BF 385 
 .M5 
 
 ~ ]iIjiljiiiJIMlMlni]]lMiJiiiriiilii»iiln uTTT) J fTTi' iTi 1 1 n • 1 1 1 1 Tl i ] i 1 1 1 1 1 '• l"i i iTi 1 1 1 TT» TiT niMrTiiJilMli)lMfM*jifiiIiiIri»iKiJiJi*u*ii*niii*iiliiliiiii|ii. 
 
 Copy 2 
 
 PROSPECTUS 
 
 OF 
 
 #0 K«^ 
 
 An Original and Scientific Method of Improving 
 the Mind and Memory. 
 
 DEVISED AND TAUGHT BY 
 
 E. C. MERRILL, Auburndale, Mass. 
 
 1888. 
 PRICE, FIFTEEN CENTS. 
 
 siiiiiiintuiiiltiliiliiiti4iiliirM*iiiiiinitiini n ■ n • h l i|i ni nj^^mMaii<j.i ■ nil i »ii lull il 1 1 1 1 il nt n (mj njini 1 1 ■ 1 1 1 1 1 1 uiiiiiiiiitiiaiitiiagiiiiaiiiJiiiixiiMiiiiiiiiit 
 
A IVKW STUDY. — 
 
 Wonderful, fascinating, and more beneficial to the mind and 
 mental faculties than any method of modern times. 
 
 Based upon natural and scientific principles, it imparts 
 
 JUDGMENT, WILL POWER, RESERVE FORCE, 
 
 EXECUTIVE ABILITY, THE TEACHER'S ART, 
 
 PRESENCE OF MIND, 
 
 QUICKNESS OF PERCEPTION, 
 
 POWER OF FIXING THE ATTENTION, 
 
 CAPACITY FOR IMPERSONATION AND ORATORY. 
 
 Mind Wandering Cured, Defective Memories Restored, 
 
 Mental Exhaustion Avoided. 
 
 2®^ TIME AND LABOR SAVED.^Jgf 
 
 The Aquisition of the Languages, Technical and Scientific Subjects made easy. 
 
 How to Acquire and Control the Author's Inspiration and 
 Command of Language. 
 
 THE ART OF FORGETTING. 
 
 TAUGHT IN TEN CORRESPONDENCE LESSONS, BY 
 
 E.C.Merrill, 
 
 \ \ 7 
 
 AUBURNDALE,, - - - MASS. 
 
 Author of '" Mnemonic Practice P Teacher of Phonography at the 
 Boston Y. M. C. A . 
 

 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1888, by 
 E. C. Merrill, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at 
 Washington, D. C. 
 
 'Vjy 
 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Synopsis of Lessons 5 
 
 Special Instruction . 9 
 
 Text-Book • 9 
 
 Authorities 9 
 
 Advantages 10 
 
 Teaching 10 
 
 Impersonation . 10 
 
 Authorship 11 
 
 Oratory 12 
 
 Learning ....... 13 
 
 Phonography 13 
 
 Executive Ability .15 
 
 Mind-Wandering 15 
 
 Art of Forgetting 16 
 
 Judgment 16 
 
 Plan of Instruction 17 
 
 Classes 18 
 
 Physical Disease 18 
 
 Terms 19 
 
 Commendatory 19 
 
Mind and Memory Culture. 
 
 SYNOPSIS OF LESSONS. 
 
 Lesson No. i. 
 
 Vivid First Impression. — Memory defined. Its Best 
 Foundation. The Starting Point. Selection of Valu- 
 able Subjects. Importance of Securing Vivid Im- 
 pressions. Application. Extent of Memory. Result 
 of Memory. Limit. Imperfections. Illusions and 
 their Cause. Physiology of Memory. Effect of the 
 Circulation of the Blood. Understanding vs. Remem- 
 bering. Power of Developing the Brain. The result 
 of Reflection. Illustration. 20 questions to be an- 
 swered. Advice. 
 
 Lesson No. 2. 
 
