Memory and the executive mind

Preface

In a decidedly varied experience, I have come in contact with many men of sterling character, who, however, would be tremendously more useful to themselves, to their loved ones, and to the world, if they but had a little more confidence in themselves and their ability to achieve.

For the benefit of all such individuals, as well as for the benefit of any others who, for some reason or another, may believe that mental cultivation is fraught with mystery, this book has been written. We hope sincerely that it may find some useful service to perform in the world.

The book is conveniently divided into three parts:

PART I. MEMORY AND ITS DE- VELOPMENT, as the subject indicates, deals exclusively with the memory and the best methods for its development.

10 Preface

PART II. THE EXECUTIVE MIND, discusses the executive mind in detail, and points out not only how it may be attained, but suggests as well, methods for its proper use after attainment.

PART III. THE LARGER SUC- CESS, makes a strong plea in the interest of optimism, and the subject of the Larger, Nobler Success, is discussed at length.

If this little volume may in some manner or another make life's pathway somewhat more pleasant for any of its readers, I shall indeed be pleased. If it maycause a ray of hope to find its way into the minds of some who now despond, I shall feel amply repaid for the efforts attending its production.

Akthur Raymond Robinson.

CHAPTER I Introductory

T?«^^«r^*.^. I^ is not too much to Foreword:

say that an effective

memory wields a greater influence in the successful development of a man^s career than any other agency. As the most convincing proof of this statement, the reader is referred to the lives of the most successful men of our times in all lines, science, finance, statesmanship, etc. Do you know a successful man who is not equipped with a good memory? Have you ever known such a man? The answer to these questions must be emphatically '^NO/' because the very fact of success itself indicates the mastery of a tremendous number of subjects in general, or of a great many details of some one subject in particular; the abihty to have ready for instant use when occasion demands, the knowledge of a great number of facts acquired by past mental experiences, and not forgotten.

The Statesman, charged with the great responsibihties of State, positively must have stored away somewhere in his mental labyrinth not only the knowledge of an almost untold number of facts gathered up from his own personal experiences, but also knowledge of a large additional number absorbed from close study of the experiences of others.

The great man of the financial world must have completely in his mental grasp, an intimate knowledge of the thousandfold intricacies of money science and economics.

The Lawyer, pleading his case before the jury; the Merchant, building up a tremendous business, and foreseeing years in advance the needs of his mercantile house; the Physician, ihinistering patiently and successfully to the needs of his patient, whose life may thereby be prolonged yet a little while; the Salesman, successfully advocating his wares; the intelligent Farmer, handling admirably the myriad of things which must be accomplished in his particular sphere; the Artist, the handicraftman, in short, every man who contributes to the world's progress, POSITIVELY AND ABSOLUTE- LY MUST have so developed the process as to know how to act in a given emergency.

Education has been defined as the acquirement of the ability to successfully meet an emergency v/hen it arises, and there is no doubt that this ingenious definition is sufficiently broad to include everything that could possibly be emibraced in the term. If this is true, and it is, the man in this world who is the best educated, is the man who can combat the most obstacles successfully; the man who can properly meet the most emergencies. ' Now ask yourself, is there any one thing that will assist one to accomplish this particular result more than a good, clear, comprehensive memory? Is it not true that the man who is most successful is bound to be the man who can remember the most facts of experience in a given direction? Here again the question must be answered in the affirmative. We all observe enough, hear enough, and, in general, learn enough to assure us at least a fair measure of success in the world, if we could only remember what we learn!

A tremendous weakness exists in our educational system, which lays so little stress on the training of memory as to almost ignore it. True, the youth of the land is stuffed with facts and figures and information of every useful kind, but in the great majority of cases, the information spills through the mental apparatus as through a sieve, and practically no attention is given to the process of stopping up the holes, to the end that what is so laboriously learned, may be contained in the mind to assist the learner in fighting life's battles.

If this little advance word has convinced you that the greatest factor in a life's work is a well developed memory, it has served its purpose, and we can proceed with profit to the content proper of this volume.

_„ . ,, ^ Memory involves the

What IS Memory? ^^^^^^^^^ ^j ATTEN- TION, RECALL, and RECOGNITION.

