If  already  in  the  mind,  they  must  be  collated  accord-
ing to  the  laws  of  association,  by  which  the  memory
works.     If  not  all  there,  then  the  few  thoughts  which
led  to  the  selection  of  the  theme  must  show  the  writer
where  to  go,  or  what  to  do,  to  collect  thoughts.  •  Com-
parisons, metaphors,  allusions,  and  all  other  figures  of
speech  arising,  must  be  noticed  ;  if  counted  worthy  or
appropriate,  they  should  be  used.     If  not,  let  them  be
rejected.
13.  Importance  of  Thoroughness  in  acquiring  Infor-
mation.— It  is  well  to  use  the  pen  freely  in  gathering
information.     Sometimes  a  good   writer  will  spend
hours,  ancl  days,  and  even  weeks,  in  collecting  thoughts
and  illustrations  on  a  subject,  and  then  spend  hours  in
arranging  them  into  an  outline,  and  finally  write  out
the  essay,  or  oration,  or  book,  in  a  much  shorter  time
than  was  spent  collecting  the  material.
The  great  fault  of  young  writers  is  that  they  do  not
learn  to  invent.  They  try  to  write  or  speak,  with  noth-
ing to  speak  or  write  about.  Gather  abundant  ma^e-
rial  first.  Do  not  say  that  this  is  impossible.  It  is
not  so.
320  RHETORIC.
Would  you  write  about  the  town  or  city  in  which
you  reside  ?  Take  a  note-book  and  travel  about  the
town,  and  make  memoranda  of  what  you  see.  Read
what  others  have  written  about  it,  if  you  wish  to.  Seek
comparisons,  metaphors,  etc.,  that  you  can  appropri-
ately use.  You  will  probably  surprise  yourself,  and
your  friends,  by  the  abundance  and  accuracy  of  your
information.
