The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-01-10
THINGS NOT KNOWN.
Some Information that Most People
Can Easily Obtain if They Will.


An illustration of the lack of ex-
act information, which is prevalent
with reference to many subjects up
on which people of ordinary intel
|ligence ought to be informed, was
supplied at recent gathering of
Journalists, whose duties comprised
chiefly writing about politics. A
wager was offered that not one OF
those present could tell the numer-
ical designation Of all the political
divisions of the districts in which
his residence was located. Investi-
cation proved that there was not
one of the party who was thorough
ly informed on this. subject. 1t is
a common occurrence at elections
for voters to cast their ballots for
candidates who are running in adj
jacent districts for various offices.
Among a group of gentlemen the
other day a New Yorker offered to
bet that there was not a man in the
company who could explain the
workings of the electric dynamo, or
the common locomotive or the or
binary steam engine, or even the
precise process of sending tele-
graphic message.
The accumulation of the Dead
Letter Office are constant proof of
the lamentable ignorance that pre-
walls relative to the postal laws.
The packages Of unmailable matter,
the documents with short postage,
the misdirected letters. the attempts
to smuggle goods i'll the mails, all
show how much time, trouble and
expense is lost to those who fail to
obtain information which can easily
be procured.
The reckless wrong spelling of
names is another illustration of
common ignorance. It is safe to
say that in almost any company OF
twenty acquaintances there are not
two who can write correctly the
names of all present. This is par
ticularly true Of city life, where one
meets many persons daily. 1t is a
common thing for men to be long
acquainted and yet have but imper-
feet knowledge of one another's
names. Several years ago the Sun
published a list, which proved to be
novelty, of the middle names Of
many well-known public men.
The police records are striking
illustrations Of the careless spelling
of names. The average police SER
geant will unhesitatingly spell a
name by the sound. For instance
a man gave his name as R. c. Smith
The sergeant got it Archy Smith.
Recently several prisoners in the
Tombs held for trial tor trivial of
fenses had to be discharged because
by the misspelling Of their names
their identity had been lost. It is a
common thing in the criminal courts
to have mans name spelled diff
ferent ways in the same document.
The popular ignorance concern
ing the management of stoves, fur
naces, gas meters, locks, faucets,
sinks, basins and various mechani-
cal contrivances of modern domes-
tic life is appalling. Plumbers make
fortunes out of the stopping up OF
drains which could be kept clear
with very little intelligence. Houses
are kept unhealthy by the spread
of coal gas or kept chilly for want
of heat all because no one in the
house has the intelligence to man
age the furnace. II takes consider
able gumption to manage an ordi-
nary kitchen range, and no one can
do it without knowledge as to the
use Of hampers. The average serv-
ant girl is absolutely and hopelessly
incapable of doing this properly
without careful instruction and drill.
The only way in this case is for the
head of the house to find out the
right way and impart the informa-
ton to the servant. Often kitchen
range is condemned and torn out
when in fact all that is needed is to
know how to work it. This infor-
nation the sellers of the range will
be only too glad to impart.
! It is surprising how some people
will continue to use things in daily
life without any attempt to learn
how properly to use them. There
is, for instance, the man who can
never learn to sharpen his razor
the woman who winds her watch
the wrong way, the people who do
not know that the time of starting
the principal trains on the different
railroads and the time of closing
the mails is advertised in the news
papers, the people who blow out the
gas, the folks who jump the wrong
wsy from a moving car, the unfor-
, tunates who are always getting left
or suffering injury, or losing prop
erty because of unfamiliartty with
things they ought to know.
There is appalling popular ignor
ance of the structure and functions
of the human body. People may
be seen violating the primary con
ditions of health without even tht
compensations of pleasure, anc