First must the individual attend to the thing at hand, which means that with the assistance of sensation, and mental concentration, the subject matter must be observed, noticed, attended to; then the RECALL enters, which means simply, etymologically, to call back; in this instance, TO CALL BACK from the experiences of yesterday, and the fast receding past, facts suggested by the attention given the particular matter of today's interest. Now enters the process of RECOGNITION, which, etymologically, coming as it does from re-cognosco, to reknow, means to know again, and as a result of this latter process, we now REC- OGNISE that the knowledge of the fact RECALLED to mind is the result of today's ATTENTION ;is actuaUy knowledge of a fact that the mind of the individual has experienced at some former time. Memory, then, is the process of recognising that something now present to consciousness has been there before. This is perhaps as good a psychological definition of memory as can be given, and from it we see clearly that memory itseK is, from beginning to end, a mental process, and must therefore depend largely for its efficiency on a healthy mind. So much for the technical side of the subject. The definition profits us little, excepting that it gives us a point from which to start.

The main purpose of this volume is not the 'Vhat/' but the '^how^'; not to discuss WHAT IS MEMORY? but rather to suggest HOW IT MAY BE MOST SUC- CESSFULLY AND EFFICIENTLY DEVELOPED, to the end that it may lend its full assistance to the individual in making for himself the greatest possible success in life.

. ^ , ,^ From what has deit is felt necessary to make a few suggestions under this head, in order that the reader may not be confused at the outset, and in the end receive no benefit from his reading. A good memory, contrary to the general belief, does not consist simply in having stored away in the mind a tremendous amount of miscellaneous information. The man with the good memory is the man who has trained his mind most thoroughly in the process of eliminating therefrom as much useless information as possible, in order that more room may be made for the acquisition of knowledge which can be acquired with practical benefit.

Therefore, the process of forgetting becomes important, and to a great degree useful, but a man should so direct his life, and so develop his mind that it may be depended upon, automatically, as it were, through a sort of natural selection, to retain what is good, and forget what is bad; and it may be stated here now, that if given a half a chance, the mind will, on its own account, do that very thing and perform the function admirably.

The mind and the memory are constantly extending. The physical growth may cease somewhere in the 20's, but the individuaFs mind has the capacity to grow and develop throughout his lifetime. No matter whether you wish it or not, certain facts will be retained in your memory, and certain facts will inevitably be forgotten. We shall show a little further on that it is within your power to direct your attention and your will in such manner that the great majority of forgotten experiences may represent useless stuff which has been forgotten with more profit than injury, while at the same time a tremendous maximum of the experiences necessary to your well-being may be kept fresh in your memory, ready for instant use when any emergency requiring their particular assistance shall arise.

Now, the individual who has learned to so direct his mental cultivation as to have become able to forget most of the useless, and remember the maximum amount of information possessing utility, is the man who has developed a good memory; therefore, we repeat again, a good memory does not mean the retention of a particularly large number of miscellaneous factual impressions. It consists, rather, in having stored up in the mind, knowledge of the largest possible number of USE- FUL FACTS, all information not possessing utility for the individual having been forgotten and cast out by the way.

, ^ , It should be stated at How to Begin: ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^j^^^ ^^^

possession of a good memory is intimately connected with will power. The old maxim, '^You can be what you will to be/' has become a commonplace, but it holds good with reference to memory training, positively and absolutely. Therefore, a word on this subject is necessary. WILL YOU DECIDE IN YOUR OWN MIND TO ACQUIRE A STRONG, EFFECTIVE MEMORY? If you answer this question to yourself with a positive YES, then the attainment of your goal becomes only a matter of time.

It is safe to say that every man who reads this book is ambitious for success, and is interested in the selection, or if it has already been selected, in the prosecution of a life work that will yield him and his loved ones the comforts of life and the honors that go with a successful career.

It is safe to say further, we think, that the great majority of our readers have already made the selection, and are now, to the best of their ability, filling in the details of their life plan. Just a word, then, to the few who have not yet made the selection, and then all that is said later will apply to everybody in like degree. It is assumed you are undecided as to what you should do. There are two or three, or possibly even more, plans of action on which your mind is divided. Now go at this thing systematically. Sit down and think. Think progressively. Take up the several plans seriatim^ and in regular order. If you were employed for a day's work, for a specified wage, you would expect to begin the day's work promptly in the morning, and finish promptly in the evening. You would not do a thirtieth part next week, a fiftieth part the next, and so on; rather would you pursue the first plan suggested, and get it done with. Now surely an early start on a successful career is more important tremendously than the successful completion of an ordinary day's work, and, therefore, WHY IN THE NAME OF CONSCIENCE DO YOU NOT TAKE ONE OF THESE PROSPEC- TIVE PLANS OF LIFE CONDUCT, AND THINK IT OUT TO THE END?

