HOW TO REMEMBER GOOD THINGS (MIND POWER)

 

                                               THE BRAIN

                                   REMEMBERING FACT

                             READ WITH ATTENTION . THIS IS THE RULE THAT TAKES PRECEDENCE OF ALL OTHERS. IT STANDS INSTEAD OF A SCORE OF MINOR DIRECTIONS. INDEED IT COMPREHENDS THEM ALL, AND IS THE GOLDEN RULE.

                                IT IS NOT NECESSARY, NOR IS IT ADVISABLE TO ATTEMPT TO MEMORIZING THE TEXT OF A BOOK, EXCEPTING, PERHAPS, A FEW PASSAGES THAT MAY SEEM WORTHY TO BE TREASURED UP WORD FOR WORD. THE PRINCIPLE THING TO BE REMEMBERED ABOUT A BOOK IS ITS MEANING - WHAT IT IS ABOUT.

                               IF THE BOOK IS A HISTORY, BIOGRAPHY, AUTOBIOGRAPHY, NARRATIVE OR STORY OF FACT OR FICTION, YOU WILL FIND IT OF VALUE TO VISUALIZE ITS OCCURENCES AS THE STORY UNFOLDS.

                           IN ORDER TO FULLY ACQUAINT YOURSELF WITH A BOOK, BEFORE READING IT YOU SHOULD FAMILIRIZE YOURSELF WITH ITS GENERAL CHARACTER. TO DO THIS YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO THE FULL TITLE, AND THE SUBTITLE, IF THERE BE BY. YOU SHOULD READ THE PERFACE AND STUDY CAREFULLY THE TABLE OF CONTENTS.

                          WHEN LISTENING TO A SEMON, SPEECH OR DISCOURSE, ATTEND TO WHAT IS SAID, AND RECORD IN YOUR MIND SO THAT WHEN YOU REVIEW IT AFTERWARDS, YOU WILL BE PRESENTED WITH A GOOD SYNOPSIS OF IT. YOUR OBJECTIVE IS TO ABSORB AND RECORD THE IDEAS AND GENERAL THOUGHT EXPRESSED. INTEREST - ATTENTION - PRACTICE - REVIEW - THESE ARE THE IMPORTANT POINT IN MEMORY.

                                          NUMBERS

                        THE GREAT DIFFICULTY IN REMEMBERING NUMBERS, TO THE MAJORITY OF PERSONS, IS THE FACT THAT NUMBERS "DO NOT MEAN ANYTHING TO THEM" THAT IS, THAT NUMBERS ARE THOUGHT OF ONLY IN THEIR ABSTRACT PHASE AND NATURE, AND ARE CONSEQUENTLY FAR MORE DIFFICULT TO REMEMBER THAN ARE IMPRESSIONS RECEIVED FROM THE SENSE OF SIGHT OR SOUND. THE REMEDY, HOWEVER, BECOMES APPARENT WHEN WE RECOGNIZE THE SOURCE OF THE DIFFICULTY. THE REMEDY IS : MAKE THE NUMBER THE SUBJECT OF THE SENSE OF IMPRESSIONS OF SIGHT OR SOUND, OR BOTH, ACCORDING TO WHICH ARE THE BEST DEVELOPED IN YOUR PARTICULAR CASE.

                  A GOOD WAY TO MEMORIZE DATES, SPECIAL NUMBERS CONNECTED WITH EVENTS, ETC, IS TO VISUALIZE THE PICTURE OF THE EVENT WITH THE PICTURE OF THE DATE OR NUMBER, THUS COMBINING THE TWO THINGS INTO A MENTAL PICTURE, THE ASSOCIATION OF WHICH WILL BE PRESENTED WHEN THE PICTURE IS RECALLED.

                   IN MEMORY, THE THREE RULES ARE , "INTEREST , ATTENTION AND EXERCISE" AND THE LAST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT, FOR WITHOUT IS THE OTHERS FAIL.

                   LET FIGURES AND NUMBERS "MEAN SOMETHIG" TO YOU, AND THE REST WILL BE MERELY A MATTER OF DETAIL.

                                              FACES

                         THE ABILITY TO REMEMBER FAES IS POSSESSED BY ALL PERSONS, BUT IN VARYING DEGREES. THOSE IN WHOM IT IS WELL DEVELOPED SEEM TO RECOGNIZE THE FACES OF PERSONS WHOM THEY MET YEARS BEFORE, AND TO ASSOCIATE THEM WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THEY LAST MET THEM, EVEN WHERE THE NAME ESCAPES THE MEMORY. OTHERS SEEM TO FORGET A FACE THE MOMENT IT PASSESS FROM VIEW, AND FAIL TO RECOGNIZE THE SAME PERSONS WHOM THEY MET ONLY A FEW HOURS BEFORE.

                    THE STUDY OF A GOOD ELEMENTARY WORK ON PHYSIOGNOMY IS RECOMMEDED TO THOSE WISHING TO DEVELOP THE FACULTY OF REMEMBERING FACES, FOR IN SUCH A WORK THE STUDENT IS LED TO NOTICE TEH DIFFERENT KINDS OF NOSES, EARS, EYES, CHINS, FOREHEADS, ETC, SUCH NOTICE AND RECOGNITION TENDING TO INDUCE AN INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT OF FEATURES.

                   A GOOD PLAN IN DEVELOPING THIS FACULTY IS TO VISUALIZE THE FACES OF PERSONS YOU HAVE MET DURING THE DAY, IN THE EVENING. TRY TO DEVELOP THE FACULTY OF VISUALIZING THE FEATURES OF THOSE WHOM YOU KNOW - THIS WILL START YOU OFF RIGHT. DRAW THEM IN YOUR MIND - SEE THEM WITH YOUR MIND'S EYE, UNTIL YOU VISUALIZE THE FEATURES OF VERY OLD FRIENDS, THEN DO THE SAME WITH ACQUAINTANCES, AND SO ON, UNTIL YOU ARE ABLE TO VISUALIZE THE FEATURES OF EVERY ON YOU "KNOW". THEN START ON TO ADD TO YOUR LIST BY RECALLING IN THE IMAGINATION, THE FEATURES OF STRANGERS WHOM YOU MEET. BY A LITTLE PRACTICE OF THIS KIND YOU WILL DEVELOP A GREAT INTEREST IN FACES AND YOUR MEMORY OF THEM, AND THE POWER TO RECALL THEM WILL INCREASES RAPIDLY.