right has he to speak on it? Who recognizes him as authority? With what other

recognized authorities does he agree or disagree?" Being caught trying to pass

counterfeit money, even unintentionally, is an unpleasant situation. Beware lest

you circulate spurious coin.

 

Above all, seek reading that makes you use your own brains. Such reading must be

alive with fresh points of view, packed with special knowledge, and deal with

subjects of vital interest. Do not confine your reading to what you already know

you will agree with. Opposition wakes one up. The other road may be the better,

but you will never know it unless you "give it the once over." Do not do all

your thinking and investigating in front of given "Q.E.D.'s;" merely assembling

reasons to fill in between your theorem and what you want to prove will get you

nowhere. Approach each subject with an open mind and--once sure that you have

thought it out thoroughly and honestly--have the courage to abide by the

decision of your own thought. But don't brag about it afterward.

 

No book on public speaking will enable you to discourse on the tariff if you

know nothing about the tariff. Knowing more about it than the other man will be

your only hope for making the other man listen to you.

 

Take a group of men discussing a governmental policy of which some one says: "It

is socialistic." That will commend the policy to Mr. A., who believes in

socialism, but condemn it to Mr. B., who does not. It may be that neither had

considered the policy beyond noticing that its surface-color was socialistic.

The chances are, furthermore, that neither Mr. A. nor Mr. B. has a definite idea