Why not get off of the fence on one side or the other at the earliest possible moment? Life is short, and with our commercial system organised as it is at present, there is not one single golden moment to lose. If you would succeed in any given line, you must concentrate all of your energy and activity ON THAT PARTICULAR LINE, to the exclusion of all others, and at the earliest possible moment.

This is the age of speciahsation; the age when the world demands that the individual be equipped TO DO ONE THING WELL! The age when the world has no time for the ^^Jack of all trades and master of none!'' Therefore, if you are undecided as to what your particular line shall be, GET OFF THE FENCE, take up the several possibilities, one at a time, and think them out to their ultimate conclusion. One at a time, mark you, take one of the possibilities. Concentrate your mind on that particular thing. Never leave it for a moment. Weigh it pro and con. Look broadly at all the advantages such a plan of activity could furnish you. At the same time, do not fail to search carefully for the disadvantages that may be lurking within it. Get good advice, to be sure, if you can, from men experienced in this particular line, but in the end DE- CIDE IT FOR YOURSELF, FAIRLY AND SQUARELY! Don^t dodge the issue. Decide it once and for all. Burn your bridges behind you, so far as that particular plan is concerned, if it does not seem feasible, and leave it once and for all. Then proceed immediately to the next possibihty, and the next, and the next, etc.

26 Memoey and the Executive Mind

These words are not only directed to the young man, who has not yet made his start as a factor in the world's economy, but they are addressed as well to all of those, and they are many, regardless of age, who have made a WTong start or who have gotten into the wrong business. To say it in idiomatic parlance, to all those who find themselves to be round pegs in square holes!

If you have not yet made a start, GET READY TO START. If you have started wrong, prepare to start over. In any event, think it out carefully, and then do something quickly! QUICKLY! QUICKLY!

CHAPTER II THE MECHANISM The Memory Every experience in

Machinery: life, regardless of its quality, stamps an impression on the brain, which may be likened to a little bypath or pathway, in the seat of the mind.

The process of building up a good memory consists in the formation of these mental pathways, and it is necessary to consider them from two view points :

First, with a view to the consideration of their tenacity, their persistency; and second, with a view looking to their number.

You will readily understand that the man with the best memory is the man who is favored with the most persistent of these mental pathways, and who at the same time has the greatest number thereof. Although both tenacity and number are absolutely indispensable to the development of memory, they are far apart in their requirements.

Having understood all along that memory is a mental process, it necessarily follows that these pathways are mental phenomena, and are therefore located in the brain of the individual.

Instead of calling them pathways, we might consider them as impressions, stamped in the tissues of the brain, more or less largely depending, of course, on the tenacity which that organ has developed for holding such impressions, Therefore, we see that the tenacious quality so essential to the effectiveness of these pathways is purely physiological, and must be developed absolutely in a physiological manner.

On the other hand, the number of the pathways (and the greater the number.

the better the memory) is something which has to do entirely and absolutely with the sum total of mental experiences, regardless of the ability of the organism, texturally, to hold them.

We see plainly, therefore, that in order to develop a good memory, one must see to it that the brain is made as tenacious as is physically possible, while at the same time one must treat the mind to as many mental experiences of the right sort as is possible.

Now it shall be our purpose to talk to yoa concerning the best method of bringing about this result. Let us take the requirements in their order.

. Since the memory pro-

P ^S cess is carried on ab- ^* solutely by means of

mental pathways or mind impressions, and since we have learned that the more tenacious the pathways, the better is the memory, it naturally follows that it is of the utmost importance that the individual develop, to the best of his ability, mind tenacity; and since this required tenacity is a physiological characteristic, we must proceed to its development from a physiological standpoint, and by physiological means.

It is not necessary to remind the reader that exercise properly taken, and in sufficient degree, is the one thing indispensable to the proper development of the human organism, and this rule applies to the development of the brain as well as to the development of other parts of the organism, excepting that the brain demands its own peculiar kind of exercise. Therefore, if one would have a well developed mental organism, it is of the highest importance that he constantly and at all times furnish the brain with that particular mode of exercise upon which it thrives.

Now let us examine into the most efficient kinds of mental exercise. First and most important of all kinds is the process of thinking. Nothing in the world will so strengthen the brain and add to its tenacity, to its firmness, as hard, intelligent, well directed thought.

The Blacksmith has made his arm mighty to behold by using it constantly in connection with the anvil and hammer.

The Infantry Soldier, by means of long marches at frequent intervals, has been known to develop such a capacity for endurance as would enable him to march all day long without noticeable fatigue.

