Facts which are needed but temporarily and which cannot become a part of
our body of permanent knowledge may profitably be learned by cramming.
The lawyer needs many details for the case he is trying, which not only
are valueless to him as soon as the case is decided, but would
positively be in his way. He may profitably cram such facts. But those
facts which are to become a permanent part of his mental equipment, such
as the fundamental principles of law, he cannot cram. These he must have
in a logical chain which will not leave their recall dependent upon a
chance cue. Crammed facts may serve us during a recitation or an
examination, but they never really become a part of us. Nothing can take
the place of the logical placing of facts if they are to be remembered
with facility, and be usable in thinking when recalled.
REMEMBERING ISOLATED FACTS.--But after all this is taken into
consideration there still remain a large number of facts which refuse to
fit into any connected or logical system. Or, if they do belong with
some system, their connection is not very close, and we have more need
for the few individual facts than for the system as a whole. Hence we
must have some means of remembering such facts other than by connecting
them with their logical associations. Such facts as may be typified by
the multiplication table, certain dates, events, names, numbers,
errands, and engagements of various kinds--all these need to be
remembered accurately and quickly when the occasion for them arises. We
must be able to recall them with facility, so that the occasion will not
have passed by before we can secure them and we have failed to do our
part because of the lapse.
With facts of this type the means of securing a good memory are the same
as in the case of logical memory, except that we must of necessity
forego the linking to naturally related associates. We can, however,
take advantage of the three laws which have been given. If these methods
are used faithfully, then we have done what we can in the way of
insuring the recall of facts of this type, unless we associate them with
some artificial cue, such as tying a thread around our finger to
remember an errand, or learning the multiplication table by singing it.
We are not to be too ready to excuse ourselves, however, if we have
forgotten to mail the letter or deliver the message; for our attention
may have been very lax when we recorded the direction in the first
place, and we may never have taken the trouble to think of the matter
between the time it was given into our keeping and the time we were to
perform the errand.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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