lll-t THE THAI" NEST TEXT HOOK 



It was invented i iv a man who knew practically nothing of railroad- 

 ing' or mechanics, so the mechanics who did his work claimed. He was 

 obliged to watch carefully every detail of construction, for the mechanics 

 knew (?) tli at it would not run. Itdid run nevertheless and has contin- 

 ued to run for several years. 



The originator of the greatest and most practical of our modern 

 inventions is said not to he a "practical man" from the mechanic's stand- 

 point. He is known in inventive circles as being eminently practical. 

 Practical workmen usually lack creative imagination. Their minds 

 become accustomed to certain set rules of action and they cannot imagine 

 that the accustomed results of their gradually-acquired skill could possibly 

 be obtained by better but unfamiliar methods. Sometimes they possess 

 too much of that superior form of eg'otism often miscalled "modesty.*' 

 If, as is commonly the case, the practical man is under the practical 

 necessity of applying his whole attention to his regular work in order 

 to get present results he has no time to think out new methods or devices 

 and exhaustively test them to achieve success only after repeated failure. 

 What is true in mechanics is true in every branch of human endeavor. 

 We sometimes ridicule the '•dreamer" of to-day in words that are taken 

 down and reproduced by the wonderful machines made possible by the 

 dreamer of yesterday. We do not stop to think that he who opposes 

 the initial effort retards future achievement. 



The novice poultry keeper is in little danger from real or imagined 

 "science." If he dreams dreams it will be because nature made him a 

 dreamer. His dreams may not cause him to send quite as much money 

 to the "kickers" as they would like. 



We can go as far back as history can carry us and we will find Prac- 

 tice opposed to Theory: the successful theory becomes practice only to 

 oppose new theories, over and over in the line of progress. 



Practice does well to be cautious about accepting theories, and it in- 

 variably is. Elementary effort is not practice in the practical sense and 

 one of the greatest troubles in the poultry business is that it too often 

 tries to be. 



A student of poultry keeping will wonder which ••practical" practice 

 it is that he should model after; perhaps to find that correct practice is 

 claimed to be that taught by the teacher who does not believe in the 

 practice of the other teacher willi whom he is more or less in compe- 

 tition. He may later learn that there is much chance for improvement in 

 the practices of both. 



The most desired and most elushc end thai is sought by all practical 

 ••dreamers" i> simplicity. When attained it is often laughed at. We 

 never had a practical screw driver until recently, [t not only puts in 

 Hie screw, almost anywhere', but will pull it out. 



When we first see il we can all say with Edison: '-Funny no one 



