The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-09-01
Asking Questions.

A CERTAIN well. informed man used 10
say that his father, who was a farmer,
gave him the first lessons in asking ques-
tons; and, putting together what his
father told him at different times, he COM
piled q set of rules on the subject, which
he showed to a friend only the other day,
neatly written on the f1y-leaves of his
pocket diary. They were headed,
THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS.
1. Every man knows something that l
do not know.
.. Everything, living or iranimate,
has something 10 tell me that l do not
know.
8. It is better to ask questions of things
than of men but it is better to ask of men
than not to ask at all.
4. Lazy questions, impairment ques-
tons, and conceited questions are the
greatest OF nuisances. They are like CO.
nundrums without any ansTers-they
tend to make men dislike all quettiOns {;
and when asked of nature, they get no
response from her whatever.
5. Asking questions is no use, if a mar
forgets the replies.
6. People like to be asked in the proper
time and manner, concerning matters
which they understand. When they re-
fuse to satisfy such inquiries, it is general
ly because the matter is not their business,
or they think it is none of mine.
Z. Remembering q thing is not neces-
sarily believing it. will remember what
ever is told me by men or by nature; but
l will bear in mind that men may be mis-
taken, or | myself may misunderstood
both words and iacts.
8. The way to remember the answer to
any question is to associate 1t In the mind
with other answers connected with the
subject. 1t is well, therefore, to follow
one subject, if possible, until sufficient
has been learned about it to be easily re-
membered for the more II knows the
more one can remember, while isolated
facts o get lost. as my father said,
Wholesale stores are the easiest to keep
in order"
0. Never be ashamed not to know, but
be ashamed not to learn.
10. Never pretend toknow as for pre-
tending TO be ignorant, there is no danger
of that, since all men are ignorant. Even
in asking questions concerning the sub
jects which l have most carefully studied,
may say / desire TO learn; for | may have
made mistakes or omissions in my study
which another might correct. AS my
father said, Judge Pickerell spent forty
yCaio III COll(CliuR COlnSsd anu AOQIQ al JdSt
q coin that was not in his collection in the
hands ola beggar, who had that and moth
ing else"
IL. As my father said, every stone is a
diamond, unless it is not therefore every
stone may be a diamond, until you know
it is not; and in finding out that it is not
a diamond, you may discover that it is
something more useful"
II. AS my father said, "a man who is
forever asking ard never answering is
like the swamp in cur forty acre lot. You
can't raise crops without rain on one hand
and drainage on the other"
From the foregoing it will be seen that
the elder Smith was a man Of sense. Ger
tainly his neighb0rs thought the same
thing. frequently the judge or the par.
sUu VI InC oUCJU1 uUulO come rluing ny
his farm, and the plain farmer would
leave his pillow, and sit upon the rail
fence, under the shade of the great elm
whiting a stick, while they talked with
him on various matters Of politics or so.
cial management. 1t was noticeable that
he seldom asked other people for their
opinions, and they soon learned to be a
little shy offering an for he was sure to
reply, Indeed, what makes you think
so p and that is a troublesome way oi
HAbtIA6 IL. Oa IN Wv heAt, tASJ WO1S
always anxious to get his opinions in ex.
change for their facts. AS the judge re-
marked. Farmer Smiths views are his
own, and they are worth hearing. He
don't think he is obliged to say something
on every subject, whether he understand
il or not; and when he does speak he tells
what he knows"
He was also particular to give the
source of his knowledge. He would say
I" have observed" or 81 have read" OF
GAS far as | can Judge, it seems to me-
and the like. And when others contra
dicted him, he used to say, 81 am very
glad to hear your experience on that point
because it is so different from mine. | vii
make a note of that" After he died, the,
found among his papers q good many
notes of this kind, with the names of those
who had given the information. and
marked in the margin with different
signs, indicating, according to a methot
of his own, which ne never told anybody
the degree Of reliance which he though
was to be placed in the authors or thei
communications.
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