Memory Demonstrations

                   A few theatrical agents were gathered together  at a carnival, to see an act that everyone was raving about. As everybody watched in awed silence, Bosco, the Great, climbed up a ladder to a tiny pedestal, four hundred feet in the air.

On the pedestal, he took a deep breath, and then started to pump his arms to and fro. The drums rolled until they reached a noisy crescendo, and at this precise second Bosco, the Great, actually left the pedestal and flew!

His arms pumping madly, he flew around the entire arena, up and down, back and forth.

Just then one of the agents turned to another, and asked, “is that all he does, bird imitations?”!

            I SUPPOSE that some of you are wondering why I am teaching, or have taught, all the memory feats in this  book. You think that since I am a performer, and my performance does consist of memory stunts-I am creating competition for myself. Well, perhaps I am, but it doesn’t bother me too much. I know that if any of you do want to perform in front of an audience, you will have the ingenuity to put together your own stunts and plan your own routine. And, most important, you will realize that you have to sell yourself, not your memory feats.

It Pays to Remember Anniversaries, Birthdays and Other Important Dates

“Does your husband forget your anniversaries?”

“Never. I remind him of it in June, and again in January; and I always get two presents!”

             If a man’s memory is so poor that he can be led to believe that he has an anniversary every six months-then he deserves to have to buy two presents.

             Seriously though, the peg system can be applied to remembering not only important anniversaries, but also important dates in history. It is also helpful for memorizing addresses, prices or style numbers.

             As far as dates are concerned, if you want to remember people’s anniversaries or birthdays, just associate the people, or substitute words for their names, to the date, in this way:- Suppose Mr. Gordon’s birthday is April 3^rd. if you associate Mr. Gordon, or  the word, “garden” to “ram,” you would remember it. “Ram” represents 43, and Mr. Gordon’s birthday falls in the 4^th month, on the 3^rd day!

It Pays to Remember Appointments and Schedules

“The man who is always punctual in keeping appointments never loses anything by it.”

“No, only about half an hour waiting for the other fellow to show up.”

             THERE ISN’T much I can do about those of you who know that you have an appointment, and get there late, anyway. But  I think I can help you if you forget those appointments completely. You’ve already learned, in a previous ehapter, how to remember your errands or appointments for each day. You can still use that idea; but if, in your particular business, or even socially, you find if necessary to keep numerous appointments during the week at certain times of day, you’ll be interested in this chapter. The system contained here is one which enables  you to make a conscious association as soon as you’ve  made an appointment. By making this association, you can recall all your appointments for each day of the week without bothering with a date or memo book.

            For those of you who don’t care about remembering weekly appointments or schedules, I would suggest that you learn the idea behind the method anyway. You never know when you might find it useful. Please don’t let the length of the explanation frighten you; once you understand and use it, there’s nothing to it.

Amaze Your Friends

FARMER (showing off his farm to a friend):

How many sheep would you say were in that flock? See if you can get close with a rough guess.”

FRIEND (after short pause): “I’d say there were about 497 sheep there.”

“why, you hit it right on the head, that’s exactly right! How in the world did you know?”

“it was simple, really, I just counted all the legs, and then divided by four!”

            THE MEMORY stunt contained in this chapter may not be as astounding as dividing the legs of sheep by four, but it’s certainly easier to do. You’ll probably be glad to know that there are no mathematics involved at all-just a trained memory.

          A friend of mine in the textile business here in New York has told me that he has gained quite a reputation for himself by remembering numbers. He goes to lunch with a few business acquaintances each day, and he invariably asks them t9o give him any four or five digit number to memorize. He usually has anywhere from there to six people with him, and he memorizes the numbers they give him. They interrupt him during the luncheon to see if he can still recall the numbers, and, of course, he does.

Don't Be Absent-minded

Towards the conclusion of his lecture on the wonderful  sights to be seen in this world, the famous  traveler said, “There are some spectacles that one never forgets!”

At this point a tiny old lady in the back row, stood up and timidly inquired, “Oh, my, can you tell me where I could get a pair? I’m always forgetting mine!”

              ARE  you continually plagued by misplacing certain items? Do you waste precious time searching for your glasses or are you the type that’s always screaming, “But I just had it in my hands a moment ago!”? Do you always hide your valuable trinkets so well that you yourself can’t find them? Ladies; are you constantly late for a dare because you simply can’t locate your favorite lipstick? And, men; does your wife rant and scream while you laboriously search for that misplaced cuff link?

            If the answer to any of these questions is, “you,” run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookstore-.

          Well, if this were a radio or television commercial, it might sound something like that, don’t you think? But seriously, have I hit the bull’s eye with some of the above questions? I’m almost certain that I have, because very few of us are fortunate enough not to be absent-minded at times.

          Many people make the mistake of confusion  absentmindedness with a poor memory. Actually,  I feel that they should be considered as two entirely different things. People with excellent memories can also be absent  minded professor stories; well, be assured that in order to be a professor you must have a good memory to being with. The hundreds of gags about the absent-minded professors who wind their wives, kiss the cat good night and put out the clock, may be true  for all I know, but it still doesn’t signfy that they have poor memories.

The Importance of Memory

A business man traveling in the mid-west was told about an Indian, living in the vicinity, who had a most fantastic memory. Having just completed a memory course, and priding himself on his own newly acquired achievements, he decided to visit this Indian to see whose memory was better.

