Memory: How to Develop, Train, and Use ItAtkinson, William Walker
Science
Memory: How to Develop, Train, and Use It
Atkinson, William Walker
Memory
Bulwer could repeat the Odes of Horace from memory. Pascal could repeat
the entire Bible, from beginning to end, as well as being able to recall
any given paragraph, verse, line, or chapter. Landor is said to have
read a book but once, when he would dispose of it, having impressed it
upon his memory, to be recalled years after, if necessary. Byron could
recite all of his own poems. Buffon could repeat his works from
beginning to end. Bryant possessed the same ability to repeat his own
works. Bishop Saunderson could repeat the greater part of Juvenal and
Perseus, all of Tully, and all of Horace. Fedosova, a Russian peasant,
could repeat over 25,000 poems, folk-songs, legends, fairy-tales, war
stories, etc., when she was over seventy years of age. The celebrated
"Blind Alick," an aged Scottish beggar, could repeat any verse in the
Bible called for, as well as the entire text of all the chapters and
books. The newspapers, a few years ago, contained the accounts of a man
named Clark who lived in New York City. He is said to have been able to
give the exact presidential vote in each State of the Union since the
first election. He could give the population in every town of any size
in the world either present or in the past providing there was a record
of the same. He could quote from Shakespeare for hours at a time
beginning at any given point in any play. He could recite the entire
text of the Iliad in the original Greek.
The historical case of the unnamed Dutchman is known to all students of
memory. This man is said to have been able to take up a fresh newspaper;
to read it all through, including the advertisements; and then to repeat
its contents, word for word, from beginning to end. On one occasion he
is said to have heaped wonder upon wonder, by repeating the contents of
the paper backward, beginning with the last word and ending with the
first. Lyon, the English actor, is said to have duplicated this feat,
using a large London paper and including the market quotations, reports
of the debates in Parliament, the railroad time-tables and the
advertisements. A London waiter is said to have performed a similar
feat, on a wager, he memorizing and correctly repeating the contents of
an eight-page paper. One of the most remarkable instances of
extraordinary memory known to history is that of the child Christian
Meinecken. When less than four years of age he could repeat the entire
Bible; two hundred hymns; five thousand Latin words; and much
ecclesiastical history, theory, dogmas, arguments; and an encyclopædic
quantity of theological literature. He is said to have practically
retained every word that was read to him. His case was abnormal, and he
died at an early age.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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