Assimilative Memory; or, How to Attend and Never Forget

To remember proper names in the absence of the person, correlate the Person’s Name to the name of some Peculiarity of the Person (as the best known and) which you are sure to think of whenever you think of the Person. If you memorise the Correlation, you will recall the Name whenever you think of this Peculiarity (whatever struck you about him).

1. To what must we correlate a person’s name?
2. What will be the result if we memorise the correlation?
3. To what do Mnemonists resort to remember proper names?
4. Does this alone give a starting point?
5. What is a similarity of sound alone likely to do?

[Dr. Johnson, when introduced to a stranger repeated his name several times aloud and sometimes spelled it. This produced a vivid first impression of the man’s name; but it did not connect the name to the man who bore it. People who have adopted the Johnsonian Method sometimes remember the name but apply it to the wrong person, because they did not establish any relation between the name and the man to whom it belonged.]

EXERCISES IN CORRELATING.

1. Is it ever possible to remember two extremes without thinking of the intermediates?
2. In what cases?
3. What did Dr. Johnson sometimes do when introduced to a stranger?
4. What sometimes occurs with people who have adopted the Johnsonian Method?
5. Why is this?
6. As Max Müller names mental acts in this order: Sensation, Perception, Conception, Naming, and Memory, would he hold that failure to remember names implies weakness of naming power? No! Remembering a name is an act wholly unlike imposing a name in the first instance. Such failure arises from weakness of the auditory function, or of the perception of individual peculiarities or failure of the sight-image to become cemented to the sound image.

A CONTRAST.—When unconnected ideas have to be united in the memory so that hereafter one will recall the other, the teachers of other Memory Systems say: “What can I invent to tie them together—what story can I contrive—what foreign extraneous matter can I introduce—what mental picture can I imagine, no matter how unnatural or false the juxtaposition may be, or what argument or comparison can I originate—no matter how far-fetched and fanciful it may be, to help hold these ‘Extremes’ together?” They do not reflect that all these mnemonical outside and imported schemes must also be remembered, and that being in the form of sentences expressing loose relation of mere physical juxtapositions or the complex relations invented by constructive imagination or subtle intellect, they are, to most, more difficult to recollect than the extremes would be without these ponderous aids. Hence, in their professed attempt to aid the memory, they really impose a new and additional burden upon it.

1. Are you required to make any original correlations?
2. How many?
3. Between what extremes?
4. Do you find it difficult?
5. Have you any evidence given here that others have experienced any difficulty in making them?
6. Did they finally succeed?
7. What question is frequently asked by other memory teachers?

And in the chapter on Recollective Analysis, and also in the previous part of this chapter, I have given the attentive student such a familiarity with the Memory Laws of In., Ex., and Con., that he can make Correlations as easily as he breathes.

When learning prose or poetry by means of endless repetitions to acquire, and endless views to retain, the mind soon wanders, and thus discontinuity is promoted; but, in reciting a Correlation forwards and backwards from memory, the mind cannot wander, and thus the continuity is greatly strengthened. Again, memory is improved by exercise, and improved in the highest degree by making and memorising correlations, because in making them the reviving power of the memory is exercised in conformity to Memory’s own laws; and in memorising the Correlations both stages of memory are most vividly impressed. Thus, making and memorising the Correlations TRAINS both Memory and Continuity. And if to this training process there be added the habit of Assimilation which the use of the Analytic-Synthetic and Interrogative Analysis Methods of learning Prose and Poetry by heart imparts, as well as my other training methods, then the NEW memory thus acquired will not demand the further use of the System any more than the adult swimmer will need the plank by which as a boy he learned to swim.

1. What new burden do they impose on the memory?
2. What do I require from my pupils?
3. To what is the first intermediate connected?
4. Through what?
5. How do I deal with the other intermediates?
6. What is a memory process?
7. Is the memory used to help the memory in any way?
8. Do I add anything to the extremes?
9. Is memory improved by exercise?
10. When is the System laid aside?