 Fixing the Attention. — How to Secure a Vivid First 
 Impression. How to Remember Distinctly. Ways of 
 Exercising x\ttention. The Successful Way. Effect 
 of Mind-Wandering upon the Memory. Concentration 
 and Will-Power. Danger of Over-Attention. Relief 
 of Mental Exhaustion. How to Sharpen the Intellect. 
 How to Accomplish almost any. Task. The Senses 
 Considered. How to Acquire Knowledge. Illustra- 
 tion. 20 questions. Advice. 
 
MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 
 
 Lesson No. 3. 
 
 Comparison {Related Ideas). — How to fix the Atten- 
 tion. Effect of Comparison. How to Compare. Class 
 of Ideas Considered. How many to Consider at one 
 time. Rule to follow. Definition of Study. How to 
 Avoid Confusion. Illustration. Exercise. 20 ques- 
 tions. Advice. 
 
 Lesson No. 4. 
 
 Comparison {Arbitrary Ideas). — Distinction between 
 Arbitrary and Related Ideas. When Ideas are Arbi- 
 trary. Process of Transforming Arbitrary Ideas into 
 Related Ideas. Result Accomplished. All Ideas may 
 have one Basis. Application of Attention and Com- 
 parison to Daily Life. How to Detect and Remove 
 Defects. Vivid Impression of Undesirable Ideas 
 Avoided. Effect upon the Mind. Illustration. 20 
 questions. Advice. 
 
 Lesson No. 5. 
 
 Association. — Definition. Kinds of Association. 
 Kind to be Avoided. Result of Incidental Associa- 
 tion. How to Receive a Vivid Impression of a Group 
 of Ideas. How the Past is Remembered. Why some 
 Incidents Stand out Boldly while others are Indistinct. 
 Limit of Association. How to Remember Groups of 
 Ideas Clearly and Distinctly. Rules observed. How 
 to give Vivid Impressions to others. How to Impress 
 
MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. / 
 
 Thoughts Upon the Brain. Is Life what we make it ? 
 Waste of Time. Illustration. 20 questions. Advice. 
 
 Lesson No, 6. 
 
 Instant Suggestion. — Importance of this Law. How 
 to Reproduce Vivid Impressions at Will. Cause of 
 Failure. Cause Removed. How to Reproduce a 
 Series of Words in the Mind. Same Rule applied to 
 Thought. Source of the Pleasure Experienced in 
 Reading. How to Suggest a Group of Ideas at a Cer- 
 tain Time or Place. Trains of Thought Accounted 
 for. Reason of Sudden Thoughts. Why Familiar 
 Scenes and Faces have a Peculiar Fascination. Hints 
 to Strong Imaginations. How to Color Life. The 
 Importance of the Present Time. How to Remember 
 Names, Figures, and Words. The reason of Rapid 
 Thought, Strong Conviction and Fluent Speech. Illus- 
 tration. 20 questions. Advice. 
 
 Lesson No. 7. 
 
 Repetition. — Definition. How to Strengthen a First 
 Impression. Frequency of Repetition. Reflection and 
 Habit Defined. How to Increase Ease of Reproduc- 
 tion. Mechanical Action. Adding to the Brain Struct- 
 ure. Power of Developing the Brain. Mode of 
 Procedure. Price of Memory. Why Habit clings 
 with Giant Strength. Life's Grooves. Principles Ap- 
 
8 MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 
 
 plied Unconsciously. A Good Memory Secured. 
 Unused Knowledge. Effect upon the Mind. Illus- 
 tration. 20 questions. Advice. 
 
 Lesson No. 8. 
 
 Art of Forgetting. — Power over Acquired Knowledge. 
 How to Avoid Impressions. How to Weaken and 
 finally Destroy Undesirable Impressions. The Great 
 Impediment to the Progress of the Human Race. 
 Effect of Inattention. The Pleasures of Misery. The 
 need of Forgetting Removed by Mind and Memory 
 Culture. How to Change the Course of a Person's 
 Life. Theory of Life. Illustration. 20 questions. 
 Advice. 
 
