The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1921-08-22
| Don't Know The Game

For twenty years, so the story
goes, two chess players met daily at
chop house to enjoy the royal
game. AS customary with veterans
of the checkered field, they took
their places silently, silently played
their game and silently departed.
For twenty years a third party sat
by and silently looked on.
Then one day one of the players
failed TO arrive at the usual hour
TO rthe first time in twenty years.
After waiting for some time, his par
tner said to the onlooker, Il guess
he isn't coming today. Won't you
please take his place."
4 can't" was the answer.
don't kno wthe game.
Think of it!
He had followed every move for
twenty years but he didn't know the
game. He had watched attack ana
counter-attack of queen and castle,
knight. bishop and pawn for two de-
cades without sensing a single under
, current and strategy, speculatlng on
a single motive on anticipating a
single coup.
! He had displayed wonderful patti
] ence in looking at the game but he
hadn't troubled his head about look
/ ing into it. He had displayed all
! the SYMPTOMS of intelligence except
! the primal one-curioslty.
This man belonged to that large
and listless army of passive, inatten-
| tive observers who clutter up the
! side line sof businessmen who look
/ without seeing, listen without hear
! ing, do without understanding.
Place such a man in an office, at
! a bench. or at a machine, and he
would remain twenty years ignorant
of his neighbors job, his SUPERIOR
problems nd his own significance IN
the general scheme. When the op-
! portu'nity Cor advancement came,
bringing with it new problems and
| fresh difficulties, he would have to
say, Il cant. l don't know the
game"
All of us who are not blind OF
deaf or dumb have the necessary
equipment for taking studious and &C
curate observation of things and per
sons and actions aroun dus that init
mately concern our wellbeing and
progress. Yet for all the practical
knowledge some of us derive purely
through observation, we might as
TO behold is not necessarily tt
observe" remarks Humboldt, "anC
the power of comparing and combin-
ing is only to be obtained by educa-
ton. 1t is much to be regretted that
habits of exact observation are MOI
cultivated in our school; to this de-
f1ciency may be traced much of the
fallacious reasoning, the false philo-
sophy which prevails"
For, as John Foster has wisely
pointed out, How little of our
knowledge is derived from intention
al observation! Most of it has, I'M
sought found its way into the mind
fro mthe continual presentations OF
| objects to our unthinking view. 1t
is knowledge of sensation more than
| of reflection"
Business, are and science are con-
| stantly seeking for men who know
| the game. There is a woeful search
ty of them, and the world will
crown with honor and clothe with
riches those who know the game and
play il well.
There is no place in the busy arena
of the world forthespectator who
idly looks on with eyes that do not
see and brain that does not reason.
If we would win prizes and honors
at the chess board of life, we must
keep our eyes and ears open and
first learn the game. Studious OBJ
scranton is the broad, straight high
way to success in any human en-
deavor, and it is open and free TO all
wayfarers.
J. r. HODGE