The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1901-12-13
Barlow Man Dilates Upon the
Great Importance Of knowledge
EACH DAY ADDS TO STORE OF WISDOM
This Life Does Not End Possibilities
Of Learning, and William Be
leves There viii Be lnstruc-
ton In the Life to Come.

Of biography is a great comfort.
wish that every family had a Cyclope.
dla Of Universal Knowledge-some-
thing they could turn to for reference
or instruction or entertainment. Cy-
clopedias cost much money, but the
amount spent in a year or two for all
sorts of modern literature would pay
for Appleton's or some other standard
work. l was Illuminating about this be-
cause my friend Murphy told me that
the woodcock did not raise her young
in a nest, but carried them about with
her nestled under her wings and fed
them as she Journeyed from place to
place. Murphy is considered author
ity on hunting and fishing, but we do
not give full credit to fishermens
yarns, and so turned to the cyclope-
dia and found it Just as he had said.
The bird rarely has more than two
young ohes and carries them about
with her nestled unGer her wings. This
reminds me that old Tom Price, an IL
literate man of great observation, said
that the big owl laid but one egg and
when it was Matched and the young
bird feathered she laid another egg
and made the young bird cover and
hatch it while she was foraging around
for food for both. Observation and
experience are good school teachers,
and If a man has a good cyclopedia
for reference he can get pretty good
education. And there is the comfort
of studying the lives of great or nota-
BILE men and women. In idle moments
it is a recreation to open a volume at
random and to read these brief but
lucid biographies of Socrates, Plato,
Gallileo, Seneca, Archimedes and 9TH
er grand old men of the olden time,
and of Mozart, Handi, Raphael Bee
thoven and the great masters Of art
and music. The other day CHANGED
upon Cervantes-a Spaniard-the au
thor of Don Quixote, and it was a
revelation. If he had been an English
man he would have taken rank with
Shakespeare and Milton and Pope. In
deed most of the English writers bor-
rowed from him for they could trans
late his bright sayings and quote them
in English without fear Of detection.
Don Quixote" pronounced kee-ho-te)
is not his best work, but is the most
enjoyable and it effectually paralyzed
the pompous chivalry and knight er.
rantry Of the time. The knights soon
became the butt of universal ridicule
and yet there is not a malicious or ma
lignant line in the book. One who
enjoys such sarcasm can read and
laugh until he has the side ache. Phil.
ip III saw student reading book
and convulsed with laughter. He said j;
THAT young man is crazy or he is
reading Don Quitote. Cervantes be-
came a soldier in early life and joined
the Christian army against the Turks.
He was desperately wounded at the
great battle Of Lepanto and lost the
use of his left arm for life. But he
soon Joined the army again and was ia
ken prisoner by the Moors and kept in
prison for five years. He was ransom
ed and then began his literary career
Dante and Tasso had then begun to n
Illuminate the literary world, and
Shakespeare was close behind, but
Cervantes was seventeen years older
than Shakespeare, and they died on
the same day in the same year. For
maxims and epigrams Cervantes nev'
er had an equal in all the world-we
find some of them in Shakespeare, but
they were borrowed from Cervantes
Make hay while the sun Shines" "A
bird in the hand is worth two in the
bush, " Murder will out" Little SAIL
is soonest mended More knave than
fool" Faint heart neer won fair
lady" Look before you leap" "The
proof OF the pudding is the eating oil
it," Never build castles in the air,
Honesty is the best policy" "The poi
should not call the kettle black" "A
peck Of troubles, Don't count your
chickens before they are Matched,
Don't look for birds in last years
nests" Plain as the nose on a mans
face" you lave got the wrong SOW
by the ear, and scores Of others al
came from Cervantes. To cap the eli
max of his character, he was a gooC
man-good to his wife and children
and always cheerful and had no enc
mics Once he was put in prison for