impressions.

 

Some folk have peculiarly distinct auditory memories; they are able to recall

things heard much better than things seen. Others have the visual memory; they

are best able to recall sight-impressions. As you recall a walk you have taken,

are you able to remember better the sights or the sounds? Find out what kinds of

impressions your memory retains best, and use them the most. To fix an idea in

mind, use _every_ possible kind of impression.

 

_Daily habit_ is a great memory cultivator. Learn a lesson from the Marathon

runner. Regular exercise, though never so little daily, will strengthen your

memory in a surprising measure. Try to describe in detail the dress, looks and

manner of the people you pass on the street. Observe the room you are in, close

your eyes, and describe its contents. View closely the landscape, and write out

a detailed description of it. How much did you miss? Notice the contents of the

show windows on the street; how many features are you able to recall? Continual

practise in this feat may develop in you as remarkable proficiency as it did in

Robert Houdin and his son.

 

The daily memorizing of a beautiful passage in literature will not only lend

strength to the memory, but will store the mind with gems for quotation. But

whether by little or much add daily to your memory power by practise.

 

_Memorize out of doors._ The buoyancy of the wood, the shore, or the stormy

night on deserted streets may freshen your mind as it does the minds of