Note-Taking/Appendix

by Samuel Swayze Seward

Layout 2

APPENDIX: EXAMPLES OF NOTES
GOOD AND BAD CONDENSATION

The following paragraph, from a lecture by Ruskin, was read to a class inexperienced in note-taking. The members were asked to listen attentively and then, at the end of the reading, to condense the thought into a brief note. Below are given some of the results, so classified as to show both the virtues to be striven for and the faults to be avoided in dealing with ideas.

The good book of the hour, then—I do not speak of the bad ones—is simply the useful or pleasant talk of some person whom you cannot otherwise converse with, printed for you. Very useful, often, telling you what you need to know; very pleasant, often, as a sensible friend's pleasant talk would be. These bright accounts of travels; good-humored and witty discussions of questions; lively or pathetic story-telling in the form of novels; firm fact-telling, by the real agents concerned in the events of passing history—all these books of the hour multiplying among us as education becomes more general are a peculiar characteristic and possession of the present age; we ought to be entirely thankful for them, and entirely ashamed of ourselves if we make no good use of them. But we make the worst possible use, if we allow them to usurp the place of true books: for, strictly speaking, they are not books at all, but merely letters or newspapers in good print. Our friend's letter may be delightful, or necessary, to-day: whether worth keeping or not, is to be considered. The newspaper may be entirely proper at breakfast-time, but assuredly it is not reading for all day. So, though bound up in a volume, the long letter which gives you so pleasant account of the inns and roads, and weather last year at such a place, or which tells you that amusing story, or gives you the real circumstances of such and such events, however valuable for ocсаsional reference, may not be, in the real sense of the word, a "book" at all, nor, in the real sense, to be "read." A book is essentially not a talked thing, but a written thing; and written, not with the view of mere communication, but of permanence. The book of talk is printed only because its author cannot speak to thousands of people at once; if he could, he would—the volume is mere multiplication of his voice. You cannot talk to your friend in India; if you could, you would; you write instead that is mere conveyance of voice. But a book is written, not to multiply the voice merely, not to carry it merely, but to preserve it. The author has something to say which he perceives to be true and useful, or helpfully beautiful. So far as he knows, no one has yet said it; so far as he knows, no one else can say it. He is bound to say it, clearly and melodiously if he may; clearly, at all events. In the sum of his life he finds this to be the thing, or group of things, manifest to him; this the piece of true knowledge, or sight, which his share of sunshine and earth has permitted him to see. He would fain set it down forever; engrave it on rocks, if he could; saying, "This is the best of me; for the rest, I ate and drank, and slept, loved, and hated, like another; my life was as the vapor, and is not; but this I saw and knew this, if anything of mine, is worth your memory." That is his "writing"; it is, in his small human way, and with whatever degree of true inspiration is in him, his inscription, or scripture. That is a "Book."

I. Observe the conciseness and accuracy of phrase; also the balanced sentence form, bringing out the contrast of two opposed ideas.

A good book is the supreme thought and product of an author, and is intended to be permanent; while a book of the hour is merely a means of increasing the radius of a man's voice.

Popular "books of the hour" are not really books, but are simply the interesting talk or conversation of some one distant; while real books are the perpetuated thoughts and individuality of an author at his best.

II. In these sentences, too, the form shows that two ideas are contrasted, but the ideas themselves are misinterpreted.

The novels of the day are good reading, but they should not usurp the place of more solid reading, because books are written to preserve the opinions of the writers.

New books are pleasant companions for the moment, while old and tried ones leave a lasting impression from which one may derive truth and a tangible thought.

III. These sentences show a groping after correct ideas, but failure to grasp the thought accurately has resulted in confused and aimless wandering.

In reading for other purposes than mere amusement, the permanent value of a book is necessarily taken into consideration.

Though books of travel and adventure arc useful and entertaining, we must not confuse them with real books—to the exclusion of such as are in reality writings, as opposed to talk in the books of travel, and which are the results of experience of a single man.

IV. In these notes the meaning, so far as it is clear at all, is directly opposite to that of the original text.

A good book is like a cheerful and instructive friend telling you stories and experiences in a clear manner. The author has something to say to the people, that he thinks no one else said or can say, and he has it printed so that it may reach more people.

A thoroughly good book, which itself is but a multiplication of the author's voice, is designed primarily for permanence, and this feature alone characterizes and distinguishes it from the ordinary class of publications such as the daily newspapers.

GOOD AND BAD ORGANIZATION

The following examples are brief extracts, taken from class notes, of a lecture on Student Life at Oxford. They illustrate the pitfalls that are to be avoided when one is learning how to organize notes. The substance of the lecture will be sufficiently clear from the first extract, but perhaps one point needs special explanation: as an example of the conservatism of Oxford tradition, the lecturer cited the old custom of requiring a "candidate" (Lat. candidus, "white-robed") to wear white vestments during examinations,—a tradition surviving to-day in the required wearing of white dress ties by all candidates for examination.

I. This extract is simple and clear in statement, and its organization brings out the relation that one idea bears to another.

The English college man is:

1. generally of comfortable means;

2. well-prepared in Greek and Latin;

3. lodged in rather elaborate rooms, which include a study separate from the sleeping room.

