Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1891-07-10

IGNORANCE - BLISS.
lpkEAsuRE THAT CONES TO THOSE
WHO LACK KNOWLEDGE.

in the World q New FuDHcetions'
Nature is admirably adjusted. Almost
o. quite all things reckoned as evil have
their compensations. You will observe
that ignorance has a wonderful way q be-
ing happy. have q black fellow working
ia my garden who comes as near being abb
solutely without knowledge as any one
conveniently can, and be is sure that he
can foretell the weather every time.
swell sah " be informs me, 4 knowed Il
were TO be a dry month. The moon said
20 plain as dat ar hoe handle. But they
wouldn't believe me.
What a sublime contempt be has for the /
rat Of Us. We are bundled of 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 supremeiy 1
wise
"But," I say, sNed, how do you come to
know what is ahead when no one else
doesg" He does not undertake to tell, but /
Is puzzled over the undoubted fact, and /
stands a moment on his work with an in
froverted look. No matter, he knows, and |
that is quite enough; and it begins to dawn |
On him that he Is a peculiarly gifted man,
probably prophet.
fr-~~-
and most Of them of the most ignorant /
class. He has only to conceive thing to
insure its truth. His facts are not common
property that any one can investigate and
verify or disprove, but are private affairs,
known nowhere outside bis brain.
UNQUEsTIOHING sDiPLEToNIsAL
Another consolation OF Ignorance Is
oredulitv. There really is no sentiment 20
delicious as being fooled. No. / do not
mean being fooled by professional jokers,
such as kept my black fellow up till last
night looking for a vast comet with tail
.as long as half the heavenly span, and a
head as big as the moon; but being fooled
bv a popular theory. It is exasperating to
doubt, and when one gets to have habit
Il looking all around 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 lgno-
rance not uite of the ignoramus sort avoids
All this by Just believing the current no
fious without examination. / say this Is
delicious in more ways than one
Nv friend Raymond is going to eternal
Paradise, where he will be waited on like
king. have all his wants supplied, and (
never know a care; all this because his
creed is sound His wife is unable 70 give
him peace and rest here, although she
works hard enough to do it. He is dis
satisfied. fretfuI creature; but he is conf
dent that in another world he will be abso-
lutelv painless and careless, and full to the
brim Of bliss What q large compensation
is this for unquestioning simpletonisml
Ignorance has other advantages. Itria-l
clear enough that Governor BerEflSn
right. 1t takes a very soli5,,i ggsSoranca ~
INSURE socisl peace, ss.rfnting presses bring
giff4ss.s'host Of y shing ideas. New ideas
have a habit of humping against each
others pates.
FtrF AFFLICTIONs OF THE LEARNED.
There never has been as merry lot OF
people in America as the negro slaves were
befcre emancipation, notwithstanding Miss
stoves pathetic Uncle Tom. You and
never are contented because we know
there is so much more to be known We
are afflicted with our ignorance; we feel
souelched more and more by the fact that
we eanot begin to keep pace with science
and literature.
Il 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
can but crawl back into himself and be
stolidly Indifferent 90 these things lgno-
rance can. but we cannot. Simply because
,Fe know o few things we have found out
onr ignorance, and are finding it out more
keenly every year.
A really wise man gets almost wholly
suppressed by the conviction OF his lack OF
information. Will this go on, and how
far will il 20 ont 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
nm nveraze audience on a very able lecturer.
once heard Emerson discussed by group
making its glad exit from Faneuil hall.
@Couldn't make out his drive" said one.
s'Don't think he could himself" replied a
second. Ignorance goes on utterly un-
ruiled by the fact that it cannot define
trapscendentalism, or remotely get an idea
of what a transoendentalist is driving at
There are probably books enough already
in the world to run us 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 be had q 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 thepub-
fishers. They do not expect to be read-at
least are not What o funny place IS
book storel The old stock in dry goods
store has value but not 50 here. Yet ]
was about to suggest that the new copy
right law be entitled an ''Act to Encourage
Mediocrity.@
The more ignorant a tourist is Of Amer
lea the more sure he is TO publish his note
book when be gets back TO Europe Since
Sir Charles Dilkeis 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 annotations Of foreign
lands.
Literary ignorance is by no means the
worst phase Of stupidity. It is happy
vent for folly. When man has said
foolish thing in print he is satisfied. Then
Il is done up leather. Il can do no harm
upless It Is read. wonder what are the
exact probabilities that a feeble book will
be read. The publishers tell US that few
books sell 900 copies. How about those that
sell ten OF thirty OF fifty copiesi Are they
the really valuable booksi
How long will literary energy take tC
spend itself in this country on such a basis
of remuneration Is there any way where
bv we can have a valuable critical iourna
to tell US the truth about q book2-St
Ts,flia Globe Democrat.