The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1897-03-05
BILL ARP'S WEEKLY LETTER.
REQUIRES FIVE HUNDRED NIL.
LION DOLLARS FOR A DINNER.
writes % knowledge. its Acquisition and
plsseminntion-Iie D. Pleased with
The Question Department.

I
70 questions and answers. Indeed. q any
whole page were SET apart Go this mode % |
diuusing knowledge. It would an De- read
ihtfe are books enough. uf course bus Che
mhssta OF the people have not got them aud |
cannot buy Thorn. tycl0pedlas are expeu-
hNe, hnt almost every successful newspaper /
n we'll equipped with such works and can /
readily refer 10 them aud answer tho quus- /
lions correctly
was Illuminating about this because of the /
'ngrrncss with which my own family prrusp /
all Che questions iu the Constitution and the /
Home and Farm and then make research 30 |
answer them. / once had quite a valuable /
library, but about thlrty-three years ago |
some vaudal3 calling themselves soldiers did |
icloniously take, steal aud carry Il away and |
] have not been able since 10 supply Ia
places nevertheless, Wo have more books |
IMAM the average family and lnd great COM
fort In them
Tho Evening Constitution promises rs
readers a symposium OF ten historical Ques-
uons every weuk-and while the people are
seeking tho snsWers, they uuayoidaby come
across much interesting and valuable lntor-
nation. My folks had 10 read the biographies
oI an the presidents, from Washington 20
Jackson, before they found out which Of
them was married twice 10 the same lady
This good method Of dlfiusing knowledge.
and 1t Is gratifying 10 note how many re-
sponses are made by the young people. Il
Is a pleasant mode OF teaching without con-
straint or discipline The reward Is small
but the acquisition Of knowledge is pronta-
Dc and enduring. Then there Is dare a
BANTER competition about It that makes It
inviting.
Nothing ilatters an old mans vanity more
than to be appealed 10 for information con-
Cerning such things. He Is proud TO have
the young people look up 10 him as q phi
losopher, historian q scholar.
Solomon says: Get wisdom; get under.
standing. Lord Bacon says: knowledge
Is power and Shakespeare says: "Kuowl-
edge Is the wing with which we fly TO
heaven Most OF US GET our knowledge
from boOks-from the brain Of other people
who have gone before; but that obtained
from thoughtful observation and experience
is the better kind. Long, long ago / knew
an old man who had no books and could
hardly write his name, yet his knowledge OF
things around him-of the changes Of the
moon and the forebodings of the weather:
the growth OF plants; the habits OF fowls
and fishes, and the structure of animals was
remarkable. was glad to be a pupil under
such a master.
The other day thought to show of a lit
tie Of my learning at the dinner table. Il
was not an extraordinary dinner, and
asked what did It cost They figured it out
70 be about 70 cents Then / remarked that
the capital invested in procuring this UMPIRE
tending meal was not less than five hundred
millions Of dollars and gave employment to
live million men, for 1t takes many ships and
many railroads.
The pepper in this little box was grown in
the East Indies, 10 900 miles away. It grew
on little vine about eight feet high and not
less than five years old. It was green when
1t was gathered, and was then dried
in the sun until it turned black The
. white pnDppr Ia mazda by takinu hn b1aoIy
shell Off before it is ground The
vine is said to be very beautiful and the
natives use the root for a beverage that in
/ toXicates them, just like the Mexicans use
the magyar plant or the Americans their rye
and corn. So you see that since the day OF
. Noah the people of every nation have found
I something to eXhilarate or make them drunk.
Well, 1t took ship and 900 miles OF rail-
road to bring this pepper here. Then here
Is the tea that Is brought all the way from
China and the coffee from South America
and Mexico. The Goldfish we had for break
fast came from Off the coast Of Maine. This
piece of boiled ham came from Kansas CITY.
This bread was made from flour that was
ground from Dakota wheat. This salt came
from the Indian reservation in New York
state. This Worcester sauce came from
London. These canned peaches came from
z California. The spices that are in the cake
the cinnamon and mace and nutmeg came
from the Moluccas or Spice islands in the
e Indian Archipelago. And the cloves that
you use came from over there Cloves you
must know, are the little short black hob.
nails that the cObblers drive in tho heels oil
peasants shoes and the spice resembles then
so much that it took their name. Cloves
are not the fruit nor the seed Of the tree bu
it is the bloom plucked and dried before il
has quite opened. A great naturalist say!
that the Glove tree is the most beautiful, the
most elegant and the most precious Of al
known trees. 1t is about forty feet higl
and lives to be 100 years old. Wouldn't yOl
like to have one in the front yard2 AnC
there is another fragrant fruit-the citrOn 0
commerce that you use in your fruit cake
II II takes big ship TO bring that here iron
Italy and the macarOni has to come alonj
with it, Now here are the potatoes and ric
and sugar and cheese that come from abroad
Please tell me what we have that is HON
made or home grown within the limits 0
Barlow countyP'
Corn bread and butter and buttermilk,
was the reply.
"Well, we could live on that" said ]
Suppose we try it for year and see hoy
ii works 1t looks like a shame to hav
$500 900 900 and five million men employee
to get us a dinner"
Suppose we wait till next week?" sal
my wife. "Ws are going to have compan
tomorrow. BY the way you didn't mentio
this linen damask tableoloth that came froI
Belfast, nor these knives that Rogers mad
In England and the ivory handles that cam
from the jungles of India. All OF thes
dishes came from somewhere up north, au
so did this extension table and that sid'
board"
"No," said I, I'VE never had anything bI
negroes and cotton before the war. The
5Ook the negroes away from US and have m
he cotton down to and cents, but n
3till live, poor and proud, thank the goo
Lord for His mercies."
Eyes, ;" said my wife, "better is little wit
he fear Of the Lord than great treasures an
rouble Herewith. That Is what Solomo
ays, but want good dinner as long as
ian get it."
"And Solomon added another proverb
aid /, chat just fits our case: Better is
linner of herbs where love IS than stal