some thinking. Lots of folks seem to think that the idea of the text-book is—
"'Open your mouth and shut your eyes,
And I'll give you something to make you wise,'
And I'll give you something to make you wise,'
but it isn't that way at all;—it gives you something to think about. No one ever got wisdom by swallowing it whole, any more than he'd get a vocabulary by swallowing a dictionary;—it comes only through studying, and working, and contemplating, and proving. If you don't chew things, you'll get mental indigestion,—unless you're just shovelling them into a bag and looking pleasant, the way Bean-stalk Jack did with the hasty pudding."
I got up and stretched my arms. "Bess," I said, "that word 'chew' reminds me of something. You get the chocolate and sugar in shape, and I'll crack the butternuts."
