The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-08


natl papers, the New York Tribune, IndePeh-
! dent, and the Cleveland Leader carefully, We
| suppose to correct and clarity what ne goes
| out of the ''public documents. ms oeuol s
periodical reading is the Wesf",aster 5ssO.sw ,aD
and Harper's Monthly. "Mothet, ~ oVUJ9 o~;so ond
recently purchased for him by MS wlle, ana :.
he was so DELIGHTED with it that he learnt 1t
a;i h., boort He also likes Nasby's letters,
J Int keeps these for perusal IN Vhe iAnlliy
/ circle. He swears frightfuly When In rage,
| but always apologies Ior any wrong done
,,a;ntentionally." He hates butter and grease,
- fond of sport, and had only seven days.
! Schooling in his life. This some people may
think was great disadvantage to him; but
! that would be an antiquated fallacy, inasmuoh
as at the age of twenty-one, mark you, che
had read a vast number of books, mastered
Euclid; and was well versed in philosophy
and SCIENCE" Nor was this the result Of hard,
unintermitted study without the aid of mas
ter. On the contrary, it was accomplished by
young man who was engaged all day in the
heaviest physical TOLL and whose reading Of
the Bible even had to be performed in the even
ing by the light fpine torches. No wonder the
correspondent pronounces him ''the best in
formed man now in public life in this country"
Algebra he found very difficult, but he "mas-
tered it," though working on farm at the
time, and though he had "to read it over fifty
times without understanding it, and though
he used to spend hours when following the
plough thinking over the algebraic signs
without being able to make anything out of
them" A man who, without the aid of a
teacher, and in hours snatched from hard
manual labor, makes himself "well versed in
philosophy and science" before the age of
twenty-one, may well be believed to stand
higher than any of his countrymen in the
realms of knowledge, and to be conscious of
his superiority. But Mr.. Wade acknowledges
that even he has not reached the top of the
glorious tree; in its very "fowering crest"
who should be perched, according to him, but
Horace Greeley, and "he,' says Mr.. Wade,
"has more knowledge on all subjects than any
man in this country I"
AS neither of these great lights ever received
any regular training of any kind, and as Mr.
Wade's difficulties with algebra and the pre-
sent quality of his literary pursuits show that
he is not person of extraordinary powers it
is no wonder that there is widespread belief
that school and college training in youth is
not only not necessary for politicians, bat it is
not necessary for anybody. What Messrs.
Greeley and Wade accomplished in the inter
walls of physical labor ordinary boys may very
well accomplish by an occasional use of their
leisure, without any master. In view of their
accomplishments, what can be more useless
and absurds than the regular educational
machinery
One other advantage which, in the opinion
of large class, "selftaught men" have over
the poor hot-house plants produced in the
schools and colleges, is that they are almost
all, like Mr.. Wade, "original thinkers"-that
is, they make wonderful discoveries and pro-
duce new and startling ideas. AS general
rule, it is true, whatever is valuable in their
discoveries has been known for ages, but then
/ this does not lessen the credit due to them for
/ lighting upon it, and the consciousness which
they all the while carry along with them that
! they are the first explorers OF an unknown
region naturally develops in them the bold and
| energetic cast of mind with which we are made
so familiar ia Congressional debates and reports
! of Congressional committees, and to which
| we owe so many startling novelties in finance,
| political economy, and in fact, in the whole
science of politics. The poor educated man,
on the contrary, goes crawling along, demoral-
lied by the proofs which his pitiess ins structors
every day lay before him of the vastness of
the field of truth which other men and other
ages have laid open, and is soon overpowered
| by horrible sense of his own feebleness and
! deficiencies If he goes into public life, there
! fore, he is either made timid and cautious by
! what he knows of the result of the expert
ments recorded in history, or by his famili-
arity with great principles evolved by the
working of other minds, and approaches
great questions with a feeble and falter-
ing step. The self-taught man, however,
like Mr.. Wade, takes any bull he meets by
the horns, mounts the stump, and dis
poses of the most puzzling problems, such
as the relations of labor and capital, in
few sentences. No wonder che is con-
sidered one of our grandest public men,"
We ought not to pass from Mr.. Wade, how
ever, without complmenting him on his mag
nanimity in calling the cooperative system
''Mr. Greeley's plan" This generosity of
great minds towards each other is very touch
ing, but it is right to say that the cooperative
system is as much Mr. Greeley's plan as the
application of steam to inland navigation. He
is we believe friend of both plans; but the
cooperative system like the steam engine
was known and had been worked in various
parts of the world while Mr.. Greeley was still
struggling in the earlier stages Of the art of
walking.
We find in the report on the organization of
the new Cornell University, by Mr.. Andrew
d. White, the following startling passage;
speaking Of the necessity of department OF
Jurisprudence, political and social science,
and history" he says
"We believe that the State and nation are
! constantly injured by their chosen servants,
who lack the simplest rudlments OF kn0wiedge
which such q department. could supply. No
one can stand in any legislative position and
not be struck with the tequent want In men,
otherwise strong and keen, OF the simplest
knowledge OF the principles essential TO the
public welfare or technical knowledge of law
and of practical acquaintance with business The
supply Is always plentiful; but IL is very com
mon that in deciding great pubic quesuons
are revamped, fundamental principles OF law
, disregarded, and the plainest teachings OF his
tory ignored"
What can he mean
| -
The Reign of Terror In MexIcO-The Fate
NJ IN