How to Improve the Memory/Lesson 6

by Edwin Gordon Lawrence

Layout 2

LESSON VI
SEQUENCE

SEQUENCE means a coming after, a following in order as regards space, time, or thought; as,

We come, as Americans, to mark a spot which must forever be dear to us and our posterity. We wish that, whosoever in all coming time, shall turn his eye hither, may behold that the place is not undistinguished where the first great battle of the Revolution was fought. We wish that this structure may proclaim the magnitude and importance of that event to every class and every age. We wish that infancy may learn the purpose of its erection from maternal lips, and that weary and withered age may behold it, and be solaced by the recollections which it suggests. We wish that labor may look up here, and be proud in the midst of its toil. We wish that, in those days of disaster, which, as they come upon all nations must be expected to come upon us also, desponding patriotism may turn its eye hitherward, and be assured that the foundations of our national power still stand strong. We wish that this column, rising toward heaven among the pointed spires of so many temples dedicated to God, may contribute also to produce, in all minds, a pious feeling of dependence and gratitude. We wish, finally, that the last object on the sight of him who leaves his native shore, and the first to gladden him who revisits it, may be something which may remind him of the liberty and the glory of his country. Let it rise, till it reach the sun in his coming; let the earliest light of the morning gild it, and parting day linger and play on its summit.^[1]

—Daniel Webster.

Here we have a beautiful sequence of thoughts, one following the other in a natural and effective manner. Let us examine this extract from one of the master addresses of modern times and find out, thereby, how to memorize it.

We will first call attention to the arrangement: (1) We come, as Americans, to mark a spot which must forever be dear to us and our posterity. (2) We wish that whosoever, in all coming time, shall turn his eye hither, may behold that the place is not undistinguished where the first great battle of the Revolution was fought. (8) We wish that this structure may proclaim the magnitude and importance of that event to every class and every age. (4) We wish that infancy may learn the purpose of its erection from maternal lips, and that weary and withered age may behold it, and be solaced by the recollections which it suggests. (5) We wish that labor may look up here, and be proud in the midst of its toil. (6) We wish that in those days of disaster, which, as they come upon all nations, must be expected to come upon us also, desponding patriotism may turn its eye hitherward, and be assured that the foundations of our national power still stand strong. (7) We wish that this column, rising toward heaven among the pointed spires of so many temples dedicated to God, may contribute also to produce, in all minds, a pious feeling of dependence and gratitude. (8) We wish, finally, that the last object on the sight of him who leaves his native shore, and the first to gladden his who revisits it, may be something which may remind him of the liberty and the glory of his country. (9) Let it rise, till it meet the sun in his coming; let the earliest light of the morning gild it, and parting day linger and play on its summit.

Now scrutinize it still closer by digging deeper to the thought: (1) As Americans, we come to mark a spot. (2) May all who behold that spot note that it is distinguished. (3) May the monument proclaim the importance of the event it commemorates. (4) May infancy learn from it the love of country. (5) May it speak to labor. (6) May it strengthen patriotism. (7) May it prove an inspiration to religion. (8) May it bid adieu to the departing citizen and welcome the comer home. (9) Let it rise forever.

Note the sequence of events and hopes: (1) Marking the spot. (2) The distinguishing of the spot. (3) Proclaiming the magnitude of the event it commemorates. (4) A lesson for infancy. (5) Encouragement to labor. (6) A stimulant for patriotism. (7) An aid to religion. (8) A symbol to the patriot. (9) May it be everlasting. Thus, by dismissing the words and arranging the thoughts in a sequence, the ideas are made plain to the understanding and the task of remembering made easy.

A sequence is a succession of events mentioned in the order of their occurrence; as,

I cannot sit tamely by, in humble, acquiescent silence, when reflections, which I know to be unjust, are cast on the faith and honor of Massachusetts. Had I suffered them to pass without admonition, I should have deemed that the disembodied spirits of her departed children, from their ashes mingled with the dust of every stricken field of the Revolution, from their bones mouldering to the consecrated earth of Bunker Hill,^[2] of Saratoga,^[3] of Monmouth,^[4] would stand up in visible shape, before me, to cry shame on me, their recreant countryman.

—Caleb Cushing.

The three battles of the Revolutionary War, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and Monmouth, are here mentioned in the order of their occurrence, and anyone versed in the history of the War for Independence would readily note this fact, and, having once noted it, would have no trouble in remembering the order in which they are used in the speech. It would be incorrect for a speaker to quote these battles except in the form of a sequence, a succession of events in the order of their occurrence, unless he desired to place them in the order of their importance, and then he would denote which he believed to be the most important by moving from the lesser to the greater. If he considered Saratoga to be the most important of the three engagements, he should say: From the fields of Monmouth, Bunker Hill, and Saratoga, etc. The Irish orator, Richard L. Sheil, in a speech delivered in the British House of Commons, devoted to showing that the English victories on many a field of battle were due to the valor of the Irish soldier, arranged his sequence in this manner: "The blood of England, Scotland, and of Ireland flowed in the same stream and drenched the same field," thus making Ireland the most prominent member of the series. Had an Englishman been speaking, and had he desired to emphasize the valor of his countrymen, he would have said: The blood of Ireland, Scotland, and England flowed in the same stream and drenched the same field. This rule of sequence applies to objects, events, or thoughts, and a careful study of it will help not only the memory but the writer and speaker as well.

In discussing the methods of orators, and you mention them by name, you should adopt some method in doing so, either mentioning them in the order of their birth or in the order in which you esteem them; as,

Oratory, in all essential particulars, is the same today as it was in the times of Pericles, Demosthenes, and Cicero. True, the style of delivery as pertains both to voice and action, has been modified or affected by outside influences, but in its material qualities it has not changed.

—Lawrence.

Here the orators are mentioned according to the era in which they flourished. If the author cited them in accordance with his estimation of their known qualities as orators, he would say: "Oratory flourished in the persons of Pericles, Cicero, and Demosthenes." Thus, you see, even in the arrangement of sequences, thought is the all-important element with which we have to deal, and unless we lay hold of the thought no outside aids will ever enable us to obtain good memories.

The temptation of Christ, as told in the Gospel According to St. Matthew, Chapter IV, is a magnificent example of sequence:

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

The narrative starts with the statement that Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted; it then goes on to say that after fasting for forty days and forty nights he hungered, that the devil then suggested that he convert the stones into bread and satisfy his hunger. This he refuses to do. The devil then takes him up into the holy city, placing him upon the very pinnacle of the temple, and urges him to cast himself down in order to demonstrate that he is the Son of God. This also he refuses to do. Next the devil takes him to the top of a high mountain and promises to give him all that he beholds if he will adore him. This he rejects, turns upon the devil and orders him away. The devil departs, and angels come and minister unto Jesus.

Here is the sequence: (1) The going of Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. (2) He hungered. (3) The arrival of the devil. (4) The first temptation. (5) The rejection. (6) The second temptation. (7) The rejection. (8) The third temptation. (9) The rejection. (10) The departure of the devil. (11) The coming of the angels.

Lay hold of the thought, get the facts in a sequence, and this entire narrative is easily learned and remembered.

1. From the Bunker Hill Monument Address, delivered June 17, 1825, at Charlestown, Mass.
2. Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775.
3. Battle of Saratoga, Oct. 7, 1777.
4. Battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778.