The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1896-02-13
rurs AND MO EYES.

Z. l.
q canital an ORIENTAL story is told OF
The acute observing faculties OF an
Irahian tiervish that not only ought II
10 he introduced into all our public
scboois as perhaps It is, but pertinent
Nv commented on by the teachers.
Though narrated of a man who could
neither read nor write, II shows What
an Admirable practical education can
ha mad nv any one who knows how to
,,se his own eyes, and then 10 reason
O's sonayvhere on the desert the deryish
anne upon two travellers, evidently
cooking for stray animal. You nave
ost a camel, have you mott
YES"
and lame in a left leg2
Hal he not lost front tooth?"
And was he not loaded with honey
IN one SIDE and wheat on the other?
Eyes; and, as you have seen MN, you
can, no doubt put US on ms ta ,s
81 never saw your camel repiieu 'iis
dervish. -. ia
"A pretty story, when you have told
OH about him. You have stolen the
Jewels that were part of his freight.
So they seized the poor fellow. bound
him and carried him before the eadl or
Judge. ,,..,- ,or tha
5eryish Happily, however. the cadi
was n man of sense, and said: You
must explain how you came to know
SO much about a camel you insist you
have never seen" ~.
81 own replied the dervish, that
there has been some ground for sus-
nicion. But / can find ample scope Tor
observation even in a desert. knew
that 7 had crossed the track of a
strayed camel because / saw no marx
of a human footstep on the same route
7 knew the ANIMAL was blind in one eye
because it had cropped the heritage on
one side only of the path; perceived
II was lame in one leg from the rant
impression that particular 1901 nag
made on the sand; / concluded IL hau
lost a tooth because a small turf OF
heritage was left uninjured In the CEN
ter of each bite. Finally, as 20 the Dur
den of the beast, the busy ants IN
formed me that 1t was corn on one
side, and the swarming flies that 1t was
honey on the other. NO WONDER lhe
sensible cadl acquitted on the spot so
shrewd an observer ana so loelcal d
reaSoner.
one of the most starting incidents in
III literature. an incident never forgot
zen from childhood days to old age, is
that of Robinson Crusoe on his desert
island suddenly Ngnllng on
HUMAN FOOT PRINT
IN the sand. The enormous implica-
tions OF hope or terror involved in such
a perception are what make the heaft
of every reader beat with wild emotion.
N Crusoe had seen the savage first and
the footprints afterward. 1t would have
snoiled all. Now, that every object that
can be encountered Is full of signifi-
canoe to an observing eye ana reason
ing mind Is a truth about which too
many educators are singularly bllnd.
Children shut up to mere DOCK knoWl-
edge get utterly vague ideas nom
what they read. The modern use OF pic
lures, of course, helps greatly But
mixtures are as nothing TO the objects
themselves. What does a child really
take i'm of the vegetable world who
does not distinguish at a glance the
oak, the elm, the ash, the maple, the
birch, the beech, So with the BIRDS 80
with the rock strata. so with the
schooners, sloops, briggs, banks, ships.
How blurred and monotonous the
world he lives in apart from these in
finiteIy varying perceptions! Here arc
the data from which alone he can
draw any sane conclusions Would
the children could take walks with the
Arabian dervish, and have nm snow
them how to use their eyes, and then t.
draw conclusions. Under his teaching
even the desert would be the best OF
schools.
Naturally, parents want their chill
dren to read and appreciate the best
literature. But what is the unfailinp
Characteristic q IS best literature ,
or prose, nave 20 keefF an eye for thC
Implications of truth beauty, instruc-
ton and inspiration bound up In all the
objects about them. If the children dc
not know these objects, all the beau
tiful imagery, all the pat illustrations
all the delicate humor of the situation
ere lost on them. For ages the wises
allied to sec that the related positions
{ the rock strata all around them wer,
l reality the liveliest and most enter
aiming of romanceS, revealing tn
whole story of creation. Here, with {
vengeance, was stray camel of crea
ton, here were sermons on stones;'
not sleepy ones as in many a pulpit
but sermons Inspiring enough to keel
the Congregation wide awake. 10
Robinson Crusoe's footprint of say
age suddenly and startlingly transllg
ured into the footprint of the Almighty
Is the teacher. then, is the parent, wor
thy of the name who does not try T
stimulate In the mind Of the child tn
perception Of just what the Arabian der
wish learned through his own eyes o
All invisible camel in the barren desert
Frankie" said a father to his littl
boy who could not read, hand me tn
morning paper" There were two news
papers lying on the table, one of whicl
the little chap selected. Are you sur
this is todays?"
Yes, STRIP
How do you know it?''
II smelt 1t, sir" was his answer.
There is a smell about fresh, mois
paper such as an old one does not have
Here was a dodge even the father wa
not up to, as good in the dark as II
the light. He that has nose let hin
smell and reason on IL, was the fittl
fellows philosophy. The dervish woul'
have patted him on the head.