A pupil who had a very slight acquaintance with French learned an Analytic Series of French words, asking a French friend the meaning and pronunciation of the words unfamiliar to him. By doing this he in about an hour learned the spelling, pronunciation, and meaning of nearly 100 French words. Since then he has been extending the exercise, and in that way he has learned 1,000 French words. In doing so he is strengthening his memory by exercising it in accordance with its own laws, increasing the control his will has over his attention, and extending his French vocabulary.

1. Do we ever see words spelt differently but with the same pronunciation?
2. Is the use of the Dictionary required?
3. What examples have we here of the benefits derived from Rec.-Synthesis?
4. With what words did he make himself familiar?
5. Does the same word frequently occur in a book?
6. What proof can you mention?
7. What task was accomplished in about one hour by one of my pupils?
8. What language was he studying?

To remember Unfamiliar English Words or foreign words, correlate the Definition as the best known to the Unfamiliar or Foreign Word, and memorise the Correlation. In the case of Foreign Words, the last Intermediate is necessarily a case of Inclusion by sound. Sometimes there is In. by sight or by sound between a part or the whole of the English word, and a part or the whole of its Foreign equivalent, as Apple—apfel [German]. Of course, the pupil will not need the aid of a correlation in such cases if he notice the analytic relation. The French word Anachorète might have for its equivalent by sound either “Anna,” or “Core,” or “Ate,” or “Anna goes late,” or “Ann a core ate,” or “Anna’s cold hate,” and perhaps to some of my readers it would seem like something else. Cravache might sound like “Crack of lash.” Pupils often disagree as to what is good Inclusion by sound; let each use what suits himself, and not trouble about other people’s ears. In. by sound, or by sense, or by spelling, is sufficient even if it refers to only one syllable.

1. In the case of Foreign words, what must the last intermediate necessarily be a case of?
2. Do pupils always agree on a good In. by S.?
3. What is sufficient, if it refers to one syllable only?
4. What are you never to do in getting at an English word?
5. What may you do in getting at a Foreign word?
6. Could you not omit “camel hair”?
7. Could you not omit “leather,” which follows “tanner”?
8. Could you not omit after “cup” the word “tea-cup”?
9. Is not “tea-pot” connected by Con. with “cup”?
10. After “bread” could you not omit “baker”?
11. Are not “bread” and “baker’s art” connected?
12. Could you not omit “watch,” after “Time”?

1. If “mendicants” are known to be liars, why could not “false pretences” be omitted?
2. If “vaccination” means inoculating with “cowpox,” why could not “cowpox” be omitted?
3. If “broken” neck means a violent death, why not omit “kill by hanging”?
4. Ought not “billing and cooing” to be inserted after “Dove”?
5. What relation is there between “married love” and “United States”?
6. If “musical” be added to “notes,” why could not “musical signs” be omitted?
7. If “scribbler” is a writer, why could not “bad writer” be omitted?

1. Could not “boiled hard” be omitted?
2. If we use “mensuration tables,” could not “figures … calculation” be spared?
3. What is the relation between “Tree” and “mast”?
4. Could not “lazy bones” be omitted after “indolent”?
5. Why could not “schoolgirl” be omitted?
6. Why could not “answer” be omitted after “question”?

1. Why could not “feel” be left out?
2. Why not omit “science,” and say “medical arts”?
3. Why not omit “angels” and “harps,” and simply add “celestial” to “hymns”?
4. If the pupil does not know who “Hengler” is, should we not omit the name and insert instead “singing clown”?
5. Why should not “fare” be a better In. by sound with “gare” than “guard”?
6. If tapestry means other things besides carpets, would not “tapestry carpet” be a sufficient intermediate?
7. If “pelle” is pronounced as if applied “pel,” ought not “Pall Mall” to be pronounced as if spelled “Pell Mell”?

Synonyms, as well as words having but a slight difference in sound like Insidious and Invidious are easily discriminated by memorised Correlations: Insidious … inside … hole … fox … treachery.—invidious … invade … hostility … ill-will.

