the unenviable habit of remembering much that ought to be forgotten, and of forgetting much that ought to be remembered. The memory should be trained to sever the wheat from the chaff, and to store up healthful food for the future nourishment of the mind. He who is at no pains to direct the memory, but allows it to run at large, remembers as much, perhaps, as he who carefully trains it; but the one grows up a simpleton, the other a wise man. The memory of the one stores the mind with treasures of valuable knowledge; that of the other fills it with a world of nonsense. The conditions of a good memory, then, are, to be susceptible to what ought to be remembered, to be retentive of it, and to have it at ready command.

QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER III.

What is memory? What has it been supposed? What is strictly true? What have some considered memory? What does Stewart maintain? Reply? What is his solution? Does memory always operate thus ? Remark? Are not other powers, besides conception and perception, in the service of memory? Remarks? What is said, secondly, of the operations of memory? How does Stewart attempt to explain the difficulties of his theory? What is said in reply? Illustration? Apology for the above strictures? Have brutes memory? What might be difficult to show? Examples of brute memory? Into what have some attempted to resolve all these? Reply? What is said of the universality of memory? Remarks? What is said of events of which we have read? Are there ineIllustrate. First Give examples.

Third source?

What is called

Advantage of such helps ? What is the chief difference

qualities of memory? In what do they mainly consist? cause affecting memory? Remarks? Second cause? What is said of attention? Illustration? philosophical memory? Give the example. Fourth source? What is said of all men? between them? What are circumstantial memories? What is said of the term? Give the example. Fifth source? How explained? Examples? Sixth source? What have all observed ? Difference as to the things remembered? To what is the failure of memory in old age owing? What have some philosophers supposed? Reply? Seventh source? Remarks? What is said of the characteristics of a good memory?

CHAPTER IV.

MEMORY CONTINUED.

CULTURE OF MEMORY.

SPECIAL and direct efforts to strength the memory are of little value. Like all the other mental powers, it is strengthened by being appropriately exercised upon its appropriate objects. All artificial rules, all machinery, all exercises of memory, for the express purpose of strengthening it, are rather injurious than beneficial. They place the mind in a false position. If we suitably apply our mental powers to their appropriate objects, they will grow with sufficient rapidity and in due proportion.

EARLY CULTURE OF MEMORY.

The first object in childhood is to direct the attention to things which ought to be remembered things of future value. Childhood is the age to learn spelling and reading to learn to associate letters and words with the sounds they represent. Not only are the organs of speech then most flexible, but the mind is best qualified to operate in that small and circumstantial way by which letter after letter and word after word becomes forever assoIciated with its sound.

At the same age, much that is of prospective value may be committed to memory, although the mind is not yet capable of fully understanding it. Some dispute this, and contend that children should learn nothing but what they understand. But the laws of mental progress

are against this theory, and facts condemn it. Memory is developed before the reasoning power, that she may lay up materials for it to work upon when it comes into service.

Those early lessons, those grammatical rules, those portions of the Sacred Scriptures, those hymns, those maxims of wisdom, those details of geography, chronology, arithmetic, committed to memory before we were able fully to understand their meaning, we find of great and ever-growing value as we advance in life. The attention of childhood should also be called to the most important facts in nature. Some of the first lessons in natural history, botany, geology, ornithology, serve to form a taste for these studies, and to lay the foundation for future success in them. If childhood does not learn these things, it will learn something else. Memory will work, to store the mind with something, either valuable or useless.

SUBSEQUENT CULTURE OF MEMORY.

As the mind matures, memory should take a more systematic and philosophical course. Nature suggests this; for now the reasoning powers come into alliance with memory, to guide her associations and direct her course. She has hitherto dealt mostly with details; she is now to remember in groups and classes, and by more remote associations. If she could once better recall the numerous pretty flowers seen in a ramble, she can now better recall the several genera and species to which they belong, and their scientific relation to the great family of which they are members.

If

Hitherto memory has been mostly conversant with words and signs; she has now to do with realities. she could once more easily learn to repeat a chapter, she can now more easily learn to recall its meaning. She is perpetually working her way beneath the surface, and in every direction, whither philosophical associations conduct her.

Such is the course where memory is rightly cultivated; and this makes the difference between being always a

child and ascending from that state to intellectual manhood. Thus the mind not only advances broadly in knowledge, instead of bounding over a single track, but she puts all her knowledge on duty, to trace out new relations and to discover for it new uses. The growth of the mind in valuable knowledge depends not so much on the number of new individual facts acquired and remembered, as on the number, extent, and value of their perceived relations.*

The failure of memory in regard to details, as age advances, may, on the whole, be regarded as a blessing. It harmonizes with the laws of mental growth, and seems a necessary condition of those more philosophic and comprehensive modes of thinking which characterize maturity of intellect.

CONFIRMING THE MEMORY.

Still a vast store of details, as well as of classes of facts, must be at command through life, or the judgment will suffer, since a sound judgment is exercised in view of facts. But if childhood and youth have taken the course above indicated, little difficulty will be realized in permanently securing whatever needs to be remembered. The lessons that childhood has imprinted a thousand times will never be fully effaced. What is subsequently acquired would be more easily forgotten, but for those habits of philosophical arrangement to which we have adverted. At the same time, frequent recalling at this age should take the place of frequent repeating in childhood. The rules here to be observed are, first, give the closest possible attention to what you would remember;

* Maclaurin justly remarks, "New knowledge does not consist so much in our having access to a new object, as in comparing it with others already known, observing its relations to them, or discerning what it has in common with them, and wherein their disparity consists; and therefore our knowl edge is vastly greater than the sum of what all its objects separately could afford; and when a new object comes within our reach, the addition to our knowledge is greater, the more we already know; so that it increases, not as the new objects increase, but in a much higher proportion."- Conclusion of "Views of Newton's Discoveries." See also Stewart's Philosophy, vol. i. p. 240

secondly, reduce it to system, and fasten it in the mind by as many philosophical associations as possible; thirdly, frequently recall it, and reflect upon it. What is thus learned will never be forgotten. Whether it be history, language, science, law, theology, or any thing else, the mind will be able to recall and use it, so long as reason is on the throne. By this means, the judge on the bench, at the age of sixty-five, may give as sound judgment in view of the facts in law studied at an early age as at any previous period.

The importance of reducing to system and of accurately classifying what we learn, cannot be too much urged. This, well done, saves the necessity of much recalling. The mind can hardly help remembering what is thus framed into it, and is made, as it were, part and parcel of its own being. The mechanic who has always been accustomed to have a place for every thing, and every thing in its place, will always find his tools at command. So the student in every calling and profession, by systematic arrangement of his materials of thought, will be able at any time to call them into service.

COMMITTING TO PAPER.

He who would have both a ready and retentive memory, should rely as little as possible upon the pen. Memory loves to be trusted, and will pay large interest on what she receives. The practice of taking notes on the spot can hardly fail to weaken her powers. It is taking her work out of her hands. But there is a limit, beyond which she cannot go without assistance. At this limit, the pen may come to aid her. Notes of a sermon, for instance, should not be taken at church; but after returning home, it is well to write down the heads and most important thoughts in connection with them. This will serve to imprint them more deeply on the mind.

So in studying history. After reading and reflecting upon the contents of a volume, it is well to write out, from memory, a synopsis of its contents. This synopsis