The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-07-10
LOOKING AND SEEING.

the majority OF cases expect that their
offspring will become famous and
make names that will live for ages,
but they cherish the thought that
they will be successful men and wo-
men in some profession or business.
That success shall be their portion.
Yet it is a fact that most parents
neglect or pay very little attention to
one part of the child's education which
is of the highest importance. They
do not train the Perceptive faculties.
Power of observation will help you
more than anything else in your
struggle for existence, and yet there
are comparatively few people who
are keen observers. One small fact
will prove this latter statement. The
man who observes everything, he
who sees everything he looks at, is
singled out either as an irquisitive per-
son or a clever one, and this shows
that he is an exception.
1t is easy to give instances of this
lack ofperception even in the ordinary
things of life. Some years ago an
artist engaged In London firm of
printers had to draw an advertisement
in which the central figure was a
cock in the act of growing. Nothing
seemed easier, but when he set to
work the artist found himself con-
fronted by dificulty-does the cock
show its tongue prominently when
it crows? Every one of the hundred
men employed by the firm had seen
a cock crow scores of times, yet not
one ofthem could answer the question.
The artist had to go to friend who
kept fowls and chase the poor roos-
ter round and round the yard until it
crowed.
A schoolmaster, wishing to test the
perception of his boys, asked them
how many times they had seen COW
or pictures of that animal and found,
as he had expected, that all the boys
had seen the creature more times than
they could remember. Then he Of
fered to give small prizes to the boys
who could correctly answer the ques-
ton: care a cows ears above, be-
low, in front of or behind its horns? 7"
Only two boys gained prizes, and
their answers were guesswork.
Now sit down and test yourself in
some such simple manner. You have
all seen horse "down." Can you
describe how it rises? Does it get
up on its fore feet first, and then on
its hind feet, or does it kneel first,
then get on its hind feet and finally
on its fore feetl
However, you need not confne
yourself to the animal kingdom in
testing your perspective faculties.
Many subjects will suggest them
selves to you.
AS an excuse for this want of obser-
vation it is often urged that "a man
can'tknoweverything, but theexcuse
is bad one. There is a great diff
ference between knowing little or
nothing and knowing everything.
When the faculty has been trained
it requires no more effort to note the
points of the object looked at than 1t
does to glance at that same object and
come away none the wiser.
The chances of success in life are
on the side of the man who knows
certain things because he has learned
about them by using his senses in
stead of having to 60 to book for
all that he wishes to know. Books
are indispensable, as there are SO
many things which cannot come with
in the range of our observation, but
wherever possible we should use our
senses to acquire knowledge at first
hand.
This will explain why men who
cannot read or write have built up
substantial businesses. They have
made use of the power possessed by
all, but cultivated by very few.
The perceptive faculty must be
trained during childhood and youth.
After the completion ofthe twentieth
year very little progress can be made.
A grown man is unable to develop
his powers of observation to any sat
isfactory degree. Youth is full OF
energy, and that is the time to incul-
cate the lesson that we should see all
that Our eyes rest upon.
It should be the object of every
parent to teach his child to note every
object that comes in his way. When
out for a walk in a park the child
should be told to observe the shapes
of the leaves on the different trees,
the paling of the color of animals to-
ward the under part of the body, and
so on, and should be told that when
asked a question on the subject he
must be prepared to say that it is so,
not that he thinks it is.
All children have inquiring minds,
and after walk or two, coupled with
such instructions as we have men,
toned, you will find the child making
great progress and acquiring quail
ty that will be invaluable in after life.
One of the methods adopted by
Houdin, the conjurer, for quicken
ing the perception of his son was to
make him walk rapidly past shop
window or stall on which number
of articles wefe displayed and then
write down list ofthe objects noticed.
At first only half a dozen articles
were perceived during the moment
I occupied in passing the store or win.
dow, but after having done it once a
day for month the boy was able to
make list of forty objects. Pear
sons Weekly.
"BUr I do not know the candidate, "
said an old Yorkshire farmer who
was appealed to for his vote.
"But you know his fatherF"
eyes, know him, and he's a
grand man."
"Then you will surely vote for hi
son, won't you 7"
But the old farmer was still doubt
full.
"I'm no so sure about that" HI
: replied 'it's no every COO that ha