The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-10
gsuoe and culture than to have a reputation

and yet not be very intelligent man. The
vord has reference to = mans capacity for
understanding things. rather than to the
amount of his knowledge. It relates TO the
condition of his mind for knowing, rather
than 10 the amount known.
You may not have very good advantages
for acquiring knowledge from books; you
may lack both leisure and books; but you
have advantages for becoming intelligent.
An intelligent man is one who has capacity
TO understand things-capacity to reason-
to think. You may not have it in your
power TO acquire certain kinds OF knowl-
edge. but you have 1t in your power to be-
come a thinker.
What is thinker Did you ever hear it
said of man that he did his own thinking?
You have. AID you understood the remark
was one of commendstion. Every one ought
10 do his own thinking. 1t ia as important
for his mental growth, as doing ones own
eating Is for his bodily growth.
a thinker Is one who thinks. What is
thinking?
You promised, we will suppose. to go to a
certain place yesterday. You failed 70 keep
yenr promise. You say. II did not think OF
il" Eou merely assert that you forgot your
prcnise. That would imply that to rsmem-
Der is 10 think. But thinking Is something
more than remembering.
You receive proposal to take part In
certain enterprise. You say, Il will think
of it." What do you do when you think of
IL? You turn your attention to it, that is,
you look at ii. You see what reasons there
are in favor of your taking part in the enter
prise, and what reasons there are against it.
The process of thinking in this case consists
in locking at the subject and seeing what ia
true with respect to II. Thinking, then, Is
simply seeing the truth.
We see some truths directly. We see the
objects around us directly. We sea self evil
dent truths in relation 10 science directly.
We do not call these acts of direct seelDg
thinking. When we see them, and see 9TH
er truths in consequence of having seen
them, we are ssid to be thinking The most
important part of thinking is inferring truths
from other truths. In order to become think
ers, we need to form the habit OF i1ferring
correctly. Let Us therefore examine the pro-
cess OF inferriDg, that is, let Us see what the
mind does when it draws differences.
You wake in the night and hear patter-
ing on the roof. You say il is rain. How do
You know il is rain? You do not see the
Iain drops nor feel them. You say you hear
them. You hear a sound, and infer that rain
is falling, because you know, from expert
snce, that rain in falling makes 3 sound sim
liar to that which you now hear, From the
sound heard, and the previous knowledge
recOllected, you infer that it rains. Ii you
were ignorant of rain, and the sound 1t
makes when falling on the roof. you could
not draw the inference You would simply
bad a cause, but you would not know the
cause.
1t is asked will Mr.. 3. succeed in the bust
ress in which he is engaged? The answer is.
Il do net think he will" The answer We
will suppose was made by thinking man.
OF what process of mind is the conclusion,
II dc not think he will, result? What did
the thinking man do? He considered the
kind OF business. He saw that it was one
that required great deal OF skill on the part
Of the conductor: he saw that the conductor
had given no evidence of the possession of
that skill. He saw that the difficulty OF sue
ceedlng was increased by the great competi-
tion resulting from the great number of per
sons who bad gone into the business, He
saw signs OF coming tightness in the money
market, which would increase the diffic oItIes
IN the wsy OF success. From these. and,
perhaps, from other facts be inferred that
Mr.. b. would not succeed. The process of
thinking consisted in observing facts and
in drawing inferenees from them. Correct
habits of observation and correct habits of
iDfeIriDg will make one thinker.
You do not need to 60 to school in order
10 form habits of careful observation. You
have simply 70 tx your attention on objects
that are around you. A farmer was asked
some question relating TO his farm. Ask
john" was his reply, The notices every
thing" John was one of his sons. He had
only the advantages of very ordinary dis
tIlCL ECUCOl. AlteE Q6 WAS OiU 10
work, he went to school for only few
mon tbs in the winter, and vet he became a
Justice of the peace, member Of the legis-
lature, and jUoge of the county court. These
Offices were not sou GIT by him. They were
gwen to him because he was an intelligent
and honest man. 1t was said of him by his
father that The noticed everything" The
boys used to say OF him, John sees all there
is to be SEEM" The conseq uence was. he saw
q great deal more than the other boys saw.
He did not contne bis attention to facts
learned by the eye. When anything was
said, he listened to it, and il it was worth
remem bering he tried to remember it, and II
it WAS worth thinking about, he thought
about it. When he was at work on the farm,
he thought oil what he had seen and heard
For example he heard two men talking
about Whist govern ment ought to do in re-
gsrd TO manufacturers. The two men diff
feTed widely in their views He noticed
what each one said, and thought over it
while at work. He drew several conclusions.
be could not decide which one had "the true
side of the question: He inferred that Mr..
a. had read more on the subject than Mr..
b. He also inferred that Mr.. B. had the
best mind and the best command of Ian
gnsge. he saw that 1t was important to
keep cool while arguing; for Mr.. i. made
some mistakes which ne would not have
n ace If he had not besn excited.
When he noticed a thing, al object or
fact. il was not merely for the purpose of
seeing 1t, and saying that he had seen it. He
asked himself, what Can learn from this
FACT? He thought about everything
that he saw or heard. He thus
became thinker. Men looked up to him.
They came to him for advice. Tney elected
him to Office.
Thinkers always have influence Think
and act" saws 3 distlns uished man. land
you will gain influence" To gain influence
IL tn rise in the world The iniuanra gained
by the thinker is lasting influence.
From the elevation which ne gains he is
never compelled to descend.
influence is sought in many ways: often
by deceit. influence thus gained is liable TO
be lost at any moment. influence gained
by intelligence. honesty and kindness will
be permanent.