He introduced himself to the Indian and proceeded to test him. The memory expert answered every question quickly and accurately. His mind was storehouse of knowledge, containing such information as the important dates, scientific theories, etc. the business man couldn’t stump him. Finally, he decided to try one last question. “what did you have for breakfast on the morning of April 5^th 1931?”

The Indian didn’t hesitate for even a second, as he answered, “Eggs!”

The business man took his leave, completely stunned by this prodigious memory. When he arrived home, he told all his friends about it, only to have them scoff and say that eggs were usually eaten at breakfast, and that anyone could have answered that.

As the years passed, the man began to believe this, until one day he found himself back in the mid-west on a sales trip. One afternoon he happened to come upon the same Indian he had met here years ago. Wanting to show that his memory for faces was pretty good, he raised his hand in the traditional Indian greeting, and  said, “How.”

It Pays to Remember Telephone Numbers

The little girl was trying to get the telephone operator to find a telephone number for her.

OPERATOR:  you can find that number in your telephone directory.

LITTLE GIRL: Oh, I can’t, I’m standing on it!

                ALTHOUGH MOST of you do not have to stand on the telephone directory in order to use the phone, you do have to use it quite often to look up numbers that you’ve forgotten. Sure, many people feel that it isn’t necessary to remember phone  numbers since that’s just what the directory is for; but the fact remains that the phone companies have to keep information operators on duty continually. Next to forgetting names and faces, I think the most common memory complaint  is, “I simply can’t remember telephone numbers!” as I  mentioned in an earlier chapter most untrained memories are one-sided. Those w ho usually do remember telephone numbers can’t remember names, and vice versa. Of course, I intend for you to be able to do both , and more, with equal proficiency.

             My good friend Richard Himber, famous musician magician, realized that most people couldn’t remember phone numbers, so he did something about it. He made it very simple for everyone to remember his-he just told them to dial his name, R. Himber. Somehow, he managed to obtain an exchange  for his telephone that  begins with the letters, RH. The rest of the number is 4-6237, which  you get when you dial i-m-b-e-r. now, don’t you all dial it just  to see if this is true-take my word for it, it is!

More about Names and Faces

Ruth was a sweet and lovely girl and had many boy friends, but here mother felt it was time she was married.

While reading a book on the meanings of names, Ruth said, “Mother, it says here that Philip means ‘lover of horses,’ and James  means ‘beloved.’ I wonder what George means?”

“I hope, my dear,” said mother, “that George means business!”

          Now that you know how to make any name have meaning, by using a substitute word or thought, you have to know how to associate the name to the face in such a way as to remember both of them. Many memory systems teach the student to make a jinglet with the name; something like, “Mr. Baker is a faker” or “Mr. Gold is old,” or “Mr. Radcliffe had a mad tiff,” or “Mr. Lillienkamp is a carnival tramp.”

      This is fine, until you meet a Mr. Nepomosimo or a Mr. Smolensky. Even if you could quite grasp is how this would  help you to remember the person’s face, or rather, how one would bring the other to mind. No, I don’t think that this jinglet system is of too great a help. In my opinion, the only way to remember a person’s name is to associate that name to the person’s face in some ridiculous way. And here’s how to go about it:-

         Whenever you meet someone new, look at his face and try to find one outstanding feature. This could be anything; small eyes, large eyes, thick lips, thin lips, high forehead, low forehead, lines or creases on the forehead, long nose, broad nose, wide nostrils, narrow nostrils, large dimples, clefts, warts, mustache, lines on the face, large mouth, large mouth, teeth-just about anything.

What's in a Name?

    This fellow was very proud of the way he could remember names by association, until he met Mrs. Hummock. Mrs. Hummock was quite heavy, and had a large stomach, so he decided to use “stomach,” as his association.

There weeks later, he met the some lady glanced at her stomach, and feeling very pleased with himself, said, “good day, Mrs. Kelly!”

        I had the pleasure one of performing for the executive club of a well-known department store in New York City. This was their annual dinner, and demonstration in my performance that probably hits home for more people than any other is the one in which I remember everyone’s name.

       The way I usually do it is to introduce myself to all the guests as  they arrive, or, meet them while they’re having dinner. I simply walk from table to table getting everyone’s name (and getting hungry). I’ll meet all the people at one table, then the next, and the next, and so on, until I’ve met everyone in the room. I work as quickly or as slowly as time suggests. Many’s the time that I’ve had to meet one hundred to two  hundred people in fifteen minutes or less, without forgetting a single name! I give credit and praise to  my methods and systems, of course, not to myself.

It Pays to Remember Foreign Language Vocabulary and Abstract Information

             The more intelligible a thing is, the more easily it is retained in the memory, and contrariwise, the less intelligible it is,  the more easily we forgot it.

            YOU MAY not think that the above quote shows any particular brilliance on the part of Mr. Spinoza. You may feel, “sure, anyone knows that if something is intelligible, or makes sense, it is easier to remember.” Well, that’s true it is an obvious thought, but it took Mr. Spinoza to say it, or put it down on paper just that way, as far back as the 17^th century.