 Lesson No. 9. 
 
 Mental Capacity. — Materials for Building Mind. 
 Capacity for Different Pursuits. Contrast. Limit. 
 Monotony Defined. The Demands of Nature. Cause 
 of Individual Tastes. Demands Created. Mental 
 Pleasure. Enjoyment of Life. How to Strengthen 
 and Preserve the Mental Capacity. The Strength of a 
 Structure Depends upon Sure Foundations. How to 
 Use and Preserve the Mind. Illustration. 20 ques- 
 tions. Advice. 
 
 Lesson No. 10. 
 
 Discipline. — Definition. Effect of Discipline upon 
 Mental Capacity. Regularity. The Brightening Pro- 
 
MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. D 
 
 cess. Methods. Pleasurable Discipline. System. 
 Physical Combined with Mental Discipline. How to 
 Write Fluently and Intelligently. How to acquire Con- 
 versational Power. How to hold the Attention of an 
 Audience. Self-Possession. Effect of Discipline upon 
 Health. Fixation of Impressions. Illustration. 20 
 questions. Advice. 
 
 SPECIAL INSTRUCTION, 
 
 The list of twenty questions in each Lesson forms 
 an Exercise, to be sent by mail for examination and 
 correction. In this way errors and misunderstandings 
 are avoided, and the full benefits of the Lessons 
 secured. 
 
 TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 " How to Strengthen the Memory" (1886). M. L. Holbrook. 
 No other system uses an authorized text-book. 
 
 AUTHORITIES. 
 
 Dr. Edward Pick. G. J. Holyoke. 
 
 John Fretwell. Dr. J. Mortimer Granville. 
 
 Dr. Andrew Wilson. Sir Henjy Holland. 
 
 Thurlow Weed. Th. Ribot. 
 
 Prof. Norton M. Townsend. Herbert Spencer. 
 Edward Spring. 
 
10 MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 
 
 ADVANTAGES. 
 
 Although no person can master and apply the prin- 
 ciples of Mind and Memory Culture without reaching 
 a much higher mental plane, the following special 
 benefits are mentioned by way of illustration : — 
 
 TEACHING. 
 
 The ability to impart our knowledge to others is 
 considered a gift. There is no question, however, but 
 what this much-desired power may be acquired in all 
 its fullness, together with the faculty of controlling the 
 wandering mind of the pupil. Knowing how to receive 
 the best impressions of ideas is also knowing how to 
 give them. One-half of the usual repetition of lessons 
 may be saved by carefully guarding the reception of 
 first impressions, and reproducing them again in the 
 mind only at proper intervals. This can be accom- 
 plished by a thorough knowledge of the methods 
 taught in Mind and Memory Culture. The mental 
 exercise called study is fully defined, and the concen- 
 tration necessary to perform this exercise is easily 
 acquired and taught. Pupils receiving knowledge by 
 this method advance rapidly, are brighter, healthier, 
 and more interested in their studies than ordinarily, 
 while the burdens of the teacher grow light and 
 
 pleasurable. 
 
 IMPERSONATION. 
 
 The successful actor must be strong in two direc- 
 tions. First, a powerful memory is needed to commit 
 
MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 11 
 
 many parts ; second, sufficient concentration of mind 
 must be possessed to become, for the time being, the 
 different characters which those parts represent. The 
 first is so rarely a common gift that the deficiency is 
 made up by the drudgery of almost constant application, 
 while the second is a result usually reached only through 
 many years of experience. A material saving in time 
 and labor is here very desirable, and a course in Mind 
 and Memory Culture is offered, not only to accomplish 
 this result, but also as a means of avoiding the mental 
 exhaustion attendant upon stage life. By following 
 the instructions given in the lessons, many may be- 
 come far more successful, and rise higher in the great 
 art. Amateurs, armed with this knowledge, can go 
 before the largest houses without " stage-fright," and 
 win their way rapidly to success. 
 
 AUTHORSHIP. 
 
