The Newtown bee., 1894-06-01
SEEING AND OBSERVING.

Just 100 years ago an artist and en- graver walked the streets of Munich, supperless, breakfastless, and too poor to buy the metal plates on which to re- produce the work of his pencil. He paused moment on the threshold of his | dwelling. It was early autumn, and there had been a storm over night. The morning sun glittered upon the yet un- dried puddles in the street and the leaves | shOrn from the old lindens were scatter cd upon the sidewalks. One large leaf ! lay upon the stone steps at the artists | feet. Mechanically he stopped and pick ed it up. Where it had reposed he be- held it's perfect outline, with every rib and vein, drawn upon the smooth sur face of the stone in the rain-dissolved dust.
 For a moment he stood twirling the leaf in his fingers, studying the impress sion on the stone with eyes in which the light of a new hope glowed and deepen ed. Then he turned about and hurried ly re-entered the house. He had an idea. It was simply to use smooth slabs of cheap stone, similar to the doorstep, in place of the costly metal plates. Thus was born the art of lithography, by which process all our first color printing is done, Thousands of persons before his day had seen leaf impressions on wet
 
 beauty, but he was the first with powers of observation sufficiently trained to make use of the discovery.
 A workman one day set a basin of wat CT, the interior of which was covered with plaster of Paris, upon a red-hOt stove. His purpose was to warm the water with which he wished to wash his hands, but when he lifted the vessel from the fiery stove he found it's contents al | zt aS pnld a Whpn ntaPp1 there The majority of persons would have beer satisfied with an exclamation, "How odd '" but this man was an observer He perceived that the plaster of Paris was so perfect a nonconductOr of heal that it preserved the waters temperature against the effects of the glowing stove that he at once applied his observation in the construction of tire-prOot safes Hitherto the safe made of iron lined witt wood became, in a Confiagration, as ho within as without, and the contents we1' always scorched and often burned to crisp.
 Anthony Trollope, the novelist, wa for many years postof1ice official, ant his efficiency was largely due to hi trained habit of observation. He ono visited the office of certain postmaste - in Ireland, formed an unfavorable opin ion of the man and observed him in tn course of the interview carefully lock large desk in the office. Two days after ward there came from headquarters a urgent inquiry about a lost letter tn contents of which were of considerabl value. It was late in the night, bu TrollOpe hired horse and, riding hard knocked up the postmaster whom he ha interviewed a few days before. H walked straight into the office and said "Open that desk" The key, he wa 'r told, was lost. With one kick he smasl ed the desk and there found the stole letter.
 When President Washington visite Harvard College he was observed to If his eye" upon framed drawing on tn museum wall. It was a copy of tn Dighton inscription, hitherto suppose by historical students to be the work ( the ancient PhRnicians and to establis the fact of early voyages by that peopl to America. Washington smiled at tn , information thus given him and said h believed that the learned gentlemen wer mistaken. His early life had taken hil - much into the wilderness, and given hiI the opportunity to become acquainte \ with the customs of the Indians. He ha ' often seen them strip off the inner bar \ of a tree and on the smooth surface leav some record of their exploits. He ha examined their rude inscriptions an could not fail to notice the resemblanc of the characters with these copied fror the rock. The Presidents accuracy c observation thus first suggested wha has since been abundantly proved.
 Prof Palmer once told class of youn ladies that in order to make their futur life interesting the first rule was not t look only, but to observe; to put then selves into their situation and understan , it on all sides. ''Observe, observe A every direction" he urged; "keep you eyes open. Go forward, understand ths the world was made for your knowledg' that you are to enter it and possess it."-
 Lucy Elliott Keeler in Congregationlis