             I’m making a fuss about this particular quote because it tells you in one sentence what this entire book is about. Almost all the systems in the book are basically that-they help make unintelligible things intelligible. One example, of course, is the peg system; number by them-tem makes them mean something to you. 

             Perhaps the best example is in trying to memorize foreign-language  vocabulary. A word in a foreign language is nothing but a conglomeration of sounds to anyone who is not familiar with the language. That’s why they’re so difficult to remember.

            To make them easier to remember you will use the system of SUBSTITUTE WORDS. Substitute words or thing that is abstract, intangible or unintelligible; something that makes no sense to you, can’t be pictured, yet must be remembered. be sure you read this chapter carefully, because substitute words will also help you to remember names.

            Making up a substitute word is simply this:-  Upon  coming across a word that means nothing to you; that is intangible and unintelligible, you merely find a word, phrase or thought that sound as close to it as  possible, and that is tangible and can be pictured in your mind.

It Pays to Remember Facts about People

.                        It is the common wonder of all men, how among so many millions of faces there should be none alike- Sir Thomas Browne

                    Yes, fortunately, there are no two faces exactly alike. If all faces did look alike, we couldn’t remember them, or the names, memory system or not. I have been challenged many times to remember the first names of a set of identical twins. So far, I have always been able to spot one difference, however minute, in their faces. It is to this difference that I would associate their names. So, as the French say, “Vive la difference”

                  If you have studied the previous chapters on how to remember names and faces; and if you have tried the methods, you should be greatly improved by now. A1-though in most cases it is the second, or family names, that most of us want to remember , some of you may be interested in remembering first, or given names, as well . This too, can be done with a conscious association. You can use a substitute word for the first name, as well. This too, can be done with a conscious association. You can use a substitute word for the first name, and get that into you know very well having the same first name, with the person you wish to remember.

                  Substitute words for first names are easy to find; Harry could be “hairy”; Clark could be “clock”; for William, I always picture a man with a bow arrow as William Tell, while money or “rich” always means Richard, to me Anne could be “ant”; Marion could be “marrying”; for Gloria, you might see the American Flag (old Glory), etc 

                  If you use the substitute word idea for remembering first names, after a while you will have one at your fingertips for any one that you meet.

It pays to Remember Names and Faces

                   Two men approached each other on the street with a look of recognition in their eyes. One said to the other, “Now wait a minute, don’t tell me, I know I know you, but I’m not sure of where we met. Let me see if I can think of your name. I‘ve got it! We met in Miami Beach two years ago’.

             ‘No, I’ve never been to Miami Beach.”

             “Hold it, don’t tell me-oh, yes, it was on the boardwalk of Atlantic City that we met.”

            “Sorry, I’ve never visited Atlantic City.”

            “I’ve got it now! Chicago in 1953!”

           “Nope, I was not in Chicago in 1953.”

           “Well, I know we’ve met, where do I know you from?”

           “Idiot! I’m your brother!!”

          “Oh, I know your face, but I just can’t remember your name!”

         Although I doubt if any of you are as bad as the fellow in the anecdote how often have you been embarrassed because you had to say this? I’m sure it has happened to you many times. If I were to take a poll as to why most people want to take my memory course , I think it would show that at least 80% want to because they can’t seem to be able to remember names and faces.

          Usually, of course, it is the name that has been forgotten, not the face; the reason for this is quite simple. You see, most of us are what we call “eye-minded.” in other words; things that we see register upon our brains with much more emphasis than what we hear. You always see the face, but usually only hear the person’s name. That’s why most of us, time after time, have to say, “I recognize your face, but I can’t remember your name.”

It Pays to Remember dates

“What day is today?”

                    “Gosh, you’ve got me, I don’t know what day it is.”

                    “Well, why don’t you look at that news paper you have  in your pocket-that should tell us.”

                                    “Oh, no, that won’t do us any good; it’s yesterday’s paper!”

                         ALTHOUGH all of us can tell what day today is by looking at yesterday’s   paper-how many of you can tell quickly, or slowly, for that matter, the day of the week that any date this year will fall on?  Not many,  different methods  for calculating  the day of  the week for any given date, not the least of which is counting on your fingers.

                         Some of the systems are  so involved that is seers rauces  simpler to take the time  to find a calendar, and get  you information there. On the  other hand, there are ways of   actually knowing the day of  actually knowing the day of the week for any date  in the twentieth century! This doesn’t seem to me to have any particular practical value; although it may have for some of you. Used as a memory stunt, however, it is    quite impressive.

                         I intend to teach you how to do that in this chapter, but first, for practical use, I have come across a very simple way to find the day of the week for any date of the current year. This idea is so easy, that most of you will wonder why you didn’t think of it yourselves. This is it:-

Some Pegs for Emergencies

                            The memory is always present; ready and anxious to help-if only                   
  we would ask it to do so more often.

                                                                                          -RogerBroille                                                                                                                                                                                                      

                             

                     Many Times when I’ve been challenged to prove that any-one can remember by using something similar to the peg system-I would use a method which taught the skeptic to memorize ten miscellaneous objects forwards and backwards, and in and out of order, in about five minutes. What I did was to put ten small items, in a row, on a table; items like a ring, a watch, a cigarette, a match book, a comb, etc. I then told the person that these ten objects were to represent the numbers from one to ten. 

