Begin by turning your attention upon some uninteresting

thing and studying its details until you are able to describe
them. This will prove very tiresome at first but you must stick to
it. Do not practice too long at a time at first; take a rest and try
it again later. You will soon find that it comes easier, and that a
new interest is beginning to manifest itself in the task. Examine
this book, as practice, learn how many pages there are in it; how
many chapters; how many pages in each chapter; the details of
type, printing and binding�all the little things about it�so
that you could give another person a full account of the minor
details of the book. This may seem uninteresting�and so it will
be at first�but a little practice will create a new interest in the
petty details, and you will be surprised at the number of little
things that you will notice. This plan, practiced on many things,
in spare hours, will develop the power of voluntary attention
and perception in anyone, no matter how deficient he may
have been in these things.

If you can get some one else to join

in the game-task with you, and then each endeavor to excel the
other in finding details, the task will be much easier, and better
work will be accomplished. Begin to take notice of things about
you; the places you visit; the things in the rooms, etc. In this
way you will start the habit of �noticing things,� which is the
first requisite for memory development.

There are three general rules that may be given in this matter
of bestowing the voluntary attention in the direction of actually
seeing things, instead of merely looking at them. The first is:
Make yourself take an interest in the thing. The second: See it
as if you were taking note of it in order to repeat its details to
a friend�this will force you to �take notice.� The third: Give
to your subconsciousness a mental command to take note of
what you are looking at�say to it; �Here, you take note of this
and remember it for me!� This last consists of a peculiar �knack�
that can be attained by a little practice�it will �come to you�
suddenly after a few trials.

Remember first, last and always, that before you can

remember, or recollect, you must first perceive; and that
perception is possible only through attention, and responds indegree to the later.
Therefore, it has truly been said that: �The great Art of Memory is Attention.�

All the best authorities recognize and teach the importance

of this law of association, in connection with the memory.
Abercombie says: �Next to the effect of attention is the
remarkable influence produced upon memory by association.�
Carpenter says: �The recording power of memory mainly
depends upon the degree of attention we give to the idea to
be remembered. The reproducing power again altogether
depends upon the nature of the associations by which the
new idea has been linked on to other ideas which have been
previously recorded.�

Association of ideas depends upon two principles known,

respectively, as (1) the law of contiguity; and (2) the law ofsimilarity.
Association by contiguity is that form of association
by which an idea is linked, connected, or associated with the
sensation, thought, or idea immediately preceding it, and that
which directly follows it.

Association by similarity is that form

of association by which an idea, thought, or sensation is linked,
connected, or associated with ideas, thoughts, or sensations of
a similar kind, which have occurred previously or subsequently.

These fundamental
principles should be clearly grasped before one proceeds to
the details of practice and exercise. One should know not only
�how� to use the mind and memory in certain ways, but also
�why� it is to be used in that particular way. By understanding
the �reason of it,� one is better able to follow out the directions.

The way to train the mind to receive clear sight-impressions,

and therefore to retain them in the memory is simply to
concentrate the will and attention upon objects of sight,
endeavoring to see them plainly and distinctly, and then to
practice recalling the details of the object some time afterward.

The Hindus train their children along these lines, by playing

the �sight game� with them. This game is played by exposing to
the sight of the children a number of small objects, at which they
gaze intently, and which are then withdrawn from their sight.
The children then endeavor to excel each other in writing down
the names of the objects which they have seen. The number of
objects is small to begin with, but is increased each day, until an
astonishing number are perceived and remembered.

In order to remember
the things that pass before your sight, you must begin to see
with your mind, instead of with your retina. Let the impression
get beyond your retina and into your mind. If you will do this,
you will find that memory will �do the rest.