MANNERS IN ARCADY. 309 



characteristic, which is directly the outcome 

 of his pride ; he would rather lose his money, 

 even his honour, than be "made a fool of" 

 So sensitive is he upon this subject that he 

 would infinitely prefer to remain silent rather 

 than venture an inquiry which, in the making, 

 would betray his ignorance. He learns, not 

 by asking questions, but by using his eyes. 

 This came home to me when I first began 

 my career as farmer and persisted in asking 

 many questions as to local conditions. 



" Take my advice," said an old countryman 

 to me, "don't ask so many questions. They 

 will take you for a fool." Of course this did 

 not cure me of my insatiable curiosity, and in 

 order to stimulate curiosity in the rustic mind, 

 I would persistently ask questions at county 

 council horticultural lectures in the village 

 which I might have answered myself. 



It was exciting to watch the slow dawn of 

 a gleam on the faces of the villagers intent on 

 seeing if I should be '* made a fool of." The 

 anticipated pleasure did not come, for, to my 

 amusement and to the discomfiture of the 

 torpid mind, the lecturer remarked that he liked 

 to receive questions, for they invariably in- 

 dicated the intelligence of his listeners 1 



