Chesterton is railing against exchorational books, some of which are useless. However, this deeply conservative man seems to be focused entirely on the action and ignored meta problems which are just as useful, and if solved often enabling by huge multipliers. Chesterton ignores the mind, the problems of concentration, focus, mental health and so forth. We are nothing without good process, and self-help books or the actions they describe are hugely useful with that, if we heed their advice. This piece is a deeply anachronistic and flawed essay, a sunday paper kind of opinion piece, and part of the unworthy section of any great person'w oeuvre.