Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-10-05
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Boys and girls, never forget that you
educate yourselves. Schools, books
and teachers are helps, but you have to
do the work. Only by persevering,
industrious efforts can you become well
educated.
There are two objects in education:
first, to develop yourself; second, to
gain knowledge. To develop yourself,
is to strengthen and cultivate your
whole being; to improve your memory
and reasoning powers to learn to think
and Judge correctly; III short, to have
your mind gr0in, so that you will be
better able TO DO your work in life.
YIu develop yourself by acquiring an
education, thinking about it, and using
it; for education is the food to make
your mind grow. To gain knowledge,
is TO learn facts and truths and meth
DDS which will be Of use to you in life.
There are four sources from which to
derive education. From your own OBJ
seryation, from your experience, from
the conversation OF others, and from
study. You can learn much without
books and teachers.
When you walk in the woods and
fields keep your eyes open. Watch the
animals, birds, and insects. DO not in
jure or torment them, but learn all You
can about their habits how they do and
live, and what they eat. Learn to dis
tinguish the different animals by sight
and by sound. Some of the birds
change their plumage in the winter
some go north, some south; some of
the animGls change the color of their
fur; some of the insects creep part of
their lives, and fly during another part.
Notice all these peculiarities, and You
viii learn much of natural history. A
celebrated naturalist said of some of
his most important discoveries: "All
| had to do was to look and see the
thing just rs it was made Follow his
eXample-look, and youmay be able to
announce some new discovery.
Study trees and plants. Learn all
You can about how they begin to grow,
how long they live, how often they
blossom and bear fruit, and of what
use they are. Learn to tell the differ
ent kinds of wood by the grain, and
examine the different leaves and stems
Of plants. Examine the ground and
rocks, and see what you viii find. Be
| always on the lookout, and you viii see
more curiosites than you ever dreamed
Of | often think it would be real
treat to camp out month and become
acquainted with nature. Natures col
lege is the best college; no other has so
wide and grand a course There is no
need to go to California, or
South America, or TO the
northern regions, to see wonders; there
are enough things to do in your yard
or garden to keep you interested and
busy for weeks. Examine a bit of moss,
or the structure of a hOney-bee, with
the determination to find outa aboutit,
and you will see more wonderful things
than could be described in several pa
ges. Procure microscope, if possible;
it will show YOU a fairy-land. Also
form a museum, in which to preserve
the curiosities you find.
When you visit mandatory exam
inc the machinery; try to learn how
the power applied to one point moves
levers and wheels until it reaches the
part that does the work. Wherever
work is going on, be sure and learn
how it is done Study iuto causes and
results. Ihe steam-engine came from
the boy Watt watching a boiling tea
kettle. and thinking about it.
Learn from your experience When
q baby grasps the pretty red iire-coals,
ana burns its hands, it learns to let
them alone Afterwards Think about
what y0u do and the effects, whether
it Injuries or benefits you, and act &C
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