Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-05-28
Getting On In
Life
By THOMAS TAPER.

4
be called, in one sense, the orig
inal moving picture idea. Dickens
has the faculty of throwing his pictures
on the screen Of the readers mind so
sharply that ne needs no other ma
chine to see and enjoy them.
OF course, the faculty that Dickens
had which enabled him to do this as
writer came from his habit Of looking
at the world about him; Of looking at
it hard; of seeing it clearly; and then Of
making a man in New Zealand, or In
dia. or Labrador see it by means of a
printed page.
Any one who wants 10 get on in life
should cultivate this habit of looking at
the great show that goes on about us
forever an ever: Of looking at it hard,
seeing it clearly. and then getting from
it all it's particular meaning. 1t is
great habit. and a great help, for It
teaches US TO draw conclusions from
what we see. But we should see much
and draw few conclusions until we are
sure of drawing approximately the right
ones
II is impossible to overestimate the
value of the life about us as means
of education We look down at our
feet too much, and not enough about
us and above us
The telescope man in Union Square
will never get rich, even though he is
doing business in city Of some mil
lions Of people Why? Because few
Of us know what privilege 1t is to-
look up above our heads and see what
is there.
For ten-cent piece you can see the
rings of Saturn and its moons or the
craters and mountains Of the moon II
is true that Saturn itself looks about as
big as a pea. and its eight moons like
pinheads But 1t is a wonderful sight
nevertheless: one never to be forgot
ten, one that will brace up the mind In
many an odd moment of foolishness or
sorrow
Anyone who is out after moving pic
lures should not miss this one. You
would be surprised to know what can
be seen in the heavens even with an
opera glass. The moon. through an
opera glass. ia such a glorious sight
that you will never again think OF it as
cause OF good luck or bad luck, &C
cording as you happen to see It,
The fact is, we do not see what is
near us. student of Professor Asas-
sz of Harvard tells us that when he
went to Cambridge to study with that
great scientist his first task was to
look at a dead fish and report what
he saw.
Professor Agassiz left him and came
back In an hour The young. man han
died the dead fish as any one would
who thinks he sees everything In about
formed that he had not even made
beginning
Agassiz gave him two hours for the
next report. The fsh was becoming
more and more hateful to the young
man Suddenly, however, he thought
he would begin and draw 1t on paper
Then, he said, he really began to see
it. Agassiz came back after a while,
and this time encouraged him little
But you have missed the most impOr-
tant thing Look again"
And so 1t went on hour after hour,
day after day, until finally the young
man actually began to see what he
was looking at He afterward said that
one lesson made a man and an OBJ
server of him.
1t convinced him that HE COULD
NOT SEE THE THINGS BEFORE HIS
OWN EYES Agassiz taught him that
fact. and convinced him Of 1t.
Few people have the ability to state
things exactly as they are. They do
not see them as they are, and, natural
ly, any report they make must be
wrong. or partly wrong, which is just
as bad.
Any one who can look and see what
he looks at and tell the facts and moth
ing but the facts to some one else, has
learned the one great lesson Of getting
on.
So the moving picture show of life
about us is a great opportunity for
training the mind and getting 1t on
business basis for facts and exact
ness.