For Miller's Mind training for children Book 2 (of 3) A practical training for successful living; Educational games that train the senses — Edition Insights, the stored edition analysis reports 29,486 words, 2 hr 9 min estimated reading time, and 8 detected text sections.
The text analysis averages about 19.2 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.
Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Mnemonics,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.
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William E. Miller's Mind Training for Children, Book 2 (1921) opens with a direct claim: 'The memory is the most used of all the faculties.' From this premise, the book builds a systematic method for improving recall through sensory training, particularly sight. Miller insists that 'the strongest sense is sight' and that 'visual impressions [are] most accurate,' anchoring his technique in the creation of vivid mental pictures. The text is less a theoretical treatise than a practical workbook, filled with exercises, code tables, and games designed for children and their instructors.
Miller devotes considerable space to a phonetic number code, where each digit from 0 to 9 is assigned a consonant sound based on articulation. For example, 'D and T are similar in sound and therefore either can be used to represent the digit 1.' The code is built entirely on sound, not spelling: 'Silent letters have no figure value, because they are not SOUNDED.' This rule leads to surprising transformations—'NIGHT is 21 for the GH is silent'—and forces the reader to listen to words rather than read them. Miller extends the code by allowing similar sounds (soft G for 6, SH for 6, hard C for 7) and even introduces an arbitrary suffix, 'ING,' to represent 7, as in '447 RoaRING.' The result is a flexible but demanding system that requires the user to internalize a new phonetic alphabet.
Beyond the number code, Miller promotes a technique he calls 'alphabetical hitching posts'—a set of predetermined mental images for numbers 1 to 100. These images serve as anchors for forming associations: 'as soon as any number of two digits was mentioned a word-picture of this value would come into your mind.' The method relies on exaggeration, motion, and unusual associations to make images memorable. Miller advises the reader to 'sharpen the tools' by practicing with lists and games like 'The Game of Code' and 'The Game of Solitaire.' The emphasis is on active, repeated drilling rather than passive learning. The book provides sample exercises, such as translating numbers into words (e.g., '38 M F MuFf'), and encourages the reader to create their own.
Miller's instructional voice is direct and repetitive, mirroring the method he advocates. He frequently restates core principles—'The important thing to keep in mind in the use of this Code is the fact that all is based upon SOUND'—and includes review tests and practice lists. The book's structure alternates between explanation and exercise, with sections like 'Forming Larger Number Words' and 'Adjective as Helps' building incrementally. The pace is deliberate, designed for step-by-step mastery. Miller warns against procrastination ('Beware of Procrastination') and insists that 'review is essential' and 'methodical review best.' This pedagogical rhythm, while sometimes repetitive, reflects a belief that memory training requires consistent, effortful practice.
Readers should approach this book as a manual to be used, not merely read. The exercises—especially the number-code drills and hitching-post games—demand active participation. Miller's method is rooted in early 20th-century educational theory, but its focus on sound-based mnemonics and visual association remains relevant. For best results, work through the exercises in order, and consider adapting the games for group or classroom use. The book's value lies in its practical, hands-on approach to training the memory.
Lately I’ve been turning the pages of Miller's Mind Training for Children, savoring its quiet insistence on hitching each memory to a picture. It made me think of an old schoolroom, and of someone who believed children’s minds deserved such gentle craft. That thought led me to Frances Mary Buss and her work for education — Text and Context, a book that feels like the same earnest hope, only clothed in brick and mortar.
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