OULD ACQUIRE AND INSIST UPON EXERCISING THE HABIT
OF FORMING DEFINITE IDEAS.--This is one of the most important
injunctions to be observed as an essential principle of intelligent
study.[1] It is self-evident that facts or things cannot be reasoned
about intelligently unless a definite idea is formed of the facts or
things themselves. Vagueness of idea not alone precludes a proper
conception of the thing itself, but may vitiate all reasoning regarding
it. The student must resolutely make up his mind that he must not rest
satisfied with hazy, uncertain, half-formed ideas. A half knowledge of
a thing may not be useless, but it is generally found that it is the
other half that is needed. If the student could learn this one precept
and continually apply it, he would have little difficulty in studying
properly.

{25}

It is not easy to state just how the habit of forming definite ideas
may be acquired. To a certain extent it is intuitive. Some students
have it, while others do not; some can cultivate it, while others
apparently cannot. It is probably safe to say, however, that a student
who cannot cultivate it should not study books, or enter into a
profession, but should go to work with his hands instead of taking a
college course. Such a man will be always likely to be misled, his
conclusions can never be depended upon, and what we term education may
do him harm rather than good.

A definite idea is one that leaves no room for ambiguity--which means
just one thing. The habit of forming such ideas habitually may be
cultivated in several ways, as for instance:

1. STUDY THE DICTIONARY.--By study of the dictionary, the student may
train himself to distinguish slight differences in meaning between
words, and habitually to use precisely the word with the proper meaning
to express his idea. A knowledge of the derivation of words will often
assist, and such books as Archbishop Trench's on "The Study of Words,"
or a course in English composition under a good teacher, accompanied by
exercises in expression, will all contribute to {26} the formation of
the habit.[2] Sometimes, however, the dictionary may give little
assistance, for it may be found that one term is defined by means of
another and on looking up that other, it will be found to be defined by
means of the first. Sometimes also a definition of a word will be
given in terms even more difficult to understand than the one which is
defined. There are differ