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222 The Scrence of Mnemonics. 
brain memory. The method of learning generally employed 
is repeating, depending almost entirely upon the tongue and 
the ear for accuracy; the eye (or the mind’s eye) and the 
reasoning faculties having little or nothing to do with it. 
The result in many cases must be forgetfulness, which may 
be avoided by Mnemonic wsual or reflective memory. 
Perfection of association is that which secures the united 
and harmonious action of the greatest number of powers 
which can be brought into use for the object desired. We 
may fail to remember, from want of articulating, or from 
inattention to our articulation, but more frequently forget- 
fulness arises from zo¢ PICTURING—IMPERFECTLY PICTUR- 
ING, or zzcorrectly PICTURING. Intellectual association 
is mainly dependent upon the mind’s eye. Impressions 
‘may be made variously, but sometimes thus :—The tongue 
gives an wtterance which is conveyed to the ear ,; the ear- 
received utterance produces a mental picture, which is re- 
ceived by the eye, and the impression on the eye awakens 
reflection—a mental comment, or remark, or action of the 
intellect. It often strangely happens that the mental re- 
mark which we make upon a thing is better remembered 
than the thing itself. Hence, the importance of reflection, 
or intellectual action,asanaidto Memory. (See diagram.) 
Symbolization is a branch of the Mnemonical Art, and 
though its application may seem formidable, or .often im- 
practicable, to those who are not acquainted with it, it is far 
too valuable to be passed by here without notice. Many 
people seem singularly devoid of symbolizing power, yet 
their uncouth or imperfect mental representations may be 
comprehended by ¢hemselves, and may be useful to them- 
selves, although not communicable to others. 
Experience will soon show that it is often easier to think 
of a part instead of a whole, and to think of the concrete 
instead of the abstract; thus, if St. Paul’s Cathedral were 
mentioned, it would be easier to think simply of the upper 
part of it, as a symbol, than to try to bring to mind its 
whole exterior and interior, and the upper part alone would 
suggest St. Paul’s guzte as well as the thought of the entire 
building ; and suppose we wanted to teach a child that the 
name of the architect of St. Paul’s was WREN, the symbol 
of the name, a wrez, would be more easily remembered 
than the mere ztierance of the name. The straw in the 
wren’s beak, the symbol of its being in the act of budding, 
would be more easily remembered by the child than the 
word architect, yet would be in effect the same. Test this, 
