Getting Acquainted 247 



recognize what is best. Knowledge is the Drago- 

 man among ancient Pyramids, and the interpreter 

 of whispering winds and the song of the open road. 

 Yesterday, its garden of memory, to-day, its work- 

 shop, to-morrow, its mount of visions. The police 

 dog that made the trip from San Diego to New 

 York and return, with Major Albert Smith 

 through the air, learned precious little of the 

 country over which he passed. And so it is with 

 us who make the journey of the years and fail to 

 acquaint ourselves with our environment. I sup- 

 pose the person who travels far and learns noth- 

 ing, might as well have remained at home and the 

 one who goes through life without learning any- 

 thing might just as well have never been born. 

 All education is just getting acquainted, finding 

 out things about things that actually exist. A real 

 teacher is a way shower and has nothing to do 

 with the fellow who pretends to be able to sell you 

 a big chunk of knowledge that you can carry home 

 with you, to be wrapped up in a sheep-skin, the 

 sheep-skin to be used to burnish the family escut- 

 cheon. 



Erudition would lose most of its strut and fan- 

 like tail feathers if people only knew that back 

 of its fuss and feathers, it simply stands for get- 

 ting acquainted. 



I have looked out of a car window and counted 

 as we rolled by, two hundred and fifty telegraph 



