An Improved System of Mnemonics/Chapter 2
AS in the preceding chapter, the division of two rooms gave us one hundred compartments; we must shortly pro ceed to place a symbol, or hieroglyphick in each, to be employed as the medium of association, to assist the recollective faculties in the several subjects, to which they may be applied; but as the selection of them depends upon a certain disposition of the arithmetical figures, as yet unexplained; we shall, for a short period, leave that branch of the subject, to develope this useful and interesting part of the mnemonic art.
There is scarcely a person in any situation in society, but must have experienced occasional difficulties in recollecting figures, whether dates, pounds, shillings, and pence, epochs, &c. &c. for truly admirable and important as they are, the immense variety of combinations that can be elicited from only ten characters (the nine units and the cypher) their universality and application to almost every branch of learning, abundantly testifying; yet, there is not in the whole range of our acquirements, a single subject so difficult to be remembered as they are; there is nothing in them that we can embody; they in themselves form no point of association that the mind can cling to; they are, as a writer happily observes, like grains of sand that have no coherence. To remedy this inconvenience, the truly ingenious Dr. Grey in his celebrated Memoria Technica, systematized an irregular and imperfect plan, that was practised by tradesmen long before his time, and also to a certain extent by the Greeks and Romans; which was, to use the letters of the alphabet as the signs of the figures; these letters formed into words, which were placed as terminals to the prominent parts of the subject to which they referred. In his elaborate and erudite work, he arranged a number of valuable and important tables, for the benefit of his pupils; but notwithstanding the superiority of his method, compared with the difficulties that before existed, yet there were comparatively few, who had the courage to commence a task that was apparently so Herculean: the study had nothing inviting in it, the path was rugged—no flowers to allure—nothing to cheer but its utility. The defect lay in his adaptation of the letters, by having a consonant and a vowel attached to each figure; which circumscribed his choice of words, and caused that barbarism of sounds, which terrified the learner; although it is contended by many, that apparently or really difficult as the words may be, yet they are, for that very reason, more likely to be remembered; as they require great labour to impress them on the mind, which procures an indelible impression. But certainly this argument, if even true, cannot be admitted; for if so, the attention of the learned ought to be directed to make their various studies more difficult, instead of simplyfying them, as eventually they will be gainers by it. To push this mode of reasoning further, would be to limit, in a very considerable degree, the acquisitions we are desirous to possess.
The author admits that some minds have a singular faculty in retaining cramp and difficult words; but he cannot, for the honor of our nature, allow, generally speaking, that a word, to which we can affix no meaning, can be as easily remembered, as a correct or proper one; for he contends, that with half the pains that are employed in impressing the former, the latter may be as permanently fixed: the only inconvenience that can be apprehended from the improved method is, that the ease by which it may be acquired, tends to cause a laxity that would defeat its object; but this can be soon overcome by the intelligent student or teacher, feeling the necessity of more frequent repetitions, to fix his subjects in the mind.
As we have observed that the defect of Dr. Grey's system lay in using vowels, as well as consonants, to represent figures: we omit vowels, and merely use them as the cement of words, the consonants alone being the characters that are to be attended to, by which means we can always have at our disposal, correct or grammatical words; the vowels, a, e, i, o, u, y, are therefore rejected.
This is the scale of figures and letters.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 |
| t | 𝓃 | 𝓂 | 𝓇 | L | ∂ | c | 𝒷 | 𝓅 | 𝓈 |
| q | h | g | 𝓩 | j | v | 𝓀 | 𝓌 | 𝒻 | 𝓍 |
| Quit | Noah | Magi | Raze | Jail | Dove | Cook | Bow | Puf | Sex |
The learners will perceive, that they could, in a short time, fix in their minds, this table, without any other aid than the common exercise of memory; but as it is desirable that they should have them soon impressed, and completely at their disposal; we shall call in the aid of association to assist them, by a kind of fanciful connection between the letters and the figures; where a direct resemblance or analogy, cannot be traced, we may derive assistance from the grotesque, our powerful auxiliary.
The learners are required therefore, to direct their attention to the first five figures, and examine the upper row of consonants that are attached to each, leaving the second range until they have acquired the first. The letter t they will perceive has a considerable resemblance to the figure 1, if they remove the small line that crosses the upper part of it.
n has two down strokes in it; it will be easy there. fore to remember, that the letter which has two down strokes in it, belongs to the figure two.
