The Newtown bee., 1898-01-28

pleted the work about so wears after
Christ. This century contains some NJ
the most important events of the world,s
history. The first half of it was prior IN
the advent Of our Lord while the second
half embraced His life, ministry and
death, together with the establishment or
the Church by the apostles; for exam
ple' while the Roman Emperor Claudius
was completing the conquest of Britain,
st Paul and companions were spreading
the Gospel of Christ in the far eastern
part OF the Roman Empire.
This brings me to suggest, what call
reading about center. That is to saw
select the most important characters in
century, or period, and group all the
other characters and events of the time
about him. Perhaps the most pictur-
eFque and interesting figure ia the Nor
man period of English history was Rich
ard of the Lion Heart. Then make him
the central figure of Your reading for
that period and make the rest subsidiary
TO him. You must needs read back to
William [, for the ancestry of your hero,
you will also read about the wicked John
who tried to cheat Richard out of his
throne, and you will necessarily read
ABOUT France as she was at that time, be-
cause the English kings had posses sions
in that country for many centuries,
richards part in the crusade, will also
force you to read about them, and
the part which the other kings of Eu-
rope took in that wild scheme of con-
quest; you will also have to read about
Palestine and the rule of the Saracen
Turks, especially that brilliant monarch
Saladin; in short, after you have finish
ed the Norman period in this wav. you
will not only have an excellent know
ledge of the history of England at that
time, but you will
KNOW MUCH OF GENERAL EUROPEAN
HISTORY,
as well as of the remoter parts of the
earth. Again supposing that you are
reading about the Tudor period
with Henry VIII for the central figure ::
you must needs gather a knowledge of
ferdinand and Isabella, and their wars
with the Moors in Spain, the discovery
and exploration of this country; the
wonderful power and corruption of the
church Of Rome, which brought about
the reformations in Germany and Eng
land !; the brilliant reign eff Charles V,
Emper of Germany; of France under
Louis XII, and Francis /, but must try
not to be tedious, you doubtless catch
my thought, which is, that in reading
for information, it issnot the amount of
ground traversed that counts the most.
but the amount the reader abeorbs for
intellectual uses. You clnnot read
rapidly for that would be after the man
ner OF the Sandglsss; but you must read
with view of having something to
carey away. You care little for the way
the writer tells his tale, except in so far
as his manner helps CT binders In uEder-
standing him. You are in search of
facts and can be satisfied with nothing
less than the facts, and the relation they
hear to other facts.
This plan of reading will be found as
valuable for other books as for history
the reader selecting some special
subject, or branch OF subject and
shaping bis reading with direct refer
ence TO the chos topic. However, sthe
schemes for retaining what one reads
are az numerous as the minds conceiving
Them and vary as widely as the
mental punishment OF the individuals
themselves. One keeps commonplace
book, and copies out in more or less
clerkly hand everything that he deems
verify Of remembrance, with the volume,
page and line from whence 1t comes duly
set down, Another reads with pencil in
hand, marking in the margin of the
page everything that attracts his atten-
ton, SO that BY the time the book il