty O f

illustrati ng and e nfo rci ng id e as by sui t abl e ana
logi es , o r by c o nt ras ts , t he habit Of sy m pathy ,
which c an o nly re sul t fr o m a wid e k no wl edge and
a r et entiv e m e m o ry , t h e habit o f b e i ng thought ful
about oth ers , all th e s e m us t d ep end large ly o n
t he d egr ee t o w hich t he m e m o ry is consciously
cultivated To t a k e t hi s l ast p o i nt , th o ughtful ness
.

about othe rs : t he h abit o f t hi nki ng o ut thi ngs

b efor ehand would l ea d o ne t o s ay t o o ne s s elf, b efore
’

payi ng a call , I am go i ng t o s ee SO and SO : what

‘
- -

shall I talk ab o ut ? ’
O ne w o uld i nst i nctively thi nk
o ut b eforehand what w o uld i nt e re st him , and o ne

would impr ess thi s up o n o ne s m e m o ry : t he d i ffe r

’

enc e in t h e effe ct w hich o ne wo uld pr o duc e would

be surprisi ng .

The faculty o f d e fi ni ng a thi ng cl e arly , t h e faculty

of connecti ng o r li nki ng o ne thi ng t o ano the r ,
which I show t o b e h e lp e d by m a ki ng rhym e s ;
t he faculty of t ea chi ng a nd e xpl a i ni ng to oth ers ,

t he glorious facul ty o f s e l f c o rr e c t i o n, t h e pow er

-

O f practic e , t h e p o w e r o f i nv e nt i ng ( which m e a ns

combi ni ng in a new w ay thi ngs w hich w e k now

2 40 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

and re m emb er) — all th es e ca nno t but b e improved

by m em o ry culture
-
.

SO far I have sp o k en o nly o f t h e high e r m i nd

to th e list o ne migh t p e rh a p s add s e lf co nfid ence,
-

which can partly ari s e fro m t h e c e rtai nty O f re

m em bering . B ut t hi s is no t ne arly t h e whol e effect
of a co nscio us and careful i m pro v e m ent O f the
m e mory .

O ur facul t ie s we re m ad e t o b e u s e d we ll , and w e
do no t use th e m w e ll by nat ure : w e w ere m eant
to thi nk o ut h o w w e o ught to use each thi ng
that has b een gi ven us , and we we re no t m e ant
t o go o n usi ng t hi ngs as p eo pl e arou nd us are
in the habit Of usi ng th e m that is to say , in t he
,

customary , th oughtl ess , s lipsh o d way ; w e wer e

m e ant to say t o o ur se lve s , H er e is a gift , what
ought I t o do with it ? ’

The u nsci entific use Of o u r l o w er faculti es is o ne

Of t he most d eplorabl e s igns , no t o nly of this age,
but Of all age s .

I will no t go into d e tail s he re, but will o nly men

tion a few othe r t hi ngs t h a t w e a re wo nt t o re m em b er
( and to re m e m be r ve ry i ns e cure ly and i nad equat ely)
by a m e thod which is no t o nly u nsci entifi c , but also
extre m ely t edious and u ns atisfact o ry in ev e ry way,

if ind ee d it c an be call e d a m e thod at all The .

way in which w e are wo nt t o re me mb e r faces ,

nam es , figure s , numb ers , pi e c e s O f p o e try , and

fore ign words is lam entabl e : t he effort exp end ed

 A D VA N TA GE S F OR S P E CI A L P O WE R S 2 41

in t he proce ss in prodigio us ; and t he worst Of it

is that by l e arni ng such t hi ngs in s uch a way w e
d o no t d eve l o p our mi nd s in th e ve ry l east . Th e
lab o u r is as d e sp e rate ly m e chanical a nd d egradi ng
as anythi ng c an b e .

B ut all t he tim e that w e a re l e ar ni ng th es e thi ngs

in t h e hard e st possibl e w ay , w e have l eft , u ne m
pl o yed , c ertai n faculties which could d o t he wo rk
i nfi nite ly b ett er and m ore s afely, i nfi nit e ly quicke r,
and with i nfi nit e ly l ess e ffo rt , faculti e s which a ft e r

a tim e could be mad e to d o t he work by th ems e lves

quit e auto m atically .

We have t h e faculty o f b e ing impresse d by

R hym es and R hyth m s , and o f r e c e ivi ng i nt o our
m i nds , wh eth e r w e wish fo r th em Or no t , a nu m b e r
o f trivial d e t a il s , thi ngs a ss ociat e d t o ge th e r by t i m e

and plac e ( see XX I I I ) . Th es e faculti e s and th es e

m at erials and ma ny oth ers stay in o u r m i nd s ab
so lut el y u nus e d , and ye t I have sh o w n that t he
faculti es and t he m ate rial s ( see IV a nd V ) ad m it
. .

o f b e i ng u s e d with t h e m o st satis fact o ry r e sul t s .

I f my sugge stions we r e a dopt ed , no t o nly wo uld

t he highe r faculti e s be i m prov e d , but o th ers al so ,
such as l ear ni ng by r o t e, would be rel i eved o f a
vast amou nt Of te dious labour, and new facul t i es
would be d e ve l op ed , which wo uld d o t he work m o r e
satisfactorily , and would us e up m at e rials which w e
already poss ess .

In co nclus io n, I m ust r em i nd t he re ad e r that e ach

16
2 42 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

o ne o f us hi m sel f o nly a ce rtai n a m o u nt

h as w i t hi n
O f m e ntal e ne rgy : t h a t h e has a vas t nu m b e r o f

thi ngs which he o ugh t t o rem e m b er and o nly a,

cer t ai n a m o u nt O f e ne r gy w hich h e can p ut fo rth

in t h e p ro c es s o f re m e m be ri ng ; I wo uld a pp ea l t o
his p e rs o nal e xp e ri e nce t o pro ve th at t he o rdi nary
m e th o d s O f l e a r ni ng and re m e m b e ri ng t hi ngs e x
h aust s a n e xtr ao rdi na ry a m o u nt O f e ffo rt . [ thi nk
thi s w ill be re adily gr a nte d A nd I no w ask t he
.

re ad e r t o t ry w he t he r such m et h o ds a nd Sys t e ms
as I s ugge st w o ul d no t give far m o r e e xc e ll ent
re sults w i t h a far s m all e r exp e nditur e o f effo rt .
S EC TI O N X LV II . OBJ ECTIONS A NTICIP A TED
AN D ANSWERED .

SU PP O SI NG any t ea ch er w ere t o say t o h is p u pil s, “ Th e nam e s

o f th e C A B A L m ini s t er s in t h e re ig n o f C h ar l es t h e S e c o nd

w ere C l iffo rd , A s hl e y, B uck ingh am , A rl i ng t o n, L aud er da l e .

Yo u s ee t h at th e w o r d C A B A L is fo rm e d o f t h e fi rst l e tt ers
o f t h ese fiv e nam es, b u t — yo u m u s t no t r em em b er t h ese five

w e s h o uld na t u rally as k, Wh y no t , if
“
nam es by t h is m eans
” B ut as a m att er O f fa c t no
t h is m ak es t h e t ask e a s ier ?
t each er b ut th e g ro s se st p e dant w o uld say t h i s t o h is p u p il s .

Y et if — u sing a v ery v er y o ld I nit i al ising ex a m p l e — l

‘ ’

adv i se d p eo pl e t o l earn th e ri gh t o r d er o f th e c o l o u rs, R ed

Ye ll o w G reen B lu e V io l et , by th e w o r d R Y G B U , a nd if I
s ugg est e d t o t h em ,a s a l i nk b et w een C O L O U R S and RYGB U ,

th e w o r d R ai nb o w , s o as t o m a k e a s t ro ng and fi rm c h ain
r i — RYG B U ) , t h ere are m any w h o w o uld
( C O LO U R S -
a n b o w
d ro p o n m e and say ‘ N o : h ere w e d raw th e l ine Th is is a .

m ere t rick ’
.

S u ppo s ing I ask th em , in re ply , w h eth er t h i s is no t a n

ext ension of t ire p r inci p le o f C A B A L, o f t h e p rinc ip l e by w h ich
w e le t I nit i a l s s t and fo r w h o l e w o rd s o r nam es ( e g V C ,
. . . .

w h e t h e r it is no t a t any rat e
a v ery easy w ay, and w h et h er it is no t at any rat e a v ery s afe

and su re w ay, h a v e t h ey a leg t o s t and u p o n ?

S u ppo sing I w ere t o go a st e p fu rt h er — s u pp o s i ng I w ere

t o say t h at w e nev er re m e m b er t h e w h ole o f a ny o bj e c t t h at
w e s ee : at t h e m o s t w e u s u a lly r em e m b er o nly o ne o r tw o
m o re o r l ess p ro m inent pa r ts , and t h at th e re m em b ering o f
Y e ll o w b y t h e l e tt e r Y is t h e r em e m b ering o f a t h ing by
m eans o f o ne pro m inent p ar t , d o es no t t h e ir w h o l e o bj e c t io n
fa ll t o t h e gr o u nd ?
Th e fa c t o f it is t h at t h e re st i ll s u rv i v es a l ar ge c l as s of
345
2 46 HO W TO RE M E M B ER

r i
p eo p l e w h o lay d o w n a ul e t h at , if a t h ng is l ea nt in an r
easy o r pleas a nt w a y, it c anno t b e a p a rt o f E duc a t io n Th e ir .

idea l o f e du c a t io n is a l is t O f t h e King s and P ro ph et s o f t h e

”
O ld Te st a m e nt t o b e l earnt by h eart ch ro no l o gic a l o rder !
in
C A B A L, t h ey say, m ay p as s : s o m e init ia l s , t h e y say, m ay b e
all o w e d t o st and fo r w h o l e w o r d s ; b ut b e y o nd t h ese
— no.

Thu s far s h a l t t h o u go ,and no fu rt h er .

Th i s cl ass ,w h ich is u nfo r t u nat e ly v e ry l arg e , a nd v e ry po w e r

ful in t h e l and, m ay b e s t ig m at ise d as na rr o w pe d a nt s : t h e
fa c t O f it is t h a t t h e y la y u po n t h e s h o uld e rs O f l e arners t a sk s
g r iev o u s t o b e b o rne, w eigh t s d iflic ult t o h o ld and all b e c au se
,

t h ey t h e m s e lv es h a v e no t t ro ubl e d t o o b se rv e t /z e a ct u a l p r o
cesses by w h ich w e d o re m em b er t h ing s, and , ab o v e a ll, t h o s e

by w h ich w e rem em b e r t h em b est Th ey h a v e h ad M anu al s

.

o f P s ych o l o gy , b u t t h e y h a v e no t k no w n th em , o r e l s e th ey

h av e s c o rned t o u se w h at t h ey h a ve k no w n t h ey h a v e h ad t h e
S c ie nc e o f P h il o l o gy t o sh o w t h em h o w w e re m e m b er w o rd s ,
b ut t h ey h av e fa il e d t o t u rn it t o a cc o u nt ; t h e y m igh t h a v e
no t ic e d t h e w ay s o f t h e ch ild ren ab o u t t h em , b ut t h e y h a v e
no t d o ne so .

Th ey h a v e preferre d t o p er fo rm t h e fu nc t io n o f a b ri ck w all
O ppo se d t o t h e p ro gres s o f s im p l e and s u re and rap id and

p l eas ant m e t h o d s o f l ear ni ng and o f re m e m b ering .

