"The Secrets of Mental Supremacy.."

Then in rapid succession there came into my mind memories of: the apple that William Tell is said to have shot off the head of his son; "apples of gold in pitchers of silver" mentioned in the Bible; the "apple of Sodom," the fruit of the other tree, which is beautiful externally but filled with a kind of ashes--therefore often used as a symbol for disappointment; the apples of the Hesperian field, said to be guarded by the four mystic sisters--the Hesperides; the apple for which Paris ran his race.

Now all of these ideas, found by extension of the original idea "apple," were appropriate; but none seemed quite to fit. Then came the thought of the story of Eve and her proffer of the "apple" to Adam. This exactly fitted the occasion. And hence the reply.

In this instance also you can easily trace the processes--analysis, extension, seeking resemblances or likenesses, and discarding ideas less appropriate or unlike. And do not forget that, in the mind that is even fairly well trained, these pictures flash up with incredible rapidity. I know that in my own mind, as in the instance just cited, six or seven pictures will often occur, and I will select the one which it seems appropriate to mention, within the few seconds that ordinarily intervene between a remark and the reply to it.

Association and Memory.

In an earlier paragraph I told you that proper association of ideas practically insured power of memory. Let me now try to give you some notion of how this principle of mental activity can be utilized.

Let us take a simple instance. Epictetus says: "My mind to me a kingdom is." Now, first of all, we consider this splendid utterance until we thoroughly understand and appreciate it. That is good, but it is not enough. We desire to possess this sentenceto make it a part of our mental stock in trade, so that we can use it at appropriate times in public speaking, in writing or in conversation. How shall we do this? Well, we have really four ideas in the quotation: the mind, a kingdom, contentment (implied), and the personality of the man, Epictetus, who wrote the sentence.

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