 The writer reproduces for the benenfit of the world 
 impressions which have been at some previous time 
 received. Few authors possess the power of drawing 
 upon their store at any time they choose, but wait for 
 inspiration. This is nothing more or less than invol- 
 untary reproduction of impressions, for which there 
 is an underlying cause, at present little understood. 
 Thoughts are more clearly and strongly expressed when 
 they are voluntary, which involves the proper reception 
 of impressions. Method in the arrangement of ideas 
 
 
1*2 MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 
 
 is the same as system in accounts. The latter involves 
 primary care ; so that when the history of any particu- 
 lar set of transactions is desired, it occupies an acces- 
 sible place of its own among the thousand. Just so 
 with impressions upon the brain : they must be ar- 
 ranged by method, so that they may be forthcoming 
 when wanted. This is not only possible, but productive 
 of a greater mental capacity. A trained observation 
 and word memory and the principles of mind and 
 memory culture mastered, and authorship becomes a 
 controlled power, which carries inspiration with it. 
 Another important object is attained, and that is the 
 precise effect ideas will have upon the reader. Writers 
 who write well, but in advance or behind the times in 
 which they live, will find an especial advantage in being 
 able to foresee the reception which awaits their work. 
 
 ORATORY. 
 
 The public speaker may hurl forth a mass of indis- 
 putable facts, and clinch them with the most convinc- 
 ing arguments ; but if he is not master of the power 
 of giving vivid impressions, he defeats his purpose. 
 The attention of an audience is controlled wholly by 
 this power. It is the substance of eloquence, and the 
 force of oratory. Word memory is also indispensable 
 to the pulpit and platform. Mental strain should be 
 carefully measured, and counterbalanced by the tonics 
 prescribed in Mind and Memory Culture. 
 
MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 13 
 
 LEARNING. 
 
 It is an easy matter to acquire learning if pursued in 
 the right manner. Much is learned that is soon for- 
 gotten, and the time spent upon it wasted. This is 
 sowing seed on stony ground. Fruitful knowledge 
 requires about the same care as the products of the 
 soil. The ground must be first prepared to receive 
 the seed ; nutritives are required to strengthen, and 
 the weeds must be fought with a zeal inspired by 
 the promise of harvest. Ideas, to be of value, must be 
 first rightly impressed upon the brain, and then grad- 
 ually strengthened, until they grow from memories to 
 mental capacity. One of the chief objects of Mind 
 and Memory Culture is to prepare the mind for the 
 most rapid and effective reception of all studies, and 
 to bring into the best practical use the knowledge so 
 possessed. To accomplish this successfully involves 
 not only a good memory, but such training for the 
 mind as will improve and preserve all the mental facul- 
 ties. With the knowledge gained in this study, the 
 most difficult scientific subjects and the languages can 
 be easily and quickly mastered, and never forgotten. 
 
 PHONOGRAPHY. 
 
 In the study and practice of Shorthand there is such 
 a demand for the proper classification of its principles 
 in the mind, quickness of perception and instant sug- 
 gestion, the author of Mind and Memory Culture takes 
 
14 MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 
 
 pleasure in offering to the phonographic world so 
 valuable an aid in acquiring and using their art. Many 
 enter the field of Phonography only to become entan- 
 gled and discouraged, and many study a great while 
 without meeting with the success they hope to attain. 
 This is due to mental defects, which may be removed 
 by a proper course of discipline, as described in this 
 pamphlet. As a practical test of the value of the prin- 
 ciples of memory as applied to Shorthand, the author 
 would refer to the recent publication of his work en- 
 titled " Mnemonic Practice," in which the most difficult 
 portion of Phonography is so treated that a child can 
 master it. Of this work the Mentor (Easthampton, 
 Mass.) says : — - 
 
 " We take uncommon pleasure in presenting to our readers, 
 with the first instalment of 'Mnemonic Practice,' a book which 
 we are confident will be at once recognized as one of the most 
 important ever published in the way of Shorthand technic." 
 
 From the Cosmopolitan Shorthander (Toronto, Ont). 
 
