Memory Systems New and Old/Chapter 5

by A. E. Middleton

CHAPTER V.

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HOW TO PRACTICALLY USE MNEMONICS.

BEFORE a mnemonical system can be used for remembering ideas, facts, and dates, it is essential that the principles should be intelligently understood; and that the alphabet, or key, and the table of consecutive words should be thoroughly learnt—so thoroughly that they may be uttered without the slightest hesitation. Sambrook's system is as good as any, but the following key is more generally used and widely known, and I, therefore, adopt it:—

1, t and d;
2, n and prefix con;
3, m and prefix com;
4, r;
5, l;
6, ch, sh, j, and tion;
7, k, g, c (hard), q, and termination ng;
8, f, v, and prefix fl;
9, p, b, and prefixes pl, bl, pr, br, and termination ble;
0, s, c (soft), and z.

The consonants are to be joined with vowels to form words to represent numerals. Double letters, as in utter, folly, mummy, to be taken as single; and the sound, not spelling, to be the guide. A little exercise will soon render the student familiar with the key.

The following table should then be thoroughly mastered:—

0
Hoes
1	11	21	31	41	51	61	71	81	91
Wheat	Tooth	Hand	Mayday	Hart	Lad	Cheat	Gate	Feet	Putty
2	12	22	32	42	52	62	72	82	92
Hen	Dine	Nun	Hymen	Horn	Lion	Chain	Gun	Vein	Pane
3	13	23	33	43	53	63	73	83	93
Home	Time	Name	Mama	Army	Lamb	Sham	Comb	Fame	Bomb
4	14	24	34	44	54	64	74	84	94
Hair	Tower	Owner	Mare	Warrior	Lair	Chair	Hawker	Fire	Bier
5	15	25	35	45	55	65	75	85	95
Oil	Dell	Nail	Mill	Royal	Lily	Jail	Coal	Vial	Bell
6	16	26	36	46	56	66	76	86	96
Shoe	Ditch	Hinge	Image	Arch	Lodge	Judge	Cage	Fish	Preach
7	17	27	37	47	57	67	77	87	97
Hook	Duck	Ink	Mug	Rock	Lake	Jockey	Cake	Fig	Book
8	18	28	38	48	58	68	78	88	98
Fly	Dove	Knife	Muff	Wharf	Leaf	Shave	Coffee	Fife	Brief
9	19	29	39	49	59	69	79	89	99
Bee	Tabby	Knob	Mob	Rope	Elbow	Ship	Fable	Cube	Pope
10	20	30	40	50	60	70	80	90	100
Daisy	Hyenas	Muse	Race	Wheels	Chess	Eggs	Vase	Pies	Diocese

It will be seen that each of the words expresses the number above it. The whole series can be readily learnt by Associating in couples. Care should be taken to present but two ideas in the mind at once. "Hoes" will readily associate with "Wheat"; "Wheat" with "Hen"; "Hen with "Home"; "Home" with "Hair" or "Hare"; "Hair" with "Oil," &c. The mind should be allowed to make its own association, and the connecting idea should always be a natural one. By going carefully through the list associating each word with that preceding and following it, the order of the whole will be impressed in the memory; and an occasional repetition, forward and backward, will be sufficient to render the impression permanent. If one word at any time should not suggest the word that follows it, the numerical order will generally suggest the word, or, if this fails, a recapitulation of the list backward will bring it to the mind. This list should be learnt so thoroughly that it can be repeated as quickly as the ordinary numerals.

English History.

The quickest way to learn historical dates is to use a suggestive word to represent the fact and to link this witha key word (when the consecutive order is desired) in a terse sentence, the final words of which express the date. The list of English Sovereigns, in their proper order, with the dates of their accession, may be learnt in a few minutes by this plan. The words "What, When, Whim, and War" may be used to represent the four Williams. The initials suggest William, and the second consonants indicate 1, 2, 3 and 4. The eight Henrys may also be denoted by the words "Head, Hone, Him, Hour, Hill, Hash, Hag, and Hoof"; the six Edwards by "Eat, End, Emblem, Err, Eel, and Edge"; the three Richards by "Road, Rain, and Roam"; and the four Georges by "Got, Gone, Game, and Gore." Unless some such device is used, confusion as to which is the one referred to always ensues. Adopting this plan the following associations will be found to readily recall the order and date of accession of each sovereign:—