During his college course he

1. is required to take but two important sets of examinations, one in the middle, and one at the end of the course;

2. does his studying largely in vacation, and attends only a small number of lectures in term time.

Some examples of traditional customs which are still followed at Oxford are:

1. the wearing of white neckties at examination time;

2. the requirement that law students shall eat a prescribed number of dinners at the Inns of Court in London, before graduation.

II. Here, too, there is organization, but the ideas are related to one another illogically.

I. Unusual aspect.

(a) Gate closed to prevent exit of students.

(b) Courses.

1. Students do not specialize early.

2. Marks in examinations determine a man's standing.

(c) The adherence to old usages and customs.

(d) White tie must be worn before taking examinations.

III. In this extract the mingling of important and unimportant details becomes confusing because of the lack of organization.

The education here consists greatly in a study of the classics.

The Englishman has a reverence for old things.

White ties are worn by candidates for examination.

Candidates receive book of rules to be followed. They are partly written in Latin.

The original purpose of Oxford was that of ecclesiastical study.

IV. This extract illustrates the added confusion that results when items are not indented at the margin. It is to be noted in this series that the papers lacking organization are also the ones least successful in point of clearness and accuracy.

English social distinctions make Oxford life homogeneous. It is almost wholly aristocratic. Students usually have definite careers in mind.

Great importance laid on examinations.

Many careers are open to those who pass with a good grade. The Oxford student clings to old customs and there are hundreds of picturesque customs handed down from older times white dress ties worn with blue flannel shirts worn as the survival of an ancient tradition.

 

SPECIMEN NOTES

[The following set of notes was taken in a course in Literature. The nature of the lectures was such that it was important that good notes should contain a considerable body of facts. The organization, though not complex, is very important. The writer preferred not to abbreviate his words.]

The Beginnings of the Renaissance

The essential thing in the Renaissance is the change in men's minds as to Latin Classics, then as to Greek. In the early Middle Ages the classics were regarded as educational material; in the Renaissance as containing a theory of life. This was the movement of Humanism,—the fulfilling of man's nature as a human being. Mediæval concern for man as an eternal spirit; Renaissance inclined to confine attention to this world. So there was a revival of Paganism through study and imitation of Greeks and Romans.

Among the causes leading back to classics were:

(1) The important place given to ancient philosophy in the late Middle Ages. After the middle of the 12th century, when Aristotle began to be prized, ancient philosophy was widely cultivated.

(2) Political theorizing, turning back to the Roman Empire as a model for government. From the end of the 10th century there was a growing national feeling among the Italians as descendants of the Romans, shown in at least three revolutions designed to restore the Roman Republic (that of Crescentius, in 998; Arnaldo da Brescia, 1146; Cola di Rienzi, 1347). In these days all non-Italians came to be called "barbarians"; the term "Dark Ages" was introduced, and "Gothic" became a term of reproach.

(3) Growing familiarity with antiquity through myths and vulgar literature. Many myths grew up attached to ancient times:

(a) that of Virgil, who had come to be regarded as a magician, and of whom there were such stories as that he had built the Coliseum in a night (Dante called him "the sea of all wisdom");

(b) that of Alexander the Great, an attractive figure to the mediæval mind, about whom several apocryphal works had been written in the early Middle Ages, which became the basis of many romances in the vulgar tongues;

(c) that of the Trojan War, not known in the Middle Ages in the Homeric form, but handed down in the apocryphal histories of "Dares the Phrygian" and "Dictys the Cretan," which were the basis of the French version of Bénoit de S. Manre, which in turn was the basis of Guido della Colonna's great version, the "Historia Troiana."

(4) The revival of rhetorical education, in the 12th and 13th centuries. The art of writing having assumed importance, it was increasingly believed that in antiquity only was to be found rhetorical excellence; indeed, one may say that the whole Renaissance proceeded in large measure from a study of Style. Cf. the early humanists who became great teachers of rhetoric: Johannes de Garlandia, an Englishman who taught in Paris; Petrus de Vineis, Chancellor of Frederick II, who made a collection of model public letters; Brunetto Latini, a Florentine, according to tradition Dante's teacher of rhetoric.

These things bring us to the very verge of the Renaissance, and to the work of Petrarch (1304-1374) and Boccaccio (1313-1375).

 

[The extract that follows is taken from a note-book in a History Course. The abbreviation of the notes is erratic, but easy to follow.]

The Programme of Catholic Reaction

Occasion.—Chas. V. had been anxious to bring about religious unity in Germany by means of a Church council. The Prot. & Cath. in Germany desired this. The Papacy was not so closely associated with the Church as formerly.

The Popes were opposed to such a council, fearing compromise with the Lutherans. They were however not strong enough to oppose Chas. V.

The Council.—The subsequent summoning of the Council of Trent followed in 1545, and lasted until 1563. Paul IV. was a fiery, narrow-minded Neapolitan, under whose auspices the Council was inaugurated.

Trent theoret. was sit. in Empire, but act. in Italy.

The reform of the Church was to be in a Catholic sense, and the Pope negotiated with great diplomacy.

