largest divisions, and the right-hand page for the details. This device
makes the note-book readily available for hasty review or for more
extended study.

READING NOTES.--The question of full or scanty notes arises in reading
notes as in lecture notes. In general, your notes should represent a
summary, in your own words, of the author's discussion, not a
duplication of it. Students sometimes acquire the habit of reading
single sentences at a time, then of writing them down, thinking that by
making an exact copy of the book, they are playing safe. This is a
pernicious practice; it spoils continuity of thought and application.
Furthermore, isolated sentences mean little, and fail grossly to
represent the real thought of the author. A better way is to read
through an entire paragraph or section, then close the book and
reproduce in your own words what you have read. Next, take your summary
and compare with the original text to see that you have really grasped
the point. This procedure will be beneficial in several ways. It will
encourage continuous concentration of attention to an entire argument;
it will help you to preserve relative emphasis of parts; it will lead
you to regard thought and not words. (You are undoubtedly familiar with
the state of mind wherein you find yourself reading merely words and
not following the thought.) Lastly, material studied in this way is
remembered longer than material read scrappily. In short, such a method
of reading makes not only for good memory, but for good mental habits
of all kinds. In all your reading, hold to the conception of yourself
as a thinker, not a sponge. Remember, you do not need to accept
unqualifiedly everything you read. A worthy ideal for every student to
follow is expressed in the motto carved on the wall of the great
reading-room of the Harper Memorial Library at The University of
Chicago: "Read not to contradict, nor to believe, but to weigh and