Chapter 7. Remember That Name With Passion

You now know as much about the basic principles of remem­bering names and faces as any person alive today. You have it all at your finger tips—all that remains is practice. Now you can better remember that name you once read in your history book. Increase your power of imagination.

You've learned the four rules and know the general principle of being name-conscious. Now to practice applying them. In much the same way as we went over Mr. Byrd's photograph a couple of chapters ago, we shall now meet the pictures of fifteen people and see how many more we can remember by applying the rules we have just learned. Every one of the four rules will not be called into use in each case, for often one or two are sufficient to make the name tie up with the face.

Most of the associations will seem grotesque, farfetched, or downright silly, but by this time you realize that it is the extraordinary, striking association that remains longest in the mind and is easiest to recall. And as you read my suggestions for remembering, try to think of some angles of your own, for in a coming chapter you will be on your own and will have to practice the principles I have taught you without props.

Mr. Price

This is Mr. Price, a very distin­guished gentleman. He has paid the price of hard work to become president of his company. Mr. Price seems to be well to do; he has the price.

Notice his regular features, his keen, kindly eyes, his luxuriant white hair and mustache. Perhaps Rule Two will help most in re­membering Mr. Price: repeat his name several times while you sludy his face.

Bill Walker

Here's Bill Walker. Doesn't he look like a regular guy who might live on your block? He is a very fast Walker but not related to Johnnie Walker. His name, Bill Walker, just suits him. Look at his keen eyes and bright smile. He certainly looks wide-awake. Wide-awake Walker. Nice to have met you, Bill Walker.

Miss Dearden

Ladies and gentlemen, may I pre­sent Miss Dearden. She's really a dear, so you ought to know her. By the way, den on the end of name means a den in the woods. So imagine Miss Dearden coming out of a deer's den. Concentrate on this picture until you know you will recognize Miss Dearden. Look at her and say, "Hello there, Miss Dearden." Are you the dear that was in the deer den, Miss Dearden?

Mr. German

Here's Mr. German. From his name, you're probably right in supposing that his forebears came from Germany. Can you see anything peculiarly Germanic in his appearance? Notice his light complexion, blue eyes, and round head, all features considered characteristic of German people. Mr. German's clean-shaven face and the neat appearance of his collar and tie indicate that he is a tidy kind of man. It would be hard to find any germs on Mr. German.

Mr. Solomon

This is Mr. Solomon. He's a very wise person, like King Solomon. He looks solemn. He's a solemn man. Look at him carefully. His face is round, like Old Sol. Per­haps Mr. Solomon isn't as solemn as he seems at first glance.

Mr. Gable

Wouldn't you like to meet Mr. Gable? He's one of the most able young men I know. I think of him as Able Gable. Notice his twin­kling eyes and white teeth. Pay particular attention to the forma­tion of his eyebrows. Yes, his name is the same as that of Clark Gable, but this Mr, Gable isn't a movie star, though his personality might register at­tractively on the screen. Good-by, Mr. Gable.

Mr. Christen

This is Mr. Christen. He was chris­tened ten times on Christmas. So Mr. Christen is a good Christian.

Mr. Curran

Now I want you lo meet Mr. Cur­ran, a great lover of horses. Mr. Curran curries his horse with a curry comb. He had a dog, but the cur ran away. Mr. Curran keeps up with all current events. Take a look at his widely spaced eyes and his slightly uptilled nose. You might meet this person again, and these features may help you to remember that name -- Mr. Cur­ran.

Mrs. Withers

May I introduce you to a very lovely lady, Mrs. Withers? If you talked to Mrs. Withers, you would immediately like her so well that you would become keenly inter­ested in remembering her name. You would notice the final s on her name, so that you would get the name right.

Mrs. Withers will never wither. Mrs. Withers will be always with us. Study the photograph. Get a detailed mental picture of Mrs. Withers' hair, eyes, mouth, chin. Note her friendly expression.

Mrs. Withers, we hope you will be back with us later on. Your name will not wither out of our memories. Good-by, Mrs. Withers.

Congressman Cooley

Fellow constituents, may I pre­sent Congressman Cooley of North Carolina. On the hottest day in Washington, Congressman Cooley is always cool. His shiny hair looks as if he'd wet it to keep cool. Keep cool with Cooley. Not Coolidge—Cooley, like a Chinese laborer, only spelled COOLEY. Before you say good-by to Con­gressman Cooley (N.C.), fasten his face in your mind.

Mr. Byrd

Here's our friend Mr. Byrd again. You remember the way we fas­tened his face in our minds a short while ago. Note again the way his hair curls on top of his head like a bird's crest, his bushy eyebrows, wide thin mouth, mole on his forehead, and deep fur­rows. Mr. Byrd has a strong face, and he has the sharp gaze of a bird.

Mr. Bell

How do you do, Mr. Bell. Mr. Bell is a handsome fellow; when you look at him you get a pleas­ant view or, as the French say, a belle vue. (This does seem a far­fetched way of tying up Mr. Bell's name with his face, but see if the very remoteness of the association doesn't help you remember his name.) If Mr. Bell's voice is as clear as his gaze, it should be clear as a bell. When you examine his features, say this jingle: "Mr. Bell looks very well."

Mr. Gone

This is Mr. Cone—a plain, straightforward name for this businesslike gentleman. As you scrutinize Mr. Cone's face, with the direct, serious expression, un­usually black eyes, and the almost austere cast of features, repeat his name a few times. Mr. Cone. Mr. Cone. Mr. Cone. Get his name right—it's not Cohen, but Cone.

Mr. Baer

I'd like to have you meet Mr. Baer now. Can you think of anything about this pleasant face to remind you of a bear? How about Mr. Baer's grizzly hair, eyebrows, and mustache? They seem to be brown in color, like the color of a bruin bear. Do you think Mr. Baer's face, without the mustache and heavy brows, would look bare? Glad to have met you, Mr. Baer. We hope you don't mind our try­ing to find a resemblance between you and a grizzly bear.

Mrs. May

Mrs. May is as pretty as the month of May. You may see Mrs. May as the May queen some day. Now you can visualize and remember that name quite easily.

Now that you have applied our four rules for remembering names and faces to these fifteen people, you'll want to see how much they helped you. You are going to meet these folks again, but you won't see their names. How much more easily do you think you will recognize them this time? Compare your score with the result you wrote down before you learned the four rules.

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