 " ' Mnemonic Practice,' by E. C. Merrill, promises to be a use- 
 ful work. He has endeavored, with good success, to bring the 
 arbitrary signs of phonography under the law of comparison." 
 
 From the Phongraphic Magazine (Cincinnati, O). 
 
 " The first pages of E. C. Merrill's * Mnemonic Practice' are 
 also given. Mr. Morris says of it : ' E. C. Merrill is laying deep 
 and broad foundations. He is now satisfied that a course in 
 
MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 15 
 
 Mind and Memory Culture is a most useful preparation for the 
 rapid and effective acquisition of all studies. Such labors as 
 his augur well for the future of our art.' " 
 
 EXECUTIVE ABILITY. 
 
 It is difficult to rise in the professional or business 
 ranks without executive ability. The speedy and skil- 
 ful accomplishment of work requires the prompt 
 response of all the mental faculties, quickness of per- 
 ception, and reserve force. A good memory and a 
 well-organized mind is prepared to cope successfully 
 with the demands made upon it, and no aspirant to the 
 power, which comes with dexterity of execution, can 
 afford to neglect the means which places them above 
 the reach of competition. Any vocation may be made 
 an art by following the principles which govern the 
 workings of the mind and memory, and that excellence 
 attained which so far becomes an individuality that 
 imitators gaze with open-mouthed wonder upon the 
 ease with which they are distanced. 
 
 MIND-WANDERING. 
 
 When castle-building or the habit of remaining pas- 
 sive under the freaks of the law of suggestion has once 
 gained a foothold in the mind, it becomes unfitted to 
 contend with the practical things of life. This habit 
 destroys will-power and quickness of perception. 
 Mind controls voluntary action, whereas the will should 
 control the mind. A specific for this disastrous effect 
 is found in Mind and Memory Culture. 
 
16 MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 
 
 THE ART OF FORGETTING. 
 
 Sometimes it is quite desirable to forget as well as to 
 remember, and it can be successfully accomplished. 
 It is a systematic weakening of brain structure, just as 
 the muscles of the body may become soft and incap- 
 able of action. This art is especially valuble in the 
 refining of habits and tastes, and the process is fully 
 set forth in Lesson No. 8 of Mind and Memory Culture. 
 
 THE JUDGMENT. 
 
 Janet Grant says in the Boston Globe, of June 3, 
 1888: — 
 
 " Among the many articles which have appeared of late upon 
 the subject of education, two open letters in a recent number of 
 the Century attract attention. They are entitled, 'The Public 
 School System ' and ' Mind Training.' The latter, especially, con- 
 tains excellent suggestions. But we must go farther than the 
 writer and say, not only ' the power our pupils need lies in the 
 ability to concentrate the attention,' but in the ability to concen- 
 trate the attention upon the salient points of a subject. 
 
 " To educate the judgment of the pupils is the prime necessity 
 — that in studying they may learn to distinguish the important 
 from the trivial ; to recognize and extract the gist and pith of a 
 lesson ; to select from a multitude of words and secondary details 
 the primary facts, and fix these in the memory. 
 
 " We cannot lay too great stress upon this point. This culti- 
 vation of the judgment would be of more practical value than 
 anything else ; giving strength, decision, and independence of 
 character, and exerting an immense influence upon the lives of 
 the students. It is the simplest and best method for the true 
 development of the mind." 
 
MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 17 
 
 The power to discriminate is a faculty that either 
 comes from experience or a close study of cause and 
 effect. When that study is embodied in the effect 
 which ideas have upon the structure of the brain, the 
 force of mental habits, and the great importance of a 
 proper selection of subjects which are to become a part 
 of the mind, then the judgment is exercised, strength- 
 ened, and trained to act at the right moment. This 
 education of the judgment is an important feature of 
 Mind and Memory Culture. It teaches how to select 
 valuable ideas from the worthless, and to so deal with 
 them that they become quickly added to the store of 
 knowledge. With rapid discernment to choose and 
 will-power to execute, the best in education is at the 
 command of students, and strength of character within 
 the reach of all who seek self-improvement. 
 