Key-word.	Sentence.	Date.
Wheat	WHAT a wise judge	1066
Hen	WHEN hens are saving	1087
Home	Home, sick with a HEAD disease	1100
Hair	Here steps STEPHEN with his diadem low	1130
Oil	Oil a HONE for a dollar	1154
Shoe	Shoes for the ROAD suit a tough boy	1189
Hook	Hook a Jack and let it hop up	1199
Fly	Fly HIM with any dodge	1216
Bee	Bees EAT much when winning honey	1272
Daisy	Daisies to the END show a white mask	1307
Tooth	Toothache, EMBLEM of a maniac	1327
Dine	Dine in the RAIN with a demagogue	1377
Time	Time in a HOUR glass may peер	1399
Tower	On the HILL is a tower dim	1413
Dell	Delightful HASH, a meaty re-union	1422
Ditch	Ditches, if you ERR not, may be crossed dry-shod	1461
Duck	Ducks catch EELS and tear off home	1483
Dove	A dove may ROAM o'er water foam	1483
Tabby	Tabby may cause a HAG to revile	1485
Hyenas	Hyenas HOOFS are always up	1509
Hand	Hand-sewn EDGES denote good tailoring	1547
Nun	None thought MARY a holy lamb	1553
Name	Named Good Queen B[ess] of the loyal hive	1558
Owner	An owner of JAM won a juicy ham	1603
Nail	Nail up CHARLES the genial	1625
Hinge	Hinge CROMWELL to the helm	1653
Ink	Incautious CHARLES took no heed of judges	1660
Knife	Knives JAMES took to share all	1685
Knob	A noble WHIM to chaff a foe	1688
Muse	Amuse or quiz Anne	1702
May-day	May-day's GOT on her gay attire	1714
Hymen	Hymen's GONE a queening	1727
Mama	Mama likes a GAME of Chess	1760
Mare	Mare's GORE is venous	1820
Mill	A military WAR may make us famous	1830
Image	Imagine a queen good and meek	1837

Other historical dates may be committed to memory in a similar manner. If it is desired to learn them in any particular order, the table of consecutive words should be used, as shown above.

Geography.

There are various mnemonical aids that will be found useful to the student. The political maps that appeared a few years ago were, in their way, exceedingly useful in impressing the mind with the geographical situation of Turkey, Russia, &c. Gayton's work on Memory, published in 1826, contained a series of maps, the outlines of which were represented by animals, &c. (see page 33). Mr. E. G. Pickering, of Harrington, an old mnemonist, has designed a clever outline sketch of England and Wales. The outline represents and old man riding a hobby horse. By merely filling up the outline with the names of the counties and principal towns, and committing to memory a few metrical lines, the geographical situation of each place is readily retained in the mind. The resemblance of Italy to a lady's boot is an aid of this character; and there can generally be traced some resemblance, fancied or real, between a portion of a map and some familiar object. Stokes's mnemonical globe is also of great use. Geographical distances are best remembered by converting the figures into a word and associating the word with the name of the place. The following express the distances, in miles, from London:—Edinburgh's embayed (391); Thievish (186) Leeds; Birmingham ideas pay (109); from Liverpool now sail (205), &c., &c. The heights of mountains, lengths of rivers, populations, &c., can be similarly expressed. Where the names of places do not readily associate, a suggestive word may be used, as "A mountebank is usually a tall boy," for Mont Blanc, 15,900 feet. For latitudes and longitudes two distinct words or phrases should be used.

Music.

There are various mnemonical aids that may be found useful by the musical student. "GooD AIE and BeeF "is one of the best known phrases for suggesting the flat and sharp keys in their proper order, the capitals giving the sharps if read forward, and the flats if read backwards. The following may also assist:—

A-major key three sharps will tell;
The minor-A is natural;
And A-flat-major all will say,
With four flats ever we must play.

With major-B five sharps are sent;
B-minor is with two content;
To B-flat-major two flats place;
With B-flat-minor five flats trace.

To prove our maxim plain and true.
C-major key we natural view;
On minor-C three flats attend;
And C-sharp-minor four befriend.

The major-D two sharps doth crave;
The minor-D one flat must have;
With D-flat-minor five are told;
With D-sharp-minor six behold.

With major-E four sharps we'll own;
The minor-E has only one;
To E-flat-major three flats fix;
As E-flat-minor must have six.

F-major-key has one poor flat;
The minor-F has four times that;
For F-sharp-major six sharps score;
To F-sharp-minor three,—no more.

G-major key with one sharp make;
G-minor key two flats will take;
To G-sharp-major five sharps name;
And G-flat-minor six flats claim.

 

How to Learn the Piano Keys.

 

All the G and A keysAre between the black threes;And 'tween the twos are all the D's;Then on the right side of the threesWill be found the B's and C's;But on the left side of the threesAre all the F's and all the E's.

 

Grammar.

The following "Parts of Speech," in rhyme, is so readily learnt by children, and epitomizes so well the character of each, that I make no excuse in giving it here:—

Three little words you often see
Are Articles—a, an, and the.
A Noun's the name of anything,
As school or garden, hoop or swing.
Adjectives tell the kind of Noun,
As great, small, pretty, white or brown.

Instead of Nouns the Pronouns stand—
Her head, his face, your arm, my hand.
Verbs tell of something to be done—
To read, count, sing, laugh, jump or run.
How things are done the Adverbs tell,
As slowly, quickly, ill, or well.
Conjunctions join the words together,
As men and women, wind or weather.

The Preposition stands before
A Noun, as in, or through a door.
The Interjection shows surprise,
As Oh! how pretty; Ah! how wise.
The whole are called Nine Parts of Speech,
Which reading, writing, speaking teach.

 

Poetry, Prose, &c.

