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Speaker 1: How to remember books, plays, tales, et cetera. In the

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preceding chapters we have given you suggestions for the development

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of the principal forms of memory. But there are still

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other phases or forms of memory, which, while coming under

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the general classification, may be still considered as worthy of

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special consideration. For instance, there may be suggestions given regarding

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the memorization of the contents of the books you read,

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the stories you hear, et cetera. And so we have

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thought it advisable to devote one chapter to a consideration

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of these various phases of memory that have been left

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out of the other chapters. Many of us fail to

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remember the important things in the books we read, and

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are often mortified by our ignorance regarding the contents of

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the works of leading authors, or of popular novels, which,

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although we have read, we have failed to impress upon

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the records of our memory. Of course, we must begin

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by reminding you of the ever present necessity of interest

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and attention. We cannot escape from these principles of the memory.

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The trouble with the majority of people is that they

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read books to kill time as a sort of mental

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narcotic or anesthetic, instead of for the purpose of obtaining

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something of interest from them. By this course, we not

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only lose all that may be of importance or value

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in the book, but also acquire the habit of careless

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reading and inattention. The prevalence of the habit of reading

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many newspapers and trashy novels is responsible for the apparent

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inability of many persons to intelligently absorb and remember the

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contents of a book worthwhile when they do happen to

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take up such a one. But still even the most

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careless reader may prove himself and cure the habit of

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inattention and careless reading. No apporter says, we have not

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read an author till we have seen his object, whatever

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it may be, as he saw it. Also read with attention.

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This is the rule that takes precedence of all others.

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It stands instead of a score of minor directions. Indeed,

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it comprehends them all, and is the golden rule. The

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page should be read as if it were never to

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be seen a second time. The mental eye should be fixed,

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as if there were no other object to think of.

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The memory should grasp the facts like a vice. The

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impressions should be distinctly and sharply received. It is not necessary,

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nor is it advisable, to attempt to memorize the text

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of a book, excepting perhaps a few passages. Is that

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may seem worthy to be treasured up word for word.

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The principal thing to be remembered about a book is

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its meaning. What it is about, then may follow the

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general outline and the details of the story, essay, treatise,

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or whatever it may be. The question that should be

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asked oneself after the book is completed, or after the

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completion of some particular part of the book is what

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was the writer's idea? What did he wish to say?

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Get the idea of the writer. By taking this mental attitude,

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you practically place yourself in the place of the writer,

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and thus take part in the idea of the book.

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You thus view it from the inside rather than from

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the outside. You place yourself at the center of the

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thing instead of upon its circumference. If the book be

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a history, biograph, autobiography, narrative, or story of fact or fiction,

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you will find it of value to visualize its occurrences

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as the story unfolds. That is, endeavor to form at

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least a faint mental picture of the events related, so

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that you can see them in your mind's eye or imagination.

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Use your imagination in connection with the mechanical reading. In

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this way, you build up a series of mental pictures

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which will be impressed upon your mind and which will

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be remembered, just as are the scenes of a play

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that you have witnessed or an actual event that you

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have seen, only less distinct. Of course, particularly you should

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endeavor to form a clear mental picture of each character,

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until each one is endowed with at least a semblance

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of reality to you. By doing this, you will impart

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a naturalness to the events of the story, and you

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will obtain a new pleasure from your reading. Of course,

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this plan will make you read more slowly, and many

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trashy tales will cease to interest you, for they do

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not contain the real elements of interest. But this is

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no loss, but is a decided gain for you. At

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the end of each reading, take the time to mentally

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review the progress of the story. Let the characters and

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scenes pass before your mental vision as in a moving picture,

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and when the book is finally completed, review it as

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a whole. By following this course, you will not only

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acquire the habit of easily remembering the tales and books

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that you have read, but will also obtain much pleasure

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by re reading favorite stories in your imagination. Years after.

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You will find that your favorite characters will take on

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a new reality for you, and will become as old

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friends in whose company you may enjoy yourself at any time,

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and whom you may dismiss when they tire you without offense.

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In the case of scientific treatises, essays, et cetera, you

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may follow a similar plan by dividing the work into

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small sections and mentally reviewing the thought, not the words,

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of each section until you make it your own, and then,

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by adding new sections to your review, you may gradually

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absorb and master the entire work. All this requires time, work,

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and patience, but you will be repaid for your expenditure.

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You will find that this plan will soon render you

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impatient at books of little consequence, and will drive you

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to the best books on any given subject. You will

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begin to begrudge your time and attention and hesitate about

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bestowing them upon any but the very best books. But

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in this you gain. In order to fully acquaint yourself

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with a book before reading it, you should familiarize yourself

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with its general character. To do this, you should pay

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attention to the full title and the subtitle, if there

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be any, the name of the author, and the list

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of other books that he has written, if they are

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noted on the title page or the one preceding it.

