1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:07,080 How to remember places. There is a great difference in the various degrees of 2 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:13,320 development of the sense of locality in different persons, but these differences may be 3 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:18,559 traced directly to the degree of memory of that particular phase or faculty of the 4 00:00:18,679 --> 00:00:23,600 mind, which in turn depends upon the degree of attention, interest, and 5 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:30,399 use which has been bestowed upon the faculty in question. The authorities on phrenology 6 00:00:30,519 --> 00:00:37,840 define the faculty of locality as follows, cognizance of place, recollection of the 7 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:43,679 looks of places, roads, sceneries, and the location of objects where on 8 00:00:43,759 --> 00:00:50,079 a page ideas are to be found and positioned. Generally, the geographical faculty 9 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:56,520 the desire to see places and have the ability to find them. Persons in 10 00:00:56,560 --> 00:01:02,039 whom this faculty is developed to the highest degree seem to have an almost intuitive 11 00:01:02,119 --> 00:01:07,680 idea of direction, place and position. They never get lost or mixed up 12 00:01:07,719 --> 00:01:14,680 regarding direction or place. They remember the places they visit and their relation and 13 00:01:14,799 --> 00:01:19,239 space to each other. Their minds are like maps upon which are engraved the 14 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:26,840 various roads, streets, and objects of sight in every direction. When these 15 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:33,359 people think of China, Labrador, Terra del Fuego, Norway, Cape of 16 00:01:33,519 --> 00:01:38,560 Good Hope, Tibet, or any other place. They seem to think of 17 00:01:38,599 --> 00:01:44,840 it in this direction or that direction, rather than as a vague place situated 18 00:01:44,879 --> 00:01:51,200 in a vague direction. Their minds think north, south, east, or 19 00:01:51,319 --> 00:01:55,519 west, as the case may be, when they consider a given place. 20 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:00,159 Shading down by degrees, we find people well at the other pole of the 21 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:06,959 faculty, who seem to find it impossible to remember any direction or locality or 22 00:02:06,959 --> 00:02:14,039 relation in space. Such people are constantly losing themselves in their own towns and 23 00:02:14,199 --> 00:02:19,599 fear to trust themselves in a strange place. They have no sense of direction 24 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:23,840 or place, and fail to recognize a street or scene which they have visited 25 00:02:23,879 --> 00:02:29,439 recently, not to speak of those which they traveled over in time past. 26 00:02:30,879 --> 00:02:36,280 Between these two poles or degrees, there is a vast difference, and it 27 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,680 is difficult to realize that it is all a matter of use, interest, 28 00:02:39,879 --> 00:02:46,120 and attention that it is. But this may be proven by anyone who will 29 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:52,520 take the trouble and pains to develop the faculty and memory of locality within his 30 00:02:52,719 --> 00:02:58,520 mind. Many have done this, and anyone else may do likewise. If 31 00:02:58,599 --> 00:03:05,319 the proper methods be in the secret of the development of the faculty and memory 32 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:10,479 of place and locality is akin to that mentioned in the preceding chapter in connection 33 00:03:10,599 --> 00:03:16,520 with the development of the memory for names. The first thing necessary is to 34 00:03:16,599 --> 00:03:22,639 develop an interest in the subject. One should begin to take notice of the 35 00:03:22,719 --> 00:03:28,800 direction of the streets or roads over which he travels, the landmarks, the 36 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:34,719 turns of the road, the natural objects along the way. He should study 37 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,759 maps until he awakens a new interest in them, just as did the man 38 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:44,520 who used the directory. In order to take an interest in names, he 39 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:51,439 should procure a small geography and study direction, distances, location, shape and 40 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:55,400 form of countries, et cetera. Not as a mere mechanical thing, but 41 00:03:55,479 --> 00:04:00,840 as a live subject of interest. If there were a large sum of money 42 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:06,400 awaiting your coming in certain sections of the globe, you would manifest a decided 43 00:04:06,479 --> 00:04:13,080 interest in the direction, locality, and position of those places and the best 44 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:17,959 way to reach them. Before long you would be a veritable reference book regarding 45 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:24,399 those special places. Or if your sweetheart were waiting for you in some such 46 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:29,600 place, you would do likewise. The whole thing lies in the degree of 47 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:38,000 want to regarding the matter. Desire awakens interest. Interests employ attention, and 48 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:45,360 