years, who did not know that his memory had failed most remarkably
until I told him of it. He is making vigorous efforts to bring it back
again, and with partial success. The method pursued is to spend two
hours daily, one in the morning and one in the evening, in exercising
this faculty. The patient is instructed to give the closest attention to
all that he learns, so that it shall be impressed on his mind clearly.
He is asked to recall every evening all the facts and experiences of the
day, and again the next morning. Every name heard is written down and
impressed on his mind clearly and an effort made to recall it at
intervals. Ten names from among public men are ordered to be committed
to memory every week. A verse of poetry is to be learned, also a verse
from the Bible, daily. He is asked to remember the number of the page of
any book where any interesting fact is recorded. These and _other_
methods are slowly resuscitating a failing memory."

[Sidenote: _Real Cause of Failing Memory_]

As remarked by Professor James, "It is hard to believe that the memory
of the poor old gentleman is a bit the better for all this torture
except in respect to the particular facts thus wrought into it, the
occurrences attended to and repeated on those days, the names of those
politicians, those Bible verses, etc., etc."

The error in the book first quoted from lies in the fact that its author
looks upon a failing memory as indicating a loss of retentiveness. The
_real_ cause is the loss of an intensity of interest. _It is the failure
to form sufficiently large groups and complexes of related ideas,
emotions and muscular movements associated with the particular fact to
be remembered. There is no reason to believe that the retention of
sensory experiences is not at all times perfectly mechanical and