                                  Now I taught him to associate the item I called to the object on the table which represented the number called In other words, if I called “typewriter” as #7, and the seventh  item on the table was the ring. Later on, when I asked if he remembered #7, he would count to the seventh object, the ring which would remind him of the typewriter.

                                  This usually convinced the skeptic that he could remember better than he thought he could, but he always wanted to know if he’d have to carry those ten items with  him. Of course, if had have to carry those ten items with have had a list of ten pegs to which to associate any other palely  unassociated items to use for a peg list; and, in this case, would hardly be worth the trouble.

                                However, as I mention elsewhere in the book, it was Simonies  who first used the rooms of his house, and the furniture in the rooms as a peg list. And this idea will also, there  is to mush sameness in pieces of furniture to make a useful list. There is the possibility of becoming confused, and it would take time to know which number each piece represented.

It Pays to Remember Long Digit Numbers

The memory is a treasurer to whom we must give funds, if we are  to draw the assistance we need.  

                                                                                                     –Rowe

                 ONCE, during my performance at the Concord Hotel in upstate New York, a “friend” in the audience asked me to memorize the  number, 414, 233, 442, 475, 059, 125. I did, of course, using my systems. The reason I mention this now is because I had forgotten the little stunt I used as a child. I would boast  to my friends of what a marvelous memory I had, and ask one of the boys (a marvelous course) to call  out a long digit number. He would then Sixth Avenue Subway. We all knew these stops, and it would have been quite obvious if he had said, “4,” then “14” and then “23,” and so on. However, hearing the numbers in groups if three made then unrecognizable to the uninitiated.

                  In those days the Sixth Ave. express stopped at West 4^th Street, then 14^th street, 23^rd street, 34^th street , 42^nd street , 47^th and 50^th streets, 59^th street, 125^th street, etc. I would simply call off these stops ad leave my pals exclaiming over my prodigious memory. This all proves that numbers can be remembered if they are made to represent or mean something to us. I have helped you to do just that by utilizing the peg system. Now, any number, whether it represents subway stops or not, can be made to mean something to you. And, in my personal opinion, that is the only way to memorize and retain a number. Yes I’ve heard of the few rare cases of people who could memorize number instantly. I’ve heard of one person who could remember and retain long numbers as they were flashed before his eyes. (I wish I could do it!) these fortunately, these are the few exceptions that strengthen my belief.

It Pays to Remember Playing Cards

“Yes, my grandfather was a gambler, and he died at a very early age.” 

"Gosh, that’s too bad.   How did it happen?”

“He died of five aces!”

                              SINCE I want you all to stay healthy, the memory feats in this lesson utilize a regular deck of cards; not with five, but with the usual four Aces. Truthfully, although this chapter is devoted entirely to remembering playing  cards, I am stressing the demonstrations you can do with a deck  of cards and your trained memory. The systems, however, can be applied to many card games. Please don’t think that after you’ve mastered these you can always win at cards. Keep  in mind that you can’t beat a man at his own  game. I will leave the applications of the systems up to you; I use them for demonstration purposes Only.

                             The late Damon Runyon used the following in one of his stories: “ ‘Son,’ the old guy says, ‘no matter how far you travel, or how smart you get,  always remember this; Someday, somewhere, a guy is going to come to you and seal is never broken, and this guy is going to offer to bet you that the Jack of Spades will jump out of this deck and squirt cider in your ear.’

“  ‘But, son,’ the old guy says, ‘do not bet him, for as sure as you do you are going to get an ear full of cider.’ 

                              The memory stunts you will do with cards after studying these methods will seem  almost as amazing to your friends. Aside from that, they are also wonderful memory exercises. I suggest that you read and learn the contents of this chapter whether or not you indulge in card playing.

It Pays to Remember Speeches, Articles, Scripts and Anecdotes

                       The confused and nervous speaker was introduced after dinner. He approached the microphone  and murmured haltingly: 

                        “My f-f-friends, wh-when I arrived here this evening only Good and I know what I  was going to say to you. And now, only God knows!”

                         I GUESS that one of the most embarrassing thing that can happen to a person is to forget a speech while in front of his audience. Next to forgetting the speech is the embarrassment of faltering long as if you’re not sure of what you have to say. Actually, it seems to me that anyone who is asked to give a talk on any particular subject must know that subject pretty well; otherwise why would he be asked to talk about it? No; speakers who  falter or hesitate forgotten the next word-or because they are fearful that they will forget the next word.

                       There, in my opinion, lies the problem. If a speech is memorized word for word, and then a word, here and there, is forgotten; it surely will not be delivered as it should be. Why should  you have to grope for one particular word? If you can’t think of it; why, use any other word that serves the same purpose. Isn’t that much better than hemming and hawing until you remember the exact phrasing just the way you memorized it?

                       The people who realized this felt that the next best thing would be to simply read the speech. This solves the problem of forgetting words, until you lose your place on the paper, and forget what you’re  talking about altogether. Besides, it seems to me that there is a subtle annoyance evident in an audience that is listening to someone reading a speech word for word. I know I feel that way; he might just as well have given me a printed copy of the speech to read at my own leisure.

                         So, the next step seems to be not to prepare at all. (Well, not quite.)  Even if you are well versed in your subject, you may forget some of the fact you want to speak about. As in the case of the case of the itinerant preacher who always complained that he  made his best speeches on the way home. All the he had forgotten to tell his listeners came to mind then, and his horse usually got the best part of the speech.

