NEGATIVE MAKING 85 



voice to a few thoughts which have arisen as 

 these pages grew into being. 



My earnest desire is to disclaim any inten- 

 tion to impress upon my readers an idea that 

 the processes I have endeavored to make 

 clear are the only practical ones, and must be 

 strictly followed in order to insure successful 

 results, which I honestly believe is too gen- 

 erally the case with most English writers on 

 the subject. On the contrary, I recognize the 

 fact that every true worker must and will have 

 his own methods leading to the same results 

 as those obtained by others through totally 

 different ones, for there are many ways of 

 accomplishing a given end. Some will doubt- 

 less regard the whole stuff as being more or 

 less prolix, and possibly this may be true, but 

 those who "know all about it" can skip such 

 portions, which are intended for the real know- 

 nothings desirous of getting a start in the 

 rudiments. I am in receipt of many communi- 

 cations from correspondents urging me to go 

 down to the roots of the matter and "give all 

 the little points that the other fellows have left 

 out." One writes: "It will be well to sup- 

 pose ignorance on the subject and give the 

 methods as you practice them, using scientific 

 terms only when necessary, and then clearly 