There are two methods of learning poetry. Short pieces can be readily learnt with a little care. Take, for instance, Longfellow's—

Arsenal at Springfield

This is the arsenal. From floor to ceiling,
Like a huge organ, rise the burnished arms;
But from their silent pipes no anthem pealing
Startles the villagers with strange alarms.

Ah! what a sound will rise, how wild and dreary
When the death angel touches those swift keys!
What loud lament and dismal Miserere
Will mingle with their awful symphonies!

I hear even now the infinite fierce chorus, &c.

There are twelve verses, but the above will serve to illustrate the method adopted. First get twelve slips of paper, and copy the first verse plainly once. Carefully note the pauses and the sense. Next read the verse aloud once or twice very distinctly, slowly walking up and down, and taking particular notice of the rhyming words, and the rhythm. Repeat from memory, and, if any defects, re-write the line in which the defects occur. Treat the second and third verses similarly, noticing any alliterative peculiarity as "loud lament," "dismal Miserere," "infinite fierce chorus," and the "When," "What," "Will," commencing the last three lines of the second verse, all of which aid the memory. Then link or associate the word "alarms" in the last line of first verse with "sound" in the first line of second verse; "awful symphonies" in the second verse with "fierce chorus" in third, and so on all the way through, linking the last line of each verse with the first of the following in such a way that the one will readily suggest the other. If a poem is difficult, and stronger links are desired, the mnemonical table can be used, one word to each verse in regular order. Good poetry, however, is never very difficult to recollect; bad poetry is not worth learning. In learning actors' "parts," endeavor to grasp the character of the person represented, picture each scene in the mind, and take in the sense of each situation. Carefully link the "cue" with the matter following, and depend more upon the loud, distinct repetition of the part, walking slowly up and down while reading it. Puns, rhyme, easy metre, and alliteration are all aids, and every advantage should be taken of them. Proverbs, being generally alliterative, are as a rule easily recollected.

Respecting the best mode of committing to memory long poems for recitation my friend, Mr. Ransome Corder, of Malvern, has favored me with the following rules:—I.—Never make a task of committing to memory. II.—Select poems that you like, and that are really worth learning. III.—Read the poem over carefully aloud several times. This you will do in any case if you like the poem. After the first reading striking expressions, sometimes couplets, or even whole stanzas, will linger in the memory, and each succeeding perusal will deepen the impression and multiply them until you have landmarks, so to speak, from all parts of the poem implanted in the mind. Giving the poem as a public reading, emphasizing all points, will assist, and by occasionally going over it while walking, or at night, if wakeful, you will discover where weak, and the gaps can be filled up. When perfect recite the poem in public, and it will then, in all probability, be a possession forever. Prose may be committed to memory in a similar manner. Apart from the fact that the work of learning will be more a pleasure than a task, this method is an excellent natural way of strengthening the memory.

Lecturing and Reporting Without Notes.

To lecture or preach without notes, it is essential that the subject-matter should be methodically arranged. A lecturer who has a good subject, and who is thoroughly acquainted with it, will need little help. He would merely require to decide on the order in which he intends to treat each portion, and mentally link or associate the parts in regular order, each with the following one, or each separately to the consecutive key-words. The lecturer who is not thoroughly acquainted with his subject should not lecture on it, one is apt to say, but he should certainly make himself acquainted with its salient points. He should analyze it, arrange the matter in proper order, and condense the sense of each paragraph into one or two words, linking these mentally with the key-words. To report without taking notes, the mremonical student should carefully follow the speaker's remarks, and as soon as he hears a word germane to the subject which is likely to suggest the sentence or two preceding and following it, that particular word should be immediately linked mentally with the first word in the muemonic table, and a second appropriate word with the second key-word, and so on in the same manner. A little practice will enable this to be done momentarily. The object should be to condense the sense of every paragraph into one suggestive word, which he should immediately "pigeon-hole" in his mental cabinet. To learn the contents of an ordinary book in one reading the same plan may be adopted.

Learning Languages.

In learning a foreign language mnemonics is useful in assisting the student to form a vocabulary, to make lists of exceptions to certain rules, and to learn the rules themselves. To show fully how this is done would occupy too much space, and I must content myself by referring the reader to works on the subject. Dr. Pick published excellent works dealing with the French and German languages, which may perused at most of the public the Rev. H. Bacon, in his "Science of Memory," devotes a large portion of his space to Latin, and the simplest way of acquiring a knowledge of it; and the Abbé F. Moigno, a wonderful mnemonist, was the author of a little-known work entitled "Latin for All." Bacon also deals with French, and his book is the best I know on this subject. By it the rules, lists of exceptions, and vocabulaties can readily be learnt. This book is at present out of print, but a new edition is talked of.

Miscellaneous

A system of mnemonics, once thoroughly mastered, is always more or less useful, even in business. A customer's ledger folio can generally be readily associated with his name. Very often an appropriate word already exists in some word or syllable in the customer's name or address. A mnemonical almanac (given in "Mnemonical Feats") is always useful, and saves both time and trouble. It is not always necessary to translate numerals into words to ensure their being recalled. As already pointed out, a course of mnemonics induces the student to closely examine all that he would remember; and this leads to the exercise of attention and method, and a natural strengthening of the memory.