                        I believe that the best way to prepare a speech is to lay it out thought for thought. Many of our better speakers do just that. They simply make a list if each idea or though that they want to talk about, and use this list in  lieu of notes. In this way, you can’t forget words, since you haven’t memorized any. You can hardly lose your place; one glance at your list will show you the next thought to put into words.

                    But for those of you who would rather not rely on pieces of paper—the Link method can help you easily. If you wish to memorize your speech thought for thought, from the beginning to the end, you would be forming a sequence. That’s why you would use the  Link method of memory to memorize it.

                       I would suggest that you go about it something like  this:- First, write out or read the entire speech. When you’re satisfied with it, read it over once or twice more to get the “gist” of it.      Now, get yourself  a piece of paper and start to list your KEY WORDS.

                       Read the first thought of the speech. This might be contained in one, two or more sentences; it doesn’t matter, Now select one word or phrase from these sentences which you think will bring  the entire thought to mind!  that is not at all difficult.  In every sentence or paragraph there must be one word or phrase which will remind you of the entire thought. That one word or phrase is your Key Word.

                        After you have found the Key Word for the first thought, find one for the next thought, and so on. When you’re through with whole speech, you’ll have a list of Keys to remind you of each thing you want to say. Actually, if you were to keep this list in front of you as you made the speech, it would serve the purpose. But, if you’ve mastered the Link system, you know that it is just as easy to make a link of these Key Words, and then throw away the paper.

                            You might, for example, be giving a talk on your local school problems at a parent-teacher Association meeting . Your list of Key Words might look something like this:- crowds, teachers, fire, furniture, subjects, playground, etc. In other words, you wish to start your speech with a reference to the crowded conditions in the class rooms.  Then you want to talk about the teachers; perhaps about methods and salaries, etc. Now, you express your thoughts on discussion on the state of the school’s furniture; the desks, chairs, blackboards, equipment, and so on. Now, you would talk about your ideas on the subjects taught, and finally, the recreation (playground) facilities of the speech!

At first, you may have to list, perhaps, two or three Key Words for some  thoughts. List as many of them as you need, to remember the entire speech. As you use this idea, the amount of Keys necessary will be less and less. And,  most important, the confidence you gain by knowing that you remember your talk will show when you deliver it. Just keep in mind that you must take care of the thoughts; the words will take care of themselves!

                                  If, for some reason or other, you wish to memorize a speech word for word, use the same method. You’ll just have to go over it more often. Remember that all these systems are aids to your true memory. “if you remember the main, the incidentals will fall into place.” You actually never forget anything you’ve remembered, you just have to be reminded of it; the system in this book will do that for you. So, if you remember the main thoughts of your speech, the incidentals, the ifs, and and buts, will fall into place.

                              The same ideas are used to memorize any article you read, if you desire. First read the article, of course, to get the gist of it. Then pick out the Key Words for each thought; then make a link to remember them, and you’ve got it. With a bit of practice, you’ll actually be able to do this as you read.

                            Many times while reading for enjoyment, I’ll come across some piece of information that I’d like to remember. I simply make a conscious association of it, while I’m reading. This idea can, if used enough, speed up your reading considerably. I think that most people are slow readers because by the time they’ve reached the third paragraph, they’ve forgotten what was in the first; so they have to jump back.

                             There is no need to associate everything; just the points that you feel are necessary to remember. Perhaps, if you use my systems, you will fall into the first class of readers in American educator, William Lyon Phelps’ two classes. He once said, “I divide all readers into two classes; those who read to remember and those who read to forget.”

                             The same system of linking Key Words can be used for remembering lyrics and scripts. Of course, in this case it is usually necessary to memorize them word for word. You will have to go over them more often, but the Key Word idea will make the job that much easier for you. If you have trouble memorizing your cues in a play, why not associate the last word of the other actor’s line to the first word of your line. Even if your cue tells you  that you must perform an action, instead of speaking  a line, you can still associate it. If the last word of the line prior to your action happens to be, say, “walk”; and the script calls for you to stoop down to pick up a cigarette butt-make a picture in your mind of yourself walking along and continually stooping to pick up cigarette butts. (in this way you will never walk on another actor’s lines.)

                             I’ll mention one other use of the Key Word idea, before leaving it entirely. How many times have you wanted to tell your friends some jokes or anecdotes that you recently heard, only to find that you’ve forgotten them completely? You can hear a whole batch of really funny stories one day, and have them all,  or most of them, slip your mind the next. Well, according to Irvin s. Cobb, “A good storyteller is a person who has a good memory and hopes other people haven’t”.

Your memory for stories and anecdotes will improve immediately if you use the Key Word system. Just take one word from the story, a word from the punch line is usually best, that will bring the entire joke to mind. When you get your key words, you can either  link them to each other to remember all the stories in sequence, or use the peg system to remember them by number.

                        Perhaps you’ve heard the gag that has been making the rounds recently about the Flying saucer that landed in America. Out stepped a creature from outer space-brushed himself off with one of his six arms, looked around with the one large eye in the center of his forehead, and kept his antennae alert for any sounds.

                        After exploring a bit, he finally approached a gas station, walked over to the gasoline pump, saluted, and demanded, “take me to your president”!

