The Ralston brain regime
presenting a course of conduct, exercises and study, designed to develop perfect health in the physical brain, strengthen the mind, and increase the power of thought: a book of practice, more than theory.
Excerpt:
There are too many books in the present day in the world, for the reason that there is too much theorizing. It is easy enough to originate a theory; but difficult to make the theory practicable. Advice is too common, no matter how good it may be. The people who wish to progress, and they are a small class as far as numbers are concerned, require the aid of persons who can furnish them with a practical course of exercises to be performed, the performance of which shall cause a growth.
We grow only by doing something; not by being advised or taught. Books are too large in the present day. In a very popular scientific book, published recently by a New York house, there were four hundred pages of reading matter, which contained three facts of importance. The remainder of the book was words, mere words.
Publishers and authors labour under the delusion that a book is valuable for its number of pages, and mechanical construction. The world's greatest thinkers have read but few books. Facts should be condensed.
One page, well written, and containing half a dozen living truths, is more valuable than four hundred pages, filled with verbiage, and having only three facts. Just think of the waste of time in getting the meat out of that nut, with the chances of being half asleep when the facts are reached.
These views have been adopted in the present work, as the author's humble ability could accomplish that much-desired end. Persons who value a book by its size, rather than by its worth, will fail to appreciate the efforts of the author in making this volume small; while others, whose tastes run to quality rather than quantity, will doubly esteem the book, and reap a rich harvest in mental growth and culture.