This reading should be accompanied with a careful and detailed study, both of thought and form. There seems to be a general agreement that a detailed brief should be studied; but some prefer to have the brief more or less fully worked out by the teacher, while others maintain that much, if not most, of the value of such practice is lost unless the student actually works it out for himself. The former hold that students make sorry work of it unless they have a great deal of help, and that the results are not commensurate with the time and effort expended. On the other hand, an honest and earnest effort on the part of the students to work out for themselves the detail of the argument, even though they are not all equally successful, is so valuable that a good deal of time and effort may well be devoted to it. If the class can work out in the first reading, even with much help from the teacher, the main propositions of the brief as they are given above, they can be expected to work out most of the details without much difficulty. Another very important and valuable line of study in Burke's writings is the significance of his language. The meaning of such words as _fomented_, _mace_, _bias_, _sensible_, _dissidence_, and the significance of such phrases as _auction of finance_, _ransom by auction_, _taxation by grant_, _touched and grieved_, repay careful study. The study of from fifty to a hundred such words and phrases, carefully selected by the teacher, will do much toward familiarizing the students with Burke's thought, and with his habit of mind. In addition to this detailed study, and in connection with it, there should be frequent review of the main arguments in their logical order. In this way the student, while adding to his knowledge of the argument in detail, will be acquiring a larger grasp of the argument as a whole. Finally, there is abundant opportunity here for the study of rhetorical features: the orderly arrangement of thought in the paragraphs, the series of short sentences, the long sentences, biblical language, epigram, paradox, rhetorical question, figurative language, etc. A comparison with Macaulay's essays will add interest and profit to the study. IV. Study of the Book as a Whole CONTENT.--Why did Burke apologize for presenting his plan? What comparison did he draw between his own record and that of Parliament on the question of colonial policy? Why did he make this comparison? What is the purpose of paragraph beginning on p. 51, l. 3; on p. 52, l. 24? Find several statements that Burke has supported with indisputable evidence; for example, comparisons of exports (pp. 48-53). Find several statements where he gives no direct evidence, for example, the facts about the population of the colonies (p. 46), statements about the religion of the colonists (p. 60). Why has he not given evidence for all? When may we make statements in argument without supporting them with evidence?