Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-09
IGNORANCE AND BLISS.
PLEASURE THAT COMES TO THOSE
WHO LACK KNOWLEDGE.

Nature is admirably adjusted. Almost /
or quite all things reckoned as evil have |
their compensations. You will observe |
that ignorance has wonderful way of be- |
ing happy l have a black fellow working
in my garden who comes as near being alb |
solutely without knowledge as any one |
conveniently can, and he is sure that he |
can foretell the weather every time. |
"Well, sah," he informs me, II knowed it |
were to be a dry month The moon said
30 plain as dat ar hoe handle. But they |
wouldn't believe me-"
What a sublime contempt he has for the
rest of US. We are bundled off in that |
parcel of nobodies called they" He is
absolutely sure that he knows more than
any and all other people. This is one com |
pensation of ignorance that it is supremacy |
wise
"But," say, Ned, how do you come to |
know what is ahead when no one else |
does?" He does not undertake to tell, but |
is puzzled over the undoubted fact, and |
stands moment on his work with an in |
troverted look. No matter, he knows, and |
that is quite enough; and it begins to dawn |
probably prophet /
The bulk of our prophets are uneducatedS
and most of them Of the most ignorant
class. He has only to conceive thing to
insure it's truth. His facts are not common
property that any one can investigate and
verify or disproVe, but are private affairs,
known nowhere outside his brain.
UNQUEsTIoNING sIMPLEToNIsM.
Another consolation of ignorance is |
credulity There really is no sentiment so
delicious as being fooled. No, I do not
mean being fooled by professional jokers,
such as kept my black fellow up till Q last
night looking for vast comet with tail
as long as half the heavenly span, and
head as big as the moon; but being fooled
by popular theory. 1t is exasperating to
doubt, and when one gets to have a habit
OF looking all around a matter. and under
it, and over it, there is no end of pother
and brain work.
& Why, the worst quarrels ever known
have been over Greek accents and Hebrew
vowel points as big as fly specks. Igno-
rance not quite of the ignoramus sort avoids
all this by just believing the current no
tions without examination. | say this is
delicious IN more ways than one,
!. Ny friend Raymond is going to eternal
Paradise where he will be waited on like a
king, have all his wants supplied, and
never know a care; all this because his
creed is sound. His wife is unable to give
him peace md rest here, although she
works hard enough to do it. He is dis
satisfied, fretful creature; but he is conf
dent that in another world he will be abso-
lutely painless and careless, and full to the
brim of bliss. What large compensation
Is this for unquestioning simpletonisml
Ignorance has other advantages. 1t is
clear enough that Governor Berkeley was
right 1t takes very solid ignorance to
insure social peace. Printing presses bring
in a host of clashing ideas. New ideas
have a habit of humping against each
others pates
THE AFFECTIONS OF THE LEARNED.
There never has been as merry lot of
people in America as the negro slaves were
before emancipation, Notwithstanding Miss
Stoves pathetic Uncle Tom. You and l
never are contented because we know
there is so much more to be known We
arc afflicted with our ignorance; we feel
BQuelched more and more by the fact that
we canot begin to keep pace with science
and literature.
1t is really painful to take up the pub
fishers bulletins and see how the world is
running away from us. There is just
little comfort in not looking at the English
and French and German lists. All, if one
can but crawl back into himself and be
stolidly Indifferent to these thngsl Igno-
rance can, but we cannot. Simply because
we know a few things we have found out
our ignorance, and are finding it out more
keenly every year.
really wise man gets almost wholly
suppressed by the conviction of his lack of
information. Will this go on, and how
far will it go on2 Egotism is interested in
knowing what will be the limit to the
modesty of a really informed man.
Perhaps you have heard the comments of
an average audience on a very able lecturer.
once heard Emerson discussed by a group
making its glad exit from Faneuil hall.
Couldn't make out his drive" said one
"Don't think he could himself" replied
second. Ignorance goes on utterly I'M
ruffled by the fact that it cannot define
characterization, or remotely get an idea
of what transcendentalist is driving at.
There are probably books enough already
In the world to run comfortably for the
next thousand years Ignorance writes
most of them.
MEN WHO MAKE BOOKS.
Two hundred years ago no one wrote a
book unless he had gift, or at least some
thing unusual to say. The books of those
days had readers, and lived The books of
today are got into print by paying the pub
fishers. They do not expect to be read-at
least are not. What funny place is a
book storel The old stock in dry goods
store has a value but not so here. Yet !
was about to suggest that the new copy
right law be entitled an Act to Encourage
Mediocrity."
The more ignorant Il tourist is of Amer
lea the more sure he is to publish his note
book when he gets back to Europe. Since
Sir Charles Dilke's book concerning US not
one has had an intellectual value except
that of Professor Bryce. Our own travellers
have for the most part given up publishing
hop, skip and jump annotatious OF foreign
lands.
Literary ignorance is by no means the
worst phase of stupidity. 1t is a happy
vent for folly. When a man has said a
foolish thing in print he is satisfied Then
it is done upin leather. 1t can do no harm
unless it is read. | wonder what are the
exact probabilities that a feeble book viii
be read. The publishers tell US that few
books sell 200 copies. How about those that
sell ten or thirty or fifty copies? Are they
the really valuable books?
How long will literary energy take to
spend itself in this country on such basis
OF remuneration? Is there any way where
by We can have valuable critical journal
to tell US the truth about a book?-St.
Louis Globe Democrat.