1. Is the letter “i” in Zio pronounced as if spelled Zeeo?
2. If so, is “pew” a good In. by sound with Pio?
3. Why would not these be good correlations, viz., Insidious, hideous … moral turpitude … Treachery.—Invidious … perfidious … betrayal. Ill-will.
4. How many correlations have you made so far?
5. Have you made your own in every case, or memorised mine in every case?
6. Have you indicated the relations in all cases by writing in 1, 2, or 3?
7. If not, why not?

HOW TO MEMORISE DATES, &c., WHERE YOU ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE FACTS, &c.

To remember Dates of Birth and Death (&c.) of men, correlate the surname as best known to the word expressing the date of birth, and correlate the birth-word to the death [&c.] word:—

1. How many kinds of Serial facts are there?
2. What are the characteristics of the first kind?
3. Is it advisable for the pupil to re-adjust Series in Foreign Grammars?

Suppose we wish to memorise the 11 prepositions which form part of certain Latin verbs which are followed by the dative, to wit:—Ad., Ante., Con., In., Inter., Ob., Post., Pre., Pro., Sub., and Super. This Series is usually learned by endless repetition, as a succession of sounds to the ear, or sight to the eye, by mere rote. What a waste of time to attempt to re-arrange it in order to learn it more easily. Yet such a Series can be learned by correlating the words together in a very short time, thus:—

• Ad addition … front addition … ante-room….
• Ante antecedent … consequent….
• Con converse … inverse….
• In
• Inter interject … object….
• Ob obligation … postponed obligation….
• Post post-office … prepayments….
• Pre predilection … propensity….
• Pro produce … soil products … subsoil….
• Sub subordinate actor … Super.

And, similarly, we can deal with any Series in Grammar, or elsewhere.

1. Do my pupils ever find any difficulty in correlating the series as they may find it?
2. What training must they have in order to do so?
3. Is any time misspent in trying to discover a non-existing relation?
4. What are the eleven Latin prepositions here given?
5. How are they usually learned?
6. Is time gained thereby?

(2) The other kind of Series is where the words, facts, or things must be memorised as given. The seven primary colours are given as they occur in nature, thus:—Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red. The unconscionable word VIBGYOR has been given as a means, through the initial letters of the colour words, to enable us to remember those words, and ROYGBIV to enable us to remember the Series backwards. To such a pass are educators driven when they lack my Universal Method of cementing Extremes. We know the Series both ways if we Correlate the words, thus:

ORDER OF THE ENGLISH SOVEREIGNS.

The true Method of learning the Order and Dates of the English Sovereigns, as of the American Presidents, or of any other list of Rulers, is to deal with them only in the course of reading. When met with in History, all the facts are before the reader, and, if he fails to hold the order of succession clearly in mind in any case, he can easily correlate the Names together. And if he fails to retain some of the dates, he can readily make forgetfulness impossible by correlating names to date-words—or, as the details of the reigns are known to him, he can at once find analytic date-words. The reader wishes to infallibly remember that the date of the beheading of Charles I. was 1649. The formula is “Charles I.—Too sharp (1649).” If the reader’s memory-training is imperfect, and he is ignorant of the facts, he had better correlate. If his memory-education is complete, and the facts are within his knowledge, he will need no aid, or he will use analytic date-words as in above case (1) Then (6) Charles (4) rightly (9) beheaded. If he feels that he needs some advice to help him remember the order of succession of the Kings, he can refresh his recollection by turning back and reading the method already given.

EXERCISE.—CASES IN EVERY-DAY LIFE.

The student must exercise his judgment as to what is the best known to which he will Correlate an isolated fact.

The following anecdote is taken from the Era Almanack, 1882, p. 36. The actor, whose name was Taylor, could not remember the name assigned to him in his part of the play. We shall see how Mnemonics helped him.

Numitorius—“Where is Virginia? Wherefore do you hold that maiden’s hand?”

Claudius—“Who asks the question?”

Numitorius—“I, her uncle—Deuteronomy!”

The actor should have correlated the word “Numitorius,” which he could not remember, to the word “Uncle” as the BEST KNOWN that preceded it, which he could remember, or to his “cue” the word “Question” thus:

• UNCLE [2] Nephew [1] You [1] You knew—NU-mitorius. Or,
• UNCLE [2] Niece [1] Neat [1] Neat and New [1] A new mitre o’er us [1] NU-mitorius. Or,
• QUESTION [1] Wants to know [1] Know [1] Knew [1] knew my story [1] NU-mitorius. Or,
• QUESTION [1] Quest [1] Guessed [1] Knew [1] Knew a mighty Tory [1] NU-mitorius.