And t o w h a t e x t ent h a v e t h e y a c t u ally s u cceed ed in impr ov

ing t h e m em o ries and t h e m i nd s o f t h o se fo r w h o m t h e y h av e
l a id d o w n t h e se sev ere La w s o f P ro h ib it io n ? B y th eir fruit s ye
sh a ll k no w t h em t h ey h av e fa il e d m i sera bly .

H av e t h e y m ana g e d t o t ea ch pe o pl e t o r em e m b er s im ply ,
s u re ly , ra p idly , p l e a s a nt ly , a nd w it h m ark e d d e v e l o p m e nt
o f t h e fa cul t ie s o f a rrang ing , o f reas o ning , and so o n ? V ery
v ery l itt l e W h il e th ey h av e d o ne t h e ir b est t o st o p u p e v ery
.

S h o r t c ut , t h ey h a v e m a d e e v e n t h e l o ng w ay ro u nd , w h ich

is O ft en t h e b e st w ay aft er a ll, a s ro ugh and u nre l iabl e and s l o w

and dull a s a ny j o u r ne y w e ll c o uld b e .

B ut le t m e c e ase fr o m abu s ing t h e m : let m e t u rn and

a ns w er no t O nly t h e m , b u t o t h ers w h o rea lly d o c o ns c i ent io u s ly

w a nt t o h av e t h e ir o bj e c t io ns ans w e re d — w h o h a v e a g e nu ine
d esire t o kno w w h et h er t h e ir s c r u p l es against ‘ l earning h o w t o
rem em ber are j u st ifi ab le o r no t
’
.
O BJ E C TI ONS A N TI CI P A TE D A ND A N S WE R E D 2 47

A m o ng t he u na ns w er a ble ob ec t ions
j t o m a ny
B o o ks o n M e m o ry , i ncludi ng B o o ks o n M ne m o nic
S y s t e m s , t he foll o wi ng s ugge s t th e ms elve s as t h e
m o st i m p o rtant

(a) The m asse s Of t e ch nical t erms . I gave a

sp e ci m en abov e , and I giv e ano th er h ere : “ The
ne rv e c e lls Of o ur c e re br a l h e m isph e re s are so c o m

p let e ly d ep end e nt , fo r t h a t e xcita t i o n O f forc e w hich

c o nst i t u t e s i nte ll e c t ual a c t i o n upo n t he sti m uli c o n
,

ve y e d t o th e m thr o ugh t h e s e ns o ry ga nglia fro m

t h e o rg ans o f s ens e, as a re th o s e o f our s pi nal

c o rd up o n t h e s t i m ul i co nve y e d to th em e it h e r
fro m t h e sup eri o r ne rv e c e ntre s o r fro m t he p e ri

phera l irritati o n Of an a ffe r ent nerve . The

m e ani ng m ay be quite c o rre c t , and, t o a sp e ciali s t ,
p erfe ct ly cl e ar , but it is s uch langu a ge as this
t h a t has h e lp e d t o p r event o rdi nary p eo pl e fr o m

s tudyi ng m e mory at all . U nfo rtu na t ely , agai nst

such the re is no L aw ’
.

Th e ave rage re ad e r w h o wishe s to u nd e rs tand

th e P hysi o l o gy o f t h e s ubj e c t in it s outli ne s , m ight

a l m o s t as we ll r e ad a p a g e o f a H e bre w L e xic o n .

Th e vari ety in t h e t yp e w o uld at l e ast be a great e r

res t fo r t he eye .

( 6) S o m e S yst e m s have b een fo r t he ea r

m e m o ry alo ne : t h e L o ise t t e S yst e m i nsis ts o n it
t o o m uch , whil e fo r t he e y e m e m o ry h e give s t o o
-

li t tl e e x ercis e Ge o gr aphy is no t , as a rul e , t o be

.

l e ar nt by t h e ear so m uch as by t he eye : and

2 48 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

the ey e h o uld be u se d fo r s ig/t ts and p ictures

s

m o r e th an fo r w o rd s .

()
c O t h e r S yst e m s d o t h e r ev e rs e : th ey insist

t o o much , e g , o n t h e ey e m e m o ry t he m e m o ry
. .
-
,

fo r s ight s see n o r i m agi ne d , o r— still w o rse— t he

m e m o ry fo r w o rds o r l e t t e rs s een o r i m a gi ne d .

B o th O f th es e o ne s id e d S yste m s , t o o , are o ft en
-

apt t o i nsi st o n t h e re m e m b e ri ng O f w or ds ( s o u nds

or l e tt e rs) , r a t h e r than o n t h e pr evi o u s u nd e r
s ta ndi ng a nd r e al i s i ng o f t h e ideas fo r whic h t h e

w o rds s ta nd .

(d) F ew b o o ks i nsis t e no ugh , i nd eed fe w i nsi st

at a ll fir st , t h a t t h e i ndividual l e a r ne r s hall cl
, ioose

t h e Sy s te m o r S yst e m s that suit liim b est ; s ec o nd ly ,

that h e s hall ch o o s e t h e Sy st e m o r S yste m s that

suit e ach particul ar s u éject b e st ; thirdly, that he
s h all at l eas t give otlzer Sy s tem s a f a ir t r ia l, in
cas e he m ay be abl e , aft e r pr actice , t o use t/iem
als o .

(e) M a ny b o o ks are cra m m e d full O f d eta ils, and

b egi n w ith a és tr act and gene ral st at e m e nts b efo re
th ey have giv e n cl e ar co ncrete e xampl e s . The
subj e ct is h ard , v ery hard , and at t h e o uts e t sh o uld
c o m e at a ny rat e a S i m pl e outline, a nd , in ne arly
e ve ry cas e , at l e a s t o ne concr ete ins ta nce . D e tail s
nee d no t b e e xclud ed , but th ey sh o uld b e k e pt

u nt il t he o utli ne s a nd i nsta nc es hav e b een give n .

( f ) I m ight m e nt i o n a nu m b e r o f faults in
i ndividual S yste m s , but o ne m u s t su ffic e In t he .
OBJ E CTI ON S A N TI CI P A TE D AND A NS WE RED 2 49

L i nk Syst e m ,
-
supp o si ng w e tak e t he chai n ( see
above) C o l o ur s— R ai nb o w — R Y GB U , t he word
‘ ’

R ai nbow may b el o ng t o a no th e r chai n as well .

S om e words m ay b e l o ng t o s e ve ral chai ns , and

co nfusio n m ay a ri s e : t o ch a nge t h e m etaphor— o ne
may tak e t he wro ng tur ni ng at t he cross roads -
’
.

B ut there is no re al nee d to use t he sam e word

m a ny tim es , and in actu a l practic e ( as oppos e d to
th eory) t he c o nfusi o n is s eld o m e xp erienc ed .

L et m e rep eat o nce m o re that th er e are bad

M emory Syst e m s , and that t h ere are abus e s Of good
-

M emory Syst e m s : m a ny Obj ectio ns have b een m ad e

-

that ca nnot be re fute d S uch bad Syst e ms , and

.

such abuse s o f go o d Syst e m s , are to be co nd em ned .

L et m e also add that m y boo k is no t m erely a

coll ectio n Of M em o ry Syste m s : it i nclud es th em ,
-

but it also sh o ws h o w a gr e at m any thi ngs can

be l ear nt and r e m e m b e re d , and snould be l ear nt
and re m e mb e red , w i t h o ut a ny artificial Syst em
at all .

Let m e no w pro c ee d t o t he obj e ctio ns th e m s e lves ,

which I will put i nt o t he w ords Of the o bj e cto rs .

I shall be very grat e ful if any o f my read ers will

ki ndly add to this list .

1. T/ier e a re m a ny tliings , w /z icli M emory

Sy s tem s kelp one to r em em oer , ou t io nic/z ar e not

w or t!: learning or r em em ber ing at al

2 50 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

P e rfe ctlyright : but t hi s h as no t hi ng to d o w ith

me I supp o s e y o u t o co m e t o m e, sayi ng , I w ant
.

t o l e ar n a nd r e m e m b e r so a nd so : all t h at I d o is
’
- -

t o say , Try tlt is m e t h o d o r tlz is : I d o no t p ro fes s

‘ ’

L e a r n a nd re m e m b e r a ny t/z ing in
‘
t o s ay t o y o u ,

t he w id e w id e w o rld I a m no t ch o o si ng w lza t
’
.

y o u a re t o l ear n and re m e m b e r , b ut o nly lzo w

y o u m ay l e ar n and r e m e m b e r any t hi ngs w hich
y ou y ou rsel f cnoose You are res p o nsibl e fo r t he
.

m a ter ia ls , I— t o s o m e e x t e nt — fo r t h e fixi ng and

se curi ng o f th e m .

2 .
y Men is
S u r el onl
y o ne w ay f lea r ning
o a nd

r em em ber ing t/t ings tnat is , by s eeing t/z e ca uses

’
a nd j ects a nd o tlz er connexions
e .

F o r l ear ni ng and re m e m b eri ng cer ta in su bj ects ,

s uch as fo r i ns t ance
, so m e of t he, c a u ses O f
E ngla nd s s ucc e ss ( c p t hi s is one O f t he b es t
’
.

w ays ; a nd e v e n h e r e t h e r e a re o t h e r ways as we ll

w hich fe w o f us c an a ffo rd t o negl e ct B u t ho w .

ab o u t a d ay s w o rk — I w a nt t o re m e m b e r t o do
’

c e r t a i n t hi ngs in a cer ta in or der a nd to fo rget ,

no ne O f th e m I w a nt t o w ri t e a l e t t e r to J o nes ,
.

t o call o n B r o w n, t o m ent i o n t o h im five a b s o lut e ly

di s t i nct t hi ngs ( witho u t havi ng t o l o o k at m y

M e m s ) t o buy a t ick e t fo r t h e t h e at re and so o n
, , .

O r I have t o go t o a di nne r par t y , a nd I wa nt -

t o m e nti o n 8 thi ngs 3 t o A 2 to B , 3 t o C

, , .

No w h o w d o e s yo ur pl a n c o m e in h e re ? W hat
is t he c o nne xi o n be twee n J o ne s , B ro wn, t he
OBJ E C TI O N S A N TI CI P A TE D A ND A N S WE R E D 2 51

thi ngs I wa nt t o say t o B r o wn, t h e t h e at re t ick e t ,

and t h e r e s t ? I a m p erhap s t h e o nly c o nne xi o n .

Th ey m ay b e is o lat e d i t e m s ,o nly c o nne c t e d t o ge t h e r

to d ay b ecaus e I have t o d o th e m ber e
-
TO d ay .
-

t hey are no t c o nne ct e d fo r any o ne e ls e TO m o rr o w .

-

and e ls e wh e re t h ey will ri o t b e c o nnect e d t o ge th e r at

all , e ven fo r m e .

A nd , a ft er all , th es e are t h e c o m m o nest thi ngs

in li fe M r H h as a re d no s e and live s at 3 S t
. . . .

Te rrac e ; t h e L d i nne r party is o n ’

J s -

t he 3o t h ; and so on
.

It is h e re that we re a lly nee d s o m ethi ng b eyo nd

‘
cau se and e ffec t
’
l

3 Tb e w ay s t/ta t m os t people use now m u s t

.

be tlt e bes t w ay s of lea r ning a nd r em em ber ing : it

is not likely tha t a better w ay w ou ld ex ist a nd w ou ld
not be used , w hen t/
i er e a re so m a ny old a nd clever
’

people every w /
ier e .