attention brings use development and memory Therefore, you must first want to develop the 49 00:04:45,399 --> 00:04:50,360 faculty of locality, and want to hard enough. The rest is a mere 50 00:04:50,439 --> 00:04:57,920 matter of detail. One of the first things to do after arousing an interest 51 00:04:58,759 --> 00:05:03,360 is to carefully note the landmarks and relative positions of the streets or roads over 52 00:05:03,399 --> 00:05:10,079 which you travel. So many people travel along a new street or road in 53 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:14,639 an absent minded manner, taking no notice of the lay of the land as 54 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:19,680 they proceed. This is fatal to place memory. You must take notice of 55 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:27,000 the thoroughfares and the things along the way. Pause at the crossroads or the 56 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:33,480 street corners, and note the landmarks and the general directions and relative positions until 57 00:05:33,519 --> 00:05:39,879 they are finally imprinted on your mind. Begin to see how many things you 58 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:45,480 can remember regarding even a little exercise. Walk, and when you have returned 59 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:48,920 home, go over the trip in your mind and see how much of the 60 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:55,000 direction and how many of the landmarks you are able to remember. Take out 61 00:05:55,040 --> 00:06:00,480 your pencil and endeavor to make a map of your route, giving the general 62 00:06:00,519 --> 00:06:08,040 directions and noting the street names and principal objects of interest. Fix the idea 63 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:13,279 of north in your mind when starting, and keep your bearings by it during 64 00:06:13,319 --> 00:06:17,759 your whole trip. And in your map making. You'll be surprised how much 65 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:23,519 interest you will soon develop in this map making. It will get to be 66 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:28,759 quite a game, and you will experience pleasure in your increasing proficiency in it. 67 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:33,279 When you go out for a walk, go in a roundabout way, 68 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:40,439 taking as many turns and twists as possible in order to exercise your faculty of 69 00:06:40,519 --> 00:06:46,759 locality and direction. But always note carefully direction and general course so that you 70 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:51,879 may reproduce it correctly on your map when you return. If you have a 71 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:58,600 city map, compare it with your own little map, and also retrace your 72 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:03,879 route and imagine it on the map with a city map or road map. 73 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:10,279 You may get lots of amusement by re traveling the route of your little journeys. 74 00:07:11,519 --> 00:07:15,279 Always note the names of the various streets over which you travel, as 75 00:07:15,319 --> 00:07:20,480 well as those which you cross during your walk. Note them down upon your 76 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:26,279 map, and you will find that you will develop a rapidly improving memory in 77 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:32,439 this direction. Because you have awakened interest and bestowed attention, take a pride 78 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:38,519 in your map making. If you have a companion, endeavor to beat each 79 00:07:38,519 --> 00:07:43,600 other at this game, both traveling over the same route together, and then 80 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:48,319 seeing which one can remember the greatest number of details of the journey. Akin 81 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:53,839 to this, and supplementary to it, is the plan of selecting a route 82 00:07:53,879 --> 00:07:58,920 to be traveled on your city map, endeavoring to fix in your mind the 83 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:03,519 general directions, names of streets, turns, return, journey, et cetera. 84 00:08:03,959 --> 00:08:09,120 Before you start, begin by mapping out a short trip in this way, 85 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:16,399 and then increase it every day. After mapping out a trip, lay 86 00:08:16,439 --> 00:08:20,959 aside your map and travel it in person. If you like, take along 87 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:28,000 the map and puzzle out variations from time to time. Get the map habit 88 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:33,600 in every possible variation and form, but do not depend upon the map exclusively, 89 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:39,600 but instead endeavor to correlate the printed map with the mental map that you 90 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:45,279 are building in your brain. If you are about to take a journey to 91 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:50,240 a strange place, study your maps carefully before you go, and exercise your 92 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:56,600 memory in reproducing them with a pencil. Then, as you travel along, 93 00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:01,919 compare places with your map, and you will find that you will take an 94 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:07,320 