Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1867-11-01
NOVEMBER |, 1867


No one has ever oversfatsd the value.
the importance Of education. Ia supplies
eyes 10 the blind. feet TO the lane. hands TO
the lmPetsnt. IfA youth we're required to
choose between ar edueatioa without wealth
and -ealth without edoeation. b. should
not hesitate. but choose edocatioa The
ia,her Who gives his child q good educatio1
Aod nothing else. has riehly fitted him for =
usefsi and happy life A youth growing
up 20 manhood susaagbt. unframed. unedu-
Gated. Is like ship drifting af random on q
boiling sea. without rudcer. sails or anchor
The f2ther Who trom weak fondness on
sheer inhrInity Of purpose allows has son ~
play truant. neglect his lessons. and shus
grow uP 90 manhood IN Ignorance. - tha;
sons worst enemy And the son Who. dis
regarding the efiosts. the frrigaliiy. the self
denial. whereby his Parenis have provided
him an education generous an proportion 20
their means. regards his studies As burdens
imposed ON him and seeks 70 slight h.
lessons. devOtIng most Of has time 70 frOlic
and frivolity. - alike ungr.sefsl and foolish.
No one ~as ever cdseafed too much nor too
vel. whether Ne regard primarily the gen.
erll good OF bis own.
The prevalent and grave mistake concerns
not the value Of edscation. bot ns nature
and scope Hall of our Intellectual aspiring
bows fancy that 20 DC educated tbes must
60 % college. when. In fact. some Of our
best edueAted men never spent q day IN
hed Tor usefuiness OF happiness have grad-
oated. and can show (bat not rsAA) iheir
diplomas. Not ,rAege yoa ~ere taught. but
u.af - the esssnflAl matter.
Academies and colleges have their uses.
To those -hO are 60 be clergy men. lauy yers.
or doctors. the opportunities tbsy prefer
are valuable. though rot indispensable.
Bot the great majority OF our yOgth are not
needed IN professions. and oan DC tar more
uselsl elsewhere They can be thus useful
tbough they never open a Latin Grammar
nor dArken a college door. And tLis j. the
truth ~hioh ~oald press hoEse on the sP-
PrrhensiOas OF boys and their parents
throughout our country.
A poor widOw asks ne Nth reference 10
my first artiele-'' Do you mean TIA Il
might borrow the money required TO cary
my only son through college ! should not
90 its" Yes madam. / mean exactly that
mean thAt the honorable. manly sense of
independence -hIch your son now feels
would be UnWiseiy exchanged for ccllese
education ~hich hardened him Nth a sense
OF obligation evernOre. mean that when
yoa shall have gwen your son the best edg-
cation that can be pad for with the means
i has p.eAsed God 70 give yoa. 700 have
done your whole duty IN the premises. and
may. bumblV bot trustfuliy. look for tbe
Divine blessing on the result / mean that
the ed8catiOn you can give ban While
be remains an inmate of kSs beloved hone.
sobiect 70 all rs ohAstening. hallowing infu-
snces. . very likely 90 D. of greater vAlae
ihan be -Osld acquire BY Spending iour
years even AZ Harvard Or Yale. =.
Was not Benjsnin Frankiin educated. (.
II not. Who hAs ever b~en7 Look around
and see n 700 cannot instance several -ho
had no more schooling than Franklin. Who
like him abandoned daily study for daily
labor vhen twelve 90 fourtccn years old.
yet who have ever since been useiall. efh-
eient. respccted and intelligeut7 n sach
mcn a. Shakespearc. Frankln and Lincoln.
aro % be ieemed snedscaieJ. vho need
iear % Be elAssed uItb theug
How. then. = poor boy 20 acquire
tbe necessary kno-ielges Ianswer by dil-
igenily improving his oPPorisnitics. IIsv-
ing lernsd % read Ia thc common schools
or Al BIS raother's kace. Jet bin thenccf1rth
deso'c every leisure hour % stoIy ard 10
jsdicious rcadinE. Assume that BE- must
gise SIXTY hours PR ~eek % labor. a. many
20 rest and other personal needs. there stin
remain four hours OF each secular day. -
say nothiug ofSuniays. vherein % increase
his stock oi useful xuoriodge.
u his labor bc rnsnsai. aad especially II
i BEL prosecuted in tbe open ar al sunshine
o. siI nerd no other muscular exercise
snd he uay give tssniy -four Lours pr -erk
to ulentai enisrgcusent u ic wil and tbis.
sifer makiug due aiiosance Or sbolsome
recreation snd for interruption by beresve-
ulent 90 other misiouunes. -in give him.
% east. ten Thousand hours ior uudy and
rsading between tbe age of eleven and
t~cnfy one. Ho~ many. think yod. are
better Instructed Than ans iarrner's son msr
be. -ho sill isHhisif devote Ten thousanl
b-ars fo this eudg
fhmk fs- boys. -ho have eniogei AM
improved common school sdvantaEes. need
give many hours th resfier 90 the more
complete rassiery of g. ord.rary brsnehes
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