man who, in consequence of an apoplectic attack, lost the recollection of precisely four years.

sons.

Sometimes the loss of memory relates to particular perDr. Abercrombie mentions the case of a surgeon who was thrown from his horse and carried into a neighboring house in a state of insensibility. From this he soon recovered, and gave minute and correct directions respecting his own treatment. In the evening he was so much relieved, that he was removed to his own house. The medical friend who accompanied him in the carriage made some observation respecting the precautions necessary to be observed to prevent unnecessary alarm to his family, when, to his astonishment, he discovered that his friend had lost all idea of having either a wife or children. It was not until the third day that the circumstances of his past life began to recur to his mind.

Cases have occurred in which, from an injury to the head, the knowledge of a particular language has been lost. In other cases, not a language but a particular class of words has been dropped from the recollection. A case is mentioned, in which a patient suffered from an attack of apoplexy. On his recovery, he had lost the power of pronouncing or writing either proper names or any substantive, while his memory supplied adjectives in profusion. He would speak of any one whom he wished to designate, by calling him after the shape or color for which he was distinguished; calling one man "red," from the color of his hair, and another "tall," from his stature; asking for his hat as 66 black," and his coat as brown." good botanist, he was acquainted with a vast

66

As he was a number of

plants, but he could never call them by their names. A similar instance occurred, lately, in Livingston county, New York,

A remarkable case is mentioned in the life of Rev. Wn

Tennent, a distinguished clergyman of New Jersey, about the middle of the last century. While prosecuting his studies preparatory to the ministry, he was taken ill and apparently died. After lying for some days without manifesting any signs of life, he was resuscitated and recovered. When he regained his health, it was found that he had lost all knowledge of the past, and was obliged to commence his studies anew, beginning at the alphabet. He had proceeded in this manner for some time, and had advanced as far as the Latin grammar, when, on a sudden, he placed his hand on his head, complaining of violent pain, and, on the instant, his former knowledge had returned to him just as it existed previous to his illness. The whole account is very remarkable, but I believe its authenticity to be above suspicion.

Of these, and a vast number of similar facts, I believe our present knowledge is unable to furnish us with any explanation. They deserve to be recorded as material for future investigation. Subsequent inquirers may be enabled to use them so as to point out more clearly the connection between the mind and the material organism, and thus enlarge our knowledge of our intellectual faculties and the conditions of their exercise.

REFERENCES.

Nature of memory-Reid, Essay 3, chap. 1; Stewart, vol. i., chap. 6. Implies the power of retaining and recalling — Stewart, vol. i., chap. 6, sec. 1. Locke, Book 2, chap. 10, sec. 1, 2, 8; chap. 19, sec. 1.

Includes susceptibility, retentiveness and readiness-Stewart, vol. i., chap. 6, sec. 2.

An original faculty-Reid, Essay 3, chap. 2.

Involves conception - Reid, Essay 3, chap. 1; Stewart, vol. i., chap. 6, sec. 1.

Attended with belief of past existence and personal identity-Reid, Essay 3, chaps. 1, 4, 6.

Varies in different individuals

vol. i., chap. 6, sec. 1, 2.

Abercrombie, Part 3, sec. 1, Stewart,

Local and philosophical memory - Abercrombie, Part 3, sec. 1.

Greatly improvable — Stewart, vol. i., chap. 6.

Objects which awaken emotion easily remembered -- Stewart, vol. i chap. 6, sec. 1.

Ideas fade from memory-Locke, Book 2, chap. 10, secs. 4, 5.

Reviewing fixes knowledge-Abercrombie, Part 4.

Effect of disease on memory-Abercrombie, Part 3, sec. 1.

SECTION III. THE IMPORTANCE OF MEMORY.

IN treating of this subject, I shall consider, first, the relation of memory to our other faculties; and, secondly, the importance of a cultivated memory to professional success.

I. The relation between memory and our other intellectual faculties.

Memory is not necessary either to perception or consciousness. We could see, and hear, and feel, and be conscious of all the operations of our faculties, as well without memory as with it. It is not necessary to some acts of original suggestion. Without it we might have a notion of existence, both objective and subjective. We could not,

however, without it, form those original suggestions which involve the idea of succession. Thus, without it, we could have no notion either of duration or of cause and effect.

Memory, on the other hand, is essential to the existence of all those ideas into which the element of time enters. Without it our whole knowledge would consist of the impressions made upon us now and here. Our intellectual existence would thus be reduced to a single point. Whatever we had known previously to the present moment, whatever ideas had occupied our minds before the one which now occupies them, would be blotted out forever. Hence, though we could form a notion of that which was immediately before us, we could not retain that notion, or anything corre

sponding to it, after it was withdrawn. Being unable to form conceptions, we could perform no acts either of analysis, generalization, or combination. We could form no notion of classes, and could have no general ideas. We could exercise no power of association, for there would be nothing within the scope of our mental vision, except the single idea with which we were at the moment occupie 1. Equally impossible would it be for us to reason. We reason by the comparison of propositions; but every proposition involves two ideas, and one of these must designate a class; and without memory, as I have remarked, the notion of classes would be impossible. But if this be true of the single propositions which form a syllogism, how much stronger is the case when we consider the syllogism itself, and, still more, the series of syllogisms which form an argument.

Thus, memory holds an intermediate place between those mental acts into which time does and those into which it does not enter. It originates nothing; it gives us no new ideas; it merely retains the ideas given us by the originating faculties, and presents them to those other faculties whose office it is, by modifying, comparing, and combining, to enlarge our knowledge, and extend indefinitely the range of human intelligence. Thus, though memory originates nothing, yet, without it, the faculties which originate would be useless. Though it neither analyzes nor compares, yet, without it, the powers by which we analyze and compare might as well not exist. Were we possessed of this alone, our existence would be an absolute blank; yet, possessed of every other but this, our existence would be reduced to a single point. If this be the relation which memory sustains to our other faculties, it must evidently be one of the most invaluable of our intellectual endowments. The greater the perfection in which it exists, the broader foundation is laid for the exercise of our powers of analysis, combination,

and reasoning. The more accurately we retain and the more promptly we recall our knowledge of the past, the richer is our supply of material for every form of intellectual exercise.

II. The importance of a cultivated memory to professional success.

By a cultivated memory, I mean a memory so improved by education that it can treasure up with ease, retain with firmness, and recall with promptitude, the knowledge acquired by the other faculties.

1. Without such a memory it is evident that reading must be, to a great degree, useless. Without it, a man may be what Horace calls a "helluo librorum," a devourer of books; but he will rarely be anything more. We e sometimes meet with men of this class, omnivorous readers, who seize upon books with avidity, with no other object than, either present enjoyment, or the reputation of vast general knowledge. They are pleased with the images spread before them. These pass away to be succeeded by others, until the labor is completed, and nothing remains but a confused recollection of pleasant or painful emotions, and the consciousness that another unit has been added to the number of books which they have read. It is evident that a man may read, in this manner, forever, without any increase of mental energy, or any real addition to the amount of his knowledge.

2. A cultivated memory is also indispensable to a vigorous imagination. Imagination is the power of forming complex conceptions out of materials already existing in the mind. But it is evidently impossible to combine into images elements which we have never collected, or which, if we have previously collected, we are unable to recall. Hence, we find that those authors who have been remarked for boundless fertility of imagination have always been endowed