entirely new interest in the trip. It will begin by meaning something to you. 95 00:09:07,399 --> 00:09:11,879 If about to visit a strange city, procure a map of it before 96 00:09:11,919 --> 00:09:18,080 starting, and begin by noting the cardinal points of the compass, study the 97 00:09:18,159 --> 00:09:22,120 map, the directions of the principal streets, and the relative positions of the 98 00:09:22,159 --> 00:09:28,399 principal points of interest buildings, et cetera. In this way, you not 99 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:35,200 only develop your memory of places and render yourself proof against being lost, but 100 00:09:35,279 --> 00:09:41,799 you also provide a source of new and great interest in your visit. The 101 00:09:41,919 --> 00:09:46,960 above suggestions are capable of the greatest expansion and variation on the part of anyone 102 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:54,440 who practices them. The whole thing depends upon the taking notice and using the 103 00:09:54,519 --> 00:10:00,159 attention, and those things, in turn depend upon the taking of interest in 104 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:05,919 the subject. If anyone will wake up and take interest in the subject of 105 00:10:05,039 --> 00:10:11,799 locality and direction, he may develop himself along the lines of place memory to 106 00:10:11,919 --> 00:10:18,639 an almost incredible degree in a comparatively short time. At that There is no 107 00:10:18,759 --> 00:10:24,840 other phase of memory that so quickly responds to use and exercise as this one. 108 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:30,200 We have in mind a lady who is notoriously deficient in the memory of 109 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:35,320 place, and was sure to lose herself a few blocks from her stopping place. 110 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:41,519 Wherever she might be. She seemed absolutely devoid of the sense of direction 111 00:10:41,879 --> 00:10:48,399 or locality, and often lost herself in the hotel corridors. Notwithstanding the fact 112 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:54,879 that she traveled all over the world with her husband for years. The trouble 113 00:10:54,159 --> 00:11:01,120 undoubtedly arose from the fact that she depended altogether upon her husband as a pilot, 114 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:07,279 the couple being inseparable. Well, the husband died and the lady lost 115 00:11:07,279 --> 00:11:13,879 her pilot. Instead of giving up in despair, she began to rise to 116 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:18,399 the occasion. Having no pilot, she had to pilot herself, and she 117 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:24,639 was forced to wake up and notice. She was compelled to travel for a 118 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:28,440 couple of years in order to close up certain business matters of her husband's, 119 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:33,799 For she was a good businesswoman in spite of her lack of development along this 120 00:11:35,039 --> 00:11:39,879 one line, and in order to get around safely, she was forced to 121 00:11:39,919 --> 00:11:45,440 take an interest in where she was going. Before the two years travels were 122 00:11:45,519 --> 00:11:48,519 over, she was as good a traveler as her husband had ever been, 123 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:54,480 and was frequently called upon as a guide by others in whose company she chanced 124 00:11:54,480 --> 00:12:01,120 to be. She explained it by saying, why, I don't know just 125 00:12:01,279 --> 00:12:05,000 how I did it. I just had to, that's all. I just 126 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:11,240 did it. Another example of a woman's because you see what this good lady 127 00:12:11,519 --> 00:12:18,600 just did was accomplished by an instinctive following of the plan which we have suggested 128 00:12:18,639 --> 00:12:24,960 to you. She just had to use maps and to take notice. That 129 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:31,720 is the whole story. So true are the principles underlying this method of developing 130 00:12:31,759 --> 00:12:37,679 the place memory that one deficient in it, providing he will arouse intense interest 131 00:12:37,799 --> 00:12:41,759 and will stick to it, may develop the faculty to such an extent that 132 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:48,519 he may almost rival a cat which always came back, or the dog which 133 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:54,200 you couldn't lose. The Indians, Arabs, Gypsies and other people of the 134 00:12:54,279 --> 00:13:01,559 plain, forest, desert and mountains have this faculty. He so highly developed 135 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:07,840 that it seems almost like an extra sense. It is all this matter of 136 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:15,679 taking notice, sharpened by continuous need, use and exercise to a high degree. 137 00:13:16,159 --> 00:13:20,360 The mind will respond to the need if the person, like the lady, 138 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:28,759 just has to the laws of attention and association will work wonders when actively 139 00:13:28,879 --> 00:13:35,960 called into play by interest or need, followed by exercise and use. There 140 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:41,000 is no magic in the process. Just want to and keep at it, 141 00:13:41,399 --> 00:13:46,120 that's all. Do you want to hard enough? Have you the determination to 142 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:46,919 keep at it?