. . .But it be seldome on the holy daie, Save certainly, whan that the month of May Is comen, and that I heare the foules sing, And that the floures ginnan for to spring, Farwell my booke, and my devotion. Geoffrey Chaucer.

AVING chosen the books which are to be our friends and counsellors, the next question to be considered is, How shall we use them? Shall we read them through as hastily as possible, believing that the more we read, the more learned we are? Or shall we not derive more profit by reading slowly, and by making the subject-matter of each book thoroughly our own? I do not believe that any general rule43 can be given with reference to this matter. Some readers will take in a page at a glance, and will more thoroughly master a book in a week than others could possibly master it in six months. It required Frederick W. Robertson half a year to read a small manual of chemistry, and thoroughly to digest its contents. Miss Martineau and. . . Read More