Assimilative Memory Part 5

A fair example of In. by Sight ["y" occurs in both names] is furnished by the syllables "ry" and "Ty."

=John TyLer.= } In. & =James K. PoLk.= } Con.

The letter "l" belongs to both surnames but there is no other letter in common. John and James is a case of Con., for both occur together many times in the New Testament.

=James K. Polk.= } In.

=Zachary TAYlor.= }

"K" is p.r.o.nounced as if spelled "Kay," a good In. with "Tay."

=ZachARy Taylor.= } In.

=MillARd Fillmore.= }

The letters "ar" occur in both the Christian names.

=MillARd Fillmore.= } Con.

=FrANklin Pierce.= }

The "ar" of Millard and the "an" of Franklin is a case of Con. reversed, _i.e._, "an" and "ar" is Con. since "n" precedes "r" in the Alphabet.

Here the alphabetical order is reversed.

=FrANklin Pierce.= } In.

=James BuchANAN.= }

The "an" in Franklin is identical in spelling and in sound with the two "ans" in Buchanan.

Let the student recall the series of names from Andrew Jackson to James Buchanan several times, and at each recall let him also recall the _relation_ which bound the pairs together, and then let him recall the series from Was.h.i.+ngton to Buchanan, both forward and backward, without consciously reviving the relations.

REMARKS.

1. This may be called the "Single Term Group," since none of the group served more than one term.

2. The group is notable for the fact that it is the only one in which two Presidents (William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor) died _natural_ deaths while in office.

THIRD GROUP.

_Period of Civil War and Reconstruction._

=JAMes Buchanan.= } In.

=AbrahAM Lincoln.= }

This pair of names furnishes an In. by _spelling_, not sound, "am" in both, but not p.r.o.nounced alike. This must be _noticed_, as it is a weak In.

=Abraham LinCOLN.= } In.

=Andrew JOHNson.= }

The "l" in "coln," and the "h" in "John" are silent. It is a case of In.

by sound. To the ear the sound of "Con." is like that of "Jon."

=ANdrew Johnson.= } In.

=Ulysses S. GrANt.= }

"An" in Andrew and in Grant has the same sound.

=UlyssES S. Grant.= } In.

=Rutherford B. HayES.= }

"Es" in Ulyss_es_ and in Hay_es_ is the same in _spelling_--but not in sound. It must be _noticed_, as it is the weakest of all. A stronger tie has heretofore been given.

=Rutherford B. HAYes.= } Con.

=James A. GarFIELD.= }

There is a strong a.s.sociation between Hay of _Hay_es and and the field of Gar_field_, as in the familiar word "Hayfield."

=James A. GARfield.= } In.

=Chester A. ARthur.= }

In "Gar" and "Ar" there is a strong In. by sound.

=Chester A. ArTHUR.= } In.

=GroVER Cleveland.= }

Between "thur" and "ver" there is a clear In. by sound.

=Grover ClevelANd.= } Con.

=BenjAMin Harrison.= }

There is a fair In. by sound between "an" and "am;" but as they are alphabetically reversed, it makes a case of Con. reversed.

=BenjAMin Harrison.= } In. & =Grover ClevelANd.= } Ex.

Here "am" and "an" occur in alphabetical order, and is a case of In., and "jam," meaning pressing together, and "cle(a)ve" meaning to separate, are opposites, hence it is also an example of Exclusion.

Let the student, as in the case of the other groups, recall this list several times, and each time revive the relation by which each pair of names was cemented together, and after this let him recall this list several times both ways without reviving the cementing relations, and finally let him recall several times, both ways, the entire series of Presidents from Was.h.i.+ngton to Cleveland, and from Cleveland to Was.h.i.+ngton.

REMARKS.

1. This group furnishes the notable fact that two Presidents (Lincoln and Garfield) were a.s.sa.s.sinated while in office.

2. Another peculiarity of this group is that, for the first time since the days of Was.h.i.+ngton, there was a widespread discussion and effort made to push the claims of a President (Grant) for a third term.

3. This group contains the name of the grandson (Benjamin Harrison) of William Henry Harrison, of the second group. The only other instance of relations.h.i.+p between the Presidents was in the case of John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams of the first group.

4. This group contains the name of the only President (Andrew Johnson) who was ever sought to be impeached. The prosecution failed to convict, having lacked one vote of the number necessary for a conviction.