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Practical Memory Training
'Theron Q. Dumont'William Walker Atkinson
(1916)
Lesson 32 Associative Memory Pegs
Many systems of mnemonics have been built up of artificial pegs upon which to hang the thing to be remembered. While many of these pegs are useful to a limited extent, they cannot take the place of rational, logical memory training and culture, and those practicing them soon discover their limitations and too often lose all interest in the subject. However, the student who has grasped the real psychological principles of memory training and memorizing, may take advantage of some of the better of these ideas. For that reason, I herewith include them in the lesson.
The Topical System. I have mentioned the old system of Simonides, in an early lesson [13] of this course. It is based upon location. Things are remembered by reason of having been assigned places in a mental diagram. For details of this system, see Lesson XIII. This idea of Location—the "Topical System"—serves as the basis of a number of "memory systems," ancient and modern. It is very simple and easily applied.
Figure Alphabets. A number of other "memory systems" are based upon the foundation established by Winckelmann, [1] in the Seventeenth Century. This system taught what are now known as "figure alphabets," in which figures are represented by certain consonants, and are ...
[1. Johann Just Winkelmann (1620-1699), pseudonym Stanislaus Mink von Wennsshein; developed the "Major System" about 1648. Wikipedia]
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... etc. Need I dwell further on the subject? Miles also prepared a table for memorizing dates, in which each year was represented by a word—you associated the event with a word, and thus remembered the date thereof.
Thus, if the year 1492 was represented by the word "swan," you could say: "On the water Columbus saw swimming a Swan," and thus would remember that in 1492 Columbus discovered America. Or, Napoleon's birth and death might be recalled by a sentence including his name and the two date-words. This is the most ingenious date plan ever devised, and has been used by many system-makers as an original discovery. The student may make up a list of his own if he desires, using words in common use, such as eat, dog, horse, etc. (See also following section on "Date-Words.)
Correlatives. I have spoken, in a previous lesson, of the cumbersome and very artificial system of binding words together by intermediate words. Do you remember the story of the young man and his two girls? [Lesson 22] This idea was probably first advanced by Dr. Knothe, a German, in 1848, and was elaborated and extended by Pick, Loisette, and other well known teachers of a later day. Pick, however, did not confine himself to this idea, but advanced some of far more value, in my opinion. I consider the Correlative System as too cumbersome to be of much practical use, and therefore have not seen fit to give it much space in these lessons. Students wishing to pursue the idea further, are referred to the public libraries of the large cities, where they will find many works bringing on this artificial method. (See Lesson XXII, for further details.)
Date-Words. John Sambrook, an Englishman, about 1878, published an ingenious system of memorizing dates and figures, which has more merit than many others, and is capable of efficient use, within limits. This system is based upon the fact that the vowel sound of each figure, from 1 to 10 is different, except in the cases of 5 and 9—this latter is remedied by giving the "I" the long sound in 5, and the short sound (and in "tin") in the case of 9. With this in mind, one may construct sentences made up of short words bearing the vowel sound of the figure, as for instance: a combination of the words "Guns for Inds poor," would represent 1492, the date of Columbus' Discovery of America, the home of the Indians.
Another variation of date-words, is that in the system of Prof. Shedd. of New York, in 1888, in which dates are remembered by words having the number of letters indicated by the figures in the date. For instance: Napoleon's birth (1769) is recalled by the sentence "A strange mighty conqueror," and his defeat at Waterloo (1815) by the sentence, "A Waterloo I found." Interesting! and probably more elastic than some of the other date-words systems.
It will be noticed that the great majority of these "patent systems" of memory seemed devised with the main idea of memorizing historical and other dates—though that is but a single, and not so very important, phase of memorizing and memory training. Many of the best authorities have held that in these systems undue importance is attached to this special phase—over-emphasis placed upon it. I heartily agree with this idea. I believe that there are easier and better methods of remembering dates—I have given some in this course of lessons, which may be adapted in various ways, varied, extended and improved upon, by the resourceful student. And, for that matter, if one really wishes a "patent system" of remembering dates, why not fall back upon the old, and well-tried plan of doggerel verse, which will be found far better than any of the date-word, or figure-alphabet systems, in my opinion. I shall now present to your attention a few varieties of the doggerel verse methods of memorizing dates, historical facts, etc.
DOGGEREL VERSE METHODS. This method of memorizing facts and dates, is very, very old but really has more merit than one would think at first sight. Many persons have used verses and rhymes of this kind to remember dates, and facts—who has not done so, in fact?—with more or less success. At any rate, this plan has the merit of simplicity, and it is a psychological fact that anything that "jingles," and has rhythm, tends to stick in the memory more closely that plain figures and prosy facts. The "jingle" does the work, in many cases.
Here are a few choice samples, culled from the pages of the history of mnemonics, many of which are very familiar to all English and American readers, without doubt. We, French, have a set of our own, which I shall not mention in lessons intended for students speaking the English language. Personally, I prefer the spirit and style of our French rhymes of this kind, but that is quite natural, I suppose; there can be no real dispute or argument about Taste, you know!
"In fourteen hundred and ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.""In eighteen hundred and sixty-one
Columbia's Civil War begun.""In seventeen hundred and sixty-nine
Napoleon's sun began to shine;
In eighteen hundred and twenty-one
At last did set Napoleon's sun.""In seventeen hundred and seventy-six
The Yanks taught Johnny Bull some tricks."In nineteen hundred and fourteen,
The Great War's start is plainly seen."
