Lesson 1 Memory: The Master Key

The average well-informed person regards the memory as merely a useful mental faculty, acting in conjunction with the other mental faculties in the varied processes of the human mind. Such a person is surprised to be informed, by the great authorities on psychology, that what we call memory is not a faculty at all, but rather is a peculiar quality or attribute of Mind which enables it to retain and reproduce the impressions made upon it by the outside world. Without this quality or attribute, Mind would be unable to perform its important work, and all mental evolution and growth would cease.

As Bacon has well said, "All knowledge is but remembrance." [1] Knowledge is but a structure built up of separate mental bricks arranged in proper order according to an intelligent plan. Each brick has been a mental impression retained in the subconscious region and then recalled into the field of consciousness for use in building the structure of knowledge.

[1. The Advancement of Learning, by Francis Bacon (quoting Plato).]

Memory is far more than a faculty of the mind. It is the quality which enables the various faculties to operate. No mental faculty can work unless the memory provides the ideas which form the material for the work of the faculties, and even the memory cannot do this, unless it has first been supplied with the original impressions which it stores away in its wonderful subconscious storehouse.

What we call mental faculties are but areas or particular elements of the mind or brain, and each of these areas or elements has its own memory—its own special section of the great subconscious storehouse. The faculties may be considered as workmen in the great mental workshop, whereas the memory is (1) the machinery for the registering and recording of mental impressions; (2) the subconscious storehouse wherein these records are stored, and, in the case of the trained memory, systematically indexed and cross-indexed; and (3) the machinery for the lifting up into the conscious field of the mind the records so stored, when they are needed.

Knowledge is defined as: "all that which is gained and preserved by knowing."

That which is gained by knowing reaches the mind first as a mental impression of greater or less strength and power. The mind does not know the outside thing itself—it can know only the mental impression thereof. And such impression is made upon that part of the mind which forms the first section of the machinery, of the memory, i.e., that which registers and records the impression, in short, the memory.

And, likewise, the knowledge is preserved by the second section of the machinery of memory, i.e., the subconscious storehouse wherein the records are kept.

And, finally, a thing to be known, in the fullest sense, must be capable of being brought into the field of consciousness when recorded; and this is possible only by the work of the third section of the machinery of memory, i.e., that which enables us to recollect or remember the thing.

So, it will be seen, the memory is the very essence of the mind—the very key of knowledge—rather than a mere mental faculty doing is limited and specialized form of work.

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The above facts being perceived and admitted, it will be seen that the cultivation and training of the memory is far more than a mere sharpening of a particular mental faculty. Instead, it is really the cultivation and training of the mind itself. Under the system employed in my institution, and given in this series of lessons, the entire mentality is developed and cultivated with far less trouble and work than many so-called "Memory Systems" require for the mere learning of some artificial and inadequate set of tables or diagrams designed to enable one to perform a few showy, spectacular feats of pseudo-memory.

Unless the entire mental machinery be well oiled and properly keyed-up to the work of true memorizing, by scientific methods, all these spectacular feats fail to benefit the person employing them. As a pastime, these things are all very well, but unless backed up with true memory culture and training they are disappointing and apt to provoke only disgust on the part of those who have paid high prices for learning them, and who have expended time and labor in practicing the so-called instruction.

In Paris, in certain scientific circles, a common subject for jesting is the case of a well-advertised teacher of pseudo-memory systems, who while an adept in giving a showy stage performance, by "trick" methods, is notorious among his friends for his absent-mindedness and his poor memory regarding business matters, engagements, and the practical things of everyday life.

Not only is "all knowledge but remembrance," but also all education is but memory. Every thing that any person has ever really learned has been learned by reason of the machinery of memory. Without this machinery all teaching would be merely the pouring of water through a sieve.

Education is not merely the imparting of information—the information must be caught up by the meshes of the machinery of memory, and caused to "stick." Then the material so caught and recorded must be stored away so that it may be found.

And, finally, the machinery for finding and bringing it back to the field of consciousness must be working properly, else one may as well never have gained the information in the first place.

To realize the all-important part played by the memory in education, one has but to try to imagine the acquirement of an education without the work of the memory. Such an idea is seen, from the start, to be ridiculous, for the teacher would be compelled to repeat, repeat, repeat, forever, without a single fact finding lodgment in the mind of the pupil. As I have already said, such a process would be like an eternal pouring of water into a coarse sieve, for naught would be retained, and all would be wasted.

