How to Strengthen the Memory

Some years ago I commenced investigating the various systems of mnemonics in connection with my friend, Mr, John Fretwell, of Eisenach, Germany. Whatever came in my way I gave to him, and whatever he found in his extensive travels and reading he at once communicated to me. The result was a mass of incongruous material, much of it having little value.

We found that most systems of mnemonics are altogether too cumbersome - using them is like employing a large amount of machinery to accomplish a small amount of work. It is more difficult to handle the machinery than to do what is to be done by simple and natural methods. These methods are given in this book. They are all easy, and adapted to every class of persons, be they learned or unlearned.

Let no one, however, imagine he can train and discipline his memory by reading this book; he must apply its principles, and that, too, for a long time. A half hour given to the subject every day so keeps the matter in hand that in the course of time every person with a weak and defective memory may have a strong one.