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According to the usual custom, you should read the preface

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and study carefully the table of contents that you may

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know the field or general subject covered by the book.

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In other words, endeavor to get the general outline of

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the book into which you may afterwards fill in the details.

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In reading a book of serious import you should make

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it a point to fully grasp the meaning of each

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paragraph before passing on to the next one. Let nothing

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pays ask you that you do not understand, at least

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in a general way. Consult the dictionary for words not

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familiar to you, so that you may grasp the full

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idea intended to be expressed. At the end of each chapter, section,

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and part. You should review that which you have read

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until you are able to form a mental picture of

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the general ideas contained therein. To those who wish to

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remember the dramatic productions that they have attended, we would

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say that the principles above mentioned may be applied to

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this form of memory as well as to the memory

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of books. By taking an interest in each character as

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it appears, by studying carefully each action and scene, and

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then reviewing each act in the intervals between the acts,

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and by finally reviewing the entire play after your return home,

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you will fasten the whole play as a complete mental

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picture on the records of your memory. If you have

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acquainted yourself with what we have just said regarding the

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recollection of the contents of books, you will be able

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to modify and adapt them to the purpose of recollecting

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plays and dramatic productions. You will find that the oftener

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you review a play, the more clearly you will remember it.

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Many little details overlooked at first will come into the

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field of consciousness and fit into their proper places. Sermons, lectures,

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and other discourses may be remembered by bestowing interest and

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attention upon them, and by attempting to grasp each general

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idea advanced, and by noting the passage from one general

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idea to another. If you will practice this a few times,

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you will find that when you come to review the discourse,

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and this you should always do. It is the natural

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way of developing memory. The little details will come up

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and fit into their proper places. In this form of memory.

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The important thing is to train the memory by exercise

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and review. You will find that at each review of

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a discourse you will have made progress. By practice and exercise,

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the subconscious mentality will do better work and will show

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that it is rising to its new responsibilities. You have

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allowed it to sleep during the many discourses to which

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you have listened, and it must be taught new habits.

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Let it know that it is expected to retain that

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which it hears, and then exercise it frequently by reviews

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of discourses, and you will be surprised at the degree

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of the work it will perform for you. Not only

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will you remember better, but you will hear better and

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more intelligently. The subconsciousness, knowing that it will be called

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upon later on to recollect what is being said, will

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urge you to bestow the attention necessary to supply it

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with the proper material. To those who have had trouble

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in remembering discourses, we urge that they should begin to

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attend lectures and other forms of discourse with the distinct

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purpose of developing that form of memory. Give to the

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subconscious mentality the positive command that it shall attend to

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what is being said and shall record the same in

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such a way that when you review the discourse afterward,

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you will be presented with a good synopsis or syllabus

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of it. You should avoid any attempt to memorize the

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words of the discourse, your purpose being to absorb and

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record the ideas and general thoughts expressed, interest, attention, practice, review.

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These are the important points in memory to remember stories, anecdotes, fables,

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et cetera. The principles given above are to be employed.

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The main thing in memorizing an anecdote is to be

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able to catch the fundamental idea underlining it and the

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epigrammatic sentence or central phrase which forms the point of

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the story. Be sure that you catch these perfectly, and

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then commit the point to memory, if necessary, make a

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memorandum of the point until you have opportunity to review

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the story in your mind. Then carefully review it mentally,

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letting the mental image of the idea pass before you

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in review, and then repeating it to yourself in your

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own words. By rehearsing and reviewing the story, you make

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it your own and will be able to relate it afterward,

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just as you would something that you had actually experienced.

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So true is this principle, that, when carried too far,

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it endows the story with a false sense of actuality.

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Who has not known men who told a story so

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often that they came actually to believe it themselves. Do

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not carry the principle to this extreme, but use it

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in moderation. The trouble with many men is that they

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attempt to repeat a tale long after they have heard it,

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without reviewing or rehearsing in the meantime. Consequently, they omit

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many important points because they have failed to impress the

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story as a whole upon the memory. In order to

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know an anecdote properly, one should be able to see

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its characters and incidents, just as he does when he

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sees an illustrated joke in a comic paper. If you

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can make a mental picture of an anecdote, you will

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be apt to remember it with ease. The noted storytellers

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review and rehearse their jokes, and have been known to

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try them on their unsuspecting friends in order to get

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the benefit of practice before relating them in public. This

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practice has been called by flippant people trying it on

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the dog. But it has its good points and advantages.

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It at least saves one the mortification of being compelled

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to finish up a long drawn out tale by uh well,

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I'm afraid I've forgotten just how that story ended, but

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it was a good one.