L et m e rec o m m e nd a study o f t he pro gre ss o f

t he Wo rld fo r e xa m pl e O f i nv e nt i o ns
’

, ,
D id no t
‘
.

p eo pl e say j u s t t h e s a m e b e fo r e W a t t li ved b e fo re ,

every i nve nt o r liv e d ? Is it lik e ly t hat w e k no w

every tb ing y e t ? B e li ev e m e , y o u will live b ut a
p o o r li fe if y o u al w ays tru s t t o cus tom as t he
safes t guide If y o u wa nt t o see t h e e xtr e m e o f
.

thi s p o licy l o o k at t h e C hi ne s e !
,

The fa ct o f it is m y d e ar r e ad e r, that m a ny
,

thi ngs are go i ng o n no w w hich have no pr o p e r p l ace

in o ur age : th ey b e long ra t h e r to t he M iddl e A ges
2 52 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

or to t he ti m e s b efore th e m Th ey have su rvived ,

.

but th e y are no t go o d : s till l ess are th ey the

b e st pos s ibl e A nd t h e b est p o ssibl e, t he v ery
.

b est p o ssibl e, is that fo r which w e are m e ant to

se arch Fo r a l o ng ti m e slavery w as customary
.

— but it w as no t go o d ; fo r a lo ng ti m e B ath
ro o m s we r e practically u nk no wn in English P rivate
house s , but th e ir absenc e was not go o d I will .

no t w e ary y o u ; it is e no ugh t o say that cus ‘

t o m ary is no t t he sa m e a s the b est

' ‘ ’
.

4 . Tb e na t u r a l w ay of r em em bering m ust su rely

be t/z e bes t is a som ewh a t s i m ilar Obj e cti o n
’
.

This is so : it is t he b e st if t h e na tural way is

al so t h e right way ; but ge ne rally it is not t he right

w ay .

I o nce ask e d a we ll k no w n L aw n Tennis player

-

what was t h e be st way o f grippi ng t he rack e t .

’ ’
‘
O h , he s aid , t he natura l way is t he b est
‘
It .
‘

may be t he b est fo r y o u , I th o ught , for yo u

’

“ ”
naturally grip t he r a ck et r zglt tly : but ho w ‘

about th o se who na turally grip t he rack et

wro ngly ? ’

NO : it is no t every o ne w h o do es ev e rythi ng right

by t he light of natur e , i nsti nctively Ne ith er in .

l e ar ni ng and r e m emb eri ng no r in virtu e, nor in

,

a nythi ng e l se in this wo rld , ca n w e e xp e ct that w e

c an get o n as we ll as w e sh o uld with o ut cor r ect ion

se lf c o rre cti o n, to a c er t a i n e xt ent ; but do no t trust

-

t o that al o ne Fo r y o u ca nnot be sure Of standi ng

.
OBJ E C TI O N S A N TI CIP A TE D A ND A N S WE R E D 2 53

alt o geth e r o ut s id e yo ur se l f and o f judgi ng yo ur se lf

in an u nbiass e d way fr o m a stra nger s p o i nt o f V i e w
’
.

NO : yo u m ust eve r be pre pare d t o l ear n fr o m

o th ers , and must e v e r b e pr epare d t o m is tr u s t
y ou r
ow n w ay s f
o d o ing t/t ings .

A ki n t o this Obj ecti o n is t he fo llo w i ng

‘
E ac/i lias bis or ber ow n lit tle w ay of lea r ning
and rem ember ing, a nd tl
i a t w ay is best f or bim or
’
lzer .

B ut v
this littl e way m ay no t be quite p er fe c t ,
e en

and th e a dditi o n o f o the r w ay s ( e s p e ci a lly acc o rdi ng

t o t he su bject) m ay b e o f gre a t val u e A t a ny r a t e ,.

it w ill no t be w as te o f ti m e t o t ry t he o th e r wa ys .

It is pr o babl e th a t , if y o u w e re t o ask fo r and get

a ca nd id Opi ni o n, y o u r fri e nd s wo uld be o nly t o o
ple as ed t o tell y o u t hat y o ur m e m o ry was no t
abso lut e ly i nfallibl e .

Each h as his littl e way Of h o ldi ng a

‘ ’
own

cricke t —b a t , O f ho ldi ng a V i o li n bo w , O f playi ng t h e

-

piano : t o get out O f it , and t o a cquir e a s o u nd e r

and b e tt e r w ay , m ay at first se e m clu m sy— it m ay

i nvo lve e ve n a backward m o ve m ent B u t fo r all .

that it m ay be t he o nly p o ss ibl e m e a ns o f i m pr o ve

m ent , at l e ast for t he av e rage i ndividu a l .

5 .
- tb e Sy s tem
M em ory Sy s tems , f or ins ta nce f
o
’
r emem ber ing by m ea ns of R by m es , a r e d eg r a ding .

’
If yo u m ean
d e gradi ng t o th e R hy m es , th en
‘

y o u m e a n, I supp o s e , that it is d e gradi ng a t hi ng t o

m ak e it s e rv e a us e ful purpos e : for , if it h elps t he
2 54 11 0 W TO R E M E M B ER

m em o ry , it m ay be mad e t o s e rv e a use ful purp ose .

B ut , b ecaus e R hy m e s are us e d in b e au t i ful Po etry ,

that is no reas o n w h y th ey S h o uld no t a lso be us ed
as a m ea ns o f r e m e m b e ri ng .B e cau s e pri nt i ng is
u se d fo r Th eo l o gic al di s cu ss io ns , t ha t is no r easo n
w h y it s h o uld no t b e us e d fo r C o o k e ry B o o ks .

B ut , if y o u m e an th a t it is d e gr a di ng fo r y ou ,

th e n y o u m ean, I supp o s e , that it is d e gradi ng fo r

y o u t o u se t h e facul t y O f r e m em b e ri ng w ell by
m ea ns o f R hy m e s ( if, o f c o urs e , y o u n a ve that

faculty ) fo r t h e purp o se o f re m e m b e ri ng w e ll .

O nc e ad m i t t he imp or ta nce O f r e m e m be ri ng
c e rtai n thi ngs su rely , and o nc e ad m it that R hy m es
are a h e lp t o wards thi s ( if t h e y are , in y ou r cas e) ,

and you at o nc e have t h e right , if no t t h e duty , o f

usi ng t h e m R hym es , lik e t he S abbath , wer e m ade

.

fo r m an .

It was a gre at p o e t, m o reo v e r , w h o s aid that

t he chi ef fu ncti o n O f R hym e s w as no t t o m ak e

t h o ught s b e aut i ful— the ir e ffect w as o ft e n quit e t he

re ve rse— but t o h e lp th e m t o be r e m e m b e red I .

canno t re call his e xact wo rds .

L a stly , t he re are s o m e artificial S yste ms ( to

‘ ’

say no t hi ng o f t he m e t h o ds w hich are no t artificial ’

S y s te m s at a ll) which p o sitiv ely d eve lop c ertai n

m e ntal facul t ie s , such as t hat o f picture p a i nti ng in
-

t he m i nd : see furth e r S ec t i o n X L V I .

M em ory Sy s tem s a re a ll lo w a nd degr a ding is

-
’

a still m o re swee pi ng stat e m e nt t han th e abov e, for

O BJ E C TI ON S A N TI CIP A TE D A ND A N S WER E D 2 55

th e re are m a ny Me mo ry S y st e m s ,
all have no t
-
and
’
t h e s a m e O ffice Y o u canno t bu ndl e up i nt o a
.

gre at pil e such S yst e m s as t he L i nki ng Sys te m -

t h e L ocali s i ng S y s t e m -
t h e co n

nec t ing w ith thi ngs e a s i e r t o r e m e m b e r

t he I nitialisi ng Syst em -
t he R hy m e or

t he R hythm Syst e m ( XXX , a nd t he

.

o th ers Th ey must be tr e a t ed s eparat e ly, l e st p e r

.

chance y o u bur n the wh eat w ith the tares

‘
Th e
’

C onne cti ng S yste m , fo r e xa m pl e, has its fo u nd

’
‘ -

at io ns d ee ply laid in t h e m i nd its e lf—its pri ncipl e

is o ne w ithout which w e can hardly exp ect t o l e ar n

or to te ach anythi ng at all .

TO tre at as if the y w e re o n t h e sa m e l eve l a

right use O f this S yst e m and a wro ng use Of, let us
say, t h e S ubstituti ng S y s t e m fo r dat e s -
is
a gro ss pi e ce o f u nfair ne ss , t o say t he l e ast o f it .

If the se S yste m s , o r s o m e o f th e m , save t i m e

which w e can thus d e vo te t o t he use Of o ur highe r
faculti es , such as t h e r e as o n, th en th ey are no t
m o re d e grad i ng than it w o uld be to trave l by
‘ ’

trai n i nstead of by c o ach , o r t o s end m es s a ge s by

po st o r t el egraph i nste ad o f by a p erso nal V isi t .

M emo ry Sy s tems
’
6 .
- w ea ken th e m em ory.

This is
asy to a sse rt , and it is e asy t o p ro ve
e

that a m isuse Of som e M e m ory S yst e ms m ay do -

much har m B ut t he tru t h is that p e rs o na l ex pe ri

.

ence al o ne can d e cid e fo r c e rtai n : and t h e p e r s o nal

exp eri enc e O f t he gr e at m aj o rity of thos e w h o hav e

2 56 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

tri e d good ( uch as t he L o isett e Syst em )

S ys tem s s -

f a ir ly , has b een t he v ery r ev ers e Of this The .

M e mory has b een wo nd e r fully strength ened .

NO o ne w o uld clai m that t he m ethods which I

have suggest e d in S e cti o n VI foll could p o ssibly
. .

w eak e n ( or fail to i m pr o ve) t h e m e mo ry ; but it

m ight be tho ught that, fo r i nsta nce , to li nk togeth er

colo urs and R Y G B U ( above) by th e word R ai nbow
m ight we ak en t he p o we r o f re m emb eri ng any tw o
words togeth er I t m ight b e said that , if you neve r
.

jump a stre am but always cr o ss it by e asy st eppi ng

s to nes , you will soo n a l to g e th e r los e you r pow er O f

jumpi ng it .

This c o mpariso n, h o w ev e r d o e s no t hold good Of

,

m e ntal proc ess es ge ner a lly : rath er, by goi ng over

t h e st eps c ar efully a gai n a nd agai n ( see XX L) , o ne

gradually— stra nge as it m ay s ee m — acquire s t he

powe r Of d oing w ithou t the s teps There are num .

b ers who had a b ad m e m o ry wh en they b egan the

L o iset t e Syst em ,but w h o no w have a cap ital m e mory,
-

and are hardly conscious o f t h e p r ocess Of li nki ng any

t w o words t o get h e r ; s o m ew hat as an exp erienc ed

R o wi ng m an is hardly o r no t at all co nscious that
-

his str o k e c an be a naly s e d i nt o a large nu mb er Of

parts The two w o rds a re ti e d togeth er as quickly
.

as a pi ece is playe d o n th e P iano—t he whol e thi ng

has com e t o b e d o ne e asily , w e s ee m scarc ely any
lo nger t o k now ho w .

A nd, a fte r all , the re is a no th er qu estio n worth

O BJ E C TI ON S A N TI CI P A TE D A ND A N S WE RE D 2 57

as ki ng , viz r e m e mb e r c e rtai n thi ngs ?

H o w do w e ’
.

