Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1860-01-12

! who. have not been out to see them. He ha
come home, full of the matter, and you hav,
only to draw it out, by proper questions, b,
which you will learn more in an hour, thai
you would in half week from books if vol
had them. Don't lose the opportunity.
Now and then perhaps, neighbor or a,
acquaintance, may return from his wander
ings beyond seas, and then, o what chance
for storing yonr own mind with the knowl
edge which has cost him gread deal of mon
ey, by asking him thousand questions.
he publishes his tour, it will not contain hal
the minute information which your question:
would draw out; ard if it would it may no,
be convenient for You to buy it.
suppose you travel more or less in the
rail cars, where you have nothing to do, but
to ask and answer questions. By this mode
of conveyance travellers are thrown together
from all parts of the country, and even from
foreign lands. Here, again, are your oppor-
tunities. If you are respectful, and have
the air of gentlemen, you will easily get into
conversation with just the men, who can give
you information about places and things
which you could have got from no other
quarter. In this way you can go to Califor.
MA and Pixies Peak, and travel all over the
sunny south, and perchance, hunt the polar
bears in the Arctic, or even make the tour
of the holy land, and climb the pyramids and
wander among the legions of mummies in the
catacombs and return home by the way OF
the Nile and the Niger-all this, or some
part Of it, without sleeping half dozen
nights out of your own chambers. Hardly a
passenger train on any of the main lines, but
that carries large freight of knowledge,
gathered from the four cardinal points of the
compass; and if you happen to be one of the
passengers, which should you not bring home
as much of it as you can, seeing it will not
take aught from the common stock, but in
crease it, if you have anything to contribute
Again you may chance to meet an old
sailor, cruising our hin country and lufing
up, to hail you for latitude. You will of
course answer all his questions; but having
got him along side, you will not let him cast
off, till you in turn have asked him some
questions You know great many things
which he does not, but lie does many which
you don't, for he has sailed half the world
over, and could reel off his long yarns during
all the time he can spare for this inland nav
igation. You must not detain him too long;
but get as many fathoms from him, as the
time will allow. He can tell you thousand
things which you never thought of, and make
you great deal wiser than you was when
you met him. y
Similar examples @ebe indefinitely
multiplied. The means OF gaining useful in
formation by simply taking the trouble to ask
a few questions, are always within your
means. In their own line of things, plain
ureducated farmers, mechanics, manufacture
ers, men of all occupations in common life
know more about thrgs out Of your line, ard
can teach you something in answer to. your
questions, without being aware Of it. Go
into blacksmith's shop, and while he il shoe
ing your horse, if he is master of his trade,
he can tell you more about iron, than many
of you have ever learnt from books. Go into
the shocmaker's stall, and while he is wax
ing his thread for solng your boots, he can
tell you more about the raw and mannfac-
tured materials of his craft, than in all pro-
liability you would ever have learned in your
lives, aud so in all the shops and places of
business of whatever kind. Nay more, as
you happen to meet your neighbors and
townsmen anywhere, there is not one in ten
of them, but that could add something TO
your miscellaneous capital of cheaply acquir-
ed knowledge, by answering pertinent ques-
tions.
Doctor Gregory says of Robert Hall, that
be could enjoy the society of men of mode
rate information, and it was interesting to
observe, how, by few apt questions, he
could ascertain in what direction their pur
suits lay, and then so draw them out as to
give them the pleasure of feeling that they
were contributing to his stock of knowledge
Young men of Litch6eld County, don't be
afraid to ask questions. 1t is your birth
right, your fathers have done it to good pur-
pose before you.
The OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.