Wallowa chieftain. [volume] (Joseph, Union County, Or.) 1884-1909, 1902-08-21
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! A STUDY IN SCARLET. s
BY A. CONAN DOYLE. ~

BY A. CONAN DOYLE.

him manipulating his fragil philoso-
phiCal instruments.
. The reader may set me down as a
hopeless busybody. when ! confess
how much this man stimulated my Gu
riosity, and how often I endeavored tc
break through the reticence which he
showed in all that concerned himself
Before pronouncing judgment. how
ever, be it remembered how objectless
was my life and how little there was
TO engage my attention.
My health forbid me from venturing
out unless the weather was exception.
ally genial, and had no friends who
would call upon me and break the mo-
notony of my daily existence.
Under these circumstances. I eagerly
hailed the little mystery which hung
around my companion. and spent much
Of my time in endeavo-ing 10 unravel
t.
He was not studying medicine lie
had himself. in reply TO a question
confirmed Stamford's opinion upon
that point
Neither did he appear to have nur-
sued any course OF reading which
might fit him for a degree in science
or any other recognized portal which
would give him an entrance into the
learned world.
Yet his zeal for certain studies was
remarkable and within eccentric Inn
its his knowledge was so extTaordinar-
ily ample and minute that his obser-
vatiors have fairly astounded me.
Surely no man would work so ha-1
to attain such precise information un-
less he had some definite end in view.
Desultory readers are seldom remark
able for the exactness of their learn
ing.
No man burdens his mind with. small
matters unless he has some very good
reason for doing so.
His ignorance was as remarkah1c
as his knowledge. OF contemporary
literature, philosophy and politics he
appeared to know next to nothing.
Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle,
he inquired in the naiyest way who he
might be and what he had done. Ny
surprise reached a climax. however,
when found incidentally that he was
| ignorant of the Copernican theory, and
of the composition of the solar sys-
TEN.
/ That any civilized human being in
this nineteenth century should not be
aware that the earth travelled round
traordinary fact that I could hardly
/ realize 1t.
''You appear to be astorished." he
said. smiling at my expression Of sur.
prise. Now that I do know it, I shall
do my best to forget It."
"To forget it,"
"You see" he explained 'T consider
that mans brain originally is like a
/ little empty attic and you have to
stock it with such furniture as you
choose. A fool takes in all the lumber
Of every sort that he comes across, SO
that the knowledge which might re
useful to him gets crowded out. or at
best is iumbled up with a lot Of
other things. so that he has a diff
Guilty in laying his hands upon It. Now
the skillful workman is very careful
| indeed as to what he takes into his
/ brain attic. He will have nothing but
I the tools which may help him in do
ing his work, but of these he has a
( large assortment. and all in the most
I perfect order. II is a mistake to think
that that little room has elastic walls
and can distend to any extent De-
pend upon it. there comes time when
/ for every addition to knowledge you
forget something that you knew be-
fore. 1t is Of the highest Importance,
/ therefore, not to have useless facts ell
| bowing out the useful ones"
"But the solar system" protested.
What the deuce is It to me-" he in.
terrupted impatiently; you say that
We go round the sun. If we went
round the moon it would not make a
pennyworth Of difference to me or tc
my work"
was on the point Of asking him
what that work might be. but some
thing in his manner showed me that
the question would be an unwelcome
one.
I rOndered over our short conversa-
tion, however. and eadeavored to draw
my deductions from II. He said that
he would acquire no knowledge which
did not bear upon his object. There
fore. all the knowledge which he DOS
sessed was such as would be useful
to him.
I enumerated in nv own mind all
the various points upon which he mad
shown me that he was eXceptionallv
well informed. I even took pencil
and jotted them down.
/ could not help smiling at the docu-
ment when had completed it. 1t ran
in this way:
/ SHERLOCK HOLAfES-His Limits.
l. knowledge of literature-Nil.
2. knowledge of philosophy-Nil
| 8. knowledge of Astronomy-Nil
4. knowledge of Politics-Feeble.
5. knowledge Of botany-Variable
Well up in bella donna, opium aud
poisons generally Knows nothing of
practical gardening.
| 6. knowledge of geology-Practlcal
but limited. Tells at glance different
soils from each other. After walks
has shown me splashes upon his trous-
ers, and told me by their color ahG
consistence in what part of London he
had received them.
/ Z. knowledge Of chemistry-Pro-
| found.
8. knowledge Of anatomy-Accu.
rate, but unsystematlc.
/ 9. Knowledge OF sensational lilera-
ture-lmmense. He appears to know