Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-01-20
..sarn,.s wl,nou, Teaeher..
ny HORACE 0nErLEY.
tProm the N. y. Ledger

ordinary common schools; many OF
them write me on the subject, ask
ing me 10 point out away whereby
they may achieve their end Some
want to pursue collegiate course,
md to run into debt for $500 or ST..
900 whcrowith to pay their way.
] cannot help regarding this as II
mistake. The ranks Of the profess
rions are obviously so crowded,
that hc who enters them hereafter
must cXpccCto give five or ten years
~ the arduons task of achieving
n firm loothold in any ofthem lilo
therefore, who makes the attempt
destitute of property and burdcncd
with debt, must fight his battles of
life under very great disadvantag
cs and discouragemen,s. True, he
may win-lct us hope that hc will;
but tho odds are heavily against
him. He who does not care to
spend his lifo workia for "dead
horse" may well decline to incur II
debt which must, ut the best, fcttcr
and chat, him, and which is quite
possible lie will never he able to re-
pay. Unless II youth be sure that
ho is rarely and specially qualified
for some Intellectual pursuit, |
would gladly dissuade him from
plunging into debt for the cost of
a tlassicul education.
2 But what shall be dono by n mon
cyless youth athirst for knowledge?
! would say-Let him choose
that branch of productive industry
which he prefers, and proceed forth
with to master its processes and de-
tails. If he likes farming, let him
try that; It not, let him select his
trade. and bargain with some mas
ter of it for II fair opportunity to
learn it. Having thus secured Ar
chimedcs' dcSiJcratum-a place
whereupon to stand-let him settle
to his work, resolved to give all his
spare hours to thoughtful, diIigcnt
study.
assume that ho will, in choosing
his place aforesaid, give the pref,
rance to one which affords him rca-
dy access to good books. If he did
not seasonably think Of this, lot
him now look around him and sec
how and whence his ncod of looks
can NOSE easily be supplied. There
,tre not many ne;ghborhoods in the
States North of the Potomac and
the Ohio, where good books nay
not BIO borrowed by those who APP.
preciatc and will not soil them. A
few days inquiry will develop ma,
ny such; while II village is seldom,
and city never without them. Be
the deficiency greater or smaller, he
will have to purchase some choice
works to supply it; but ten dollars
per annum will cover all that he
need to cxpend for books.
A course Of reauing for instruct
ions sake should begin, ! judge,
with Natural Scicnce-Chemlslry
Geology, and Botany, if by this lat
ter term is indicated the laws of
vegetable growth ~ d development,
should come first, and each sho aid
engross tine spare hours of Il year
at least. Obtain the best textbook
of each as foundation, and read
it slowly, thoughtfulIy, to the end;
then begin again at the title-ragc
and read it attcntivcly to the close:
ifyou are not now master of its
contents repeat the process once
more. Whenever puzzled or un.
certain as to what is affirmed, stop
and give an hour to Il page, if not
sooner sure that you have caught
the authors meaning. Whom Il
textbook shall thus have been thor
oughly mastered, it will have indi.
Gated such other works treating OF
the same science as will be most
helpful to you; and these can be
read more rapidly IN the light of
tho knowledge already acquired.
And, having mastered Chemistry,
you will find tho knowledge thus
obtained key to unlock quickly
and easily the treasures Of Geology
and Botany.
Geography and Astronomy will
require fur less time, and are, tho
valuable, less essential than the
sciences which contemplate the ma
lure and transmutations of Mat.
ter.
After Science l would give atten-
ton to History. No other depart
mcnt of human knowledge is al
once so deeply interesting and so
widely instructive. No man ever
read halfa dozen good histories
without having his understanding
expanded thereby. Human nature
is studied nowhere else to so good
advantage MS in the works of histo-
rianslikc Hume, Gibbon, Grote,
Macready, Froude, Bancroft, Mich
let, Carlyle, etc. If | were to gve
merciy for enjoyment, should
spend half my waking hours in the
company of the great historians.
Biography-which is the history of
certain individuals -may also be
read with equal delight and profit
in the lives of the great and good
Poetry and Philosophy belong to
later stage ofmcntal development;
but these, also, help to enlarge and
refine the intellect of their devotee.
know it will be urged That faith
full, daily labor is Incompatible with
the systematic acquisition ofknowl-
edge. j answer that my cxpcr-
encc doe. not sustain the assump-
ton. The pest years of my life, 70
far as cducation is concerned, were
those in which | did six fair days
work rs an apprentice in q country
printing establishment. | have
never enjoyed opportunities equal
to those since ! engaged ia bRsi. |
ness for myself, and | 10 not hope
10 find edasl opportunity tor study
hereafter
But you have net indicated u |
course oil study for Il profession.