Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-11-19
The knowledge of the Unlearnea.


have often wondered that he did not write
II companionessay to it, on the knowledge
OF the umlearned. The so.called learned
men have usually very little practical learn
hhS out ot their profession, on speciality;
while all that the unlcarncd know is usu
ally OF practical and scrviccublc nature.
Some oi our most learned scholars, who
haYc gained great celebrity by their at
talnmcnts III literature, arc lamcntabIy de-
hclenl III their knowledge of every dny af-
tairs, and would hardly succeed i'm carniu,r
decent living out OF their own profession;
while there are thousands of ilhtcratc men
that would be called ignorant by scholars
who have 50 varied Knowledge of the or
dinary pursuits Of mankind, and are SO
skilled in business, that they would not
tdli 10 make themselves useful aud n;in
/ something more tllau an honest living un-
der amy circumstances. They may know
; nothing about technical sciences, be una
/ ble.to tell whcthera syllogsm be sometime
to eat or to wear, and incapable of speak
ing any language but their veruacular, and
even tnat not gramnaticully, and yet have
50 accurate aknowledgc of human motives
/ as to compel their funcied superiors to do
/
ures. The world is full of learned men
who. are SO lgnorant of the arts of life
We do not mean the vicious arts, but the
useful arts--that they are unable, with all
Their knowledge, to render sufficient ser
vice to society to secure themselves from
want But infinitely better is the know-
( edge OF the unlcarned, which enable them
to prosper, than the learning which canuot
| save Its posScssor from starving.
The great benctactors OF the present age
have been and arc mostly unleamcd, igno-
rant men. But they are men who have
I done more for the cause of science out of
their ignorance than any scholarly men
have ever done. John Jacob Astor and
, Stephen Girard, who proved themselves
such true bcnelactors of science, were very
ignorant men, speaking after the manner OF
scholars, yet their knowledge was great,
varied, extensive, and of Il most scrvlcca-
bic character. We could mention the
names OF half dozen men in this city
whose lack OF learning would subject them
to the Jccrs OF learned ounces, yet whose
knowledge OF the actualiticS of existence
has raised them to greatness, has gained
them wealth, position, Influence, aId cnu-
others.
What would we argue from these things
that learning is useless Not we Let
every man and woman learn all they can,
Tor learning will never do them any narm
But let US not attach too much Importance
! to any special kind of learning, and exalt
comparatively useless information at the
/ expense of really valuable knowledge,
whether it be accompanied by diplomas or
not. We have bad habit of bestowing
all our honors on u particular kind of learn
ing, and that by no means the best We
pay too much Difference to the youngstcr
who has acquired AN uncertain amount of
Latin and Greek, while young man who
has gained thorough knowledge of the
art OF building house, of cutivatng Il
farm, OF making Il steam engine, OF setting
type, or managinga printing machine, we
treat us though lie had rather degraded
than elevated himself by the acquisition Of
knowledge which would render him indie
pendent, and a benetactor OF society.
INFLUENCE OF A MOTHER In what
Christian country can we deny the influ-
cnce which IL mother cXcrts over the whole
life of her children, while he is tossed on
the ocean, oil while he scorchcs his feet on
the desert sands, rccurs in his loneliness
and suffering to the smiles which material
affection Shed over his infancy; the rcck-
less sinner, even in lis hardened career
occasionally hears the whsrcrings of those
holy prcccpts irstillcd bya vrtuous mother,
and, although they may, in the fuIlncss OF
guilt be neglected, there are many instan-
ccsof their having 80 stung the conscience,
that they have led to deep and lasting
repentance; the erring child of either sex
Will then if a mothcryct exist, turn to her
for chat consolation which the laws of So
cicty deny, and in the lasting purity of a
mothers love viii find the way to heaven.
How checrfully docs virtuous son labor
for poverty stricken mother? How alive
is le to her honor and high standing in the
world Aud should that mother be de-
sertcd-bc left in worse than widow
hood how proudly does he stand foytk
her comfort and protector! Indeed, the
more entirely we arc convinced that no
; influence is SO lasting, or of such wide eX-
tent, and the more intensely do sc feed the
necessity of guiding this sacred affection,
and pertectng that being from whom it
cmanatcs. "lbc future character of n
child" said Napoleon, is always the
work of its mother" and he delighted i'm
recolccting that to his parent did he owe
much of the greatness of a mind, which
probably graSpcd ut too much, but which