d a mastery of the System, accomplish the retention of a work in
vastly less time than would be possible for them without the System, and
the study is a pleasure instead of a task. On the other hand, those who
are in the possession of poor health or of weak concentration, or who
are overburdened with business anxieties, domestic cares or competitive
worries, would very seldom, if ever, master any book in the ordinary way
by _mere repetition_. These persons are extremely unfavourably situated
to do justice to the System, and it costs them more time and trouble to
master a book than the former class. A student admitted that he had
carefully read a manual of English History completely through _sixteen_
times, and then failed in the examination. To have obtained a lasting
knowledge of this History by my method would probably have occupied him
as long as he was formerly engaged in _two or three_ of the sixteen
fruitless perusals of it. There is, however, only one difference between
this unfortunate student and the great majority of those who succeed in
the examinations through _cramming_. He forgot all his historical
knowledge _before_ the examination--they usually forget theirs shortly
_after_. In fact, a student or a man in advanced years who has really
mastered any book so that he never has to refer to it again is a wonder.
Take the memories of members of the learned professions--they are
usually only REFERENCE memories. They know where to _find_ the coveted
knowledge, but they do not _possess_ it or _retain_ it in their minds.
On the other hand, the student who masters a book by my method _really
knows_ the contents of it, and he is thus enabled to devote to other
purposes _an enormous amount of time in the future_ that other people
have to spend in _perpetually refreshing_ their superficial
acquirements. Moreover, the average student who has carried out _all_ my
instructions can even _now_ learn as much by my Method in any stated
time as he could learn without my Method, and _with equal thoroughness_
in many, many times as long a period! And if any one who has been
pressed for time, or who has been in a panic about an impending
examination, or who has been too much troubled with Discontinuity, too
ill in general health, or too idle, to do more than superficially glance
at my lessons--if any such person doubts his competency to accomplish as
much as the diligent student of average ability has done, then let him
turn back a