HOW TO THINK 



or of any generation of his predecessors, as he needed 

 the new facts supplied him by contemporary science. 

 So he ignored the one and eagerly sought the other. 

 Life-long habits of contemplation, and generalising 

 capacities of a vast order, enabled him to dispense with 

 the full knowledge of the ideas of his predecessors; 

 yet critics are not lacking who contend that Spencer's 

 would have been a far better rounded and more perma- 

 nent contribution to the history of thought, had he 

 read more widely. But, be that as it may, you surely 

 cannot afford to follow his example in this regard, un- 

 less you can first assure yourself that you have his 

 native powers of generalisation and if such you have, 

 you need no mentor in the art of thinking. 



The art of reading once acquired, it then becomes no 

 less important to know what use to make of the knowl- 

 edge that comes through books. You must surely 

 read in conformity with Bacon's classical maxim, "to 

 weigh and consider." You must classify your knowl- 

 edge and store it, as it were, in the various compart- 

 ments of your mind, else it will never be available when 

 you need it. Yet, on the other hand, you must be- 

 ware the dangers of mere idle musing. One chief 

 purpose of reading is to give you material for indepen- 

 dent thinking. The stimulative thought is useful just 

 in proportion as it sets up new chains of association in 

 your mind, broadening your horizon; but you must not 

 mistake mere day-dreaming for new and creative 

 thinking. 



Learn to stand sentry over your wandering thoughts 

 and from time to time to challenge them. If you find 