The Athlete becomes a marvel of muscular action through continued exercise, and we are all familiar with the celebrated character, mentioned in our classics, who developed the strength to carry a bull, by beginning to carry the animal each day from the day it was born till it reached maturity. In like manner then may the mind be developed along the same lines if it is permitted to exercise unremittingly after its own peculiar fashion.

THINK, THINK, AND ALWAYS THINK, AND YOU WILL BE SUR- PRISED AT THE SPLENDID PRO- GRESS YOU ARE SURE TO MAKE.

Do you read the newspaper daily? All right, think while you read it. Do you read the magazines of the hour? It is well. Think and ponder over what you read. Are you employed as a part of a gTeat commercial machine, wherein you are simply a small cog, charged with no particular responsibility? If so, look at the man next above you. Get hold of as many details in the problems he is forced to solve as you can possibly get within your grasp, and then think out a solution for them. A solution, we say, and nothing short of that.

Keep thinking constantly on his problem or problems till you have arrived at a solution; rightly or wrongly, but in any event A SOLUTION, and the first thing you know, your thoughtfulness will be rewarded, and yoa wiU have problems of your own to think out, and to solve, which will mean positive advancement in life's program.

Are you at present holding a responsible position, or are you in business for yourseK? Are you a professional man? What matters it? If you are efficient you will have reached that point, if you are not already there, where your own problems solve themselves, your mind working automatically in the direction of a necessary solution, when the problem arises. Then you must advance in other directions for your mind cannot stand still; it must either advance or deteriorate.

Therefore, if you have reached such a mental stage as that mentioned before, broaden out, let your mentality grasp the great economical and political problems of the day.

If you have solved your own satisfactorily, it is of the utmost importance that you give our social system the benefit of your mental equipment. In the interest of yourself, however, in the interest of everything that Hfe holds dear, THINK, AND ALWAYS THINK. This is the best possible kind of mental exercise, the tonic par excellence, the elixir of the mind.

Now this caution should be observed. If you would improve your memory, which means positively and absolutely a better living, you must do it while there is yet time.

Up to the age of twenty, the brain is decidedly plastic, and responds instantly to all sorts of impressions; it continues to have sufficient plasticity to absorb more than it drops out between the ages of twenty and forty.

When one has traveled along to the fiftieth milestone, however, the mind just about holds its own. If it is not above the average, it drops out about as much as it receives, and from this point onward it becomes negative to a large degree, normally dropping out more than it receives. This is where the man with a well developed tenacity of the mental pathways shines with splendid radiance among his brethren. The reason is not far to seek. If he has been constantly developing persistent mental tissues of thought concentration, and if he has taken sufficient mental exercise, he has achieved a mental equipment by the time he is fifty that stands him well in hand when he starts over the crest of the hill, and remains with him till he goes to slumber in his last resting place.

This accounts for the great difference so noticeable in the period of old age in different individuals. The man who has developed tenacity of mind in his earlier years, remains alert and vigorous throughout his career, while the man who has neglected to build up persistency in the mental pathways, while there was yet time, reaches his second childhood, and in his latter days, becomes mentally as helpless as the prattling child on its mother's knee.

If you would remain vigorous, therefore, and alert to your surroundings throughout life's journey, look to it that the memory pathways are made as tenacious as possible in that period when there is yet opportunity. THINK! THINK! DEVELOP THE HABIT OF THOUGHT! Get into the way of directing your careful attention, and your earnest thought toward every object, and every situation met with in your life experience. If you read a book, forget about the particular words used, but FIX THE TRAIN OF THOUGHT AB- SOLUTELY AND INESCAPABLY IN YOUR MIND. Connect it with as many other experiences as you can, and if there is opportunity for doing so, relate the substance to a friend. In any event, get the thought and carefully think it over. Sift out the part that is useless, but retain in your memory as much as is humanly possible of that possessing utility.

Be an observer, and the closer you observe, the better. If you go into the library of your home, observe what you see there, and compare it with yesterday's observation. Perhaps a book case is moved, a chair is out of its usual position. Observe the details, and encourage the mind to think about them.

When you go into the street, observe the passers-by. Look into their faces. Mentally compare them as well as you may with others whom you have met. Try to fathom as best you can, their several characters, but always think about them! Get the habit! When you go out under heaven's vaulted dome at night, observe the wonderful celestial bodies, all speeding harmoniously on the missions assigned them by the Creator, and think! What are they? What do they represent? THINK, THINK, AND AL- WAYS THINK ! Practice introspection. Look into the '^me." 'T' am what?

