which ninety nine hundredths of his employers are contented 

 to have it done, there is httle need of his troubling himself 

 to learn more about it : it is true, he occasionally talks of 

 coffin bones, coronet bones, and even navicular bones ; but 

 he has no more distinct idea of their structure, offices, or 

 position in the foot, than he has of the man in the moon : 

 How should he ? Such knowledge does not come by instinct ; 

 and there is nothing in the nature of his art, either to force 

 it upon him, or to induce him to apply himself to the labour 

 of acquiring it. The smith is essentially a worker in iron 

 and horn ; and I should no more tliink of disputing the 

 quality of the iron, or the texture of the horn with him, 

 than I should of yielding my opinion to him upon the 

 elasticity of the foot, or the most scientific mode of fastening a 

 shoe to it ; his daily practical acquaintance with the varying 

 qualities of these materials must supply him with better means 

 of judging of their condition than I could ever acquire from 

 observation alone ; and therefore it is, that I should refrain 

 from contesting the point -ndth him ; but in tlie other case, 

 where his knowledge, if he possessed any, could only be the 

 result of study, apart from his calhng, I should most stoutly 

 demur against acceding to his views, when they happened 

 to clash with my own ; because I consider myself more 

 practically acquainted with the use of reason, than he can 

 possibly be ; and therefore more likely to arrive at just 

 conclusions in a matter, depending entirely upon the right 

 application of it. 



Many persons attach vast importance to the experience, 

 gained by a smith from long practice ; but it is a great 



