Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1892-05-26
LESSONS FROM NATURE.
BY PROF. j. NJ. WATSON.

81 1kOF. j. NJ. WATSON.
There is scarcely any thing that
could ever be accomplished creditably
without that action OF the mind which
we cal observation. Some people
have strong inclination naturally to
observe. while others have not. A de-
ficiency in this respect is a erievous
one, for we scarcely come in contact
/ with anything which does not demand
observation. 1t is Truly the life OF a
greaG many branches of learning:
botany, for instance, Geology. Chem
lstry, Astronomy, etc 1t is an abso-
lutte necessity in so many things. The
means of Gull waiting u disposition TO
observe should not be overlooked. We
should teach ourselves to observe. If
we Will bat notice We will find our
selves overlooking things, / remem-
Der once thai companion of mine in
the woods stood for fifteen minutes
and tied to show me a squirrel. After
| saw 1t, 1t was perfectly plain. and
| anybody in the world ought to have
seen it. After the discovery | could
| not look toward the tree without see
ing It, We need to learn to observe.
We take casual view of many things,
and by so doing miss some or the i'm. .
portant points. The incertitude of o
casual view makes scrutiny necessity.
! We need to view everything with a
scrutinizilg view. 10 order that we
may comprehend it. Some Individuals
will see more in five minutes than
others will see in two hours Doubt-
less you have seen that individual W ho
mad not learned to observe Some
times we see the writings of man
whose style appears remarkably
simple, as the writings Of Bill Arp, for
example. When you read oae OF his
articles you think why. l knew all
that. Probably you do know all that
he sad. but you would not have said
it in hundred years. Bill Arp is a
close observer. II is observation de-
veloped in comparison and contrast
that makes his simple and almost I'M
paralleled style. We need to develop
observation.
| remember reading an interesting
l1ttie story in an old reader, whether
1t was true or not, it serves to Illus
traie the point under discussion.
doubtless most of you have read it.
An Indian had stolen from his smoke
house piece of meat. A snow lay on
the ground. He examined the pre-
misses and said; THAT piece Of meat
was stolen by d low white man. carry
ing short gun and accompanied by a
bob-tail dog. He observed that the
thief had rolled some stones under the
meat in order TO reach it. which proved
that he was a short man; the impress
OF the gun in the snow showed that the
| gun was short the dog sitting in the
snow and wagging his tail Gas you
know u dog will dog had shown it to
to be short; the thief was white man
because his toes turned out instead OF
turning in. The fact is, this Indian
had learned to observe. Any man could
have seen these points after they were
| pointed out to him. How many m en-
| would have noticed them, that is the
! question: ! remember another story
and some OF you have heard ii. Prof.
Howerton once related it from this
rostrum. In the East some merchants
had lost u camel. In search Of it they
met man and inquired for their lost
animal, tho traveller asked; lis your
camel blind in the left eye?" Yes