Sad doggerel; but it sticks in the meshes of the memory. You may make such to order, if you wish.
The same idea has been applied to historical events, such as a list of sovereigns, or rules of speech, etc. The field is large, and, as the Americans say, "The season is open." Here are a few of the better known examples, which have really been of service to many good persons, old and young.
Days and Months
"Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one,
Except the second month, alone."
Some of the French peasants use the four finger-knuckles of the closed fist to determine the numbers of days in the month, as follows: The list is run over, January, February, March, etc., using first a knuckle and then the hollow between the knuckle and the next one. The knuckles are the months having thirty-one days, while the hollows represent the ones having but thirty days, the second month, February, always forming the exception, of course. When the fourth knuckle, July, is reached, jump back to the first one, which becomes August—which brings the two thirty-one day months, July and August, together.
English Sovereigns
First, William the Norman; then William, his son;
Henry; Stephen; and Henry; then Richard; and John.
Next, Henry the third; Edwards, one, two and three;
And again, after Richard; three Henrys we see.
Two Edwards; third Richard; if rightly I guess,
Two Henrys; sixth Edward; Queen Mary; Queen Bess.
Then, Jamsie, the Scotchman; then Charles, whom they slew;
And, then, after Cromwell; another Charles, too;
Next, Jamsie, the second, ascended the throne;
Then William and Mary, together, came on;
Then Anne; four Georges; fourth William; are seen,
Then came good Victoria, Britain's long-reigning queen.
Then Edward, the seventh, entered, flourished, soon passed;
George, fifth, then ascended—may he long be the last."
Shall and Will
"SHALL, in the first person, simply foretells;
In WILL, threat or promise continually dwells.
SHALL, in the second or third person, doth threat,
While, WILL, in that case, simply foretells future feat."
Easter
"March twenty-first, the Spring doth come,
And Nature's filled with laughter.
Then, watch for next bright silver moon,
That follows close thereafter.""For when that moon grows round and full,
Then Easter will be here
The very Sunday after
In each and every year.""But if it be on Sunday,
That moon shows 'full' to sight.
Then Sunday next is Easter,
The day when all is bright."
The Parts of Speech
"Three little words, you often see
Are Articles, a, an, and the.
A Noun's the name of any thing,
As school, or garden, hoop or swing.
Adjectives show the kind of noun,
As, great, small, pretty, white, or brown.
In place of nouns the Pronouns stand,
Her head, his face, your arm, my hand.
Verbs tell us something to be done,
To read, count, laugh, sing, jump or run.
How things are done, the Adverbs tell,
As slowly, quickly, ill or well.
Conjunctions join the words together,
As, men and women; wind or weather.
The Preposition stands before
A noun, as in, or through, a door.
An Interjection shows surprise,
As, Oh! how pretty—Ah! how wise.
The whole are called Nine Parts of Speech,
Which reading, writing, spelling, teach."
Jingles, or rhymes, of this kind, may be used to the best advantage in memorizing lists of arbitrary things, which have but little natural associative connection or links. In the one, above given, stating the Nine Parts of Speech with examples, the otherwise "dry" and technical definitions, which generally give the child much trouble to commit to memory, are given the sugar capsule of rhythm, and jingle, and, as a consequence, an association is made, and the child readily recalls the definition. The student may "make up" any number of these doggerel jingles in order to make an easily recalled association when the same is lacking. But, of course, these should not be employed where a natural, logical association is present.
Another form of association of this kind, which also has some merit within limits, is that, of forming words, real or "made to order," the letters of which correspond with the first letters of a list of other words, or names, to be remembered. One of the best known "acrostics" of this kind is the one created by Dr. Watts many years ago. It consists of the coined word "VIBGYOR," the letters of which suggest the list of the principal colors of the solar spectrum, in the exact order in which they appear on the scale, namely: Violet, Indigo. Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red. Many have found this simple coined word to be very handy when called upon to recall the colors of the spectrum in the order of their appearance.
Nearly every person has made use of some little trick of artificial association, in order to fasten in his memory some name, or initial, that he had experienced difficult in recalling previously. For instance, I knew of a case in which the surname "Mohrman," was recalled by a fancied resemblance of the person to Brigham Young, the Mormon leader. A bank cashier, named "Banks," was identified with "Bank," because he was always seen there. The name "Rugg" was recalled by association with a carpet rug, the man being in the carpet business. A man named "Moon" was associated with his round, moon-like face.
In fact, we find many names recalled in this way. Such associations serve their purpose, and often help to fix in memory a name peculiarly elusive—and no one need hesitate about employing them in this way. But when one attempts to build up a system of memorizing on such artificial principles, his card-house is apt to collapse, because it grows top-heavy.
In cases, where the association is not spontaneous, and does not naturally suggest itself, there is generally found to be as much work in recalling the associate "key" word, as in recalling the name itself. Moreover, such methods if carried too far often end in weakening the natural faculty of memory of names, etc. At the best they are but crutches to be used in relieving one at times, the continued use of which however tending to weaken the natural muscles of the memory. To all advocates of such systems, methods, and plans, I have but one answer: BACK TO NATURE!
In conclusion, dear students, I would again say: Remember these points—Interest, Attention, Natural Association, Practice, Exercise, REVIEW! For in these things, and in them alone, is to be found the Secret of Memory!
FINIS.