Fi nd o ut this , and y o u will see tha t s om e M e m o ry

Syst e ms are re ally littl e m ore tha n a d escriptio n o f
what is actually go i ng o n in yo ur mi nd agai n and
agai n wh e n y o u re m e m b e r : t he S yste m would hav e
yo u d o purp o s ely and practi s e t h o r o ughly a nd apply
wid e ly that which yo u are alre a dy d o i ng in a few
ca se s, but are o nly d o i ng in a ve ry slip s h o d m anne r .

M a ny have l e ar nt t o bicycl e by ge t t i ng s o m e o ne
t o h o ld up t he bicycl e a t firs t : t h e p o we r O f k e e p

ing t he bala nc e h as u s u a lly b een stre ngth ened rath er

,

than we ak ened by t h e h o ldi ng hand .

7 . M em ory - Sy s tem s a r e ap t
‘
to becom e a mer e
’
substitu te f o r hones t lea r ning .

L et m e say as a fo r m e r m asterat a P ublic

Sch o o l , and as a n H o no urs C o ach , with an u nusually
wid e exp e rie nc e, at C a m bridge , that , w i t h m os t b o y s ,
t he tho u s a nds o f h o ur s O f h o ne st l e arni ng at o ur
‘ ’

P ublic S ch o o l s , at any rate , have b e e n m o st l a m ent

ably barren o f re al m ental d eve l o p m e nt , o r eve n O f
us eful id e as st o re d up in t he m i nd The pr e s ent .

syste m h as l ittl e t o b o as t Of t h a t it s h o uld d a re to

thro w st o ne s ! The gr e at e r p a r t O f th e l e ar ni ng
m ay b e h o ne st , but assuredly m o st o f it is ve ry
‘ ’

dull at t he ti m e and very u sel e ss a ft e rwards Take .

away fro m o ur P ublic S ch o o l s t h e ir di scipli ne ,

th e ir social i nt e rc o ur s e the ir spl e ndid Ga m e s and

,

A thl e tics , and y o u l e ave t h e m ve ry lit t l e Of w hich

Engla nd c an fe el pro ud .

I7
2 58 HO W TO R E M E M B ER

Of c o urs e, as I have admi t t e d , a b o y m ay l e ar n a

l o ng lis t O f t hi ngs by m e a ns o f L o iset te o r s o m e
’

o th e r syste m : a nd — b y t h e way— h e u s ually sc o re s

h e avily ! B ut it y et re m ai ns t o be pro v ed that his
m i nd is a ny t h e w o r se O ff fo r it t ha n that o f t he
ave ra ge b o y w h o t ri e s t o l ear n up his t ext b o o k -

by r o t e , a nd o nly s ucc ee d s in re m e m b eri ng half O f

t he lis t s e v en hal f a n h o ur a fte rwards
- -
.

A nd as t o h o ne st l earni ng and re ally u seful

‘ ’

and s o u nd m e t h o d s — I thi nk th ey will b e fo u nd

in abu nd a nc e in S ec t i o ns VI t o XX I o f this w o rk
. . .

If a ny o ne ch o o s e s to igno re t h ese pages , and t o

m i s u se o ne o r m o r e O f t he S y s t em s o n t h e s ub
s e qu e nt page s, that is his l o o k Out , no t m i ne
-
.

P a r r ot like lea r ning , o f w hich s o m e S yste m s

’
-

have b een accus e d , is c o nd e m ne d in this b o o k in no

m ea sure d t e r m s : it is t o b e fou nd w he re s o m e
M e m o ry S ys t e m s are m isuse d , but if the r e a r e plac es
-

w h e r e it does fl o urish , th e y are o ur S ch o o ls , and ,

a l a s , o u r U niv e rsiti e s as we ll This is a gene ral

.

s t a t e m e nt , fo r th e re are no tabl e e xce pti o ns b o th

a m o ng t each e rs and a m o ng l e ar ne rs .

S p e aki ng fo r m y o w n p a r t , I k no w that I c o m
m it t e d t o m e m o ry a qua nt ity o f English P o e t ry

( viz pie ce s fr o m S hak es p ear e and M ilto n and o t h er

.

gr e at p o e t s) o f w hich t he m e a ni ng neve r ent e r e d i nt o

m y m i nd at a ll . I still can re c a ll it ne arly all , but
it is o nly as it ent ere d m y m i nd th e n— as a m e re
m as s o f sou nds , and o ccasio nally as a li ne o r two
OB/E CTI ONS A N TI CIP A TE D A ND A N S WE R E D 2 59

writt en o n a page : practically no id e as hav e c o m e

with t he sou nd o r t he sight H ad I achi eve d t he .

sam e r e sult, Of m e re ly r e m e m b e ri ng t he s o u nds , by

an y S yst e m , I ca nnot c o nc e iv e t h at it c o uld hav e
been o f less valu e to m e no w H a d I k now n what
.

I k no w no w ( Se ctio n VI I e g that t h e ideas

. . .

sh o uld hav e b een r ealised first , t h e effe ct o f t he

l ear ni ng and o f t he id ea s and w o rds l ea rnt and
,

rem e m b ered , m ight have b een m o re pre cious t o m e

than s ilv er and go ld B u t no o ne e v e r to ld m e , and ,
.

as it nev er occurr ed to m e till quit e re c ently , I never

profite d by it .

8 . The m ea ns a re m or e trou ble t ha n the end

they not w or th w hile

’
achieved : a re .

So thi nks ev ery laz y , u nreflec t ing, s elf sat isfied -

so n a nd daught e r Of F o lly L et m e qu o te again

.

fro m p ers o nal e xp eri ence .

Th ere was a ti m e wh en I us ed t o tak e B ack ~

hand e rs at Tennis in qui t e t h e wro ng way w h e n at
l ength I was t o ld why if , I at firs t t ri ed t o a cquire
t he right m eth o d without a ny d e fi ni t e pla n O f how
b est t o acquir e it I th ere fo re fa il e d Th e n I
. .

work e d o ut a S yste m fo r l e a r ni ng t h e right m e t h o d

step by ste p : and I put t his Sys t e m i nt o p r a c t ic e .

The re s ults wer e no t at o nc e app a re nt , b u t no w I

have a fairly s o lid f ounda t ion t o m y stro k e Nay .

mor e : k nowi ng t h e w hy and the how , I can h e lp

Tenni s R acqu ets ( I sthm ian Library ), and my h
’
See and o t er
‘

works o n Gam es .
2 60 H O W TO RE M E M B E R

oth ers I do no t re gr et t he labour and drudgery ,

.

which , howeve r , wo uld h ave b ee n far light er had I

b een t o ld how to p ra ct is e F o r t he fruits
are no w showi ng the m s e lves in t he form of an
improve d standard o f pl a y .

A gai n, I o nce had a five shilli ng l esso n in

stroppi ng a raz o r ; a sm a ll t hing, yo u will say .

Y es, but I h ave s av e d m y razo rs and hav e had far

b ett er shav es e ve r si nc e .

In Geo graphy , aga i n, I us ed nev er to be abl e

to do M aps fr o m m e m o ry : b ut I fou nd o ut an e asy
S yst em , and practis e d it car e fully , and no w I can
draw th e m quite e asily .

I need no t mul t iply i nstanc e s , but in each case

I feel that
( a) the practic e , th o ugh at first no t v ery pro
d uc t ive, has br o ught m o st satisfact o ry results in
t he end ; and th a t

( b) had I , at t he b egi nni ng, k no w n how to prae

tis e,m uch O f t he drudge ry and m any o f t he m istak es
and wast e s o f ene r gy , w o uld hav e b ee n sav ed .

So , if y o u get h o ld o f th e right way to l e arn

and to practis e , and if y o u d o l e ar n a nd p r actis e

car e fully , e sp e cially in y our m a ny odd m om ents , it

will give a new i nte r es t t o li fe and t o th e s e m o m ents
in particular, and t h e ulti m at e r esult will be that
your m em o ry will b e gre at ly b ene fit ed .

That this ultim at e r es ult w o uld be worth whil e,

you cannot doubt : o r, if yo u d o , r e ad what is said
OBJ E C TI ONS A N TI CIP A TE D A N D A N S WE RE D 2 61

in I .
, an d in
X L I I I fo ll , as t o t he valu e o f t he
. .

m e m ory and O f its cultivati o n .

No t o nly is t he e nd achi ev e d a r ea l bl essi ng,

then, but t he m e a ns t o achi eve t h e e nd are e x
ent in th e m s e lv e s
c ell .

9 . I my sel
f ( or so m e o t hers ) ha ve tr ied a Sy s tem ,
a nd it w as
’
a f a ilu r e.

This is quite lik ely , but

( a) yo u may have t ri e d a bad S yste m ;
( b) yo u may have tri e d a S yste m which w as good
e no ugh fo r c e rtai n p eo pl e , but did no t suit you o r

yo ur particular subj e ct ; o r
(c) yo u may have trie d a go od Syst e m , but no t
pro pe rly— y o u may have misu nd e rst o o d it , yo u may
hav e practis e d it far t o o littl e for it t o be o f any re al
valu e, o r y o u m ay have tri e d it— a fatal m i s tak e
be fo re y o u r e alis e d ( see XV ) t he id e as w hich yo u
‘ ’
.

were tryi ng t o r e m e m b er O r if, at t h e ve ry o utse t ,

.

yo u tri e d t o apply it t o a s o m ewha t di fficult in

stance , no wo nd er y o u fa il e d .

It m u st b e r e m e mb e red th a t t he S yste m s a re
i ntend ed t o f ollow t he m e th o d s in S ec t i o n V I fo ll . .
,

if t he Sy st e m s are t o b e us e d a t all .

’
10 . I a lr ea dy ha ve a good enough m em ory .

Very w e ll , th en, if y o u ( and o th ers w ho have any

d e ali ngs w ith y o u !) are qu ite c o nte nte d , and al so
mark thi s — hav e go o d re as o n t o be co nt e nt e d , th e n
all I can s ay is that thi s bo o k , as I cle arly stat e in
t he P re fac e , is no t i nt e nd e d fo r y ou O nly , th ere is .
2 62 H O W TO R E M E M B E R

j us t this It is p o ssibl e that yo u still have som e

.

faculti e s u nd eve l o p e d : w he t he r it b e t he fa culty fo r

arr ange m ent fo r se e i ng l o gical c o nne xi o ns

( X I I I ) o r fo r picture pai nt i ng in t h e m i nd
,
-

o r fo r so u nd s ( s uch as w o rds a nd na m es) , I ca nno t

s ay . B ut t h e re is a p o s sibili t y t hat y o u m ay b e t he
b et t e r fo r d ev el o pi ng any w e ak e r facul t y w hich yo u
h av e F o r a p e rs o n w ho h ad t he s e and t h e o th er
.

facul t i e s ( s ee X L VI ) all equally fully d e ve l o p ed

.

wo uld be a pr o digy and u niqu e .

A nd the re is this als o y o u m ay a t s om e ti m e o r

-

o th e r b e c all e d up t o teach o ther s in th at c ase y o u,

w h o say y o u re m e m b e r all thi ngs s o e a s ily , with o ut

k no wi ng ho w , will pr o b ably be an e x e crably bad

t ea ch e r : y o u w ill littl e u nd er s ta nd w hy yo ur p upils
fo rge t s o m a ny thi ngs , o r e ve n al t o ge t h e r fail eve r to
l e ar n th e m If y o u study t he m eth o d s and th e
.