 PLAN OF INSTRUCTION. 
 
 Mind and Memory Culture is taught exclusively by 
 correspondence. The course consists of ten lessons, 
 which are forwarded one at a time, the second accom- 
 panying the correction of the first, the third with the 
 last half of the second, and so on until the full course 
 is completed. Great care is taken in so explaining 
 and illustrating the principles that every pupil, with 
 due study, can master and apply them. No pledge of 
 secrecy is required. On compliance with the terms, 
 each pupil will receive, by return mail, the text-book 
 
18 MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 
 
 and Lesson No. i, and the frequency of the lessons 
 afterwards is governed by the answers to the twenty 
 questions in each lesson, which must be received be- 
 fore another lesson is sent. An exception to this rule 
 is made with pupils at a distance, when two or more 
 lessons may be kept in transit to save time. Satisfac- 
 tion is guaranteed in every case. 
 
 CLASSES. 
 
 Classes of not less than ten persons may be formed, 
 thereby securing the advantages of the course at a re- 
 duced rate. In this case all correspondence must be 
 conducted with one person, who will act as leader. 
 The leader of a class will receive and distribute all the 
 lessons, and collect and send in the exercises. Each 
 exercise must be distinctly marked with the name and 
 address of the student. The members of a class must 
 all study the lessons simultaneously, and the leader 
 should send the whole ten exercises in one package. 
 See terms. 
 
 PHYSICAL DISEASE. 
 
 N. B. — It is extremely doubtful whether memories 
 defective through physical disease can receive the de- 
 sired benefit from this course. 
 
MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 19 
 
 TERMS 
 
 Single Course (including text-book) . $10.00 
 Class of ten persons (with ten text- 
 books) 60.00 
 
 Payment must be made in advance in Boston or 
 New York funds. 
 
 Address, 
 
 E. C. MERRILL, 
 
 AUBURNDALE, MASS. 
 
 COMMENDATORY. 
 
 Mr. E. C. Merrill, of Auburndale, Mass., a capable and success- 
 ful teacher of " Graham's Phonography," has made special and 
 exact research in the subject of Memory, with a view to render the 
 mastery of some departments of Phonography, principally the 
 word-signs and contractions, easier and more effective. He is 
 now embodying the results of his studies in a book entitled, 
 " Mnemonic Practice : A Scheme for the Memorization of Arbi- 
 trary Signs in Phonography. " 
 
 I have been more or less acquainted with shorthand text-books 
 for many years, and I do not scruple to say that this book by Mr. 
 Merrill will be one of the most important ever published. It is 
 based on a truly scientific foundation, and will be worked out in a 
 practical manner. 
 
 F. G. Morris, 
 
 Easthampton, Mass., 
 Editor and Publisher of •' The Mentor. ' 
 
20 MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 
 
 Mr. Merrill's Course in Mind and Memory Culture is a won- 
 derful and superior study. It is thoroughly scientific, and reasoned 
 out with a skill which shows deep research and a complete 
 mastery of the subject. The principles treated are of the utmost 
 importance in oratory, and the rapid and effective acquisition of 
 all studies. 
 
 Alex. W. Bryer, 
 
 Wollaston, Mass. 
 
 East Bridgewater, Mass, May 31, 1888. 
 Mr. E. C. Merrill. 
 
 Dear Sir, — In regard to your course in Mind and Memory 
 Culture, I beg to say that, from the study which I have given it, I 
 have found it a great help and strengthener of both mind and 
 memory. Any one wishing to improve himself not alone in mem- 
 ory, but in educating and training the mind for better and higher 
 things, I think he could do no better than to possess himself of 
 the valuable knowledge which you send forth in your Mind and 
 Memory Culture lessons. 
 
 Very respectfully yours, 
 
 H. C. Young. 
 
 I find my memory much improved from a course in Mind and 
 Memory Culture by E. C. Merrill. The principles, if applied cor- 
 rectly, aid in holding the attention of people with whom I am 
 conversing, and I am now able to give good impressions where it 
 was seemingly impossible before. I consider that my resources 
 are increased for the enjoyment of the best in life. 
 