What do 'T stand for? What is there within me that differentiates this particular ^'temple of a soul" from that housing the soul of my neighbor, whom I think I know intimately. THINK! Look into the experiences of the past, with the lessons they have taught, and ponder them well. Continue to think, and think hard! This is the very best sort of exercise for the mind. This is the kind of brain exercise that, while not robbing the mind of one jot of its plasticity, so essential for gathering new ideas and new facts, yet at the same time, develops in a maximum degree the persistency of the mental pathways that make up the memory process.

To say it in a word then, much thoughtful reading and observation will give the mind that exercise which it craves, and without which tenacity can never be developed in the mental tissues. Let us now look at another phase of this development.

. While we have gone Temperance m j^^^ ^^^^ considerable All Things : ^^^^.j ^^^^^^ ^^ indicate

the necessity for continuous mental exercise, there yet remains something that dare not be overlooked in the development of tenacity.

No matter how much good exercise the mind may be given, all the good accomplished can be undermined and entirely destroyed, if the laws of temperance are violated.

By temperance, we mean the term in its broadest sense.

PRACTICE TEMPERANCE! This is one of the first rules of existence; so much so as to have made a truism out of the statement that a man who practices gluttony in any form has transgressed nature's laws, and one day must pay the penalty.

Since we have discovered that tenacity of mind is a physiological condition of the brain, it must naturally follow that anything which is good for the physical organism, is also good for mind tenacity.

If the individual is ill in one part of his organism, all other parts extend their sympathy, and at least to a certain degree, become ill also; it naturally follows therefore, that during illness the memory can not be as good as when no illness is recorded in any part of the organism. We say, therefore, that it is of the highest importance to keep in good physical condition at all times, if this can possibly be accomplished. Accordingly, in developing memory, the laws of Hygiene should be carefully observed, and any slight in this direction will inevitably affect adversely the tenacity of the mental pathways.

This being true, then, it is absolutely essential that good wholesome food be eaten, in order to secure the best results. Good fresh healthgiving air must be taken into the lungs in sufficient quantity. The individual should provide himself with good, sanitary, and healthful surroundings.

He must give the physical organism the physical exercise that it requires to be at its best. Much walking should be done in the open air. Long tramps are beneficial.

All of these things contribute to the weKare of the physical organism, and therefore influence the brain, which is a part of that organism and the seat of mind.

Now here are some don'ts, and they should be heeded religiously:

Don't practice dissipation in any degree whatsoever.

Don't act immorally.

Don't fail to get the amount of sleep necessary to keep your organism at its highest point of efficiency.

Don't overeat.

Don't under any circumstances fail to give proper and careful attention to the process of digestion.

Don't overexert yourself in physical exercise.

Don't worry about anything, for worry profits you nothing and generates a poison at the roots of memory.

Don't under any circumstances grow inactive and lazy.

Don't indulge excessively in the use of tobacco.

In short, don't be intemperate in anything.

Practice at all times the virtue of temperance in its broadest sense, and the tissues of your cerebral cortex are bound to be benefited to such a degree that the tenacity of the memory pathways will be greatly enhanced.

Chapter III Development Of Additional Pathways

Increasing the Every incident of life Number : experienced by the in-

dividual leaves its impression on the mind. Every experience impresses the mental tissues in such a manner as to leave its mark, which we have called and shall continue to call throughout this treatise, a memory pathway.

We have learned before that an efficient memory depends first, on the tenacity of these pathways; the persistence with which they remain with us; and second, on their number.

We explained above, the methods by means of which the tenacity of the pathways may be developed and accentuated.

It will be the province of this chapter to suggest ways and means for developing within the mind the largest possible number of pathways.

We remarked before that every experience, however insignificant, leaves its mark; therefore, it naturally follows that the individual who treats his mind to the greatest number of experiences, all other things being equal, will develop the best memory;- but in an earlier chapter we suggested that a good memory is characterised as much by the quality retained in the mind as by the quantity. Consequently there are hundreds of mental experiences with which all of us are more or less familiar, that represent idle, useless truck, and might better be forgotten than retained. Therefore, in speaking about the development of memory pathways through a large number of mental experiences, we shall constantly refer in this book to mental experiences of the right sort, and when we speak of quantity, so essential to good memory, we shall always have in mind its logical concomitant, quality.

We are now ready to discuss the best methods for securing the maximum number of mental experiences possessing the highest degree of quality. This brings us back to the matter discussed in the previous chapter. First of all, your life work must have been decided upon, in order that you may know in which field to first begin the acquisition of the memory pathways.