Syst e m s b e li e ve m e y o u will b e no ne t he w o rs e
, .

A nd , if a ny o ne s h o uld s ay t o m e , This m a n o r
this wo m an c an r e m e m b e r well e no ugh wi t ho ut
b e i ng c o ns ci o us o f a m e th o d o r a S yst e m : why
s h o uld no t I warn h im agai nst this fall a cy As .

w e ll m ight y o u s ay t h a t so m e ge niu s o f a C rick e ter

cuts spl end idly w i t h o ut ( as a rul e) b e i ng r e ally
c o nsci o us O f a ny d i fficulty and th e re fo re w hy sh o uld
,

no t y ou ? It is no t ev ery o ne, I a ssure y o u who ,

is b o r n w ith a ge niu s fo r e ve rythi ng ! A nd supp o se

yo u h a ve not t he ge nius fo r d o i ng a thi ng w e ll , th en
y o u m ust be c o nt e nt t o sp e nd tim e and t o ll in doi ng
OBJ E C TI O NS A N TI CIP A TE D A ND A N S WE R E D 2 63

t he i nitial ste p s sl o wly and a ccurat e ly— in layi ng fo r

yo ur se l f th o s e fo u ndat i o ns which o ur fri end t h e
geniu s has fo u nd a lr e ady l a id fo r h im , h e k no we th
no t h o w Tho s e w h o , lik e m y se l f, b e li e ve in t he
’
.

d o ctri ne O f R e i ncar na ti o n w o uld say th a t t he p er so n

has d eve lop e d h is sp e cial p o w e r in a pr evi o u s li fe
o r in pr e vi o us l iv e s H o we v er that m ay be— a nd
.

it seem s t o m e quit e satis fact o ry a nyh o w the

p er s o n has t he genius re ady m ad e in this li fe

-
.

1 I . B u t m em ory be imp r oved by p r ac t ice

ca nnot

it is one o f the g if ts w h ich a p er s on either has or h as

’
not he ca nno t acqu ir e it f or him self.

Of hat gi ft has this not b ee n said ? O f

w
‘ ’

Po etry , Of English C o m p o s iti o n, O f P i a no playi ng , -

o f e v ery ga m e , o f V irtu e i t s e l f, it h as b e en said that

t he skill e d e x o nent na scitu r non fi t

‘

p .

It is o nly hal f a truth .

It is a co m pl et e truth that it is no t every ki nd

o f practic e which c an m ak e p e r fe ct P ractic e Of
‘ ’
.

t he wr o ng ki nd nev e r ca n m a k e p e r fect .

B ut , o n t h e o th er ha nd , th e re is no thi ng t h a t c an
be d o ne that ca nno t be i m pr o ve d by p r a ct ic e of
the r ight hind a nd u nder the r igh t conditions O nly , .

t he practic e m us t b e o f t he righ t ki nd S ee .

ing, h eari ng , re as o ni ng, arra ngi ng , and s o o n, all

c an be i m pr o ve d i f w e pr a ctis e t h e m in t he right
way .

B ut t he right way Th e r e s t h e pr o bl e m , which ,

’

in t he cas e o f m e m o ry , I d o no t pro fe ss t o have

2 64 HO W TO R E M E M B E R

s o lve d B ut I h o p e I hav e giv en som e mat erials

.

t hat m ay h e lp o t h e r s t o s o lve it .

No tic e t hat fe w o bj e c t o rs giv e any re as ons Th ey

.

simply dic t a t e and lay d o w n a L aw

D o not u se , say th e y , the L inh Sy stem , or the
’ ‘
‘ -

’
R hy m e Sy s tem ,
-
or any o ther Sy s tem .

B ut what Of t h o se str o ng faculti es such as that

fo r re m e mb e ri ng t hi ngs li nk e d t o ge th e r by s o u nd o r
by m e ani ng ( s ee o r that fo r re m em b e ri ng

thi ngs that R hy m e o r that s o u nd alik e ? A re w e to

l e ave th es e s tr o ng faculti e s u nuse d wh e n th ey m ight
b e so us e ful , j u s t b e caus e y ou , fors o o th , lay d o w n a
L aw ? What w ere th ese fa cultie s given us fo r if ,

no t t o b e e m pl o y ed fo r ev ery p o ssibl e go o d purpos e ?

And is no t r em e m b eri ng a go o d purp o s e ?

’

A gai n, m y go o d L awgive r , what O f t h o se myri a d

ass o ciat i o ns fir m ly impr e sse d in our m i nd s ? Th ere
t h ey are — w e ca nno t h e lp havi ng th e m t h er e .A re
w e t o l e av e th e m u nu se d w h e n th e y might b e so

useful , j ust b ec a u se y ou lay d o w n a L aw ? What

wer e th e s e m at eri a l s m ea nt fo r if no t to be e m
pl o ye d fo r ev ery p o ssibl e go o d purp o s e ? A nd is
no t rem e m b e ri ng a go o d purpose ?
‘ ’

A re w e t o trust t o cha nc e fo r rem e m b eri ng

e ve ry t hi ng , t o d o it all hap hazard , in t h e d ull e st
-

c o nc e ivabl e w ay , t o l e ave gra nd p o we rs w i t hi n us

u nd eve l o p ed , rich mat erials withi n us u nto uch ed , to
s av e no ti m e by any S yst e m , a nd all b ec a u se an

unre fl ec t ing p e dant has fail e d to grasp t h e P ri ncipl e s

OBJ E C TI ONS A N TI CIP A TE D A N D A NS WE R ED 2 65

of Psychology and P hil o l o gy , o r t o o bs e rve what is

o ffered eve ry day fo r his Obs e rva tion
NO , d e ar re aders , it is no t a m atte r fo r the p e dants
to d e cid e It is fo r y ou , y o u yours elves and no
.

oth ers , to t ry t he m e th o ds and ev en t he Syst em s ,

to give th em a fair trial , b efor e y o u co nd em n .

O nly let m e ask y o u o ne thi ng I f y o u wo uld

.

r eally know wh eth er t he m eth o ds o r S yst e ms m ay

be us eful or no t , do be c o nte nt t o give up som e ti m e

( ther e is lots to spare) to care ful p r actice , and

no t to be impatie nt if t he first ste ps are slow

and appar e ntly u npro fitabl e If you wish to w o rk

.

rapidly h ereaft e r , yo u m u s t b e prepared t o wo rk

pati ently no w Wh en y o u have plant ed t he s ee d ,
.

do no t pull it up im m e diat e ly to see if it is y et a

real plant .

Above all , do no t imagi ne that all m ethods a nd

systems will suit y ou e qually we ll Y ours may
.

be t he sight m e m o ry p ar excellence, or th e s o u nd
-

m emory, or t he arranging m e m o ry , or t he rea s o n

-

ing m emo ry
-
. Th er e a re m e a ns of testi ng : d o no t
exp ect that all will succ ee d e qually we ll with yo u .
S EC TI O N X LV I II . A FEW R EFERENCE B OOKS .

FO R d e tail s with regard t o m eth o ds and Syst e m s,

t he r e ad e r is advis ed t o l o o k at s o m e o f th e se b o o ks ,
as w ell as at t he A rticl e in t he Encycl o p ae dia
B ri t annica :

B a r ter .
—A Wo nd er ful M e m ory and H o w to
A cquire it( S i m pki n, M ar s h all
Gr a nville — The S ecr e t o f a Go o d M e m o ry

( Wal t er S c o t t) .

Green — M e m o ry and Its C ultivati o n ( K e gan

P aul ) .

H olbrooh —H o w t o S tr engt h en t he M em ory

.

( Fo w le r We lls , New Y ork , and F o wl er ,

L udgate C ircu s) .

es — Talks P sych o lo gy ( H o ughton

j a m . on

M ifliin, B o s t o n) .

K ay — M e m o ry ( K ega n P aul ) .

H
‘
K now lson — The A rt o f Thi nki ng ( War ne
’
.

!
L ais ette . A s s i m ilativ e M e m o ry ( L arro w e
L o ise tt e) .

M iles H ow to P repare E ssay s, L ectures ,

A r t icl es , B o o ks , S p eech e s, and L e tters

( R ivingt o ns) .
 A FE W RE F E R E N CE B O OK S 2 67

M iles —Eustac e M il es S yst e m Of Physical

C ulture .

—
Ten R ul e s of H e al t h .

Q uick and E asy R e cip e s .

A Week Of P ro te id D i e t
“

-
Eustac e M il e s R e staurant R ecip es .

M orrell . O u t li nes of M e ntal P hil o sophy

( S te war t ) .

S tohes .
—
M e m o ry ( H o ulst o n)
—M a nual
.

“ S tou t of P sych o l o gy ( C live) .

These works will b e fo und es pe cially useful .

 IND E X

A Aft er -
life, 2 2 9 .

Air, 5 7 .

A B C No te-B o ok s, 2 00 . Alc oho lism , 8 8 .

A priori R easo ni ng, 2 8 d A lgebra,

'

: an see 1 82 .

Co mm o n Sense . A lli t erat i ons, xv , 44 , 46 , 1 5 6 .

Absurdi ti es, 43- 44 , 1 5 2 , 1 74 , 2 1 8 . A l ph abet (use o f) , 73, 1 74— 1 75 .

A B eck et , 4 3
-
. A l ternative giving and re e c iving,
Abla tive, 8 5 . 111 .

Abstract and C o ncrete , 92 fo ll A l ternatives, 40— —

4 1 , 4 5 46 , 48
—
.

Abstrac t Langu age, 92 fo ll .

49, 1 45 , 1 62 fo ll , 2 1 8 2 1 9 . .

Abuse, no argum ent agai nst pro per Am ateu rs, 1 94 .

use, 1 5 5 . A m eri ca , 5 8 , 8 6 .

Accum ulat ions, 1 1 8 . Anal ogies, 2 9 : and see C o m pari

Accuracy, 36 . so ns.

Acting, 2 7. 95 . Ana lysis , 9, 2 7, 96 , 98 fo ll .

, 1 86 ,

Ada pta t i o n, 1 62 . 1 99 .

Addresses,2 31 see Engagem ents , Anato m y, 1 6 7 .

Card System
-
. Ancho r Sy stem , 35 fo ll
-
.
,1 34 fo ll .
,

Advantages of a Goo d M em o ry, 185 .

—
3 8 , 6 8 69, 1 6 7, 2 2 5 to ll
-
. Appeara nc e , 12 5, 12 7 .

of M em o ry Syste m s, et c , 9 7,
-
. Apperc epti o n, 2 1 6 .

1 46 . Appo i ntm ents, 2 31 : see Engage

of Com paris o ns and C o ntrasts, m ent s .

104 fo ll , 1 0 8- 1 09
. . A pprentic eshi p needed, 1 8 3 : see

o f C o nc rete I nstanc es, 2 1 , 1 0 5 .

P ra c t ic e .

of D ates and Nu m b ers, 1 77 . A rch er ( M rs . 62 .

Arrangem ent, 1 78 ,
of the System s, 2 2 5 fo ll .
2 5 , 8 1 fo ll .
,

of Teachi ng , 1 1 0 .
2 2 4 .

Advertis em ents , xi, xv , 1 30 , 2 06 , Asparagus, 1 2 5 fo ll .

2 36 and see Addi ti o na l Associ at i ons in th e M i nd , 12 3

No tes .
fo ll , 2 64 : and see L inks
. .