For a similar reason, m will be easily recollected as belonging to three.
r is attached to four. To remember it, observe that the fast letter in the word four is r.
L belongs to 5, which can be impressed by recollecting that it is the Roman numeral for 50, which, by rejecting the cypher is a 5.
The students are desired to try if they can recollect those, by putting them down upon a slate, or paper; if they can, they may next attempt the second range of consonants, belonging to the same figures.
They will see that q is combined with t to represent 1, but as q has no resemblace in form to assist the mind, they may join it, with the t, into a word that they can make use of, to associate. The word Quit will answer the purpose; and by remarking that t and q are the letters which commence the series, they can say, that as they are now going to commence this part of the study of Mnemonics, they are resolved not to Quit the pursuit, but persevere until they perfect their knowledge of it. The vowels in the word Quit (and in all the subsequent combinations) being rejected, leave q and t, the characters for 1.
n has h combined with it, to represent 2: they, with the aid of vowels, will make the word Noah. To remember that the consonants in that word belong to the second figure, they can observe that the second great man we had upon earth was Νoah.
M and g combined, will make the word Image; which they can assimilate as the supposed Image of 3; or, by chusing another word, think of three of the Magi.
z has some resemblance to r, let them make it and r into the word Raze, and say that they are determined to Raze every thing that opposes their progress, until they are perfect.
J and I will make the word Jail. To remember which, they can remark that 5 being in the centre of the figures, having four on each side of it (not considering the cypher as a figure) may be fairly said to be so environed, as to be in Jail.[1]
They may now advance to 6, that has d for its first consonant, which being formed in this manner, ∂, is only a 6 reversed; but as must be combined, it will make the word Dove; and by noting that the upper part of the 6 or 2, is like the wing of a bird, extended in flight, they can easily make it into the wing of a Dove.
7 is formed like a gibbet, on which they might humourously threaten to place their Cook, if he should ever spoil their dinner.
8 being curvilinear, may be said to be bent like a Bow.
9 is like a p reversed. An f may also be formed like a p. Further, they may observe, that if they extended the perpendicular line of q, a little longer, it will have some resemblance of a pipe; the line resembling the tube, and the upper part being like the bowl; in using a pipe we usually Puff with it.
S and x belong to the cypher, it being round, resembles a grinding stone; which in motion, always gives a hissing noise, they may therefore easily recollect the hissing letters s and x. By introducing vowels, they will also make the word sex; and as they are the last in the series, they can easily observe that the last, or the greatest ambition of a gentleman should be to protect the fair Sex.
A very little practice will make these combinations. perfectly familiar, and they will be found of the greatest importance in almost every department of knowledge.
This tabular arrangement of the figures and consonants is not an arbitrary one; nor are the consonants solely selected (as a writer lately observed about Mr. Feinaigle's scheme) because a resemblance can be traced between them and the figures in form; their selection is the result of some experience of the powers of each, intended to be disposed in such a manner, that no junction of any two consonants (representing figures) should produce a greater number of correct words in the language, than any other two consonants, in all their various combinations; that 34, for example, should not have more words to represent it than 56, and thus with all the rest. But, although this has been the professed object of the author, yet, he is sorry to observe, he has not completely effected it, for some of the combinations are more prolific than others; but he thinks he has succeeded as well as the nature of the letters will admit, and the English language allow. He has attempted various other classifications, but none of them were so successful as the present.
He knows that some, which he could devise, might, at first view, appear more neat, but as power is superior to neatness, he abandoned them.—The principle that governed him was, to join the efficient with the inefficient letters of the alphabet; thus with T, which is found in a great many words, he combined Q, that may be easily seen is less common. With R and L, which are very powerful letters, he placed Z and J, that are not so.——Two letters of middling power he joined together, as N and H; M and G, &c. &c.—
The reader need not be told after this, that the assimilations he has given, were not to shew the reasons that influenced him in choosing the consonants, but merely to assist the memory in retaining them.
- ↑ Jail was formerly, and is yet frequently spelled with a J, It cannot be confounded with G in Gaol, as it is already used in Magi.