Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1844-11-30
TO YOUG MEN-SELF EDUCATION.

But who are the privileged class in oul
country, where all are equaI-where we
have no kings, no princes, no nobility, nc
titles! Look about you, | say again
look about you, and Judge, every man for
himself. Are they not the better educa.
ted every where-and the children OF
the better Observation-Disclosures the
Iand?--Go abroad among your neighbors,
let all your acquaintances pass in view
before you-and see if those who are
better off in the world, more influential
and happier than the rest, (other circum-
stances being equal,) ale not all-alI
without one exception, better educated
than the rest. 1t is not a college educa-
ton tina! speak Of here; it is not even a
school education, obtained before a man
SETS up for himself; but it is education
at large, in the broadcast aud best term
the education that any bod y 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 lind bet
ter educated man-seif educated, or 9TH
erwise, care not-better informed about
some things which they do not consider
OF much importance. go father: so
perfectly satisfied am Of the truth oil
this doctrlne--os the,Importance Of things
which the uneducated regard as trivial,
that would have this taught as fun
damental truth, namely, that if two per-
sons were to begin in the world to NOR
row, both OF the same age and the same
character, having the same friends, the
same prospects, and the same heaIth--he
who was best acquainted with the null
tlpllcalon table would beat the other IN
the long run. would have it general ly
as another fundamental max
i'm in morals, il not in religion; that eve.
ry sort Of knowledge is Of some value to
every person, whatever may be his char
acter, station or prospects. do not say
that it would be of equal value to every
person or that every sort Of knowledge is
alike necessary. | merely say, tina!
we cannot acquire any useless knowledge.
But, say those who appear to have UNI
derstanding and judgm enI in these mat.
tiers we have no time 10 study--we, the
mechanics. No time for study! What!
have you no time, when a huge, ponder
Gus log is to be lifted, no time to fix the
lever and the fulcrum; to prepare the in
cIned plane, or hitch the tackle? Is it
economy of time to do that with your
hands which might be done with the sim.
pest piece of machinery? Would you
set your apprentices to work, your jour
neymen, and yourselves, to !itt and car
ry by main strength, what a child might
push forward on roller, if you would
but take time to make the roller? What
would you say OF man, who, instead Of
using the plough, as others do, should
persist in digginga large field with fire
shovel, because he had never been brought
up TO the plough! What if man who,
instead of splnung his logs with bee
tie and wedge, were TO saw them in Two
lengthwise, with keyhole saw, de-
clarlEg all the while, that as for him, he
did not pretend to know much about
mechanics, that key!hole saw was good
enough for him, aud as Tor beetle aud
wedge and other out Of the way contr.
vsnces for his part he had no belief in