Aeolic , 1 73—
1 74 . Athl et ics, 5 6 , 6 5 .
2 70 I ND E X

At taching-System , 1 8 5 : and see Capi tals of Eastern World, 1 72

P eg-System . 1 73.

A t tent io n c o ncentrated, 6 3 fo ll .
, C ard -H o lder, 2 0 1 .

1 9 1 , 1 97. C ard-Syst em , 73, 82 , 1 8 5 , 2 0 1 .

Aud ienc e ( i m a ginary ) , 1 10 . C aric atu res, 43- 44 : and see Ab

Augu stus, 2 4 , 1 48 su rditi es

C arro ll ( L ew i s) , 43, 1 5 0—
. .

Aut o m a tic ( o r ha lf - au to m atic ) 151

A ct i o n, 6 , 64—
.

6 5 , 1 96 ’
. C at s C ry, 1 5 9 .

Avo ided ( fo o ds ) , 1 44 . Ca to , 2 8 .

Aye r f ec t, 8 3—
’
s, 1 30 . C ause and Ef 84, 8 7 fo ll , .

1 2 8, 2 2 5 .

B Cau ses
of F o rge tt ing, 1 4 fo ll , 1 1 3 . .

B ackhanders, o f R o m e s Succ ess, 2 1 —

’
2 59 .
49 .

B ack w ards re
pe t i t io n, —
1 1 7 1 1 8, C ecil H o te l, 1 42 .

1 77 . Cent ra l Cau se, 8 8 .

B ag fo r Trav elli ng , 1 08 . C ertainty, 1 1 , 2 45 .

B art er, 1 8 8 , 2 66 . Change i m po rtant , 5 6, 6 1 , 6 5 .

B at t l e C reek, 62 . Chess, 2 36 .

B egi nni ng i m po rtant , 1 2 7 and Children ( lessons fro m ), 2 6, 91 ,

see Eas y , I ni t ia li si ng 1 5 3, 2 0 6.

43, 1 5 0—
.

B l end System , 42 —
-
1 5 1, C ho ic e by I ndividu l a s , 1 62 fo ll .
,

2 17 . 1 98 , 2 5 3, 2 65 : and see O ri
B l o o d -ci rcul at io n, 5 5 .
ginality .

B o nds o f Uni o n, 10 3- 1 04. C incinnatus, 44 .

B rain , 8 fo ll . C ircula t i o n o f B l o od, 5 5 .

B revi ty, 72 C lassifi cati on, 2 39 : see Arrange

—
.

Guide, 98 99
’
B rew er s . m ent .

B ri ta in and C o l o ni es, 1 03—1 04 C learness, 92 fo ll , 2 1 1 . .

—
.

B ru nch System , 42 43,

-
1 5 0- 1 5 1 , C l ergym en, 2 35 .

’
2 1 7. Clo tch , 1 5 0 .

B ru te -beasts, 5 . C o des, 1 42 .

Buckl e , 8 7, 1 05 . C o ll ec t i on o f H eadings , 72 fo ll .
,

B usiness-m en, 2 2 9—2 30 , 2 34 , 2 36, 2 01.

2 5 0—
2 51 . C o lo ni es, 1 0 3—104 .

C o l o urs, 1 43, 2 45
C o m binat i o ns, 40—
.

—
4 1 , 45 46 , 48
—
49, 1 45 , 1 62 fo ll , 2 1 8 2 1 9 . .

C o m ic P apers, 1 5 2 .

C aba l System , 1 42 , 2 1 7
-
. C o m m o n Sense, xiii , 2 8 , 1 00- 1 01 ,
C a ll ( M i ss A 62 . . 2 0 5 fo ll and see O bj ections,
.

C api tal Letters, 8 5 . P reface .

 I ND E X 2 71

Comparisons, 2 3,2 8—
2 9, 1 02 —
1 06 , D iagram s
1 1 3. 1 2 4. I 34. 1 48 . 1 79. 2 1 2 , Ro m e and th e Tiber, 36 .

2 2 2- 2 23, 2 5 6 . A rrangem ent of H eadi ngs, 8 2 .

Com pet i ti on, 67 . G enea lo gica l Trees, 8 7 .

Co mpl ete Lis ts, 76 fo ll . th e R ésu m ée, 1 1 7 .

Co mplex and S im ple, 8 , 64, L i nks, 1 2 2 .

1 18 . a R o o m , 1 32 .

Co mpression, 72 . Gree ce, 1 36 .

Co nc entra t ed At tenti on, 6 3 fo ll , . a Pig. 1 37

1 91 , 1 97. England, 1 69, 1 72 .

Co ncrete, 1 2 8 . M edi t erranean Lands, 1 7 1 .

Co ncrete Language, 92 fo ll .
, 2 1 1. Eastern Lands and C apitals,
Co ndi t io ns ( di fferent ) , 8 1 . 1 73 .

(goo d ), 5 6 fo ll , 1 92 . G reek Trib es, 1 74

Co nfusio n, 2 5 4—
. .

2 55 . G reece and As ia M inor, 1 74 .

Connec ti o ns, 2 6, 8 3, 8 7 fo ll .
, 1 2 0, D i et . 5 5 . 1 44- 1 45 .

12 2 , 1 34 to ll . and see D i fferent M em ori es, 6, 8 fo ll . ,

Arrangements , L ink s . 1 1 4 fo ll .

Conscious Effo rt , 7, 64, 1 95 , 2 2 5 . D i fferent M e tho ds fo r ndividual s, I

Contam i nation, 1 5 0 . 2 65 and see I ndividuali ty
Contrasts, 2 9, 1 05 —
.

1 09, 1 79, 2 12 , type , 8 5 .

2 15,2 2 2 - 2 2 3 . D i fficul t i es, 3 fo ll , 1 77 . .

Co rrect io n, 90, 1 1 7, 1 69, 2 5 4 . D i sa dvantages of fo rge tt i ng, 2 2 6 .

Co rrelat io n o f Subj ec ts, 2 1 6 . D i sci p line, 1 9 1 , 2 2 9 .

Cramm ing, 2 09 . D i sco nnec t ed th ings, 2 5 0- 2 5 1 .

Cricket, 7, 2 62 . D isco v eri ng an int erest, 63 .

Cross-roads, 2 49 . D o c to rs, 2 36 .

D o ric, 1 73 1 74 — .

D oubl e L inks, 1 2 9 fo ll .

D raw ings , 2 7, 1 1 8 , 1 37 .

D rudgery, 1 9 1 , 2 2 9 .

Darwin ( date), 1 40 .

Dates, 31 , 37, 1 37, 1 39 fo ll , 1 5 2 , .

1 77 fo ll .
E
Dative, 8 5
—
.

Day of a B usiness-m an, 2 2 9- 2 30 . Ear M em o ry , 8 fo ll

-
.
, 69 70, 1 1 5 ,
Debaters, 2 35 .
58
1 79, 2 .

Definitions, 9 1 fo ll , 2 39 : and see . Eas e, 1 1 , 2 4 5 fo ll and see Easy . .

Quest io ns . East ern Wo r ld ( Capi ta l s o f), 1 72

‘
Degrading P ro cesses, xi, 2 5 3
’
. 1 73.

Del egating Wo rk, 2 00 , 2 2 8 . Easy B egi nni ngs, 5 9 , 60, 1 02 fo ll

Details 90, 2 48
. . 1 1 8 , 1 37 fo ll .
, 1 74 £011 .
2 72 I ND E X

Ec ono m y ( fal se) 75 . Facul ty ( use of the w o rd ) , 1 0 .

Econo m y o f energy , 6 2 Failu re ( c auses of Ro m e s ) , 2 2

’
64, 2 40 , . .

of ti m e, 2 00 : and see Ti m e Failu res, 2 6 1 .

Educ at io n, 66, 1 10 fo ll , 2 1 6—
.

2 1 7, . Fair Co pi es,’ 47 .

5 7, et c
2 . Fall acies, 5 4, 1 1 8 , 5 , 1 5 4, 1 67
12
O ld M etho ds, 1111 , 66, 68 , 1 5 4, 1 95 ,2 49 fo ll . a nd see O bj ec

1 67, 1 78 , 2 40, 2 4 5 to ll
—
.

B fiec t and Cause, 8 3 8 4, 1 2 8 , False c

e onom , y 75 , 1 1 8 .

5
2 2 . F am ili ar Sights and So unds , 1 37
Effo rt, 7, 6 5 : and see C o nsci ou s . fo ll
Egypt , 8 7 . S tarting -points, 2 8 .

’
E pe o r s po w ers, 1 48
m r . F ancy w ords, 1 43 : and see

Em phasising, 8 2 fo ll , esp 8 4 . . . B ru nch .

Endi ng i m p ortant, 1 2 7 . Feasibil ity, 8 0 .

Energy, 62 , 64, 2 4 1 - 2 42 . F igu res ( useful ), 1 74—1 75 .

Engagem ents, 1 84- 1 8 5 , 2 2 9 -

2 30 . F i rst letters, 1 43 : and see In
England ( M aps) , 1 69, 1 72 . itialising .

Eng l and s Success ( Causes), 2 2 F irst Starti ng-points, 1 34

’
. .

English Education, xii : and see F O O d, 5 5 : I 44

Educ at ion . F o reign Languages, 47, 1 46 , 1 5 8,
English Ki ngs and Queens, 1 2 1. 2 1 9- 2 2 0, 2
33 .

Enj oym ent , 5 6 . F o rgetful ness, its C auses, 1 4 £011 .

Envi ro nm ent, 5 8 fo ll F o rgetting , 3, 2 00, 2 2 6, etc

—
. .

Epigrams, 48 , 90, 1 60 1 6 1 , 2 1 8 . F ost er ( Prof 92 . .

Essays, 78, 1 99, 2 33, etc . Fo undatio ns, 1 98 .

Everyday li fe, 2 34 . Fram ew o rk, 8 9 fo ll see O ut .

Exaggera ti o ns, 48 , 86, 1 05 . line .

Exam iners, 2 35 . F ro ebel , 66 .

Ex am pl es (ho m e-m ade) , 1 99 . Fulness ( exc essive) , 36 .

Ex ercises, 6 1 fo l] .

Ex peri enc e ( perso nal ), 2 07 : and

see O rigi nali ty .

G
Ex trem e instanc es, 1 05 .

Eye -M em o ry, 8 fo ll , 2 7, 6 9- 70, . Games and Athl et ics, 5 6, 6 5 , 1 94,

1 1 4, 1 2 6 fo ll , 1 74 fo ll , 1 79, 1 98 . 2 3 1 . 2 5 7. 2 5 9. 2 6 2
—
. .

1 93, 1 98 , 2 10 2 1 1 . Genealogical Trees, 8 7 8 8 -

.

Genera l H i nts , 1 97 fo ll .

Genius, 2 2 5 fo ll .

G o l f, 1 98 .

Facili ty , 1 1 z and see Ease . Go od Conditions, 5 6 fo ll , 1 92 . .

Facul ti es co mbined, 1 1 6 and

‘ ’
Go od enough ,’ 2 6 1 .

see C o m binations, Unused

’
. Good H eal th , 62 .
 I ND E X 2 73

Goo seberry , 1 2 4 .

Gramm at ica l M i stak es, 1 5 1 .

Granville 2 66 . I deal W y of L e a arn ing, 1 1 .

Greece, 1 35 fo ll , 1 73—1 74 . . I deas im po t nt r a , 34, 1 87 fo ll .

,

Greek Tribes, 1 73- 1 74 . 248 : and see R ea li sing,

Green, 2 67 . R easo ni ng .

