Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-05-29
LEARN TO WORK.

WOIh III COlOlos
LEARN TO WORK.
One of the greatest misfortunes that can
befall any boy, is to be permitted to grow up
in idleness To be born poor-the heir of
penury-is misfortune; but scarcely greater
than to be born heir to large estate and at
the same time incapable, from training, to
manage hereditary possession. 1dleness
and drunkenness are the bane Of society.
From no two other sources do so many evils
flow upon society. By no two other causes
are so many dreadful calamities inflicted upon
the human family.
Every member in society should be taught
to work. Parents and guardians are bound,
by the position which they occupy, to see that
their children and wards are instructed,
practically, in some one, at least, of the COM
mon avocations Of life.
This we conceive is no idle theory. In sup
port of it, many potent arguments might be
advanced. Such is the constitution of things
under which we are placed, that the full de-
velopment of our physical and mental endow-
ments cannot be effected without work. Sun
shine and pure air are absolutely necessary to
the growth and maturity Of both muscle and
brain. There is connection, invisible as it
may be-but nevertheless near and of vital
mportance-between the physical and the
mental. The scabbard must be of sufficient
capacity to contain the sword. A gigantic
mind is sometimes contained in pale and
sickly body; but it is giant Gagged in iron
bars, and hence useless. The only way that
muscular development can be secured is by
work.
The best means to which any parent can
have recourse to prevent his children or wards
from plunging into crime, is to learn them to
work. Turn boy free to spend his whole
youth until he is twenty-one years old, just
as he pleases, and at the same time supply
him with the means of gratifying his desires,
and if he is not fit subject for the peniten-
tiary by the time he becomes man, it will
be wonder which the world only OCCASION
ally sees. The worst men, socially, in every
community, are those who have been raised
up in idleness and prodigality; and the best
members of every social circle are those who
in youth were thoroughly drilled in industry
and economy.
A practical knowledge of any particular
thing is required before any one is able to
direct others. The best place to make good
general is in the ranks. The best agricultu-
raj school in the world is between the pillow
handles. The boy that goes to this school
learns some very important lessons that can
not be taught in any other institution. He
learns, not simply how to plow, but he learns
to plow to the best advantage. A years
schooling between the plow handles is worth
more to boy than decade spent in reading
agricultural chemistry without it.
Another thing connected with this subject,
is that the boy who learns to work has self
respect, and spirit of noble independence,
that the boy who is under course of train
ing for gentleman of leisure has not, nor
never can have. When both grow up to
manhood, the former usually makes man
the latter most generally makes drone.
The one becomes producer and an annual
contributor to the general store; the latter
sticks to the community like an unseemly
wart or cancer-a useless parasite. This is a
vital point. Whatever has tendency to pro-
duce and :aoster selfrespect in the individual,
is an important thing to society in general ;
and whatever destroys selfrespect in the in
dividual, is ruinous to the masses. Learning
to work produces selfrespect; and not learn
ing to work begets feeling Of unnecessary
dependence and want of self.respect.