usible, assuring his hearers it is the only way, and
they agree because they do not have enough other facts at their command
to refute it. They are unable, as we say, to see the situation in
several aspects. The mistakes in reasoning which children make have a
similar basis. The child reaches for the moon, reasoning--"Here is
something bright; I can touch most bright things; therefore, I can
touch this." His reasoning is fallacious because he does not have all
the facts. This condition is paralleled in the class-room when students
make what are shamefacedly looked back upon as miserable blunders. When
one of these fiascos occurs the cause can many times be referred to the
fact that the student did not have enough facts at his command.
Speaking broadly, the most effective reasoning in a field can be done
by one who has had the most extensive experiences in that field. If one
had complete acquaintance with all facts, one would have perfect
conditions for reasoning. Thus we see that effectiveness in reasoning
demands an extensive array of facts. Accordingly, in your courses of
study you must read with avidity. When you are given a list of readings
in a course, some of which are required and some optional, read both
sets, and every new fact thus secured will make you better able to
reason in the field.

But good reasoning demands more than mere quantity of ideas. The ideas
must conform to certain qualitative standards before they may be
effectively employed in reasoning. They must arise with promptness, in
an orderly manner, pertinent to the matter in hand, and they must be
clear. In securing promptness of association on the part of your ideas,
employ the methods described in the chapter on memory. Make many
logical associations with clearness and repetition. In order to insure
the rise of ideas in an orderly manner, pay attention to the manner in
which you acquire them.

Remember, things will be recalled as they were impressed, so the value
of your ideas in reasoning will depend upon the manner in which you
make original impressions. A further characteristic of serviceable
ideas is clarity. Ideas are sometimes described as "clear" in
opposition to "muddy." You know what is meant by these distinctions,
and you may be assured that one cause for your failures in reasoning is
that your ideas are not clear. This manifests itself in inability to
make clear statements and to comprehend clearly. The latter condition
is easily il