New-York tribune., 1909-01-24

carried off than any other. Thus if in Bedfordshre
catches you erring on a matter of crops
you profess that in London such things are thought
rubbish and despsed; or again. in the society
Of professors at the universities. an ignorance OF
letters can easily be turned by alusion to that
vapd life of the rich. where letters grow insig-
nihcant at sea- II you Sip on common terms,
speak little OF your luxurious occupations on land
and you viii usually be safe.
There other and better defences. One or
these IS to turn the attack by showing great
knowledge on cognate point. or by remember
ing that the knowledge your opponent boasts
has been somewhere contradicted by an authority.
Thus If some friend should say, continually
happens in London club:
Come let hear you decline TeTpuHeuof oU,
you can answer carelessly:
You know well I do that the form is pure
" Paradgmatic: 1t is never found
Or again. IL you put the Wrekin by error into
Stafordshire, you say, II was thinking OF the
Jurassic formation which Is the basis of the for
nation Of et, Or. well. Shrewsbury
Staffordshire? OH had got my mind mixed
up with the graves of fine Staffords" Very few
people will dispute this. will follow it. There
Is indeed this difficulty attached to such method,
that 1t needs the knowledge of good many things,
and ready imagination and stiff face: but II
is good way.
Yet another way is to cover your retreat with
blnoonery. pretending to be ignorant Of the most
ordinary things TO seem to have been play
ing the fool only when you made your first error.
always seemed 10 me the most excellent Oy far of
all known ways of escape. II is to show steady
and Grass ignorance OF very nearly everything that
can be mentioned. and with all this to keep
steady mouth determined and tthis is essen
tad to show by hundred illusions that YOU have
on your own ground excellent store OF knowl-
edge.
This Is the true orenslve-defensive in this kind
OF assault and therefore the perfection Of tactics
Thus II one should say
wa the old story. Ap11Ku
It might happen to any one to answer: II never
read the play
This you will think perhaps irrenediable fall,
but II is not, will appear from this dialogue. IN
which the method is developed
Sapiens-But good Heavens, IT isn't play.
Ignoramus-Of course not. know that as well as
YOU but the character of ApaTK1 dominates the
play You won't deny that?
Sapiens-you don't seem to have much acquaint-
ance with Liddell and Scott.
Ignoramus-I didn't know there was any one
called Liddell In it, but 1 knew Scott intimately.
both before and af er he succeeded TO the estate.
Sapiens-But I mean the dictionary.
Ignoramus-Im quite certain that his father
wouldn't let him write dictionary Why. the
library at Bynton hasn't been opened for years
r. after five minutes of that, Ignoramus caRpot
get Sapiens foundering about in a world nc knows
nothing of, it is his own fault.
But IL Saplens is oyertena cious there is final
method which may not be the most perfect. but
which have often tried myself and usually with
very considerable success:
sapiens-Nonsense man. The dictionary The
Greek dictionary.
Ignoramus-What has Ananti to do with Greek?
Sapiens-I said AvG7Kp
Ignoramus-Ohi h--hi you said apdTk1. did you?
I thought you said Ananti OF course, Scott did
not call the play Ananti but Ananti was the
principal character, and always calls it that in
the family. 1t is very we'll written. II he hadn't
that shyness about publishing and SO forth
Lastly or rather Penultimatey, there is the
tbcd NJ ha mates and dishes break
ing your chair setting to the house, shooting
yourself or otherwise swallowing all the memory
of your shame In great catastrophe.
But that is method for towards; the brave man
goes out into the hall, comes back with a stick and
says firmly "You have just deliberately and cruelty
exposed my ignorance before this company; shall
therefore beat you soundly with this stick in the
presence OF them all.
This you then do to him he to you, mutatis
mutands ceteris paribus; and that is all have to
cay Ignorance.