And this is all there is to Loisette, and a great deal it is. Two of them will not do without the third. You do not know how many steps there are from your hall-door to your bed-room, though you have attended to and often reiterated the journey. But if there are twenty of them, and you have once bound the word "nice," or "nose," or "news," or "hyenas," to the fact of the stairway, you could never forget it.

The Professor makes a point, and very wisely, of the importance of working through some established chain, so that the whole may be carried away in the mind—not alone for the value of the facts so bound together, but for the mental discipline so afforded.

Here, then, is the "President Series," which contains the name and the date of inauguration of each President from Washington to Cleveland. The manner in which it is to be mastered is this: Beginning at the top, try to find in your mind some connection between each word and the one following it. See how you can at some future time make one suggest the next, either by suggestion of sound or sense, or by mental juxtaposition. When you have found this dwell on it attentively for a moment or two. Pass it backward and forward before you, and then go on to the next step.

The chain runs thus, the names of the Presidents being in small caps, the date word in italics:

PresidentChosen as the first word as the one most apt to occur to the mind of any one wishing to repeat the names of the Presidents.
DentistPresidentanddentist.
DrawWhat does a dentist do?
To give upWhen something is drawn from one it is given up. This is a date phrase meaning 1789.
Self-sacrificeThere is an association of thought between giving and self-sacrifice.
WashingtonAssociate the quality of self-sacrifice with Washington's character.
Morning washWashington andwash.
DewEarly witness and dew.
Flower bedsDew and flowers.
Took a bouquetFlowers and bouquet. Date phrase (1707.)
GardenBouquet and garden.
EdenThe first garden.
AdamJuxtaposition of thought.
AdamsSuggestion by sound.
FallJuxtaposition by thought.
FailureFall and failure.
DeficitUpon a failure there is usually a deficit. Date word (1801.)
DebtThe consequence of a deficit.
BondsDebt and bonds.
Confederate bondsSuggestion by meaning.
Jefferson DavisJuxtaposition of thought.
Jefferson.

Now, follow out the rest for yourself, taking about ten at a time, and binding those you do last to those you have done before each time, before attacking the next bunch.

123
Jeffersonthe fraudthe heavy shell
Judge Jeffreyspainted claymollusk
bloody assizebaked clayunfamiliar word
bereavementtilesdictionary
too heavy a sobTylerJohnson's
parental griefWat TylerJohnson
mad sonpoll taxson
Madisoncompulsorybad son
Madeirafree willdishonest boy
first-rate winefree offeringthievish boy
frustratingburnt offeringtake
defeatingpokergive
feetPolkGrant
toe the lineend of danceaward
rowtermination "ly"school premium
Munroeadverbexamination
rowpart of speechcramming
boatpart of a manfagging
steamerTaylorlaborer
the funnelmeasurerhay field
windpipetheodoliteHayes
throatTheophilushazy
quinzyfill usclear
Quinzy AdamsFillmorevivid
quincemore fuelbrightly lighted
fine fruitthe flamecamp fire
the fine boyflambeauwar field
sailor boybowGarfield
sailorarrowGuiteau
jack tarPiercemurderer
Jacksonhurtprisoner
stone wallfeelingprison fare
indomitablewoundhalf fed
tough makesoldierwell fed
oaken furniturecannonwell read
bureauBuchananauthor
Van BurenrebukeArthur
rentofficial censureround table
side-splittingto officiatetea table
divertweddingtea cup
annoylinkedhalf full
harrassingLincolndivide
Harrisonlinkcleave
Old HarrystrollCleveland
the temptersea shore

It will be noted that some of the date words, as "free will," only give three figures of the date, 845; but it is to be supposed that if the student knows that many figures in the date of Polk's inauguration he can guess the other one.

The curious thing about this system will now become apparent. If the reader has learned the series so that he can say it down from first President to Cleveland, he can with no effort, and without any further preparation, say it backward, from Cleveland up to the commencement. There could be no better proof that this is the natural mnemonic system. It proves itself by its works.

0 —hoes
1 —wheat 34 —mare 67 —jockey
2 —hen 35 —mill 68 —shave
3 —home 36 —image 69 —ship
4 —hair 37 —mug 70 —eggs
5 —oil 38 —muff 71 —gate
6 —shoe 39 —mob 72 —gun
7 —hook 40 —race 73 —comb
8 —off 41 —hart 74 —hawker
9 —bee 42 —horn 75 —coal
10 —daisy 43 —army 76 —cage
11 —tooth 44 —warrior 77 —cake
12 —dine 45 —royal 78 —coffee
13 —time 46 —arch 79 —cube
14 —tower 47 —rock 80 —vase
15 —dell 48 —wharf 81 —feet
16 —ditch 49 —rope 82 —vein
17 —duck 50 —wheels 83 —fame
18 —dove 51 —lad 84 —fire
19 —tabby 52 —lion 85 —vial
20 —hyenas 53 —lamb 86 —fish
21 —hand 54 —lair 87 —fig
22 —nun 55 —lily 88 —fife
23 —name 56 —lodge 89 —fib
24 —owner 57 —lake 90 —pies
25 —nail 58 —leaf 91 —putty
26 —hinge 59 —elbow 92 —pane
27 —ink 60 —chess 93 —bomb
28 —knife 61 —cheat 94 —bier
29 —knob 62 —chain 95 —bell
30 —muse 63 —sham 96 —peach
31 —mayday 64 —chair 97 —book
32 —hymen 65 —jail 98 —beef
33 —mama 66 —judge 99 —pope
100 —diocese