                         Well, if you hadn’t heard this before, and wanted to remember it with perhaps ten or twelve other stories-you could use either flying saucer, creature from outer space, or gasoline pump as your key word for this story. Any one of these would surely bring the entire story to mind, if you liked it in first place.

                          Although I’m sure that many of you will find some practical use for it, one of the memory stunts I sometimes use in my shows is the “magazine test.”  This usually causes a bit of comment because it seems to be the most amazing of memory feats. Actually it is basic and simple.

What happens is this:-    The audience is given some copies of a current magazine. (I usually use Tempo Magazine, which is published by the Enterprise Magazine management, inc.)

They are then asked to call  any page number, and I immediately tell them the highlights of that particular page.

                          This is merely another use of the peg system of memory. In some instances the link method is used in conjunction with the peg, as will be explained directly. To memorize the pages of any picture magazine, all you have to do is to associate the peg word that represents the page number to the highlight of that page.

                      For example:- if page #1 has a picture of an airplane on it, you would make a ridiculous association between “tie”(1) and airplane.

                          Page #2 might be an advertisement for shoe polish. Associate “Noah”  to shoe polish.

                          Page #3 has a picture of a horse on it. Associate “ma” to horse.

                          Page #4 might have a picture of a circus scene; just associate ”rye” to circus.

                         Page #5 is an advertisement for a television set. Associate “law” to television set.

                         Page #6 is a book review. Associate “shoe” to book.

                      That’s all there is to it. If you go over the magazine and highlights of every page. If a page has more than one picture on it, sue the Link method to remember them. Assume that page #14 is a fashion page, and it has a picture of a hat, one of gloves and a third of a dress.

                        First associate “tire” (14) to the first picture, which is of a hat. Now, link hat to gloves, and then gloves to dress. When page #14 is called, the peg word will remind you of hat; hat will tell you that the next picture is of gloves, and gloves will remind you of dress.

                           If you have seen my performance, you know that I also tell the audience on what part of the page the picture is located; whether it is on the lower or upper left part of the page, upper or lower right, or center, etc. well, you can do this too, and without any extra effort. 

How to Train You Observation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     PARIS

                                                                                                                                                      IN

                                                                                                                                                                   THE           THE

                                                                                                                                                      SPRING

                    HAVE you looked at the phrase in the box on top of this page? If you have, read it again to make sure that you know what it says. Now turn your head away from the book and repeat the phrase. Check it again to see if you have it  right! Some of you will probably think it’s a bit silly for me to ask you to keep making sure of a simple phrase like that, but it’s important for you to be absolutely aware of what it says.

                       Now-if you’ve looked at it closely at least three times; what does it say!? Does it say, “Paris in the spring”? I guess that most of you are nodding, “You, of course, that’s what it says,” Well, as the risk of being repetitious, check it again, will you?

Have you looked at it again? If you still think it reads, “Paris in the spring,” your observation is not as keen as it should be. If you will check it once more, and this time point to each word as you read the phrase, you will be amazed to discover that it reads, “Paris in the  spring”! There is one “the” too many in the phrase!

                         Now  you see why I asked you to look at it repeatedly. I wanted to prove that you could look at it any number of times and still not notice the extra “the.” If you did not know whether this little stunt would be as when used by  itself. You see, I’ve tested hundreds of people with this, and only one or two spotted it  quickly.  Prove it to yourself by printing it just exactly as I have it, on a 3x5 index card, or on a piece of paper of similar size. The little x under or on the word, “spring” is just misdirection. It tends to draw the readers’ eyes down to it, and the phrase itself, because it is such a familiar one make one and try it with your friends. I’ve had people look at it as many as ten or fifteen times, and they were willing to bet anything that they knew just what it said. You can ask them to read out loud directly from the card and they still say, “Paris in the spring”!

                        I am discussing this only to show that the sense of observation could stand a little sharpening, for most of us . as I said earlier in the book, although my systems actually force you to observation can be strengthened with a little practice. If you’re  interested in helping your memory, don’t sell observation short. You just can’t remember anything that you do not  observe to begin with. Educator Eustace H. Miles said about the same thing, “What one has never properly realized, one cannot properly be said to remember either.” If you haven’t observed, then you haven’t realized, and what you haven’t observed, then you haven’t realized, and what you haven’t  realized you can’t forget, since you never really remembered it in the first place.

                         If you want to take the time, it is a simple matter to strengthen your sense of observation. You can start right now! You’re probably reading this at home, sitting in a room that should be thoroughly familiar to you. Take a piece of paper, and without looking around you, list everything in the room. Don’t leave out anything you can  think of, and try to describe the entire room in detail. List every ashtray, every piece of furniture, pictures, doodads, etc. Now, look around the room and check you have seen them countless times. Observe them now! Step out of the rooms and test yourself once more. Your list should be longer in your home. If you keep at this, your observation will be keener no matter where you happen to be.

                         You’ve all heard, I’m sure, of the little experiment that a college professor tried with his students. He  had a violent murder science enacted in fount of them, without letting  them know that it was just an act. All of the students were told that they must act as witnesses, and  were told to describe, in detail, what they saw. Of course, all the descriptions  varied, even down to what the murderer looked like. All the students in the class had seen the same thing, but their observation and their memories were faulty.

