The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-08-01

A STUDY IN SCARLET.

BY a. CONAN DOYLE.

hiAh manipulating LIS lldbAA hhAtOoV
phical instruments.
The reader may set me down as Q
hopeless busybody, when ! confess
how much this man stimulated my Gu
riosity, and how often endeavored tc
break through the reticence which he
showed in all that concerned himself
Before pronouncing judgment, how
ever, be 1t remembered how objectIess
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, eagerly
hailed the little mystery which hung
around my companion, and spent much
of my time In endeavoring to unravel
1t.
He was not studying medicine. He
had himself, in reply to a question
confirmed Stamford's opinion upon
that point.
Neither did he appear to have pur.
sued amy 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 linn
its his knowledge was so extraordinar-
lily ample and minute that his obser.
yations have fairly astounded me.
Surely no man would work so hard
to attain such precise information un-
less he had some definite end In view
Desultory readers are seldom remark
able for the exaetness 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 remarkable
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 naivest way who he
might be. and what he had done. My
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
the sun appeared to- me such an ex-
traordinary fact that I could hardly
realize 1t.
"You appear to be astonished," he
said, smiling at my expression of sur.
prise. Nov that do know it, I shall
do my best to forget It."
ITO forget it,"
"You see" he explained, 'T consider
that a mans brain originally is like a
little empty attic and you have tc
stock 1t with such furniture as you
choose. A fool takes in all the lumber
of every sort that he comes across, Sc
that the knowledge which might be
useful to him gets crowded out. or al
best is iumbled up with a lot OF
other things, so that he has a dim
Guilty in laying his hands upon 1t. Now
the skillful workman is very careful
indeed as to what he takes into Ills
brain attic. He will have nothing but
the tools which may help him in do
ing his work, but of these he has a
large assortment, and all in the most
perfect order. 1t is mistake to think
that that little room has elastic walls
and can distend to any extent. De
pend upon it, there comes a 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 systemi" protested
What the deuce is It to me?" he in
terrupted, impatiently; "you say that
we go round the sun. II we went
round the moon 1t would not make q
pennyworth of difference to me or tc
my work"
| was on the point of asking aim
what that work might be, but some
thing in his manner showed me that
the question would be an unwelcome
one.
pondered over our short converse
tion, however, and endeavored to draw
my deductions from 1t. He said thai
he would acquire no knowledge which
did not bear upon his object. There
fore, all the knowledge which he pos
sessed was such as would be useful
to him.
enumerated in my own mind al
the various points upon which he had
shown me that he was exceptionallS
well informed. I even took pencil
and jotted them down.
l could not help smiling at the docu
ment when l had completed it. It ran
In this way;
SHERLOCK HOLMES-His Limits.
/. knowledge of literature-Nil.
2. knowledge of philosophy-Ni
3. knowledge Of Astronomy-Ni
4. Knowledge Of Politics-Feeble.
S. Knowledge. Of botany-Variable
Well up in bella donna, opium aud
poisons generally. Knows nothing oi
practical gardening.
6. Knowledge of geology-Practical
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 ald
consistence in what part of London he
had received them.
Z. knowledge Of chemistry-pro
found.
s. knowledge of anatomy-Accu
rate, but unsystematic.
9. knowledge Of sensational Iitera
ture-Immense. He appears to know
every detail of horror perpetrated In
the century.
10. Plays the violin well.
IL. Is an expert single stick player
boxer and swordsman.
12. Has a good practical knowledge
OF British law.
When / had got so far In my list
threw it into the FIRE In despair.
IF cannot find what the fellow 4
driving at by -reconciling all these &C
complis1nents and discovering q call
ing which needs them all, l said tc
myself. Il may as wen give up the at
tempt at once"