The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-12-21
LOOKING AND SEEING.
THERE IS A VAST DIFFERENCE BE.
TWEEN THESE TWO ACTS.

It's important 20 Cultivate the Pow
er Of observation Even In Ordinary
Things Faculty Possessed by
All, but Developed by Few.
II Is the hope and desire Of all par
ents that their children shall make
some sort Of n mark I'm the world when
they grow up. They do not I'm the ma
jority OF cases expect that their Off
spring will become famous and make
names that will live for ages, but they
cherish the thought that they will be
successful men and women I'm some
profession or business That Is the
keynote, that success shall be their
portion.
Yet il Is fact that most parents
neglect or pay very little attention to
one part Of the chld's education which
Is OF the highest Importance. They do
not train the pcrccptlyc faculties.
Power Of observation viii help you
more than anything else In your stug-
gle for existence, ana yet there are
comparatively few people who are
keen observers One small fact VIII
prove this latter statement. The man
who observes everything, he who sees
everything he looks at, Is singled out
either as an lnquisitlyc person or
clever one, and this shows that he Is
an exception.
II IL easy 10 give Instances Of this
In oh 20 Ia.
things Of life Some years ago an art
list engaged I'm London firm Of print
crs had TO draw an advertisement In
which the central figure was cock In
the act of growing. Nothing Seemed
easier, but whon hc set 10 work the
artist found himself confronted 10y n
difficulty does the cock show It's
tongue prominently when il crows?
Every one of the hundred men employ
ed by the firm had seen II cock crow
scores OF times, yet not one OF them
could answer the question The artist
had TO go TO n friend who kept fowls
and chase the poor rooster round ana
round the yard until II crowCd.
A schoomastcr, wishing to test the
perception of his boys, asked them how
many times they had seen COW or
pictures of that animal and found. rs
he had expected, that all the boys had
seen the creature more times than they
could remember. Then he offered tO
give small prizes 10 the boys who could
correctly answer this question, Are n
cows ears above, below, I'm front of or
behind Its hornsY" only two boys
gained prizes and theirs was guess
work.
Now sit down and test yourself I'm
some such simple manner. You have
oil seen n horse down" Can YOU de-
scribe how II rises? Does II get up on
It's fore feet first aud then on its hind
feet or does II kncel first, then get on
its hind feet and finally on its fore
fcet2
However, YOU need not conliuc your
self 10 the animal kingdom In testing
your pcrccptivc faculties. Many sub
Jccts will suggest themselves TO you on
reflection.
As an excuse for this want of obsCr-
vation Il is often urged that "a man
can't know everything but the excuse
Is bad one. Tber" Is n great differ
encc between knowing little or nothing
and knowing everything. When the
faculty has been trained, II requires no
more effort 10 note the points Of the
object looked nj than II does TO glance
at that same object and come away
none the wiser.
The chances OF success I'm life are on
the side Of the man who knows Ger
tain things because he has learned
about them 10y using his senses instead
Of having To 20 10 book for all that
hc wishes to know Books are mdis
pcusahlc. as there are so many things
which cannot come within the range II
our observation: hut. wherever posst.