                        This was also proven by Steve Allen, when he hosted the “Tonight” TV show. Some members of his cast suddenly burst in front of the cameras, enacting  a wild, violent scene. Some shots were fired (blanks, of course), clothes were torn, and so on. The whole thing lasted perhaps a minute. Then Mr. Allen  had three members of the audience come up to attempt to answer some pertinent  questions about the scene. He asked how many  shots were fired, who was shootings  at whom, color of clothing, etc.  All the answers varied and nobody seemed quite sure of  anything. As a matter of fact, when Steve asked Sketch Henderson (who had fired the shots) how many shots he bad fired-Sketch  wasn’t too sure himself.

                       Of course, you can’t go around looking for violent scenes to observe-but you can practice in this way:- Think of someone whom you know very well. Try to picture his or her face; now see if you can describe the face on paper. List everything you can possibly remember. Go into detail-list color of hair and eyes, complexion, any or all outstanding features, whether or not he or she wears  glasses, what type of glasses, type of nose, ears, eyes, mouth, forehead, approximate height and weight, hairline, on  which side is the hair parted   is it parted at all, etc., etc. The next time you see this person, check yourself. Note the things you didn’t observe and those you observed incorrectly. Then try it again! You will improve rapidly.

                           A good way to practice this is  in a subway or bus, or any public conveyance. Look at one person for a moment, close your eyes and try to mentally describe every detail of this person’s face. Pretend that you are a witness  a criminal investigation, and your  description is of utmost importance. Then look at the person again (don’t stare, or you will be in a criminal investigation ) and check yourself. You’ll  find your observation getting finer each time you try it.

                         One last suggestion as to a form of practice. Look at any shop-window display. Try to observe everything in it  (without using the peg or Link systems). Then list all the items without looking at the display. You can wait until you’re home to do this; then go back to check, when you can. Note the items you left out and try it again. When you think you’re become proficient at it, try remembering the prices of the items also.

     

Uses of the Peg and Link Systems

                     New patient:  “Doctor, I don’t know what to do. You’re got to help me; I just can’t remember a thing. I’ve no memory at all. I hear something one minute, and the next minute, I forget it Tell me, what should I do?” 

                                  Doctor: “Pay in advance!”

                       I can’t blame the doctor for wanting his fee in advance in the above anecdote; but I guess that most of us who forget to pay  bills do so because we don’t want to remember them. According to Austin Alleyway, “A habit of debt is very injurious to the memory,” Unfortunately, we are usually soon  reminded of debts.

                        If you’ve grasped the idea behind the Link and the Peg systems of memory, you have learned two of the three things that your trained memory will be based upon. The third is the system of substitute words or substitute thoughts, which I will discuss in later chapters. You can start applying what you’ve learned immediately, if you want to. Not particularly for remembering debts, which I’m sure you’d rather forget, but perhaps for memorizing the errands that you have to do for each day. If you usually write out your shopping list, why not try to memorize it with the help of the Link system. Simply link the first item to the second  item the second to the third, and so on, down the list. You can memorize an entirely different list the next time you go shopping without fear of confusion. The beautiful thing about the Link method is that you can forget a list whenever you wish. Actually, when you memorize the second shopping list, the first one fades away. You can, of course, retain as many lists or links as you desire.

                          The mind is a most fantastic machine; it can be compared to a filing cabinet. If you have memorized a list of items with the Link system, which you want to retain you can . If you want to forget the list-you can .It is merely a question of desire. The list that you want to remember  is one which you probably intend to use, or you would have no etch  to retain it. The use  of the list itself will tend to etch it into your memory. If it happens to be a list that you do not intend to utilize right away, but which you feel you want to retain for future use-you can do that, too. You would have to go over the list in your mind the day after you memorized it. Then go over it again a few days later. After doing this a few times, you have filed the list away, and it will be ready when you need it.

We all realize, of course, that it is sometimes necessary to forget! Benjamin Disraeli, when asked about the favor shown him by royalty, said, “—I observe a simple rule of forget.” This , however, is a question of diplomacy, not memory; and I know that you’re reading this book not to be taught how to forget, but how to remember. I will show you soon how to use the Link system to remember speeches ,articles, anecdotes, etc.

                             The main difference between the Link and the Peg methods is that the Link is used to remember anything is sequence, while the Peg is for memorizing things in and out of order. You may feel that you have no need for the Peg system since you  don’t  have to remember anything out of order. Believe me when I tell you  that you definitely should learn the Peg system thoroughly. It will  be extremely useful for remembering telephone number  style numbers, long digit numbers, addresses-as a matter of fact, the Peg system will aid you in remembering anything that has to do with numbers in any way. Besides, it will enable you to do some fantastic memory stunts for your friends.

                             Although I intend to go deeper into memorizing schedules  or appointments  for the week, day or month, in later chapters-I can show you how to apply what you have already learned to this problem, right now. You can use either the peg or Link methods, or one in conjunction with the other.

                            Let’s assume that you have the following errands to do on one particular day: You have to have your car washed (now we know that it must rain  today ); make a deposit at the bank; mail a letter; see your dentist; pick up the umbrella that you forgot at a friend’s house  (you hadn’t read the chapter on absent-mindedness, as yet); buy some perfume for your wife; call or see the television repairman; stop at the hardware store for bulbs. A hammer, a picture frame, an extension cord and an ironing board cover, go to the bookstore to buy a copy of this book for a forgetful friend; have your watch repaired; and finally, bring home one dozen eggs. (My, but you’ve got a busy day!)