The memory is like the fine sieve which catches and retains the solid material of the teaching, so that it may be sorted out, classified, and stored away for future use by the wonderful processes of the memory machinery, as we shall see as we proceed.

Not only is the education of each and every human individual dependent upon the presence and activity of memory, but even the simplest life-activity of every living thing is equally dependent upon the same wonderful quality of the mind. Not only does reason rest upon it, but even instinct and automatic life action has its roots in the same soil.

The lower forms of life, plant and animal, act almost entirely along the lines of instinctive mental impulse. As we rise in the scale we act with a greater degree of rational impulse, but even in the highest man the instinctive activity manifests more frequently than does its rational associate. And even our habitual motions and acts, originally acquired by education, tend to become instinctive, and sink below the plane of consciousness. But every subconscious, instinctive, or habit action is based upon memory.

Evolution from lower to higher forms is now recognized as the course for all living things. And all evolution consists [of], is building upon foundations already laid. All such life-foundations are built with the cement of memory, and each stone thereof is firmly embedded in this cement which holds it firmly in place, and in relation to other stones.

We recognize that each life-form is built up by inheritance from preceding forms, but we often fail to realize that all inheritance is simply racial memory. Every living thing is the result of all that has preceded it along the lines of inheritance, plus its own individual experience.

And the impressions which have come along the channel of the years, as instinct, have all come because of race-memory, just as truly as the individual experiences of the person are preserved by reason of his individual memory. Without memory, there could be no thought, no knowledge, even no life—for life without some degree of mental action is unthinkable.

It is not my intention or desire to lead you into the depths of scientific theorizing or speculation, in the above consideration. Such studies, while most important in themselves, are outside of the true field and scope of these lessons. I have called your attention to the important part played by memory in the mental history of the race—in the very life history of the work, in fact—merely that you may reconstruct your preconceived ideas of the nature and scope of memory.

When you begin to realize just what an important part is played by memory in your own life and in the life of all living things, then, and only, will you awaken to the value of the scientific cultivation and training of the memory.

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A man is measured by his memory. No man is greater than his memory. No man is less than his memory. That which we know as individuality—that wonderful something which distinguishes one person from another—that mysterious mental essence which has within it the power of character and personality—has its base in the depths of memory.

Wipe out from the subconscious storehouse of the memory of a man all that is contained therein—the inherited characteristics and tendencies, the acquired traits and qualities—and you have wiped out the individuality and personality, the character and "self-ness" of that man. What is left is simply a blank page—a nothing.

Indeed, without involving ourselves in metaphysics, we may even go so far as to say that the very essence of that which we call the soul of man is so bound up with that which we call memory that it is practically impossible to separate them, even in thought.

In short, dear student, you who are reading these words, YOU, yourself, are nothing more than a combination of memories, racial and individual—memories of feelings, ideas, tastes, inclinations, aptitudes; likes and dislikes; loves and hates; prejudices for and against; convictions, beliefs, ideas, ideals; habits of thought, feeling and action—memories one and all, imbedded in that wonderful subconscious region of the mind or soul which for want of a better name we call Memory.

Can you not see then that not only is memory the key of knowledge and education, but that it also is the key of the self, character, personality, individuality? Can you not perceive that the proper cultivation and training of the memory must, of necessity, result in the cultivation and development of ail that is worth while, in that which you call your "self"?

Memory cultivation and training in reality is character-building, efficiency-development, self-culture. Moreover, in cultivating and training the memory, under a true system, the student, at the same time, unconsciously develops and strengthens all of the faculties of the mind, for memory underlines them all and calls them all into action.

Just as a runner, striving to acquire speed by scientific exercise, of necessity develops muscle and endurance at the same time, and also develops his will-power and the faculty of concentration; so the student of scientific memory culture and training of necessity acquires many desirable mental qualities without realizing it at the time.

I can safely promise that each and every student who will follow the instruction given in these lessons will not only master the art of memory, but will also find himself a much better and far more efficient individual along all the lines of mental activity. He will find that he has acquired increased powers of attention and concentration; clearer reasoning powers; a higher sense of enjoyment of the outside world of experience; and a much higher degree of willpower.

He who masters these lessons will become a greater individual, with a fuller life—a stronger, more active, and, above all, a far more efficient individual. And this not because of any magic in my words, but solely because every mental muscle will be exercised and gradually developed until it is able to pull the maximum load without perceptible strain.

Is not this worth working and striving for? There can be only one answer, I am sure. I ask each and every student to pause at this point, and fix in his mind the ideal above indicated, and, at the same time, promise himself that he will faithfully pursue the path until he attains it.

 

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