Grouping, 2 5 : and see Arrange Idle m o m ents, 2 2 6 : and see O dd

m ent . M o m ents .

Groups o f wo rds and ideas, 2 1 4 . I llust t i ra o ns, 2 3, 2 11 : and see

C o m pari sons .

I m aginary au dience , 1 10 .

H I magi n ti n 4, 2 6
a o 7, 34, 9 1
, , 2

H abi t of rem emb ering, 2 2 7 .

fo ll , 1 84, 2 10—
. 2 1 1 , 2 2 3, 2 3 1 .

H abits, 6 3 .
I mportanc e (arrangement by it ),
H alf - auto m atic, 6 5 and see 83 .

Au tom atic .
I mpro v em ent im possibl e ( fallacy),
2 63
H am m ering, 1 1 3 .
.

H eadings, 72 fo ll .
, 1 8 6, 2 0 1 and I m puri t ies in foo d, 5 5 , 1 44—1 45 .

see C ard-System .
I naccuracy , 90, 1 36, 1 60 .

H ealth , 5 3 fo ll , 5 9 : . and see I ndenting, 8 2 .

Addi ti onal No tes .

I ndividua lity, xviii , 1 97, 1 98 , 2 06
l h ul u ’ 2 07. 2 48 . 2 5 3, 2 6 1 . 2 6 5 ,
He a t C t re, 62 .

H eart ( learning by heart ), xii .

etc .

H e l ps to M em o ry, 5 3 fo ll , 1 97 . .
‘
I nform ation ’
no t a b sorbed pro
H ex am et ers, 47 . perly, 111 .

H indranc es to M em ory , 1 4 fo ll .
,
I ni ti l letters,
a 73 : and see Ia
1 13 and see Fo rgetti ng .
itialising .

H ints ( general ) , 1 97 fo ll .
I nitialising , 36 , 38 fo ll .
, 42 , 1 37,
H obbi es, 2 2 8 .
1 42 fo ll , 1 6 3,
. 1 72 - 1 73,

2 17
H o lbro o k , 2 66 .
.

H onest l earning, 2 5 7
’
.
I nst nc a e rem em bered
H ope, 4 w i tho u t System s, 2 1 —30
—
.
.

H ouse ( pl an of) , 76 . with System s, 3 1 49 .

H ow lo ng t o pract i se, 6 1 .
I nstance ( value s of , 2 1 ,
) 77, 1 05 ,
H ow to l earn, etc . : see L earn, 2 48 .

Prac tic e, et c .
I nterest , 1 2 , 6 3, 6 6—7 1 , 1 97, 2 08 ,
H ow to rem em b er, 1 1 , etc . 2 2 7 .

H udson (L) : see Addi ti o nal

I nte v l s 8 4 1 2 9 1 69
r a , , .

I nvention 2 39—
,

2 40 2 5 1
No tes . , , .

H u m ou r , —
4 3 44 : and see Ab I nic 1 73 1 74
o ,
-
.

u
s rdities .
I s ues 1 80
s , .

H urry , 1 1 8 .
I taly 35 1 03
, , .

1 8
2 74 I ND E X

L o isette, 32 , 99, 1 2 1 , 1 39 fo ll
5 .
,
and see L i nks
jamais, 12 2 . 2 67 .

J am es 2 66 . Lo ss o f M em ory, 3 fo ll .

J esus as a t ea cher, 2 9, 1 0 7, 2 06, Lo w er facul t ies, 2 2 8 , 2 40 .

2 2 1 fo Il .

J o u rney ( thi ngs useful fo r it ) , 77 .

M
use o f j o urney, 1 5 5 .

J oy 5 6
. M acinproo f, 2 1 7 .

] uliurr, 1 5 2 . M alapro p ( M rs 2 14 . .

J ustifica tio ns, 2 05 fo ll . M ap s, 35 , 8 0, 1 35 fo ll , 1 6 7 fo ll . .

M assage, 5 7 .

M echanica l w o rk sho uld be per

Kay, 2 66 . fe et , 1 96 .

Kindness, 2 39 . M edi terranean ( M ap o f) , 1 70 .

Kings o f Engl and, 12 1. M eicklejo hn ( P rof 1 69 . .

Kno w lson, 2 66 . M em -H o lder, 2 0 1

. .

M em o ria Technic a, 1 2 1 fo ll . see

Syst em s .

M em s, 72 fo ll .
, 1 8 5 , 2 01.

L andm arks, 1 48 . M enta l Pho to graphy, Additi onal

Langu a ge, 92 fo ll .
, 2 1 1 , 2 12 . No tes : and see Reali si ng .

Langu ages o f M edi terranean, 1 73 . M eta ls ( fusio n o f) , 1 00 .

Lati n, 4 7 . Meta pho rs in Language, 2 1 2 .

C ases, 8 5 . M etho d, 2 5 9 : and see Learni ng,

Lawy ers, 2 36 . P rac tice .

L earning, 2 , 1 1 3, 1 9 1 fo ll .
, 2 35 , M etre, 1 5 7—1 5 8 and see Rhythm .

et c . M iles, 2 66— 2 67 .

of Po etry , 1 8 6- 1 8 8 . M i stakes in Gram m ar, 1 5 0 .

by heart, xii , xxii ’

. M isuse o f System s, 1 97 fo ll , 2 6 1 . .

Lectu rers, 2 35 . no g
ar um ent a gai nst pro per use
L ength o f P rac t ic e, 1 93 . see O bj ec ti o ns .

L ight , 5 8 . M isused M aterial s, xvi : and see

Li nes befo re detail s, 1 69 fo ll . Unused .

facul ti es, xvi :

’
Li nks, 32 , 1 2 3 fo ll , 1 2 8 , 1 4 1 , and Un
‘
see

1 6 4, 1 8 0—
.

1 8 1 , 2 1 3 fo ll , 2 45 , . used .

2 56 . M o dels, 2 7 .

o bj ec ti ons, 2 47, 2 49 . M o derati o n, 5 6 .

L ists, 2 32 . M o ney ( eco no m y ), 2 2 6 .

useless, 68 , 71 , 1 5 4, 2 32 , M o ra li ty, 60 .

2 46 . M o rr ell , 2 67 .

Lo cali sing, 34, 1 32 fo ll .

,1 84- 1 8 5 , M o tives fo r l earning, 2 3 : and see

2 15. Advantages, I nt erest .

 I ND E X 2 75

M illler ( M ax), 1 5 4 .
o rigi nali ty, XVII , XViii: 5 5 1 70 1 741
M uscular tensi o n, and
99: 1 0 5 1 1 62 ; I 9 71 1 98—1 99,
14 : see

R epo se .
2 2 9, 2 5 5 , 2 6 1 , 2 6 5
M usic , 47—
.

48 , 1 5 9 . O u t lines, 8 9 fo ll , 99, 1 37, 1 6 8.

fo ll 2 1 0 .

Nam es andddresses, 2 31 : see

a

Engagements , C ard System -

. P acki ng luggage, 8 1 .

Nam es and appearanc e, 2 5 1 . Parro t s, x , 46 , 1 8 6, 2 5 8 .

Napo leo n, 6 3 . P art and w ho l e , 1 2 8 , 1 4 2 to ll .

Narc o tic s, 5 5 , 1 44—1 45 . Part by part , 2 7, 5 8 —

- -
5 9, 64, 98
‘
Natural is b est ( fallacy ) 2 5 2 ’
. fo ll , 1 1 7, 1 69, 1 8 7
. .

2 53 . Part s ( pro m i nent ) , 1 42 , 1 46 : and

Neglec ted Educ ati on, 1 67, etc . see I ni t i a li sing .

Nerve energy , 6 2 , 64
- . Parts o f m en ( u seful fo r Eye
New Testam ent ex am pl es, 2 2 1 M em o ry) , 1 75 .

£0 11 . P edant s, 2 45 fo ll , 2 64 . .

No te-B o oks, 74, 1 1 1 , 1 8 5 , 2 00 . Peg Syst em , 35 fo ll , 1 34 fo ll ,

-
. .

Numbers, 31 , 37, 1 39 fo ll , 1 77 . 1 85 .

fo ll . P el opo nnese, 1 36 , 1 70 .

P erio dical s, 62 .

Personal e x peri ences im po rtant ,

O
3, 5 5 , 1 5 7—1 5 8 , 2 0 7 : a nd see
O bj ect ions, 12 5 , 1 5 4, 2 47 fo ll . O riginali ty, and Addi ti o na l
O bscurity, 93 . No tes .

O bservati o n, 31 , 104, 1 6 9, P erso na l L angu age, 92 fo l] .

Ph ili p C o nquests, 1 6 3 fo il
’
2 39 . s .

O bsta cl es, 1 4 fo ll . Phil o l o gy , 1 2 7 .

Odd m o m ents ( use of ,) 24, 38 , Pho no graph , 1111, 1 1 2 , 1 1 5 , 1 79,

74, 1 40, 2 2 6 . 1 86 : and se e Addi ti o nal

O ld Educa t i on, 11 11 and see Edu No tes .

ca t io n . Ph o t o graph s, 2 7, 2 1 1 .

O ld M ethods, 2 45 fo ll : and see . Ph ot o graphy ( m enta l ) : see Ad

Educat io n . d itio nal No tes, R ealising .

O m iss io n, 79 fo ll , 1 40 , 1 6 8 fo ll , Physica l C ul tu re , 62
’
. . .

1 78 .
Physica l Exerci ses, 6 1 fo ll .

O ne t hing a t a tim e, 64 : a nd see Physi o l o gy, 9 1 1 6 7.

Part -by-part .
P iano -pl ayi ng, 1 9 5 .

O pen m indedness, xxiii

- . P ic tu re pa int i ng, 2 6 and see

O rdina ry things disregarded, 3 . R e alising .

‘
g i
O r an satio n
’
defined . 2 7 . P laces fo r prac t ising, 1 93 .
2 76 I ND E X

P l an o f a ho u se, 76 .

Plan o f th e b oo k, xvi fo ll .
, 2 06 . R ainbow , 2 45 .

Pl ans, 1 6 7 fo ll . Ra pidi ty, 1 1.

Pro t eid Fo od Addi ti onal R eali si ng, 2 6,
34, 9 1 fo ll , 1 58 ,
—
: see .

No t e on
p . 1 49 . 1 8 4, 2 1 0 2 1 1 , 2 2 3 .

Pl easure, 2 2 6 . R ea rrangem ent , 84 .

Po et ry, 1 53 fo ll .
, 1 5 7 fo ll .
, 1 86 R ea so n and ra ison, 1 2 9 .

fo ll R easo ni ng, 2 8 , 70, 1 1 5

—5
. .

Portm anteau -w ords, 1 5 0 1 1 R easo ns for prac ti sing, 1 94, 2 0 5

Po si t i o n o f th e bo dy, 5 7 . fo ll .

Prac tica l l essons, 2 3 . R ecall , and rem em b er, 1 1 .

P rac t ic e , 6 , 38 . 49, 5 8 —5 9, 72 . R e c ords kept, 68 , 1 97

R eh earsi ng, 1 1 0—
.

8 5 , 9 5 . 1 06. 109, 1 30. 1 8 3, 111 .

esp 1 9 1 fo ll , 1 99 fo ll , 2 1 9,
. . . R ei ncarnat ion, 2 63 .

2 63 . R ej ec tion, 79 fo ll , 1 40, 1 6 8 . fo ll .
,
Prac t ise prac tice, 1 37 1 78
’ ’
and . .