                           Now, as I’ve said, you can use the Link or peg systems to enable you to remember to do each of the above errands.  Using the Link method: Simply make a ridiculous picture between car and bank-you might see yourself driving into the bank in your recently washed car; you’re depositing letters instead of money; now picture your dentist pulling letters out of your mouth instead of teeth-or, he’s using a letter instead of a drill. To remember the errand concerning the umbrella-picture your dentist working   over you while he’s holding an umbrella over his head; make a ridiculous picture between umbrella and perfume, now, perfume to television; television to hardware; hardware to book; book to watch; and finally, watch to eggs.

                           I’ve given you examples with the first few errands only, because I want you to use your own imagination for forming ridiculous mental links. You simply do the same as if you were linking a list of objects. Actually it is the same thing-when you come to the watch repairing  and the purchase of   the dozen eggs, it isn’t necessary to get the repairing  or amount of eggs into the pictures.  Just use watch an egg for your ridiculous picture: You’re breaking an egg, and a wrist watch falls out: or, you’re wearing an egg instead of a wrist watch. The one item will bring the entire  errand to mind, of course. These are just memory aids or reminders; you already

have remembered that you must   repair the watch or that it is a dozen eggs that you need. Thinking of, or being reminded of watch, And egg is all that  is necessary to start you off on your errand.

                       When you get to the hardware store, you have to buy five items. Make a separate link of these five:-you can start by “seeing” a large bulb as the proprietor of the store; you break him with a hammer; you frame a hammer and hang it on your wall, and so on, to ironing board cover.

                       After you have linked all your errands for the day, all you have to do is complete one, and that will remind you of the next, and so on. However, you needn’t do all these errands in sequence just because you needn’t  do all these errands in sequence just because you used the Link method to remember them. That ,might  make it a little inconvenient, unless you’ve arranged  your errands accordingly. No, you can do them in any order you like. Each time you complete an errand, go over the link in your mind, in order to remind  yourself if there is one that is convenient to take care of at that moment,  considering  the time and place. When you think you have attended to all your  duties for the day, go over the link, and if  there is one you’ve missed,  you’ll know it immediately.

                             You can utilize the Peg system, of course, for the same thing. Just associate washing the car with your peg word for #1 (tie). You might picture yourself wearing a car instead of a tie. Now, associate     

                                          Bank to Noah (#2)

                                          Letter to ma (#3)

                                          Dentist to rye(#4)

                                          Umbrella to law (#5)

                                          Perfume to shoe (#6)

                                          Television to cow (#7)

                                         Hardware to ivy (#8)

                                         Book to bee (#9)

                                         Watch to toes (#10)

                                          Eggs to tot (#11)

                            Use the link to remember the different items you want at the hardware store. You could even use the Peg for this by making another set of associations, i.e., bulb to tie;  hammer to Noah, etc. They wouldn’t conflict at all, but it is easier to use the Link.

                       Now, again, when you’re ready to start the day, think of your peg for #1 (tie).  This will remind you that you have to get the car  washed. When that’s done, think of your peg for #2(Noah) and that will remind you to go to the bank, etc. You don’t  have to do these in order, either; simply keep going over the pegs, and if you’ve forgotten something,  it’ll stand out like an eagle in a canary cage.

                          There you have it! No more excuses to the wife that you forgot to wash  the car, or that you forgot to buy the eggs. As I mentioned before, we’ll go further into methods for remembering schedules and appointments in another chapter; wherein you will learn to remember appointments for definite times and days. For the time being what you’ve learned in this  chapter will suffice for simple errands. Before going to bed each night, list your errands and appointments for the following day. Memorize them as explained, then go over them in the morning just to make sure. That’s all there is to it.

Peg System of Memory

                      A certain organization, whose membership consisted of gag-writers only, was having its annual dinner at a swank hotel in New York City. One of the membership rules of the organization was that the members would never actually tell a joke or a gag to each other. They had memorized all the standard gags by numbers, and instead of telling the joke, they would save time by simply calling the number of that particular one.

                     During the dinner, as a situation would present itself, and any of the comedy writers thought of a gag to fit the situation, he would call the number, and shouts of laughter would invariably go up. “Number 148,” called one-peals of laughter. “Number 204,” shouted another-more laughter. Towards the end of the dinner, one of the new members shouted “Number 212,” and was greeted by a loud silence. Whereupon his neighbor turned to him and said, “You’ll soon teach, my friend, that it’s not the joke that’s important, but the way you tell it.”

                    ALTHOUGH the above is pure fiction, most people would say it is impossible to remember so many jokes by number. Let me assure you that it is possible, and I will teach you how, in a later chapter. First, however, you must learn how to remember the numbers. Numbers themselves are about the most difficult things to remember because they are completely abstract and intangible. It is almost impossible to picture a number. They are geometric designs and they mean nothing in our minds, unless they have been associated to something you know, over a period of time. Of course, your own address or your own telephone number does mean something to you. The problem is to be able to associate any and all numbers easily, quickly, and at any time.