Assimilative Memory; or, How to Attend and Never ForgetLoisette, A. (Alphonse)
Science
Assimilative Memory; or, How to Attend and Never Forget
Loisette, A. (Alphonse)
Mnemonics
Two prominent _literati_ [Inclusion], one a Frenchman the other an
Englishman [Exclusion], well-known for the pomposity and sonority of
their style of writing [Inclusion], were born in the same year, 1709,
and died the same year 1784, a double Concurrence--Lefranc de
Pompignan--[pompous In. by S.], and Samuel Johnson.
General Foy, an _orator_ and artillery officer, fond of literature, was
born the same year [Concurrence] 1775, as the _orator_ [Inclusion],
Daniel O'Connell. He died in 1825, the same year [Concurrence] as
Paul-Louis Courier, who was also an artillery officer [Inclusion], fond
of literature [Inclusion], and moreover, like O'Connell, a violent
pamphleteer [Inclusion].
Two illustrious, uncompromising characters [Inclusion], both brilliant
composers [Inclusion], the one musical, the other literary, the one a
representative of the music of the future, the other of the obsolete
polemic of the past [Exclusion], Richard Wagner and Louis Veuillot, were
born in the same year, 1813, and died in the same year, 1883. The last
point is a double Concurrence.
Two foremost harbingers of modern thought [Inclusion], Voltaire and
J. J. Rousseau, died in 1778--[Concurrence]. Both gained for themselves
the reputation of having been the most reckless antagonists of
Christianity [Inclusion]. And still the one dedicated a church to the
service of God, whilst the other in his "Emile" wrote a vindication of
Christianity [Exclusion as to each of them, Inclusion as to both of
them].
A little practice makes the pupil prompt in dealing with any figures
whatever. Take the height of Mount Everest, which is 29,002 feet. We
have all heard that it is more than five miles high. Let us test this
statement. There are 5,280 feet in a mile, multiply 5,280 by 5, and we
have 26,400. Hence we see that Mount Everest being 29,002 feet high must
be more than five miles high. Half of a mile is 5,280 feet divided by 2,
or 2,640 feet. Add this to 26,400 and we have 29,040. Hence we see that
Mount Everest is 5½ miles high lacking 38 feet, or that if we add
38 feet to its height of 29,002, it would then be exactly 5½ miles high.
Can we then forget that it is exactly 29,002 feet high?
Shakespeare was born in 1564 and died in 1616. The First Folio Edition
of his works was printed in 1623, the Second in 1632, the Third in 1664,
and the Fourth in 1685. Can we fix these events infallibly in our
memories? We can begin with whichever date we prefer. If we add
together the figures of the year of his birth, 1564, they make 16. All
the dates hereafter considered occurred in 1600, &c. We can thus
disregard the first 16 and consider only the last two figures which
constitute the fraction of a century.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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