A few represent the whole life, after the first 4 years, as best recalled, and know no poorest memory. The statement is made by persons past 80 that they still recall passing events well, in which they become interested, and to which they give attention. Middle aged people frequently designate the years 20-25 or 25-30 as the best remembered, for the reason that important changes were then occurring.

The poorest remembered year for the females also is the 8th, and the next poorest recalled is the 7th. Their best remembered year is the 15th. At the age of 50 the lines representing the best and poorest recalled years mingle freely, and after this the tendency is to recall the last 4 years or the last decade with the greatest difficulty. Here, too, are notable exceptions. It is worthy of note that the years poorest recalled by all persons are the 8th and 7th respectively. For all persons the years best recalled are those characterized by the great psychical and mental awakenings of adolescent life. It is true that after 50, proper names, at least, are not so well recalled. An explanation given by the returns is that middle aged people have many more acquaintances and fewer intimate friends. The early memories abate little to the last. At every period attention and interest are the handmaids of memory.

The sixth question called for false memories. The returns fully justify the discussion in a previous chapter as to the influence of dreams. There are inverted memories, and defective localization in the past is fairly common. The period 16-19 is that in which false memories are most common. The expe

rience at this age is fairly common to both sexes, but the males are able to give fewer definite examples. Yet, while false memories are more common at this period, no time of life seems free from them.

Y. F., f., age 16. Read of robbery in paper, and told it as seen. A. N., f., age 16. Told playmate a dream, and was punished for lying. A. B., f., age 17. Four years ago I dreamed a person was dead, and supposed it was true until I met her a year ago.

M. C., f., age 17. friend went to it.

Dreamed of a fire, and the next day asked if a

L. C., f., age 17. Dreamed that price of potatoes had gone up, that mother had told me so. Found out my mistake at the dinner table. Dreamed mother had bought me a new dress. Looked for it all over the house. M. D., f., age 19.

F. C., f., age 17.

been there.

Told teacher of a visit to Washington. Had never

H. D., f., age 17. Dreamed uncle had come to visit us. Next morning asked mamma if uncle had come down to breakfast yet.

T., f., age 9. Mistook event near close of voyage home from Scotland to have been on the outward voyage.

M., f., age 17. Visited a friend five summers ago. The friend visited her seven summers ago. M. states that she made the first visit, and no amount of explanations and dates changes her mind.

T., m., age 19. Member of foot-ball team, in writing from memory a report of the games in which he played, often related events as occurring at the beginning of the game which, as a matter of fact, occurred later. This was brought to his notice by men who stood on the side lines and kept running notes of the game.

F. W., m., age 26. College graduate. Thought aunt told me something coming home from a funeral 8 or 10 years ago. Recently learned that she and I returned from the funeral in different carriages, and that it was told me by another relative.

A. F., m., age 18. Often thought I was at a feast in the woods before I was born. Have an impression of having done something

R. C., m., age 15. ages before.

C. B., m., age 17. for me,

Dreamed there was a train of cars in the closet

but found none. E. L., m., age 14%. not find them.

A. H., m., age 19. seemed real.

Dreamed I had a bushel of pennies, but could

Dreamed of landscapes which I never saw. They

Some of the dreams may remain permanently as real, but they are apt to be corrected by experience.

Question seven called for the book read before the age of 9 which is best recalled. Books which appeal strongly to the imagination constitute a large portion of those mentioned. The influence of rhyme also apparently aids the memory. The books most frequently mentioned, 180 in all, fall under the heading of light stories and nursery rhymes. While short children's stories are included, the Mother Goose Melodies, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc., make up a large part of this heading. The younger people, especially, recall the pictured story books which they have seen in rich profusion. Here might have been placed Little Lord Fauntleroy, mentioned by 14, and Babes in the Woods, by 3.

