Telegram-herald., 1891-06-04
WHAT WE KNOW.
Very Little IL Comparison with
VIVA. We Do Not Know
R2ay Things In the Realms Of sense ana
ss2fameGs With Which We Err
rsaseasIY Think We Are
Familiar.

f-nli1sr.
In aiming 10 isolate and pick M. 70
handle aud examine a few OF the
'~fhings We Do Not Know" thu nrst
step Is To identify few of the things
we think we know, but don't: next.
few II the things We think we don't
know, bnt do-for that is the same as
not knowing them; and. finally To point
out some OF those we know we don't
know. and which We sure enough don't,
writes an iconoclast in the New York
Evening sun
For example, among the last are a
ehIld's mind, woman's meaning, a
mans purpose, tho verdict of a jury.
she operation of medicines, the speech
OF eats, ethics OF dogs. and so on: all of
which we know 20 exist. and that we
know nothing further about them
Some folks suppose they know things
learned az school; as. for example, that
parallel straight lines Ia a plane arc two
that never meet; but this isn't true IL
tho lines are parallel they do neet-st
tntnity. Others hug the delusion that
q straight line does not change its d.
Eection, however prolonged. The fact
As OF course, that , straight line IS part
OF . circumference of infinite radius-
a-now. but which we do know all the
time, the first is: What we will our
seives do In situation we have once
experienced. We shall. in fact, do just
what we did before. II our conduct on
that occasion turned out III many
people think they viii do something
else. and that they don't know what.
This il dclusion. They will do the
same old thing. Otherwise man would
learn by experience, which Is against
mature.
Another thing a man thinks ne doesn't
Know is that a fellow-creature who
cheats q third for his sake will cheat
him for the fellow-creature' own sake.
Net this is q truth that governs human
relations as gravitation rules the mate
rial universe. Ii is a menstruum In
which the relations OF men and women
find universal solvent
Many persons believe they know that
iron Is a substance which cannot change
unto different substances. More error.
Iron maintains its identity ut the
temperature of terrestrial labora-
tories. lt splits up into other
substances under the suns heat.
Most folks think they have q mental
Image of what the moons surface is
bike. but they haven't. They have such
an image of that half of its surface
which man sees, but none Of the other
hah. which man has never seen
There are people who believe they
know what their own inside is Ike.
though they have never seen a cadaver
or hog In the cutting up.
There are even school-teechcrs who
think they know that English verse scans
in the number of its syllables, prospect
I've OF the time required to utter them.
SO there are writers of such verse who
Enisconceive outcry to Be poetry IL it is
Electrically articula.e.
More people think they know that the
sudder turns the bow of boat than
know that what 1t really does Is to
swing the stern.
Most people know. when speaking of
An electric fluid or current, that, while
electrical phenomena are developed sue
ressively in time and space. nothing ex-
lists corresponding to any OF our other
conceptions for which the words fluid
md current stand More than this,
very few persons have formed any kind
of provisional hypothesis, even, for re-
duciny TO any sort OF concrete image the
simulacrum of a concept that wavers
behind the use of the word electricity.
Among other things we think we
know, bus don't, may be enumerated:
Pointers on the stock exchange, the
figures Of visible supply of staples and
the real responsibility OF parties rated
mt one million dollars or upward by the
commercial agencies
A popular delusion is that the liar
can be made, who Is not born so. The
liars gift is, in fact one of the rsreSt;
is highest expression consists in the
irsight that discerns it's opportunity to
tell the truth with the certainty Of be-
ing disbelieved-
Moro men believe they can play draw
Than there are white blackbirds. yet the
man who can play draw is the rarer
beast
Folks talk OF steam: to most of them
visible vaPor Il the thing this word
stands Cor; many think they believe
fha. the cloud they sec issuing from O
steam waste pipe Is the agency that,
still visible cloud. moves the steam
engine. Few. perhaps. really believe
tAis. for the mental Impressions of most
of such people on such subjects are too
vague and unmeaning To be rightly
called beliefs But there is a consider
able mum Der of people who know bet
Ter than to- confound live steam in It's
working state with visible vepor: most
of these perhaps have read or have
heard OF IA hypothesis By which par
ficles In the gaseous condition are con-
ceived 20 CIV about, bombsrdiug tho
tides Of vessels IN which the gases may
he contained coming into collision with
one another. How many stop to reflect
that t,lis fanciful presentation ~ the
subject Is put forward purely in pro-
vsional way. awaiting the progress OF
Investigations essentially mathematical.
and that IL sg1stsins. n sane concep-
lions OF the physical world. some such
selasion ,s spectacular pantoulime does
70 he coudrct IF human life in It's
derby hat and rubber overshoes2
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Ioudoa Poverty.
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