GROWTH AND DECAY OF MIND. 335 



at least what is commonly understood by the term — plays a very un- 

 important part. Of course a weak memory is an almost fatal obstacle 

 to effective thought ; but I am not comparing the worth of a good 

 memory and a bad one, but of an average memory and one excep- 

 tionally powerful. I conceive that quite a large proportion of the 

 most profound thinkers are satisfied to exert their memory very mod- 

 erately. It is, in fact, a distraction from close thought to exert the 

 memory overmuch ; and a man engaged in the study of an abstruse 

 subject will commonly rather turn to his book-shelves for the in- 

 formation he requires than tax his memory to supply it. The case 

 resembles somewhat that of the mathematician who from time to time, 

 as his work proceeds, requires this or that calculation to be effected. 

 He will not leave the more engrossing questions that he has in his 

 thoughts, to go through processes of arithmetic, but will adopt any 

 ready resource which leaves him free to follow without check the 

 train of his reasoning. 



It would be perhaps difficult to devise any means of readily meas- 

 uring mental power in examination or otherwise. The memory test 

 is assuredly unsafe ; but it would not be easy to suggest a really reli- 

 able one. I may remark that only those experienced in the matter 

 understand how much depends on memory in our competitive exam- 

 inations. Many questions in the examination-papers apparently re- 

 quire the exercise of judgment rather than memory ; but those who 

 know the text-books on which the questions are based are aware that 

 the judgment to be written down in answer is not to be formed but 

 to be quoted. So with mathematical problems which appear to 

 require original conceptions for their solution : in nine cases out of 

 ten such problems are either to be found fully solved in mathematical 

 works, or others so nearly resembling them are dealt with that no skill 

 is required for their solution. 



I must confess that I am somewhat surprised to find Wendell 

 Holmes, whose opinions on such matters are usually altogether reli- 

 able, recommending a test of mental power depending on a quality of 

 memory even inferior to that usually in question in competitive exam- 

 inations. " The duration of associated impressions on the memory 

 differs vastly," he says, " as we all know, in different individuals. But 

 in uttering distinctly a series of unconnected numbers or letters 

 before a succession of careful listeners, I have been surprised to find 

 how generally they break down, in trying to repeat them, between 

 seven and ten figures or letters ; though here and there an individual 

 may be depended on for a larger number. Pepys mentions a person 

 who could repeat sixty unconnected words, forward or backward, and 

 perform other wonderful feats of memory ; but this was a prodigy. 1 



1 " This is nothing to the story told by Seneca of himself, and still more of a friend 

 of his, one Portius Latro (Mendax it might be suggested), or to that other relation of 

 Muretus, about a certain young Corsican." The note is Holmes's ; but there are authen- 