The second division comprises novels which lead school books by the slight margin of 92 to 90. The list of novels is largely increased, however, by books mentioned separately, and which were not included in the above estimate. Such are Pilgrim's Progress remembered by 20, Black Beauty by 17, Uncle Tom's Cabin 14, Oliver Twist 3, Beautiful Joe 1, Tom Brown's School Days 1, Rip Van Winkle 3.

Fairy Tales by Grimm, Andersen and others, come next, 82, not including Cinderilla 25, Arabian Nights 5, Æsop's Fables 2, Blue Beard 8.

Returning to novels one separated from the general list is designated almost as many times as are all other novels. It is Robinson Crusoe mentioned 71 times. The Swiss Family Robinson is mentioned 25 times, Gulliver's Travels twice. Of other books Bible stories are designated by 43, didactic works by 11, biography by 14, history by 13, natural history by 16. Little Men by Miss Alcott is mentioned by 9, and Little Women by

16. A middle aged man writes that he recalls Little Men better than any book he has ever read. Essays are mentioned by 3, Moody and Sankey Hymn Book by 1. The Scrap Book and Brownies have one vote each. Peck's Bad Boy is mentioned twice.

The pedagogical significance is unmistakable. What appeals to the child's imagination interests him, and as a result remains in memory. Historical and didactic novels are most potent of the permanent influences. Scott and Lord Lytton, not mentioned here, if read early will be remembered. The Bible stories are the portions of sacred Scripture best suited to the child. Biography is well remembered and most instructive. There could be no better reading to appeal to the permanent interest of the young, than some of the best of Jowett's Dialogues of Plato.

PLEASANT AND UNPLEASANT MEMORIES.

"The thought of our past lives in me doth breed perpetual benediction."

A large number of replies were received to the inquiry, "do you remember pleasant or unpleasant experiences better?" The replies are illustrated by the curves here given.

The figures at the bottom give the age of the persons interviewed; the height of the curves gives the relative number of replies; the heavy lines representing those who remember the pleasant better, the broken lines those who remember the unpleasant better, and the dotted lines the number who could. make no choice. It is the relative rise of the curves representing the pleasant and unpleasant memories, and not the absolute rise of one at any point or points that is significant.

5 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85

Curves representing the pleasant and unpleasant memories of white males. As will be seen the pleasant and unpleasant memories of the male whites rise and fall together until the age of 21.

At 22,

in the case of the males, the curve for unpleasant memories is the higher, after which the pleasant memories are in the ascendency. After the age of 30, unpleasant memories are little recalled by the males.

The unpleasant memories have a larger share in the woman's mental life than in that of the man.

3 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 00

Curves representing the pleasant and unpleasant memories of white females. The unpleasant memories play the important rôle in the case of the Indian and Negro males. One can hardly fail to see in it a suggestion of persecution and slavery. The Indian females show a slight tendency toward remembering unpleasant expe

riences best, and share the sorrowful experiences of their

Curves representing the pleasant and un- Curves representing the pleasant and unpleasant memories of Indian males, pleasant memories of Indian females. brothers. On the other hand, in the case of the negro females, unpleasant experiences play a very minor part indeed. them a dress of striking color appears easily to efface grief.

For many years the warning against memoriter work has been so persistent that one almost feels like apologizing for asking the question-"what studies have best developed your memory?" The thesis that memory ought not to be trained has been supplemented by the other that it cannot be trained. These ideas have made for advancement. They have also wrought injury. Have college students the ability to-day that they had fifteen years ago, to reproduce an author's thought and to think while upon their feet? The question in the topical syllabus called forth a great number of replies. Almost all of the studies in the curricula of High Schools, Normal Schools and Colleges are mentioned. We must allow for the fact that studies most commonly pursued will be mentioned most frequently. History easily takes the precedence, being mentioned 229 times. Some specify learning the dates, but with the great majority the work of fixing the salient points at different epochs, and wide collateral reading, are believed to have aided the memory. It is but natural that a close ally, geography, should come next. It is mentioned 147 times. Arithmetic comes next, having 124 votes. Many specify the committing