 When I commenced the study I was afflicted with mind-wan- 
 dering and annoyed by continually forgetting trifles, but I am 
 pleased to say that both of these defects have now disappeared. 
 
 M. S. Hardenbrook, 
 
 Maplewood, Mass. 
 
MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 21 
 
 Darlington, Ind. T., May 20, 1888. 
 Mr. K. C. Merrill, 
 
 Auburndale, Mass. 
 Dear Sir, — Yours of the 14th inst. received several days ago, 
 with Lesson No. 1 enclosed. The text-book was also duly 
 received, and I send you enclosed answers to Lesson No. 1. I 
 think I shall like it very much. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Chas. E. Liles. 
 
 N. Y. & Boston Despatch Express Co. 
 
 42 Summer St., Boston, June 4, 1888. 
 Mr. E. C. Merrill, 
 
 Auburndale, Mass. 
 Dear Sir, — I cannot say too much in praise of " Mind and 
 Memory Culture " as taught by you. 
 
 7b make the memory subject to the will is but to apply the 
 most simple principles of the study ; and yet, if we consider, it 
 dispels the erroneous impression that the recollection of any idea 
 is a matter of chance, and gives to those who understand the 
 principles an advantage in every walk of life which is apparent. 
 
 The benefits to be derived from a knowledge of the art of 
 recalling to our minds what we may wish to remember are 
 incalculable. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 W. H. Bryant. 
 
 W. N. Shaw, Attorney and Counsellor at Law. 
 34 Fannin St., Houston Texas, Jan'y 6, 1888. 
 E. C. Merrill, Esq., 
 
 Auburndale, Mass. 
 Dear Sir, — I herewith send you answers to Lesson 7. I had 
 some spare time, and becoming interested in the lesson, finished it 
 sooner than I anticipated. 
 
22 MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 
 
 I thank you for your kind expressions relative to my work. Be 
 just however, and do not spare criticism if needed ; I shall appreci- 
 ate that too. 
 
 I find the subject broadening. The cultivation or improve- 
 ment of the mind follows the cultivation or improvement of the 
 memory. 
 
 I shall be sorry when our correspondence terminates ; it has 
 been very pleasant to me. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 W. N. Shaw. 
 
 Boston, Mass., June u, 1888. 
 Mr. E. C. Merrill. 
 
 Dear Sir, — I have found your course of instruction called 
 " Mind and Memory Culture " a splendid study for the cultiva- 
 tion of memory and development of the brain. 
 
 I believe that any one with a perfect understanding of your 
 principles can cultivate a powerful memory and greatly increase 
 their mental capacity. 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 Henry L. Weston, 
 
 335 Columbus Ave. 
 
 E. C. Merrill, 
 
 Auburndale, Mass. 
 Dear Sir, — Enclosed find Lesson No. 1, in " Mind and Mem- 
 ory Culture." 
 
 I like the study very well indeed, and think I understand the 
 lesson. 
 
 Yours, 
 
 Edgar B. Lowry. 
 
 Forest, Miss. 
 
MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE. 23 
 
 Mr. E. C. Merrill, 
 
 Dear Sir, — I am very much interested in " Mind and Memory 
 Culture." 
 
 The application which you make of the principles of memory 
 unfolds a new field of thought, and makes possible and easy the 
 tasks which the mind desires to accomplish. 
 
 The whole art of teaching, it seems to me, is embodied in the 
 Lessons. 
 
 The study is original, unique, and fascinating, and the benefits 
 to both the mind and memory cannot be overestimated. 
 
 I have found a strengthened memory and a knowledge of its 
 workings of particular value in the teaching and practice of 
 shorthand. 
 
 Fannie E. Whipple, 
 
 Dorchester, Mass. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS •( 
 
 021 092 701 a 
 
 MIND AND MEMORY CULTURE.