Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-06-21

M a magazine from tho table and at
tempted TO while away the time While
my companion munched silently at his
toast. One of the articles had a PEN
Gil mark at the heading, and / naturally
began TO run my eye through 1t. Its
somewhat ambitious title was The
Book Of life" and it attempted to
show how much an obser yant man may
learn by an accurate and systematic
examination of all that came in his
way. 1t struck me as being a re-
markable mixture OF shrewdness and
of absurdity. The reasoning was close
and intense, but the deductions appear
ed to me TO be far-fetched and exag-
gerated. The writer claimed by a mo-
mentary expression, a twitch of a
muscle or a glance Of an eye, to fathom
a mans Utmost thoughts. Deceit, ac-
cording TO him, was an impossibility
in the case Of one trained TO obSerya-
ton and analysis. His conclusions were
as infalible as so many propositions OF
Euclid. So startling would his re-
suits appear to the uninitiated that. un-
I'll they learned the processes by which
he had arrived at them, they might
we'll consider him as a necroman"er.
From a drop Of water" said h
writer, "a logician could infer the pos
sibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara
without having seen or heard Of n
or the other. So all life is s. great
chain, the nature Of which is known
whenever we are shown a single link
Of it. Like all other arts, the science
Of deduction and analysis Is n which
can only be acquired by long and pa
tent study, nor is life long enohgn 10
allow any mortal TO attain the highest
possible perfection in it. Before turn
ing to those moral and mental aspects
Of the matter which present the great
est difficulties, let the inquirer begin
by mastering more elementary prob
lens. Let him, on meeting a fellow
mortal, learn at a glance to distinguish
the history of the man, and the grade
or profession 10 which he belongs. Pu-
Grille as such an exercise may seem. it
sharpens the faculties of observation,
and teaches on where to look and what
Il look for. BY a mans finger nails,
ly his &C atsleeye, by his boot, by lis
trouser knees, by the callosities of his
fcrefinger and thumb, by his express
sion. by his shirt cuffs-by each Of
these things n mans calling is pldiuly
tthtSISh' iHol sii utllICu Sllputu AN
TO eDlighten the competent inquirer in
any ease is almost uncomfortable"
What incffable twatdly.," cried,
slapping the magazine down on the
table. Il eve read such rubbish in
my life!"
What is it," asked Sherlock Holmes.
"Why this article" l said, pointing
at 1t with my egg-spoon as l sat down
to my breakfast. Il see that YOU have
read it, since you have marked it. I
don't deny that it is smartly written.
1t irritates me, though. 1t is evidently
tn theory of some armchair lounger,
who evolves all these neat little para
doXes in the seclusion of his w study.
1t is not practical. / should like to see
him clapped down in q third class car
riage on the Underground. and asked
10 give the trades Of all his fellow
travellers. 1 would lay a thousand to
n against him"
You would lose your money" Sber-
lock Holmes remarked calmly. "As for
the article, L wrote it myself"
Your
Yes; I have a turn both for Observa-
ton and deduction. The theories which
/ have expressed there, and which APP
pear TO you to be so chin arical, are
really extremely practical-so practical
that l depend upon them for my bread
and cheese"
And how?" I asked, involuntarily.
ITO Be Continuedl