Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1910-05-04
The Curse of Ignorance.


been handed to us by the writer.)
No subject except sin itself could
suggest an array of subtle, bewilder-
Ing, endless cause and effect as the
above. Like the plaques, it invades
the houses OF the people and lays its
blight upon raiment, food and drink
and bedding, and upon the beast Of
the field. 1t is the plague Of dark
ness and Of evil.
1t has been said by some one that
"Where ignorance Is bliss, It's folly
to be wise" but, like many other
time-honored aphorisms, this Is only
limited truth, and merely implies
that disagreeable fact is nulliiicd
by not being known, while all that is
true about it is that the sensitive
mind is saved from suffering by the
ignorance OF the true nature OF a
thing or OF its existence as n fact.
1t is useless to go into a discussion
Of all the possible conditions in which
humanity or eXpedience might JUS
tify the withholding OF knowledge.
either temporarily or permanently;
these are mere contingencies outside
the general subject Of knowledge.
The home IS the mould in which
the character is formed, and If igno-
rance rule here the young go forth
to extend the malady in which they
were born and raised. Ignorance
may transmit itself from parent to
child to such an extent that the chill
dren of ignorant parents are hard to
teach. We know teacher OF en-
pericnce who found the children Of a
certain illiterate family-children Of
brothers who were sons Of illitcrate
parents--almost as unteachable as
dumb animals, though these children
were not lacking in ordinary intelli-
gence as to everyday affairs. Want
Of apprehension for books was bad
enough. but the defect did not stop
here. They had small regard for
truth, and scarcely one Of them. bov
or girl. would hesitate moment
about telling falsehood. They had
never been taught any better, and
their standard Of veracity was as low
as that Of the ordinary negro. These
people were not poor. Nor were
they naturally morally worse than the
average, but for several generations
their ignorance had been so great as
to keep them on low moral as we'll
as intellectual plane.
The curse Of ignorance has been
seen resting upon a table loaded
with the materials for a feast and
rendering vegetable. bread, meat and
drink not only unpalatable. but
deadly indigestible to any but the
stomach accustomed to enduring
such an existence. Comfortable
rooms have been turned into sweat
boxes during the summer and into
refrigerators during the winter by
the curse OF ignorance. People have
been known, for the want Of knowl-
edge, to turn themselves into scare
crows with the materials for fine raj
ment.
How strong in suggestion is that
passage relating to the plague of
darkness upon the Egyptians: "When
they saw not one another: but all
the children OF Israel had light in
their DWELLINGS, Here is one OF the
NJ
norance and knowledge. There is no
soul communion between the igno-
rant; the communication is confined
to the Superiicials Of life, and so they
90 not see one another, while the
poSSesSorS of knowledge interchange
thought and constantly add each to
the Others light and enjoyment.
Ignorance, with its consequent low
moral Standard weak will and in
competent judgment, is even affect.
ing the jurieS in our courts of law,
till, in many cases. they either dis
regard their oaths or arc not cana
bln OF forming an opinion on the
iact5. The criminal. in nine cases
out Of ten, walks out Of court a free
man when he should be hanged-not
only encouraged to repeat his crime,
but as an example Of immunity to
others. The ignorant Juror Is not
only failing in his immediate duty, but
he IS helping to make criminals and
to degrade his own State.
Let 1t be hoped that the day is
not far distant when ignorance viii
be recognized as a curse, and when
any man who places the slightnst OH