The Red Cloud chief., 1880-11-11
How 10 Fix the Attention.

A YOUNG correspondent in Macon,
Georgia, asks: How can | best cul-
tivate the power of fixing the attention
on a snbiect or a book? How can l
learn TO concentrate my mind on Il
question. So that it will not wander OIL
to other things?l am very anxious To
learn how to do it, aud will be thankful
for Your advice"
1t is easy TO see how this power may
be impaired. The desuitory reading of
nothing but elegant extracts" anec-
-dotes, newspaper items, and the like
dipping into books here and there, in
order 10 pick out the most attractive
MISUNDERSTANDING over the surface
and skipping the hard points OF a sab
iact-@lidinr through one sentence
after another, without taking inthe full
me,nirg of anytning-always leads u
desultory thinking and weakens the
fiber of the mind. Sir Isaac Newton
attributed all hiss uccesS to the habit of
mental concentration. This is the most
important part of our intellectual dlscl-
pine. Steam has no motive power un-
ill it is concentrated. The chief value
of such stu lies as mathematics lies IN
the fact that they cannot be mastered
at al unless the stu lent l. able, for the
time being. 10 abstract his thoughts
from every thing else. Ii is the want
of thoroughnesS in u early training
that makes it SD hard to think con
tinuously in after life. Our boys and
girls are called TO study too many
things. and are obliged to fly about like
the bees, .who gather honey from every
opening flower" They know a little
of aim 6st every thing. and not much OF
ANYTHING.
1t is not so easy to furnish an exact
recipe for acquiring the habit of fixing
the attention on a subject or n book;
but. in default Of any thing better, l
would say to my Georgia friend:
Take mp some important matter that
really interests YOU. AM determine that
YOU will get a clear and thorough
knowledge of the same. in all its bear
ings. before o LEI il 90. Allot 4
certain portion of the day to its study
not TOO long n time, especially at iirst-
bat resolutely resolve that. during the
few hours devoted to it, nothing else
shall be allowed to occupy your mind.
Go to work systematically-begin as
the ship builder does, with laying 4
good. strong keel-then. n by one
put in the ribs, boiling them well to
their place, next adjust the sheathing
and rivet every plank thoroughly.
Select the best books that you can
find pertaining to the subject. and read
them with elaboration. Do not urn
ever to the next page until you are
sure that You understand what has
already been read. Ii you come upon
q very hard place. read it over and
over. stop 10 think about it and ques-
ton yourself aboat it. Do not allow
YOUR plane to slip carelessly over the
knots in the wood. Unite every snarl
as Won 20 along. Ii you leave one point
unsettled 10 INV confuse Won aA the
way through. 1t MAY be well some
times to read aloud. Many years ago
l fried this experiment with Cutters
Analogy aud found it useful.
At certain intervals stop and try to
repeat the argument in your own Ian
guage: this VIII show whether your
conception of the subject is clear, and
also help to Tx It n your memory. We
forget many things that we read. be-
cause at the time they made no definite
impression. All men with great con-
centrative power have good memories
Il is an excellent plan To write ont an
ANALYSIS of what has been read. and
then, il there is a full table of contents.
compare the two. in order to see how
thorough you have been.
Reading in this careful way. you may
not be able 10 deyour many books in =
month. but what YOU do re4i viii be
digested. And when your have once
formed this habit of intent study il VIII
become spontaneous.
We are interested IN any subject in