Page:Memory; how to develop, train, and use it - Atkinson - 1919.djvu/104

98 terward. It is the old story of attention following the interest, and memory following the attention. An expert whist player will see and remember every card played in the game, and just who played it. A chess or checker player will see and remember the previous moves in the game, if he be expert, and can relate them afterward. A woman will go shopping and will see and remember thousands of things that a man would never have seen, much less remembered. As Houdin said: “Thus, for instance, I can safely assert that a lady seeing another pass at full speed in a carriage will have had time to analyze her toilette from her bonnet to her shoes, and be able to describe not only the fashion and quality of the stuffs, but also say if the lace be real or only machine made. I have known ladies to do this.”

But, remember this—for it is important: Whatever can be done in this direction by means of attention, inspired by interest, may be duplicated by attention directed by will. In other words, the desire to accomplish the task adds and creates an artificial interest just as effective as the natural feeling. And,