also that self-confidence necessary to induce him to put up the front, has a combination of qualities almost certain to carry him to success. But without both of these he is practically sure to end in ignominious failure.

Belief in value of message. Closely related to selfconfidence is belief in the value of one's message. Demosthenes was made a powerful orator by his intense interest in inducing the Greeks to expel Philip from their country. Many a man has remained flabby and without influence until some cause, in which he had supreme faith, took hold of him, when he became possessed at once of a new forcefulness. An agent can sell his goods best if he thoroughly believes in them. Indeed, in any cause a man can put up the most persuasive argument only when he is wholly convinced that his cause is just.

Extraneous elements. And finally there are certain extraneous elements that enter as factors into personality. Among these are noble birth, wealth, or important position. Men possessed of these get a hearing attentive and sympathetic far beyond what the intrinsic merits of their message would warrant. Or the fact that one comes from a distant country or from a large city may give him at first a certain power over men. "A prophet," we were long ago told, is not without honor save in his own country." And finally even unpleasant notoriety may give a person attractive power, as witness the tendency of theatrical companies to employ persons who have had part in some spectacular scandal.

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The secret, in short, of personality is largely to attract and hold attention and to inspire confidence. Some of the elements which enter into the ability to do this, like a large stature or noble birth, are beyond the individual's control and hence due to accident. Others, however, like health, dress, decisiveness, are within one's control and, through cultivating them, one can do much to strengthen his personality.

EXERCISES

1. Explain why persons who are greatly lacking in some of the characteristics mentioned above as assets are yet strong in personality.

2. What is the relation between tact and personality?

3. Strong personality doubtless makes for success. Conversely, does success tend to strengthen personality?

How?

4. What can one do to cultivate the self-confidence which strong personality demands?

5. What is the effect of small mannerisms upon personality? Of physical defects? Are these insurmountable obstacles? Illustrate.

6. Is it well for one to teach one's first school, or serve one's first pastorate, in his home community? Why?

7. Is it true that, from the standpoint of the maintenance of prestige, a bad decision is better than no decision at all? What, according to your observation, is the effect of wavering?

8. Discuss the relation of "conceit" to personality.

9. Has one a right to argue for any cause in which he does not believe? If so, under what conditions?

10. To what extent is one indebted to fortune, and to what extent to his own will, for his personality?

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CHAPTER XIII

THE EFFECTIVE USE OF THE MEMORY

Memory obeys laws. One day, when talking to my class, I had occasion to use the name of Horace Bentley, a character in Winston Churchill's novel, "The Inside of the Cup." Although I had been reading this book only a day or two before, and although I knew this name perfectly well, I could not at the time recall it. Several hours later it spontaneously came to me when I was no longer searching for it. This sort of experience you have all doubtless often had. The name of a friend, a date in history, a mathematical formula, or some object that you were to get down town, you could not at the time—to your very great embarrassment — recall. Later, when you no longer needed it, perhaps in the very midst of some conversation, the thing suddenly shot up into consciousness. Now why is this? What sort of faculty must the memory be that it can act so capriciously?

As a matter of fact it is not acting capriciously at all. Indeed, there is no function of the mind more obedient to exact laws than the memory. And it is just because it is so completely governed by laws, from which it can not at your convenience break away, that it sometimes so stubbornly refuses to do your bidding.

Association explains recall. — You can get a glimpse of what these laws are if you inquire under what conditions an idea is recalled to mind. If you are trying to recall a forgotten mathematical formula - as, for example, the rule in Algebra for raising a binomial to any given power-you

may first think where, approximately, it is in the book, then recall the chapter in which it occurs, picture the page on which it is developed, try to recollect who recited on it in class, call to mind something the teacher said about it, and so on until one of these ideas brings up along with it either the whole formula or at least its first term. When you have this first term it can usually bring up the second, and then the rest of the formula. Similarly, if you are trying to recall a name, you think over a number of names which you feel to be nearly like it, recall where you last saw the person who owns the name, what some of his peculiarities are, where he lives, who his friends are; and what you have heard them say of him, in the hope that the desired name will be tied to one of these ideas and hence brought into your mind by it.

The fact, then, which makes it possible to get back a forgotten idea is its association with other ideas. Every experience that you have ever had which is capable of being recalled, is tied up with one or more other experiences, and if you can get one of these with which it is associated you can recall the one desired. If it stood alone it would be as good as non-existent, for there would be absolutely no means of bringing it back again into consciousness. Hence what you are doing in your effort to recollect is running over the ideas which you think may be connected with it.

And the same thing explains spontaneous recall. When I recalled the name of Horace Bentley it was probably because I had just used the name, Jeremiah Bentham, or even the Christian name, Ben. If you suddenly find yourself thinking of a conversation once held with some friend, you will probably find that this friend was suggested by some passerby who somewhat resembled him, or by some sentiment that came into your mind which was analogous to one expressed by him, or by some house or book or person which, in your thought, is connected with him. It is an interesting process sometimes to stop and consider how you came to be think

ing about what just then engages you. You will find in every case that you were led up to it by unbroken steps except where external occurrences gave a new direction to your thoughts-and that always the next idea came to mind because it was in some way associated with the preceding.

Kinds of Association. Similarity. The ways in which ideas may be thus associated are really only a few. In the first place things that are similar tend to be associated in mind. The tower on City Hall in Philadelphia will almost certainly call up the Washington Monument, if you have gone up into both, because they are alike in being high. A strange face may call up a face of a friend which in some respects resembles it. One poem may suggest another because they express similar sentiments.

Contrast. Again things that are strongly contrasted are likely to be associated. If you have seen an unusually short man, and then meet an exceptionally tall one, the image of the former will not unlikely be brought to mind. The idea of a selfish and wicked man is not only likely to suggest other wicked men, but just as likely to bring to your mind one of exactly the opposite character. But really this law of contrast is only another form of that of similarity. For the tall and the short men are alike in being extremes in size, and the wicked man and the good one resemble each other in being interesting character specimens. And so in general every case of contrast is really a case of underlying similarity.

Contiguity. And, finally, objects which are contiguous (that is, next to each other) are likely to be associated. This is the most important law of association and is called the Law of Contiguity. If you meet two men at the same time the idea of one is likely thereafter to call up that of the other. Similarly if you experience two things at the same placewhether at the same time or at different times

they tend