Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-05-24

WRAT SHALL We LEARN?-FoR OUR OLDER
BOYS AND GIRIs.-The qcestion at the head
OF this article does not refer to what we shall
learn at school. All buildings, whether
small or large, have pretty much the sume
kind of foundations, and all that we learn at
school is but the foundation of our real edu-
cation, and we all need to learn, as far as
school goes, very much the same things. One
Of the most important things for boy (or
girl either) to Learn is how much and how
little they can do, to be convinced that "you
can { put q quart into pint measure, - or,
TO put it in other words, ''you cannot lift
yourself by pulling at your bOot-straps.'
These sayings have passed into proverbs, and
like many proverbs, which old people are
very fond Of repeating, and which young ones
are very apt 10 dislike, they contain much
common sense. 1t is brief and rudo way of
telling one that he must learn something
about things, about his relations to the OBJ
jects around him, about his own possibilities.
There Is IN education that every boy and
girl gets outside OF the school-house. 1t be-
gins when we are very young, and teaches
that hot iron will burn and that we can't
have the moon, no matter how loudly we
may cry for it, and continues or should con-
tinue to the end Of life "Pshaw - says
some bright boy 81 II never be such a loOney
as to try to lift myself by my bOot-straps."
But many men have spent fortunes in doing
the same thing. Some day you may read the
history Of the attempts a producing perpetu-
a motion, which is Just the same thing as
lifting ones self by the boot-straps. Many
people who did not understand simple prin-
ciples have hopelessly tried to devise means
to increase power by multiplying machinery
The history Of inventions is full Of people
who have failed in, 50 to speak endcayoring
to lit themselves by their boot-straps
But about the quart in the pint meas
ure?' You Will say. No one can be so
foolish as that 1t is only another caution
against believing IN impossibilities. Good
Father ;. puts it in another way, "Out OF
nothing nothing comes" When YOU see an |
advertisement of watches worth S2j. sold +
for 50, before you try to raise that s. TO I
send iOc a watch, just rec0llect that " you
can pat quart into pint measure la /.
other words, that the person making the |
oIer can not perform an impossibility, and .
that there Is wrong somewhere. Either .
the man viii cheat You in the watch, or he /
has stolen the watches that be sells When I
some one offers to sell a secret for q dollar, /
by which You can readily make large sum .
Of money, just stop and think of the nature .
1t the offer. II this secret Is 50 valuable, /
why don't the man use 1t and get rich him .
self? A great many Of our older boys are .
attracted by these tempting offers, and We
get frequent letters from them, concerning .
Jhis or that project. When grown-up men .
and women are caught by such chat, We
think they learn lesson that is worth what .
it costs them. Young people are enthusias-
tlc, and DO not stop t. consider that no result
Is t. be gained without extending force,
whether no throwing q stone OF moving
steamer; that there il no honest gain in
money tl be made without expeniing some
thing, it may be labor. time, talent, OF
learning, but something must be given for
whatever we honestly receive. When tempt
ed By these offers of great returns from little
outlay, remember that "Out of nothing
nothing comes. ''-'.You can't lift yourself
by pulling a, your boot straps. "-AmvIcan
4 A5r1u.uriSt