Had the actor memorised either of these Correlations, he would not have forgotten Numitorius in his performance. In all similar cases mere In. by sound, like the word “Numbers” which Macready proposed, and which is really not a genuine In. by sound, is of little service to a poor memory. A Correlation would have been much better.

SPEAKING WITHOUT WRITTEN OR PRINTED NOTES.

After the clergyman has decided on his text, or the speaker on any subject he has selected for his special topic, the next step is to think it out—to make his plan—his mode of development of his ideas—their order and sequence, illustrations, &c. All this will constitute an outline—the SKELETON OF THE DISCOURSE. This should usually be committed to paper. If he possesses the requisite command of language to enable him to express his views, all he now requires to do is to thoroughly memorise this Skeleton.

When this is done, the orator will have no occasion to have any notes before him to refer to, and thereby to remind his audience that he is merely rehearsing fervour a week or more old; but, having the exact order of ideas in his memory, he can proceed to speak on each successive topic until he has exhausted all the points and illustrations that he had intended to use.

Suppose a teacher of the Art of Expression has studied Moses True Brown’s [see his Synthetic Philosophy of Expression] reduction of Delsarte’s Nine Laws of Gesture to Brown’s One Law of Correspondence—and suppose this teacher wishes to explain to his class, or to an audience, how Mr. Brown proceeded. If he desires to do this without notes, he must memorise the order of those Nine Laws; they are abstractly stated and difficult to correlate, but it can be done. The Laws are as follows:—

• Motion,
• Velocity,
• Direction or Extension,
• Re-action,
• Form,
• Personality,
• Opposition of Agents,
• Priority, or Sequence,
• Rhythm.

The teacher must correlate these heads or topics of his discourse together, and so memorise his correlations that he can recall the series in the exact order. Perhaps he may proceed thus:

Knowing these Nine Laws in the above order, he can discuss them one after the other. When he has finished his explanation of the reduction of the three Forms of Motion [Concentric, Poise, and Eccentric] to the Law of Correspondence, he can proceed to the consideration of the sub-topics under Velocity, and so on. When he has fixed the other of his topics in mind, he has a mental chart or map to guide him in his exposition, and similarly in other cases.

EXERCISE.

Learn some of the “Antidotes,” and at least two of the following series. Do not learn the extracts from Quain’s Anatomy unless you understand what is meant, or are a medical student.

DISTANCES OF PLANETS FROM THE SUN.

• Mercury—36,000,000 [Mercury Shines].
• Venus—67,000,000 [She’s a Goddess].
• Earth—93,000,000 [Planetary Mother].
• Mars—141,000,000 [This World’s Outsider].
• Jupiter—482,000,000 [Rather Flattened Ends, or, A Roundish Form Unequalled].
• Saturn—885,000,000 [Floods of Light].
• Uranus—1,780,000,000 [Disturbances Caused Fruitful Searchings].
• Neptune—2,789,000,000 [Neptune Constitutes a Frontier Boundary].

1. How many planets are here mentioned? Make your own correlations between each.

“The Branches of the External Carotid Artery are eight in number, viz., three directed forwards, the superior thyroid, the lingual, and the facial; two directed backwards, the occipital and the posterior auricular; and three extending upwards, the ascending pharyngeal branch, together with the temporal and internal maxillary, the two terminal branches into which the artery divides.”

Dissect, or study a model or diagram of these branch arteries, and then the facts are easily learned by means of Correlations:—

1. Are all students required to learn extracts from Quain’s Anatomy?
2. How many branches are there of the External Carotid Artery?
3. Describe them.
4. Is it an advantage in studying Anatomy to dissect or study a model?
5. How are the facts, then, easily learned?
6. Make original correlations for this Extract.
7. Do you use any unfamiliar words in your correlations?
8. How do you memorise the attachments of muscles?
9. Is it possible to memorise their origins and insertions by my System?
10. Is this learning?
11. What is it then?

