said the gentlemen who had promised to assist him had never appeared on a public platform before, and had known nothing of the system they were about to illustrate until about two months ago. He then entered into details of his system of mnemonics as applicable to the several occupations of life, and invited the company to test its efficacy by calling out a number of isolated words, the same to be written down in numerical order on a black board. This was done to the extent of 14 words, and some amusement was caused by the apparent oddity of the words thus announced from different parts of the room. The pupils - Messr. Baker, Hunter and Amoore - then, without looking at the board, repeated the words in numerical order and reversed order without a single mistake, much to the astonishment of the company. Mr. Stokes then entered into further explanations as to what his system of memory was capable of achieving, and to some slight extent described the principle on which the system was based; namely, association and localization - an acquired method of going from what one did know to what one did not know. As a further illustration of the results to be obtained by the act of artificial memory, Mr. Stokes again solicited the audience to dictate to his pupils any number of figures they thought proper, and which being done to the extent of forty-eight, they were written on a black board in the order named by the company thus:-138159849646835106120072160660720072089101235. In a short time the whole of these figures were repeated singly and in triplets forwards and backwards, and in any irregular order demanded by the company. This apparently difficult feat was performed by the three gentlemen in the most admirable and correct manner, Mr. Hunter being, apparently the most expert. In resuming his remarks, Mr. Stokes assured the company that the system was so easy to acquire as not to be beyond the capacity of the merest child, and that however strange it might appear, a boy or girl might by its means be taught the multiplication table in half an hour. He had taught his system in most of the principal schools and educational establishments and to persons of advanced life as well as those of tender age. It had been found a valuable aid to public speakers, many gentlemen having learnt to speak from thirty or forty points without notes. In fact, the more the system of(sic) investigated the more it was liked. A variety of other illustrations were next given by the three persons on the platform, consisting of answers to questions relative to the days of the week that any day of the year fell or would fall; also to the dates that referred to the historical events of this locality during several centuries, and finishing of with the recitation of Southy's "Cataract of Lodore". The whole of these difficult tests were per-
Page:Item 10 1862.pdf/135
From Historical Hastings
This page has been proofread