The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-02-02
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| of here; it is not even school education, OBJ
| tanned before man sets up for himself; but It
is education at large, in the broadcast and best
sense Of the term-the education that anybody
may give himself any body, at any age. Again,
therefore, do appeal to yourselves to call to
mind any OF, your acquaintance who has got
ahead Of his brethren-who is looked up to, not
only by them, but by others; and my life on it,
you find him better educated man-sef edu-
Gated or otherwise, care not-better informed
about some things they do not consider Of inn
portance. 60 farther: so perfectly satisfied am
of the truth of this doctrine-o Of the importance
Of things which the uneducated regard as trivial,
that / would have this taught as fundamental
truth-namey, that If two persons were to be-
gin the world tomorrow, both of the same age,
and the same character, having the same friends,
the same prospects, and the same health--he
| who was the best acquainted with the multiple
cation table would beat the other in the long
run. would have it generally understood, as
another fundamental maxim in. morals, if not in
religion, that every sort Of knowledge is Of some
| value to every person, whatever may be his cha
racter, station, or prospects, I do not say that
| it would be of equal value to every person, or
that every sort of knowledge is alike necessary.
] merely say that we cannot acquire any useless
knowledge. i.
But, say those who appear to have understand
ing and judgment in these matters, we have no
time for study--we, the mechanics. No time for
study! What! have you no time, when a huge
ponderous body is to be lifted-no time to fix the
lever and the fulcrum--to prepare the incline
plane, or hitch the tacle? Is it economy Of time
to do that with your hand, which might be done
with the simplest piece of machinery! Would
you set your apprentices to work, your journey
men, and yourselves, to lift and carry by main
strength, what child might push forward on
roller, if you would but take time enough to fix
the rolIer9 What would yon say of man who,
instead of using the plough, az others do, should
persist indggng large 6ala with aiF0 shovel, be-
caase he had never been brought up TO the plough!
What If man who, instead Of splitting his logs
for 6rewood with beetle and wedge, were to
aw thsm in two lengthwise, with keyhole saw
declaring all the while, that as for HIM he did not
pretend 70 know much about mechanics that
| kevhole saw was good enough for him and as for
1.-The beetle and wedge. and other out-of- the-way
contrivapces, for his part, he had no belief in
i them 6a;,g,,rg,ssl sss 81 tts5 4.,4. A
Would you not laugh at him, as poor econo-
mist Of time, and very poor reasoner! and would
he not be likely to continue a very poor man!
Yet he would say no more than you say, every
man of you, when you declare you have no time
for reading no time for study, no time to improve
yourself each in his own particular trade, by
stepping out Of the circle he has been brought up
in How do you know but there is some shorter
and easier way of doing az that you do in your
workshops and factories Be assured that there
is a shorter and easier way for all of us-that
there is not one thing we do in which improve
ments may not be made. Have you not the proof
continually before your eyes Are not the mas
ter aoorkme the 0spners and the employers of other
men s-are they not those who have the best use,
not Of their fingers, but Of their thinkers IN IN
3ag lj .Isag3s sna JOHN NEAL.