Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1871-08-05


"de hadl7 reioined the men some
what surprised.
"ARd was he not loaded with hon
ey on one side and wheat on the
other?"
ssSurely he was" tkey answered,
thinking they were about to recover
the lost animal; "and since you have
seen him so lately, and marked him
so particularly, you can, in all proba-
bility conduct us to him."
"My friends,n responded the der
wise, II have never seen your camel,
nor even heard of him, but from
you"
"a pretty story, truly" said the
merchants: ebut where are the jew
els which formed part OF his
cargo?"
al have neither seen your camel
nor Jewels" repeated the dervise'
BY this time the suspicious of the
merchants were aroused, and they
seized the dervise, hurried MIN into
court, and tried in vain to convict
him Of robbery. Failing in that,
they had him arrested and tried as q
sorcerer, bat TO no purpose. BE
was acquitted, when he thus adj
dressed the court:
Il have been much amused at
your surprise, and own there has
been some ground for your sus-
picions: but / have lived long and
alone, and can find ample scope for
observation evan in a desert
knew that haes crossed the track oi
camel that had strayed from its
owner, because saw no mark OF
any human footstep on the same
route. / knew that tho animal was
blind in one eye, because IL had
cropped the herbage only ON one
side OF the path / perceived that
it was lame in one leg from the faint
impression made by that particular
foot upon the sand. l concluded
that the animal had lost one tooth,
because, wherever il had grazed, q
small tuft of herbage was left unin-
iured in the middle of its bite As
to that which composed the burden
of the beast, the busy ants informed
me that IL was corn on one side, and
the clustering flies that IL was honey
on the other"
That is what we mean by obser-
vation. Successful men, whether
merchants, artisans, philosophers or
statesmen, possess il; and not a few
persons regard them as the favorites
of fortune-very lucky toiiers in
contrast with the host of "unIortu-
nates'' around. Many people seem
to think that luck constitutes the
chief difference between successful
men and the opposite class, unless IL
is where a sort of legerdemain or
s0rcery lifts them 10 the highest pin
nacie OF fame. This Is q very super
fetal view of life and labor, and Ire
who entertains il is doomed 10 fail
ure. The inspired penman was
right when he declared, The gCise
mans eyes are i1l las head'-not in
his elbows or feet, though many act
as If they were In other words,
the "wise man's is a careful obserE-
er; he possesses this faculty of com
pretending the nature and reason Of
fSings. He views things as he
ought, both in business and morals.
Ills eyes Seing just as they ought to
be, and being used Just as they
should be used, the result good
success. Not that observation alone
insures success; but this Is one Of
the leading indispensable elements
of success fOne man possesses a
higher type of it than another by
nature; but all may cultivate Il as
they Chltivate other powers.
In daily life we notice striking
difference among men at this point.
Ten men observe a steam engine
only TO admire its novelty, while one
studies each valve and screw, until
he understands, IN a good degree,
the principle on which il is con-
strucfed. Ten travellers pass thro'
the country without noticing special
peculiarities, while one observes
each tree, flower, hill, valley and
river. One purchaser discovers the
least defect in the cloth or other ar
ticle while he IS buying, while an
other makes purchase with
out noticing defects at ALL
One reader skins over a book CATCH
ing only its general drift, while an
other criticises style, expression and
thought; Is rapt with its beauties
and sensitive to its faults One
scholar commits his lessons parrot
like, no disposition to understand
the srhgs and scheref0res, while an
other studies and inquiries until he
cOmprehends the reason OF ali that
he learns; one masters each branch
of study, aud the other does not.
In these and kindred examples can
be traced the prominence and use
of this faculty clear back TO child
hood. Newton was the youthful in
ventor of the kite and windmill
Other boys knew how 10 use them:
he knew how to make them. Others
cared only for the sport they fur
nished; he cared for the principles
behind the sport. Calico was a
toy-mender in his boyhood. All the
boys in the neighborhood resorted
to him for assistance when their
toys were reduced to wrecks. He
knew just how TO repair them; tn
did not The power of observati
was large In him, but small in the
The celebrated Ferguson owedl
triumph as much to observation
to any one thing. In boyhood
learned how to make a clock by e
amining his fathers Then he
sired TO know how to construct
watch. He could not cOmprehe
the motion principle of the wat.
though he knew something of
mechanism. About that time a pe
tleman was passing his fathel
house on horseback, and stopped
inquire the way of young Ferousoas
After giving the information r
quired, the lad asked for the priv;-
tcge of looking into the watch. His
curiosity was gratified, when the
boy inquired:
"What makes that box 60 rounds,,
A steel spring." replied the gen
tleman.
How can steel spring in a box
turn it around so as to wind nm eI1
the chain?' inquired the lad. His
question was answered, but tho
boy said, II don't see through IL
yet" "
"Well, my young friend" cont;n-
ued the accommodating gentlemsn
take long, thin piece of whaia,
bone; hold one end of il betwsen
your finger and thumb, and wind Il
around your finger; il will then IN.
deavor to unwind itself; and IL Won
fix the other end of it Ia the ins;da
of small hoop, and leave il TO II.
self, il will turn the hoop round and
round, and wind up a thread ticd -
the outside."-
Tho whole thing wss plain 10 him
now. He went to work and con-
structed wooden watch, which i,