4 INSTANCES OF 



as clear and satisfactory as we can obtain of any 

 truth whatever. 



But the lesson is more to our present purpose : 

 Why is it that, when we come near to the end of 

 life, and look back upon it, the events of our young 

 years are the most fresh to our memory ? It is not 

 the mere youth ; for there is a period younger still, 

 of which we can remember nothing. Nobody re- 

 members being born, and there are few that remem- 

 ber being carried in the nurse's arms. But if it is 

 not the mere fact of our being younger, that makes 

 us remember better, so neither is it that our minds 

 have more power. The power of the mind has 

 nothing at all to do with goodness or badness of 

 memory, or with the simple fact of remembering. 

 Persons of weak judgment have often the best 

 memories; and have them just because their 

 judgment is weak. Those who have been much 

 employed in educating young people, and have at- 

 tended to the subject, B,nd been capable of under- 

 standing it, know very well that those pupils who 

 can, without effort, learn every thing by rote, are 

 with difficulty made to understand any thing; 

 and grown-up persons, that can quote " day and 

 date" for every trifling occurrence, can seldom 

 give a sound or valuable opinion upon any matter 

 of importance. I knew a fool, who was placed 

 under the charge of a clergyman in the country, 

 as being utterly incapable of conducting himself in 

 ordinary matters, (he was a young man of fortune, 

 and did not need to work, except for his amuse- 

 ment,) and yet he could repeat every word of the 

 clergyman's sermon, tell how many people were 

 in the church, how any one that sat in a pew 

 named to him was dressed, or who did or did not 



