New Ulm Weekly Review

Thurlow Weed
A correspondent asked Thurlow Weed how he accounted for his wonderful memory, and if he had ever done anything to strengthen it. He replied:

"I had to adopt a regular method, and I hit on one that was very effective. I will tell you about it for the benefit of other young men. I got married in 1818, when I was working in Albany as a journeyman printer. In a few months I went into business, establishing newspaper for myself, and some of my friends thought I was 'cut out for a politician' —that is, I probably impressed my views strongly on those about me. But I saw at once a fatal weakness. My memory was a sieve. I could remember nothing. Dates, names, appointments, faces—everything escaped me. I said to my wife, Catherine, I shall never make a successful politician, for I cannot remember, and that is prime necessity of politicians. A politician who sees a man once should remember him forever.' My wife told me that I must train my memory. So when I came home that night I sat down alone and spent fifteen minutes trying silently to recall the events of the day. I could remember little at first; now I remember that I could not then remember what I had for breakfast. Finally I found I could recall more. Events came back to me more minutely and more accurately.

"After a fortnight or so of this, Catherine said, 'Why don't you tell it to me? It would be interesting, and my interest in it would stimulate you.' Then I began a habit of oral confession, as it were, which followed for almost fifty years. Every night, the last thing before retiring, I told my wife everything that I could recall that had happened to me or about me during the day. I generally recalled the very dishes I had had for breakfast, dinner and tea; the people I had seen, and what they had said; the editorials I had written, and an abstract of them; the letters I had sent and received, and the very language used as near as possible; when I had walked or ridden—everything, in short, that had come within my knowledge. I found I could say my lessons better and better every year, and instead of growing irksome, it got to be pleasure to run the events of the day in review. I am indebted to this discipline for a memory of somewhat unusual tenacity, and I recommend the practice to all who expect to have much to do with influencing men."