St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-21
FOR BUSY PEOPLE.
An Instructive Lecture on the Importance
of Mental Impr ovement.
The Great Lack of knowledge Among
the Masses.
Fritz Bookings Rich Uncle General
saltwater News.

The Methodist Episcopal church was
crowded last night with refined and APP
preciative audience to hear the pastor, Rev.
DR.. Dunn, lecture on Drawn and Brains. or
Mental Improvement for Busy People. The
lecture occupied about forty minutes, and
was listened to with intense interest from
the beginning to the end. The following IS
brief resume of the excellent lecture: :.
Lord Bacon said: knowledge is power, y
which is only repetition OF Solomons
maxim: ''WisdOm is better imam
strength" -,
In a given number of people there will
be one who will have the preponderance OF
influence, and that's due to his mental
status. knowledge must gain the ascen-
dancy of brutal force; Drawn covers to
brains. The most casual glance at society
to-day shows you the great lack of knowl-
edge among the masses. Many exceptions,
but these only make palmer what we say of
the mass. 1t is not enough that a man
know a little grammar, something OF writ
ing and arithmetic; and yet the number Of
those who lack IN these foundation studies
is most astonishing. Yonder is a young
man who attracts the attention of the pass
er-by His form is strong and symmetrical.
his cheek is aglow. his arm is brawny, and
his eye is large, steady. thoughtful, with
the brilliant fire of intelligence. There is
a diamond in the rough. No man would
want to wear an unpublished diamond, what
ever its value.
HE IS A HERO
with his hands, and an adept in feats re-
curing physical power. He represents
thousands of others; always busy. never in
the club room, and drudging along in a
mechanical routine. They know enough
about their shops their banks, their trades,
but are lost outside of these. They know
very little of their own bodies, OF the worlds
above, or the earth on which they tread:
or the elements and changes and laws OF
the universe! They know nothing OF the
water they drink or materials they use In
their trades, or of the money they make
and count. Upon what subject can they
speak OF even think conSecutlvely for three
minutes? To this class OF busy people we
declare that there are larger chances Tor
widening the range of their ideas, and for
the knowledge Of great themes.
The workingmen of this country are de-
priving themselves of knowledge within
their grasp. True, they cannot gain as
much as if they were working only eight
hours per day, but even under the present
system Of employment they can use what
moments they have. They would consider
it terrible abuse of their liberty if a law
were enacted against their
PURSUIT OF STUDY,
but we meet the spectacle of Wiilful re-
fusal to inquire and improve the mind.
Here the speaker noticed the wrong view
of knowledge which exists and proceeded
to show that men are making a serious
blunder by regarding study and general
reading as an interference or hinderance to
business. Wrong views exist as to the
length Of time required to obtain fair
knowledge of books. He further showed
that more knowledge of chemistry would
help the farmer; of hydrostatics would
greatly assist the plumber; of specific gravity
would assist all in the purchase of gold and
silver aud would save many a dollar, as
well as time Men have wrong views of
scholarship. They have an idea that
thorough knowledge of chemistry, of botany,
of astronomy, of Latin, Greek and mathe-
mates binders a man from being a very
good and successful business man. The
speaker here showed by illustration how
more
KNOWLEDGE WOULD ASSIST
the average business man. l call your at
tention to the barriers in the way of the
mental improvement of busy people. Poor
advantages in youth, or none, the necessary
use of the days for their work, and the adj
vanced age of many, as well as the poverty
of not few, were among the difficulties
which seemed to be in the way. But to
counterfeit these, the following rules were
given:
First-Strike out and overcome these
barriers. 1t takes courage sometimes to
make the grst step, but everything yields
before the lofty, heroic purpose of an ar
reused mind.
Second-Strike at once. While you feel
the desire for leaving, and while you know
theneed.
Third-Read much, and write down your
thoughts. If you think you do not have
time, make it. There is no life so busy
that there is no leisure.
Fourth-Do some work each day. The
great Greek painter Apelles, when asked
how he found time to do so much, ans
wered: Il have one rule: no day without
a line" Let this be your motto.
Unite yourselves with the Chautauqua
Reading circle, of this city, forit is for your
advantage that we have commenced and eX-
pect to continue the movement. Develop
Drawn. attend to the physcal; but by all
odds attend to the calls of the nation and
the world for well-informed citizens.