Prepa rat io n needed, 1 40, 1 8 3 : R e la xation, 6 1 -6 2 .

and see P rac t ice . R epet i ti ons, 1 05 , 1 1 3 fo ll .

, 1 8 7,
Present m eth ods, 2 40 . 2 12 ,

Princip l es of Pract ice, 1 99 fo ll R epose, 6 1 —62 .

see P ra c tice . R epresentat i o n, 79 : and see Sub

Pro bl em s, 5 8 . stituting .

fo r t eachers, 66 . Reproduc tio n, 1 1 6 .

Pro cesses, 6 4 . R esponsibili ty, 6 8 .

Pro fess io na l s, 1 94 . R est , 6 1 - 62 .

P ro gress, 6 . R ésum ée, 30, 1 1 6 fo ll , 1 8 7, 2 1 3 . .

P ro gr essi ons, 1 8 2 . R evi ew of Revi ew s,’ 1 5 2 .

Pro m inent parts, 1 42 , 1 46, 2 4 5 . Rhym e, xi, xv, 42 , 44, 1 5 2 fo ll , .

Pro m pt ers, 1 38 . 1 6 3, 1 8 6 fo ll , 2 5 3 . .

P ro p ort i o nal H eal th, 5 4 . Rhym ing D icti o nary, 45 , 1 35 .

Pro te ids, 5 5 . Rhythm , xi , xv , 42 , 46 , 1 2 6, 1 5 3,

P ro verbs, 90, 1 60 : and see Epi 157 fo ll .
, 1 63, 1 8 6 fo ll .
, 2 1 8,
gram s . 2 24 .

Punch , o f sense, 2 2
’
152 .
4.

Puni shm ents, 68 . disadvantages o f Rhym e and

P uns, xiv , 12 , 12 7, 1 74, 2 1 4 . Rhythm , 1 5 7 .

Puri ty, 60 . R iddl es, xiv, 1 2 7 .

Righ t actio n, 5
Q
.

Rival ry, 6 7 : and see Co mpeti

Queens o f England, 1 2 1 ti o n
—
. .
‘

Questi o ns, 2 7, 96 , 98 fo ll . R o m e, 35 36 .

Quickness, 1 1 and see Rapidi ty

’
. R o me s Success ( Causes) , 2 1 - 49.
 IND E X 2 77

Ro om -Syst em , 34, 1 32 . Stamm ering, 1 5 7 .

Ro te ( l earning by ), xx iii and see S tart i ng-po ints, 2 8 , 70 , 1 02 fo ll .

H ear t . S tat ues, 2 7 .

Rough O ut line, 8 9 fo ll . see O ut Step-by-step, 30 : a nd see R é

sum e c

S ti m ul ants, 5 5 , 1 44—
.

1 45 .

Sandow , 6 5 . St i m uli, 1 38 .

Scho o lboys, 44 : and see Educa S to k es, 1 33, 1 70 , 1 74, 1 8 2 , 2 6 7 .

t i on . S to u t ( M r G 4, 9 , 9 1 ,
. .

Scho o l s, 6 6, 6 8 , 2 57 : and se e 2 67 .

Educa t i o n . St rength ening w eaknesses, 1 1 7 .

Scient i fic m en, 2 36 . S triki ng ideas, 44, 48 , 1 60— 1 61

Sel ect io n, 79 fo ll . and see Ab su rdit i es, I nt erest .

Self act ivi ty, xv, xvi:

-
see O rigin Sub c o nsci o us, 6 5 and see Aut o
-

a li ty . m at ic .

Self-co nfidence, 2 2 7 . Sub -H eadings, 4 1 , 8 2 .

Self co rrec ti o n, 1 1 7, 1 69, 2 39, 2 5 4

-
. Subj ec ts t o b e rem em bered , xxu ,
Self suffi ciency, 2 2 7
-
. 1 1.

Sense im po rtant, 1 8 7 fo ll , 2 48 : . Substi t u t i ng-System , 37— 38 , 1 39

and see R eali si ng , R easo ning fo ll , 1 64, 1 8 0, 2 1 7

—
. . .

Sentenc es, 42 , 1 44 , 1 39 1 40 . Succ ess as a m o tive, 2 3 .

Serm o n on the M o unt, 2 2 1 fo ll . Succ ess of Ro m e, etc. ( Causes) ,

Sho rt intervals, 1 2 9, 1 69 . 2 1 —
39 .

Sights , 5 8 and see Eye . Surr o undi ngs, 5 8 fo ll .

Sim ple and C om pl ex , 8 : and see Sym pathy. 96 , 1 04, 2 39

Co m pl ex . Synonym s, 1 2 8 .

Sleep, 5 6 . Systems illust rated, 31 — 39 .

Sleepl essness, 2 31 . in detail , 1 2 1- 1 64 .

Sm all Cards, 2 0 1 . advantages, 2 2 5 fo ll .

Sound-c onnect io ns, 8 4 , 1 2 5 fo ll , . m i su sed, 1 97 fo ll .

1 2 9 : and see Li nks no t rec om m ended , 4 3 fo ll and

'

. .

Sounds, 5 8 : and see Ear . see 1 39 fo ll , 1 60 fo ll . .

So unds w i tho ut sense, 1 5 7 : a nd

see Addi tio nal No tes .

Sparro w -grass, 1 2 5 fo ll .
T
Speakers, 2 35 . Tadema 1 37 .

Specia l P urposes and Subj e cts , Tarquin, 1 8 1 .

2 31 fo ll . Tea chi ng, 2 , 2 9, 1 0 4, 1 1 0 fo ll .

1 4 8 , 2 0 1 , 2 1 2 , 2 2 5 fo ll , 2 6 2
Facul t i es,38 fo il
‘ ’
2 .
. .

Specia li sts, 8 9, 93 . Technica l t erms, xxii , 92 , 2 47 .

Spelling, 64 .
Tel egram s, 72 .

Stages passed thro ugh, 7 . Tem perature, 5 7 .

2 78 I ND E X

Tem ptat io n, 5 7.
V
Tenni s, 2 5 9 .

Tennyso n, 1 5 4 . V alu e of M em o ry, 3 fo ll . and see

Tensi o n of M uscl es, 1 4 : and see Advantages .

R e po se . V ari ety , 5 6 : and see Change .

Th o ugh tfu l ness, 2 39 . Var i o u s M em o ri es, 6 : and see

Tiber, 35 , 36 . D i fferent .

Tim e ( e co no m y o f) , 2 2 6 . V ent ilat i o n, 5 7 .

Ti m es for pra c t i si ng , 60 fo ll , 1 93 . . V o w e l s, 1 40 , 1 47, 1 5 9 .

To pic al System , 34 , 1 32 and see

L o calisi ng
W
.

Transi t i o ns, 8 3 : and see C o nnec

io n
t . Walker ( Rhym ing D ictionary ),
Translat i o n, 1 2 8 , 2 33 see Fo reign 155 .

Langu ages . Weak po ints st rengt hened, 1 1 7,

Tro ubl e w o rth w hile , 2 5 8 and 1 30 .

see P rac t ice . Weakeni ng o f M em o ry, 2 5 5 .

Type, 8 5 , 1 78 . Wea l th, 1 2 8 .

Wh at to rem em ber, xxu : and see

Subj ec ts
U
.

Wh en to prac t i se, 60 fo ll and

Unc onnected things, 2 5 0 2 5 1 — see Ti m e .

U nc o nsci o u s M em o ry, 1 1 5 .
‘
Wh ere is it ? No te B oo ks, 2 00 ’
-
.

Underlining, 8 4 . Whist, 2 36 .

U nfaim ess, 2 5 4— 2 55 . Wh o l e and part , 1 2 8 .

U ni m po rtant th i ngs, 2 33 . Wh y o ne sho uld pract ise, 1 94 .

Uni o n (bo nds o f) , 1 03—1 04 . Will , 5 9, 65 .

U ni ty , 8 3 . vertax ed, 5 9
o .

U niversi t i es, 66 : a nd see Educa Wo rd m em o ry, 1 1 4 fo ll , 1 2 7, 2 48

- .

tion . and see Addi t i o nal No tes .

‘
U nnatu ra l y ’
s ste m s, 1 2
5, 2 53 . Wo rth while, 2 5 9 .

U nused Facul ties, xvi , 1 2 , 2 1 9, Wri t ing ( of Art icl es, etc 2 33 . .

2 2 7—2 2 8 , 2 4 1 , 2 64 . Wro ng w ay o f usi ng Systems , 1 97

Unu sed M ateri al s, xvi , 1 2 , 1 0 1 , fo ll , 2 6 1. .

1 04, 1 1 1 , 1 2 8 , 2 1 4, 2 1 9, 2 2 7 .

U nu su al type, 8 5 .

U seful po i nts o bserved, 104, 1 6 9 .

U se l ess lists, 68 , 7 1 , 1 5 4 . ! o diac signs, I 33

-
.

P rint ed by B A L L A N NE TY HA N N SO 67‘ C o .

Ed inburgh fr London
 WO R K S B Y TH E S A M E A U TH O R

A B O U T FO O D
E x ac t l y H o w t o B e in a H eal t h - ivin C h an e o f D iet easily
g g g g ( ,
e c o no m ica l l
y , sc i enti fi ca lly, su cc essful ly)
45 Q u ic k a nd E asy R e c i p es fo r H ea lt hy M ea t l ss M eals
A w eek s P ro t eid D i et : T he S t o ry o f t h e F a m o us D a il M ir r o
'

Fo o d Tes t
y
e
;
B ett er F o o d fo r o ys B
AB O U T H EA LT H , FO O D , A N D EX ER C IS E
H ea lt h and F i t ness
Th e S im p les t C ures fo r C o nsti pa t i o n
B rea t h i ng
Qui c k ness .

Ten R u les o f H e al th

A H ea l t h and C o u nse l B u reau

C ura t ive Ex ercise s
Th e Eus t a ce M i les S yst errio f P hy sical c lture (w i th 2 C h ar ts ) u
A B C C h ar t o f H e alth ( t o h a ng o n t h e w all)
P r event i o n a nd C ure
H
.

Th e U ri c Aci d Fet i sh (w ith C C o llings) . .

C H IEFL Y A B O U T T H E M IN D
B alanc ed L i fe
Le t 5 P lay t h e G am e
’
.

Essays ln t h e M a ki ng
Th e P o w er o f C o ncent rat i o n a nd H o w t o A c q ui re it
H o w t o P re p are Essays , Art i c les , and S peech es

A B O U T AT H LET IC S , 8 t e .

L esso ns in L a w n Te nni s
R ac q u et s , Tennis , and S q uash

FO R B O Y S A N D Y O U N G M E N
Wa nted : M en ! (Th e S tand ard W o rk o n th e Trai ni ng o f B oys
and M en )
Fi t ness fo r P l ay a nd W o rk
A B oy s C o nt ro l and S elf— Ex p ress io n
’

R EL IG IO U S , th e .

M a t h e m a t ic al L a w in t h e S pi ri tu al Worl d
Th e W o rlcl s P ray er a nd C ree d
'

Th e T eac h i ng o f J esu s To d a y -

L ife a ft er L i fe

M IS C EL LA N EO U S
Th e M a d Annu al ( w i th F B enso n) E .

D iversi o ns D a y by D ay ( w i t h E F B enso n) . .

EU STAC E M L ES , M A
I . .
, 40 . 4 1 42 C H AND O S S TREET , W . C .