Democratic messenger., 1889-06-08
WHICH WAY IS NORTH
Different Methods of Riehting Persons
Who Get Turned Around"


Nothing is better known than that
some people have keen sense Of di-
rection, while others do not, and yet
every one is apt TO get turned around
sometimes, losing tine correct judg-
ment of direction. When such an
error is made. the person who has be-
come turned around" is under the
necessity Of being set right. The
French have q special term for this
one who establishes his direction Is
said 10 s'orienter. which means liter
ally to east ones self; and the sense Of
direction is called ''0ricntation," a
word which the English language has
borrowed.
The tendency of the English speak
ing people. however, is to use the
north as the starting point Of dircc-
ton, rather than the east A people
whose ancestors have lived chiefly in
land. like the Romans and the French,
think naturally Of the rising Of the
sun as giving the central point of di.
rection.
A sea faring race, on the contrary,
looks to the North Star as the one
fixed, Interchangeable point, sure to
guide ship accurately. So a person
Of the AnglOSaxon race is almost sure
toask, when turned around, (Which
way is northl"
When one has found the North
Star, or seen the sun rise or set, after
being turned around" is he really
set right in his own sense OF the dircc-
tioni
One may easily make n mistake,
especially in city or within n house,
and even become ''turped clear
around" making north seem south,
and east, west. When he is corrected
is il within his power TO make the di-
rections seem righti
There is n great difference between
individuals in this respect Some are
instantly conscious Of the points Of
the compass wherever they may be
they may err but they cannot avoid
the sense for "a moment that one way
is north and another south.
Others seldom give the directions in
n stralgc place thought until they
are informed. and such persons find Il
hard to understand the case oi Others
who, though living for years in q
place where they have once been
turned around. can never make the
point seem right" and are often
much distressed by the fact
There is reason to believe that the
people who find il hard to escape from
an error of this sort are really tho ones
who have the kccncst natural sense OF
direction. They are acutcly conscious
Of direction. and when they have
made mistake, find the impression
so deep that il cannot bc shaken off.
Such persons errors are apt 10 be
few. and 10 bc made in towns and the
interiors Of houses. In the open fields
and woods they seldom err, while the
person who easily adapts himself 10
the information Of others is likely, in
the woods, 10 move about in circle.
and become lost.
The savage has Il better sense Of di-
rection that the civilized man, because
he has had more occasion to cultivate
it. THE civilized man." says Emcr.
son, has Greenwich nautical al
manac. and so. being sure Of the in.
formation when hc wants il. the man
in the street dos not know u star in
tho sky"
Bat il is mistake 10 suppose that
the Indian is never turned around -"
In cities he often is. and sometimes
cvcn in the woods. II is his confidence
in himself which has led many persons
10 suppose that the Indian never errs
in his direction. The story of the lost
Indian who said. Indian no lost: wig
wan lost. may well have been true,
for even the savage. though hc trusts
his own Judgment. may lose his sense
Of direction.
But the Chinese. although the first
people To use the artificial means Of
liking the direction the compassion
the most part have the gift of Judging
the direction ins,inrtivcly. They never
say. turn Ia the right. turn TO the
left. p" in showing the way. but always
turn To the north. or To the south,
and so ON. Their sense Of direction
probably does moi. however, come
from a particular gift. but from the
practice. very common with them. Of
studying the heavens. Youths Com.
panion.