Sarpi, a Venetian, wrote a hist. of the C. of Trent, as did also Pallavicino.

The Pope's Plan.—(1) The Pope aimed to have all voting done by heads rather than by nations.

(2) A great number of bishops were pensioners of the Pope. The real control was thus in hands of Pope and Jesuits. No Lutherans were present.

(3) Only papal legatees could introduce decrees.

Results.—I. Doctrinal (basis of Cath. theology):

1. Vulgate version of Bible made the only authoritative text of the Christian faith.

2. Traditions of church placed on parity with Bible.

3. All people rejecting sacraments were to be condemned.

II. Disciplinary (reforms in church):

1. Annates done away with or curtailed.

2. Residence of bishops enforced.

3. Plurality of bishoprics forbidden.

4. Clergy required to be well educated.

This Council gave the Catholics a firm statement of faith, thus making reconciliation with Protestants impossible in the future.

 

[Notes in Engineering courses resolve themselves largely into formulæ copied from the black-board, problems, etc. The following extract is a good average specimen of helpful notes in this department of study.]

Keys in Machine Design

Purpose: to prevent relative rotation of shafts and attached parts.

Different Classes of Keys:

1. Parallel.

2. Taper.

3. Disc.

4. Feathers or splines.

1. Parallel keys. These prevent relative rotation but not necessarily sliding. They are usually made to fit loose at bottom and top, and tight on the sides.

Let $d=\,$ diam. of shaft.
Let $w=\,$ width of key.
Let. $\,t=\,$ radial thickness of key.

Then for parallel keys:

${\begin{aligned}{\begin{matrix}d&1&1{\tfrac {1}{4}}&1{\tfrac {1}{2}}\\w&{\tfrac {5}{32}}&{\tfrac {7}{32}}&{\tfrac {9}{32}}\\t&{\tfrac {3}{16}}&{\tfrac {1}{4}}&{\tfrac {5}{16}}\end{matrix}}\quad \quad {\text{etc.}}\end{aligned}}$

2. Taper keys. These prevent rel. motion of all kinds.. Usually made with draw heads. The taper of the keys varies from ⅛" to ½" per foot.

Table for taper keys:

${\begin{aligned}{\begin{matrix}d&1&1{\tfrac {1}{4}}&1{\tfrac {1}{2}}\\w&{\tfrac {1}{4}}&{\tfrac {5}{16}}&{\tfrac {3}{8}}\\t&{\tfrac {5}{32}}&{\tfrac {3}{16}}&{\tfrac {1}{4}}\end{matrix}}\quad \quad {\text{etc.}}\end{aligned}}$

This table is based on rough assumption that

$w={\frac {d}{4}}\quad \quad {\frac {t}{w}}=\tan {30^{\circ }}\quad \quad \therefore \;\;t=.578w.$

For two keys,

$w={\frac {d}{6}}\quad \quad t=578w.$

Formulæ of allowance for bore of hub over the diam. of shaft for taper key:

$A={\frac {{\frac {5}{16}}d+0.5}{1000}}.$

When parts are to be permanently connected, use driving fit. Then,

$A={\frac {{\frac {d}{2}}+0.5}{1000}}.$

(Great care must be taken to finish taper of key same as taper of key-way, or the parts will be thrown out of true.)

[The following extract is from a set of notes on Chemistry. There is no attempt to picture some of the experiments performed during the lecture.]

Chlorine

Discovered by Scheele, 1774.

Named by Davy, 1810.

In combination it occurs as chlorides, of which NaCl is most common. Found in great abundance. Not found free—in nature.

Preparation: Chlorine cannot be released from compounds nearly so easily as O or H. Methods used:

(1) Electrolysis of HCl. H & Cl explode violently when mixed.

(2) From HCI—a cheap process. Oxygen may be used to release Cl, thus:

2 HCl + O = H₂O + 2 Cl.

But since this proceeds very slowly, a quicker method is found by the use of a catalytic agent. This process (called Deacon's) consists in passing a mixture of HCI & air over pumice or brick soaked in CuCl₂, solution and heated to 370–400° C. Under these conditions the reaction proceeds rapidly—why, no one knows.

(3) NaCl, subjected to electrolysis, gives NaOH & CI. Useful commercially under proper conditions.

(4) MnO₂ + 4 HCl = MnCl₂ + H₂O + 2 Cl.
O + 2HCI = H₂O + 2 Cl.

(5) "Bleaching powder" is a compound of lime and chlorine.
CaOCl₂ + H₂SO₄ = CaSO₄ + H₂O + 2 Cl.

Properties:

Physical:

Deep yellow green—suffocating—very heavy.

Density, on basis of H = 1, is 35.79.

Boiling point is -33.6° C.

Solidifies at -102° C.

Critical temperature, +146° C.

Soluble in water, 215 vols in 100 vols water.

Chemical:

Active substance: C₁₀H₁₆ + 16Cl = 16HCl + 10C.

Strong bleaching agent, but is likely to injure delicate fabrics.

Splendid disinfectant, "chloride of lime" (not CaCl₂). Formed by running Cl over lime.