+522.+ There is no more important mark of punctuation than the
Interrogation Point. Asking questions is the foundation and beginning of
all wisdom. Progress is based upon the eternal _Why_. If men had always
been satisfied with the knowledge of their age and had not continually
asked questions which they set themselves to answer, we would still be
living in caves or dwelling in trees.
The natural child, that is, the child whose will has not been broken, is
an animated Interrogation Point. He is full of questions. He wants to
know _why_ this and _why_ that. This is a most natural trait and one
that should not be destroyed. It may sadly interfere sometimes with the
things that we wish to do, to stop and answer the child's questions as
to why cats have tails or who made the world and what did he stand on
while he was doing it; but it is decidedly important that some one
should answer these questions which the child asks, in a manner to
satisfy its present craving for knowledge. The fact that this trait has
been quenched in so many children by the impatient grown-ups explains
their stupidity in later years. Encourage every child to ask questions.
Encourage it also to be persistent until it finds somewhere the answer
to its questions.
Cultivate also this trait yourself. Do not accept a thing simply because
some one says it is so. Insist upon knowing for yourself. This is the
secret of progress, that we should think for ourselves, investigate for
ourselves and not fear to face the facts of life or to express our own
ideas. The wise man does not accept a thing because it is old nor does
he reject it because it is new. He inquires, demands, reasons and
satisfies himself as to the merit of the question. So the Interrogation
Point in the written language of man has a tremendous meaning. It stands
for the open and inquiring mind; for the courage that dares question all
things and seek the truth.