How to Read

HOW TO READ. BY MILTON BENNION, M. A., PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH. [A young man, writing to the Era, asks : "Will you please write me a few instructions on 'How to read,' or tell me where I can find some information on the subject? Such a question may cause you to laugh. However, a friend of mine here stated that he had read his lesson six times and did not know it then. That is not reading. I find in my case that I read and read, and when the question comes up I am compelled to go back to my books. I read an article, then after six months I read it again, and find that in my first reading I did not see half its worth. How can I turn what I read into life? For some time I have been looking for some advice on this subject, and hoped that Professor Milton Bennion would treat it in his article entitled Concerning the Education of the Young, published in last year's Era. He stated what to read. I might read all that and then be no better off after than before, in consequence of not having read aright. I believe that you will understand my situation and see what I want. I find, also, that I am not the only one in this situation." The questions were referred to Professor Bennion, and we present his answer. In a general way his reply may be summed up into four or five words : determined will, interest, attention, application. Further, good literature is new at every reading, and grows in value as the mind improves. — Editors.] What is reading? It is thought and appreciation, stimulated and guided by the printed page; not mere seeing or pronouncing words. In the first place, then, one should be sure that he is reading, that he is expending mental energy systematically and exclusively upon the thing in hand. In this connection it is neces- sary to guard against day-dreaming and other forms of mind- wandering, and against mere mental inactivity. In attempting to do this it may be helpful to choose a quiet time and place, free from all distracting influences, to assume an active position, sit- ting upright or leaning slightly forward; and in the beginning to

HOW TO READ. 287 select something to read which in itself tends to stimulate interest. The room should be well ventilated; not too warm and not too cold for comfort. Between sixty- five and seventy degrees Fahrenheit is recommended. One should not be sleepy or tired, either men- tally or physically. He should have had enough physical exercise to promote good circulation and to stimulate the bodily processes in general, but not enough to exhaust or diminish his energy. Any one who has difficulty in concentrating his thoughts might profit by selecting a book that is largely narrative and descriptive, and then compelling himself to have vivid images of the real things he is reading about. These images may be either visual or auditory, or both. Good memory is partly determined by native characteristics of the individual brain. It may, however, be more fully deter- mined by one's habits of thought. Cultivation of the memory comes indirectly through control of attention and association. Take care of attention and memory will take care of iiself. But attention should be directed towards the fundamental thoughts and their natural and logical relations. This takes time; and co be well done, requires prolonged mental discipline. Measure the extent and worth of reading by the thoughts stimulated, not by the pages covered. One chapter really read is worth more than a whole volume merely run through. What is most thought over and woven into precious experiences by numerous associations is most easily and permanently remembered. All one's spare time should not be taken up in reading. Part of it should be given to thinking over what has been read, and making it an organic part of one's life. Talking about the contents of what has been read with some one who is interested may be helpful to the understand- ing and to the memory. It should not be assumed, however, that it is possible on first reading to get all the thought and feeling there is to be had out of a piece of good literature. It is' both natural and desirable that with further study and mental growth one should get more pro- found thought and a richer appreciation. The mental result of reading is always the joint product of the author and the reader. While the printed page may remain the same, the reader ought to grow from year to year and thus get an ever better product from