FREAKS OF MEMORY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 65, 25 June 1910, Page 10

FREAKS OF MEMORY

SOME REMARKABLE INSTANCES. Wonderful feats of memory are on record, where a large amount of knowledge is retained so as to be instantly available in every detail, as well as the more anech.inhvU triumph which long strings of name* are remembered in their consecutive order.

But one remarkable feature about memory is that it is not altogether to be depended upon; this'applying equally to those who are obliged to use that ■power frequently, and who sire pretty confident of themselves. Xot of feats but of freaks of memory are we thinking at .present, and we may teH of some instances which show how .strange and uncertain a thing it is.

Preachers have been known suddenly to forget what they wanted to say, excessive nervousness or fear being the cause; or else that sudden, unaccountable stoppage of thought which blurrs the congregation into a confused mass, makes the speaker feel as if the room or church were swimming before him, or that the pause—half a second, as it is in reality, perhaps—seems like an awful, terrible, silent blank for half an hour's length at least.

" BY-THE-WAY." The late Rev. Henry Ware, of Boston, once completely forgot what he had to say. His memory suddenly failed him in the middle of a sermon, and he stopped abort. Interminable, indeed, did that pause seem to the preacher, and he imagined that in consequence of it his sermon would be an utter failure. As he was walking up the aisle, however, he heard one of the congregation say to another, "How did you like the sermon?" "Like it! It is the best sermon Mr. Ware has ever .preached. That pause was suiblime!" This,-we are sure, must ■have been a consolation to him. All the same, toe would not counsel young speakers to attempt any such thing purposely, with the expectation of a like result. The great French preacher Massillon once came to a dead stop in the middle of a sermon; and the same happened to another jjleacher, also a Frenchman. The latter, however, got over the difficulty with a cle.verness that showed he was equal to the occasion. "Friends," said he, "I had forgotten to say that a person much afflicted is recommended to your immediate prayers." He, meaning himself, fell upon his knees, and before he rose from them he found the lost link in'his chain of memory, and no one knew of what had happened. A minister in Boston, who was very absent-minded, and also a sufferer ironi •an uncertain memory, used to break down very often, and to remedy this he used to make a few supplementary remarks which he prefaced with the words, -By the way." One Sunday as he was in the very middle of an extemporary prayer he came to a stop, and for the life of him could not remember what he wanted "to say next. Added to this he completely forgot' what he was about, and hp sat down without closing the | prayer'. In a moment or two he rose, mild, pointing ,his finger to his astonished flock, lie exclaimed, "Oh, by the way, Amen.'' When Father Taylor was once preaching to sailors he got confused in the mkldle of his sermon. "Boys," he saiu, "I've lost iny nominative case; but never mind, we're on the way to glory!"

FORGOT THE 'FIRST LINE. In one of the London theatres some year sago a curious case occurred of sudden failure of memory. The .performance was somewhat of & nxixcd character, and the gods in the gallery shouted for "The Sprig of Shillelagh/' which being a very favorite song, they much desired to hear sung', though it had not been announced on the hills. Mr. Henry Johnstone, whowvas a well-known Irish actor and singer, came forward with good-humored readiness to comply with the expressed desire of the gallery folk. So the music commenced, hut Mr. Johnstone stood still and silent, apparently much confused. Again the symphony was played, but the unfortunate singer only looked more confused than before. A third time the symphony was repeated, but all to no purpose, and Mr. -Johnstone came to the front of the stage, and I addressed the audience thus :—"Ladies and gentlemen, I assure you that 1 have sunff this song so often that I forget the first"line." The words were greeted with roars of laughter, and hundreds of voices began to .prompt him. This had the desired effect, and lie sang the song with great success and much increased ap.plause. Often the failure in memory is very like this aforenamed instance, and occurs in what is perfectly familiar. Often the very fact of the words being so well known helps on the occurrence, though this seems like a paradox. A well-known j theologian once broke down in the middle of the Lord's Prayer, and the writer is acquainted with a clergyman who, when in saying the same prayer aloud before a large class of young people, his memory suddenly failed, and for a moment or two—it seemed fifty, he said—he could not recollect the succeeding sentence. The .pain ho suffered- in that short time has made him sympathetic towards all like sufferers, and occasions of forgetfulness, from whatever cause, only recall that pain instead of provoking a smile.

BRINGS BACK THE PAST.

If memory fails without any appareiifc cause, so also does it bring buck the past suddenly and unexpectedly. We all know what it is to be quickly transported in imagination to some long-forgot-1 ten place, to have some scene of bygone years recalled in the flash of an instant, to hear again "'a voice that is still," when there is no outward cause to account for it. In all probability, though we are cognisant of the faet, some tiny detail of our present life has touched one of the many thoughts which "are linked by many a hidden chain," ana iar back as the last link is, the present one may be close at hand. The revered head of an old English home was in his youth so wild that he was banished from his native land. His fviends and relatives had refused to as-, sist him any more, and he found himself | in one of the colonies, quite unknown | and without any friends. One day he | had been wandering about for some, hours, absorbed in melancholy thoughts, a,jul ,lie found himself in a scene of ex-i tra ordinary wiklness and grandeur. The rocks were of giant size and the chasms immense, while the gloom was deepened by the fact of its being evening. Suddenlv he felt a strong desire to kill himself.' and the means of doing so were near at hand. There was a lake at his feet, and none would trace him to that lonely snot where human foot rarely trod; but he was startled bv an unexpected sound. Rare as were visitors to that far-awa\ region, there was a traveller passing alone and as he went on his way he ssano- a ballad which had been a favorite with the unhappy listener in his home '"lt changed," says he who tlie incident; 'jthe very current of my bein«|'