Assimilative Memory Part 25

FOUNDATION OF ROME ... Seven hills ... up hill ...

(=753=) {c}{l}i{m}b.

FIRST PRINTING IN ENGLAND ... Book ... Pamphlet ...

(=1471=) {tr}a{ct}.

COUNCIL OF TRENT ... rent ... rent roll ...

(=1545=) {d}ai{l}y {r}o{l}l.

SPANISH ARMADA DESTROYED =1 5 8 8= Many ships sunk ... few escaped ... THEY LEAVE A FEW.

America discovered in 1492-- =1 49 2= AMERICA ... Merry ... Sad ... sad irons ... Handcuffs ... TURPIN.

Mariners' Compa.s.s invented, 1269-- =1 2 6 9= MARINERS' COMPa.s.s ... pocket compa.s.s-- TINY SHAPE.

[K] It is sufficient to indicate the figure 9, as we know that it could not have been the year 9 of the Christian Era, and as it was somewhere about the beginning of this century, the figure 9 makes an indefinite impression definite and exact.

Learning dates and other figures by Synthesis is never recommended except where the pupil is ignorant of the subject matter and cannot in consequence use a.n.a.lytic Subst.i.tution. Synthesis power has a good training effect in all cases.

1. Is it always necessary for us to know the dates of the birth and death of men?

2. Then why do we do this exercise?

3. What do I want you to get thorough control over?

4. What will you then be able to do?

5. The specific gravity of Iridium is 22.40, represented by the phrase {n}o{n}e {s}e{r}iou{s}; of what use is the first "s" in the word "serious"?

6. Why would you not give it the value of (0)?

7. Give a phrase indicating the height of the Washington Monument (555 ft.).

8. Now correlate "Washington Monument" to the phrase you have given.

9. Make original correlations for all the events on this page.

10. Are unfamiliar words of any help in a correlation?

11. Should they ever be used as intermediates?

12. Do you try to use as few intermediates as possible?

13. Are short ones more easily learned?

SERIAL FACTS.

There are two kinds of Serial Facts.

(1) One is where names or facts are stated in a certain order, as in alphabetical order, for instance, and yet a different order could be given. Lists of exceptions in Grammar are usually stated in the alphabetical order, yet if the component parts or words of the list are remembered, the alphabetical order is of no consequence. One teacher has re-arranged Series in Foreign Grammars in such a manner that he finds a natural suggestiveness between the words. No doubt such a re-arrangement can be made, but I question whether his doing it for another would help the latter much. For the pupil to benefit, he should re-adjust the Series for himself. My Pupils, when trained in a.n.a.lysis and Synthesis, have no difficulty in correlating the Series just as they may find it.

No time is spent in trying to discover relations that may not exist. At best, when found, they will be weak; but, by correlating the series together, my Pupils make a strong and vivid relation between all of the words of a Series to be memorised, and at the same time exercise attention in both its functions, and increase appreciation of In., Ex., and Con.

1. How many kinds of Serial facts are there?

2. What are the characteristics of the first kind?

3. Is it advisable for the pupil to re-adjust Series in Foreign Grammars?

Suppose we wish to memorise the 11 prepositions which form part of certain Latin verbs which are followed by the dative, to wit:--_Ad._, _Ante._, _Con._, _In._, _Inter._, _Ob._, _Post._, _Pre._, _Pro._, _Sub._, and _Super_. This Series is usually learned by _endless repet.i.tion_, as a succession of sounds to the ear, or sight to the eye, by mere _rote_. What a waste of time to attempt to re-arrange it in order to learn it more easily. Yet such a Series can be learned by correlating the words together in a very short time, thus:--

_Ad_ ... addition ... front addition ... _ante_-room....

_Ante_ ... antecedent ... _con_sequent....

_Con_ ... converse ... _in_verse....

_In_ ...

_Inter_ ... interject ... _ob_ject....

_Ob_ ... obligation ... _post_poned obligation....

_Post_ ... post-office ... _pre_payments....

_Pre_ ... predilection ... _pro_pensity....

_Pro_ ... produce ... soil products ... _sub_soil....

_Sub_ ... subordinate actor ... _Super_.

And, similarly, we can deal with any Series in =Grammar=, or elsewhere.

1. Do my pupils ever find any difficulty in correlating the series as they may find it?

2. What training must they have in order to do so?

3. Is any time misspent in trying to discover a non-existing relation?

4. What are the eleven Latin prepositions here given?

5. How are they usually learned?

6. Is time gained thereby?

(2) The other kind of Series is where the words, facts, or things _must_ be memorised as given. The seven primary colours are given as they occur in nature, thus:--Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red. The unconscionable word VIBGYOR has been given as a means, through the initial letters of the colour words, to enable us to remember those words, and ROYGBIV to enable us to remember the Series backwards. To such a pa.s.s are educators driven when they lack my Universal Method of cementing Extremes. We know the Series both ways if we Correlate the words, thus:

_Violet_ ... let go ...

_Indigo_ ... indigestion ... "blues" ...

_Blue_ ... blue sea ... sea green ...

_Green_ ... green corn ... ripe corn ...

_Yellow_ ... yellow fruit ...

_Orange_ ... orangemen ... fights ... blood split ... blood-red ...

_Red_.

ORDER OF THE ENGLISH SOVEREIGNS.

The true Method of learning the Order and Dates of the English Sovereigns, as of the American Presidents, or of any other list of Rulers, is to deal with them only in the course of reading. When met with in History, all the facts are before the reader, and, if he fails to hold the _order of succession_ clearly in mind in any case, he can easily correlate the Names together. And if he fails to retain some of the dates, he can readily make forgetfulness impossible by correlating names to date-words--or, as the details of the reigns are known to him, he can at once find a.n.a.lytic date-words. The reader wishes to infallibly remember that the date of the beheading of Charles I. was 1649. The formula is "Charles I.--{T}oo {sh}a{r}{p} (1649)." If the reader's memory-training is imperfect, and he is ignorant of the facts, he had better correlate. If his memory-education is complete, and the facts are within his knowledge, he will need no aid, or he will use a.n.a.lytic date-words as in above case (1) {Th}en (6) {Ch}arles (4) {r}ightly (9) {b}eheaded. If he feels that he needs some advice to help him remember the order of succession of the Kings, he can refresh his recollection by turning back and reading the method already given.

EXERCISE.--CASES IN EVERY-DAY LIFE.

The student must exercise his judgment as to what is the _best known_ to which he will Correlate an _isolated fact_.

The following anecdote is taken from the ERA ALMANACK, 1882, p. 36. The actor, whose name was Taylor, could not remember the name a.s.signed to him in his part of the play. We shall see how Mnemonics helped him.

a.s.sOCIATION OF IDEAS.--Macready was once victimised in _Virginius_. The Numitorius could not remember the name given him in the play. "You will remember it, sir," said the tragedian, carefully p.r.o.nouncing it for him, "by the a.s.sociation of ideas. Think of Numbers--the Book of Numbers."

The Numitorius did think of it all day, and at night produced through "the a.s.sociation of ideas" the following effect:

_Numitorius_--"Where is Virginia? Wherefore do you hold that maiden's hand?"

_Claudius_--"Who asks the question?"

_Numitorius_--"I, her uncle--DEUTERONOMY!"

The actor should have correlated the word "Numitorius," which he could _not_ remember, to the word "Uncle" as the BEST KNOWN that preceded it, which he could remember, or to his "cue" the word "Question" thus: