Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1842-09-01
From the Manual of SeIf-Education.
Self Education.

Who are the self educated The
great mass of mankind What is edu-
calion That which best enables man
to discharge his obligations towards his
MAKER-and, therefore, towards himself,
and his fellow man.
Tried by this standard, what becomes
of wha, is called Education !? Who are
The Literally Educated E: Who are the
Learned And what are they good for,
IN comparison wiih the great mass Of the
Uneducaicd as they are called, who
constitute the People who build our
Cities, aud cover the Sea with ships /;
who span our Rivers with bridges and
pile up our Foriicalions and temples (;
who print our Books aud our Newspa-
pers, and scatter abroad upon the four
winds of Heaven the seed of empire,
aud The imperishable dust, out Of which
the Nations shall hereafter spring, ami
the wilderness blossom like a rose
But most of the men who do these
great things are of the Uneducated. So
says the world Educated and the
Cneduc aied alike. What then is Educa-
ton F.? Is it an imperfect knowledge OF
Greek and Latin of Hebrew and
Chaldee Is it a profound acquaintance
with the morals and metres OF Latin
verse Or familiarity with circles
and lines, and angles, amounting per-
haps to n speaking acquaintance with the
higher mathematics, which, after all,
are wanted by the few, upon very few
occasions in life, while that which is
learned by The great mass of the Unedu-
Gated in the shape Of trade, or bus-
ness, may be matter of life and death to
millions, and Of constant application eve
~ dav in the year-and every hour IN
the day In words it Law, Physic
or Divinity
Let ns not be understood as speaking
irreverently of learning II
may be for all learning has its use Of
science, in whatever shape it may pre-
sent itself-for all science, whatever it
may be at first, becomes at last house,
hold servant, and most faithful drudge
I" the poorest and the neediest of Law,
Physic, or Dlvinity-for all have their
uses, and are to be held in reverence.
But what we do wish 10 be understood
as saying, is lhis. Let us not mistake
the relative Importance Of human acqu-
sItion. Let us not look upon that knowl-
edge, or that wisdom, or that experience,
without which society could not be held
together without which we could moi
live for day-lhe knowledge and Wis
dom and experience Of the mechanic
aud the farmer, the fisherman or the sal
lor, as worthless in comparison with that
other knowledge, and wisdom, and ex-
pericnce, without which the grea, mass
Of mankind have always got along very
comfortably, and always will the knowl-I
edge Of Greek and Latin Of prosody,
and Philosophy, and what is called po.
ltical economy. Why call those the
Educated who would starve Tomorrow
IT they were cast upon their resources,
in a strange land' These, the Uneduca-
ted, who could support themselves and
their families anywhere, the sum of.
whose knowledge is seli-reliance instead
OF self-distrust
But again. Who are the self-educa-
ted All who are distinguished-for all
such must have taught themselves more
Than they were ever taught by others: all
who educate themselves in any way, to-
anv extent, whether IN college or out
at the work bench or the dissecting ta-
bIe--at the printers press or the forge.
Aud he il ilp best educated man
whether Self Educated or not-who has
best understood his obligations to his
MAKER and HIMsELF-un best employ \
ed all he faculties mot part only-but,
all he faculties, wherewith God has en-
dpwed him IN other words-the MAN,
who Is most a man through life and
who, whether hr have one talent or |
thousand talents, buries none Of them in |
"A napkin.