FAMOUS MEN WITH PERFECT MEMORIES

Mataura Ensign, Issue 828, 13 December 1900, Page 4

FAMOUS MEN WITH PERFECT MEMORIES

Scaliger, the philologist of the six teentb century, who edited several of the classics, was so certain of his memory, that he undertook to repeat long passages from Latin works with a dagger at his breast, which was to be used against him in the vent of his memory, failing ; while Seneca, the tutor of Nero,.' could repeat two thousand words exactly as he heard them. Pope could turn at once to any passage which had struck him when reading, and Leyden, the Scottish poet, who died, in the early part of the century, was also remarkable for his memory. "When congratulated, on one occasion, upon his aptitude for remembering things, Leyden replied that he often found his memory a source of inconvenience. Surprise was expressed at this, whereupon the poet replied that he often wished to recall a particular passage, but could not do so until he had repeated the whole poem from the beginning to where the passage occurred which he wished to recall. Leyden is also credited with having been able to repeat an act of Parliament or a lengthy legal document after having heard it only once. The newspapers of January, 1820, contain a number of allusions to the case of a man named Thomson, who drew plans of a dozen London parishes, including every church, chapel, yard, court, monument, lamp-post, and innumerable trees and pumps, without reference to a single book, and without asking a single question. An English clergyman mentions a man of weak intellect, who lived about the same time, who could remember the names and ages of every man. woman, and child who had been buried in the parish during tbirty-rlve years, together with the dates of burial and the hames of mourners who were present at tha funeral. . ! That great memories are not the pro-j duot of civilisation is proved by an ih-i ' stance recorded by Doctor Moflat, thej. great African missionary. He once, preached a sermon to a group of negroda,, and was shortly afterward attracted 055 tbe gesticulations of a young savage addressing a number of blacks. Qn going; up to the group, he was amazed tq h&ri the savage reproducing his own soVmda — word for word.