The Red Cloud chief., 1893-12-01

markable, and within eccentric limits
his knowledge was so extraordinarily
ample and minute that his observa.
tions have fairly astounded me. Sure
IL no man would work so hard to at
tain such precise Information unless
he had some definite end in view.
Desultory readers are seldom remark-
able for the exactness OF their learn
ing. No man burdens his mind with
small matters unless he has some very
good reason for doing so.
His ignorance was as remarkable as
his knowledge. of contemporary lit
erature, philosophy and politics he
appeared to know next to nothing.
Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he
inquired in the naivest way who he
might be ard what he had done. My
surprise reached a climax, however,
when I found incidentally that he was
ignorant of the Copernican theory and
OF the composition Of the solar sys-
tenn. That any civilized human being
in this nineteenth century should not
be aware that the earth Travelled
round the sun appeared to be to me
such an extraordinary fact that I could
hardly realize 1t.
"You appear to be astonished," he
said, smiling at my expression Of sur
prise. "Now that I do know II I shall
do my best to forget It."
ITO forget itl'
"Ycu see," he explained, 81 consider
that a mans brain originally Is like n
little empty attic, and you have TO
stock II with such furniture as you
choose. A fool takes in all the lumber
Of every sort that he comes across, sc
that the knowledge which might be
useful to him gets crowded out, or at
best is jumbled up with q lot of other
things, SO that he has q difficulty in
laying his hands upon it. Now the
skillful workman is very careful indeed
as to what he takes into his brain
attic. lie will have nothing but the
tools which may help him in doing his
work, but Of these he has q large
assortment, and all In the most perfect
order. 1t Is a mistake to think that
that little room has elastic walls and
can distend to any extent. Depend
upon II, there comes a time when for
every addition of knowledge you for
get something that you knew before.
v 10 Va VIC mp hVSt iihDoi tahSS,
fore, not TO have useless facts elbowing
out the useful ones"
"But the solar svstem!" ] protested.
"Nvhat the deuce Is II to me?" he in
terrupted impatiently; ''you say that
we go round the sun. II we went
round the moon II would not make a
pennyworth Of difference to me or to
my work."
l was on the point Of asking him
what that work might be, but some
thing In his manner showed me that
the question would be an unwelcome
= one. l pondercd over our short con-
versation, however, and endeavored to
! draw my deductions from 1t. lie said
that he would acquire no knowledge
: which did not bear upon his object.
Therefore all the knowledge which he
possessed was such as would be useful
|, to him. I enumerated in my OWE mind
all the various points upon which he
r had shown me that he was exception
: ally we'll informed. l even took O
pencil and jotted them down. / could
not help smiling at the document when
l had completed it. 1t ran in this way:
SHERLOCK HoLMEs-his limits
J. knowledge OF Literature. -Nu.
I 2 knowledge OF PHILOSOPHICAL
: 8 knowledge Of Astronomy.-NiL
!. knowledge Of Politics Feeble.
I g. knowledge Of Botany.-Variable. Well up
I in belladonna. opium and poisons generally.
: Knows nothing OF practical gardening.
, O knowledge OF Geology. - Practical. but
. limited Tells at a glance different soils from
. each other. After walks has shown me splsshes
upon his trousers, and told me by their color
and consistence in what par: Of London he had
received them
=. knowledge OF Chemis,ry.-Profound.
g. knowledge OF Anatomy. -Accurate. but un'
: systematic
I v knowledge Of Sensational Literature =
Immense He appears 20 know every detail OF
every horror perpetrated In the century.
. 10 Plays the violin we'll
H. Is on expert single-sucx player. box r and
swordsman-
10 Has . good practical knowledge Of British
law.
. When ! had got so far in my list /
. threw it into the fire in despair. "If
= can only find what the fellow Is driv-
:. ing at by reconciling all these accom-
" ~plich~aptS md lisrnvaripn n ~callipu