By the System it is easy to learn facts of Anatomy. But the System is no substitute for dissection and experiment. You can get a comprehension of anatomical facts only by actual experience, and to attempt to require an understanding of them from books is to substitute a knowledge of words for a knowledge of things.

The following will indicate one way in which you may proceed in memorising the attachments of the muscles of the back:

• (1) First make a homophone of the name of the muscle.
• (2) Indicate each attachment of the muscle by two words.

  The initial letter of the first word should indicate the part of bone to which the muscle is attached, e.g., Sp = spinous process, T = transverse process, R = rib, &c. The second word should indicate by its consonants the numbers of the bones to which the attachment is made.

• (3) Correlate the homophone of the muscle to the first pair of words, and the first pair to the second pair. For example:

“The Splenius Colli is attached, inferiorly, to the spinous processes of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth dorsal vertebræ, and superiorly to the transverse processes of the first two or three cervical vertebræ.”

spleniuS COLLi (homophone) SCOLD.
SCOLD … cold … marble … SPLENDID IMAGE …
gold statuette … chimney ornament … clock … ’TIS TIME.

“The Splenius Capitis arises from the spines of the seventh cervical and two upper dorsal vertebræ and from the ligamentum nuchæ. It is inserted into the lower and back part of the mastoid process, and into the outer part of the superior curved line of the occipital bone.”

1. Do you need to use Homophones in this study?
2. What is the most difficult task in Anatomy?
3. Do students generally master this thoroughly?
4. What makes the learning of Anatomy easy?
5. Is my System a substitute for dissection?
6. How can you get a comprehension of anatomical facts?

POISONS AND ANTIDOTES.

Narcotic poisons are neutralized by vinegar:—Narcotics … torpor … strong wine … sour wine … vinegar.

Wine, brandy, coffee, and camphor may be used to rouse those who have taken laudanum or any other preparation of opium … Opium … opium eater … intemperate … brandy … wine … beverage … coffee … cough … cold … camphorated spirit … camphor.

Mucilage, camphor, and oil may be taken to neutralize cantharides:—Cantharides … hair-grower … oil … smooth-running … ease … comfort … camphor … fur cat … mew … mucilage.

Ten drops of ammonia in a glass of sugared water sobers a tipsy man:—Drunk … alcohol … volatile spirits … volatile … alkali … ammonia … to moan … to sigh (10) … pathos … sweet tears … sugared water.

Aconite … night boat … sea sick … emetics … exhaustion … stimulants … hard drinking … spontaneous combustion … animal charcoal.

1. Are antidotes for Poisons easy to remember?
2. Should not all persons have a knowledge of the antidotes for the ordinary poisons?
3. What method have I given to obtain such knowledge?
4. What is the relation between “Narcotics” and “torpor”?

Oil, milk (any fatty mucilaginous substance), may protect the coats of the stomach against oil of vitriol and other acrid poisons:—Acrid … curd … curdled milk … milk … butter … melted butter … oil.

Strong Acids [Sulphuric Acid (oil of vitriol), Nitric Acid, Hydrochloric Acid] … alkali … lemon kali … effervescing draught … citrate of magnesia … Magnesia … antacid … Bicarbonate of Soda … potash … potash soap … soap suds … emollient … Emollient Drinks.

Carbolic Acid … liquid … oil … sweet oil … castor oil … aperient … Epsom Salts … white … white of egg.

Prussic acid (Hydrocyanic Acid) is neutralized by alkalies and freshly precipitated oxide of iron:—Prussic Acid … tartaric acid … carbonate of soda … alkali … lie on the side … oxide of iron … steel file … rasp … artificial respiration. [Hydrocyanic Acid … cyanotic … asphyxiated … no respiration … Artificial respiration … perspiration … hot … cold effusion … exposed to wet … rust … fresh precipitated oxide of iron.]

Soap and Sulphide of Potassium are antidotes against arsenic and other metallic poisons: Metallic … lick … cat-lick … wash … soap … potash soap … potassium … sulphide of potassium.