St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-03

ilC saw WIFI iltS ullllI dS VIGIL dS Will Ills
eyes. Thinking is an element of true OBJ
servation. Although GRANT had but ten
or twelve weeks schooling yearly in his
boyhood, yet he was at school all the
time. He was at school when he
was at work. His sharp observa-
ton made him learner every
where. Business was school
to him. He often said that one of the best
schools he ever attended was handling logs,
and best of all, when he was forced to tax
his wits to load them. Intelligent observa-
ton marks the nature, tendency and rela-
ton of things; hence it is, the boy with his
eyes in his head where they ought to be can
employ his powers so as to make the most
of life.
1t is said that PATRICK HENRY's invaria-
Bile counsel to young aspirants for the legal
profession was. ''Study men, not books"
That was what GRANT did from boyhood
to manhood. Lookers-On thought that he
was accomplishing little because he made
no demonstration. The sharpest ObServa-
ton is quiet and unobtruslve; it is never
demonstrative. There is no fuss and
feathers" aboutit. GRANT quietly observed,
so that men were better books to him than
even the real books that he studied. The lat
ter became far more valuable to him in con-
sequence Of his discriminating observation.
Lord BACON said, ''StudieS teach not their
own use, but that there is wisdom without
them and above them, won by observation. !"
Many boys study, and study, and continue
SfI1H yiTtr with thQir
observation is small. This quality is indis-
pensable to the best results in the study of
books.
SAMUEL BUDGET, the great English mer-
chant and philanthropist, claims that obser-
Walton did more for him in boyhood than all
the schools. He relates that grocer called
one day to solicit trade. The grocer read
his price list to Mrs. BUDGET, when she
remarked to her husband: Il see no advan
tage in buying of him; the prices are the
same we have been paying" Thirty years
afterward SAMUEL BUDGET said: 1.-The
practical lesson | learned from that scene
has been worth to me thousands of pounds
in business. Show people hat what you
propose is for their own interest and you
This was precisely the way young GRANT
learned from everything he saw and heard.
Before the war GRANTS intimate friends
were often surprised by his intelligent view
of almost any subject He knew more
about it than they had given him credit for.
The explanation is found in his observa-
ton. He had been learning when they sup
posed he was dreaming. He was posting
himself when they thought he was indif-
ferent and commonplace And thus it was
in war-his friends were surprised by his
success. We must look to the same source
for the reason-his observation. He learned
something from every days experience
Commanding single regiment taught him
how to command ten, and a hundred. and
then thousand regiments. Success taught
him much; failure taught him more. Plan
ming one campaign taught him how to plan
the next one better. He learned enough
from a small campaign to enable him to
plan great one. His movement against
Paducah grew into the capture of Rich
mond. Commanding the army of the Ten
nesSee fitted him to command the armies of
the United States. The smallest battle
taught him something for greater one
And thus he went on. and up. higher and
higher, grander and grander, battle-taught
victory-taught, failure-taught. taught every
where, from Pilot Knob to Appomattox
West Point did much for him, but observa-
ton did more.