The Potter journal and news item. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1872-1874, 1873-02-21

vying the advantages of city people
in this matter Of education; and very
often when the grosser allurements
Of city life are not sufficiently tempt
ing to attract the betterclass ofyouth
from their country homes, a thirst
for higher intelligence often supplies
motive for dissatisfaction with their
quiet way of getting along. There
is no doubt but that thermeans Of
education are more abundant in pop
ulous centres; but it is no less a fact
that true knowledge and wisdom. the
the result of a good education, are
seldom achieved by a thoroughbred
city boy. Learning, as we find it in
cities, is very much of sham. 1t is
pursued merely as a means of making
ones self agreeable in society. \
man who can converse on any sub
ject" is the envy Of his circle. Years
are spent in picking up bits of this
or pieces Of that, till he who pursues
this course shines as brass, and some
times passes for real gold; but the
genuine metal is not there.
1t is a remarkable fact that almost
all the great men of science were not
city born. Even in public life most
of the distinguished either came di-
rect from the farm, or in some way
rural life entered largely into their
early years. In the city we can
gather from books only. We get
knowledge, but at secondhand. In
the country we deal directly with
nature; and by the aid Of good cd
ucation to put US in the right direc-
rection for learning. there is no com
/ parison with the city in the adyanta-
| gos which a country life affords.
What grand chance for study the
winter nights i'll most farm-houses
afford. Even in the suburban dis
tricts, where it is neither city nor
farm, the long evenings are generally
free from frivolous visitors. and allow
Of time to the young to improve them
selves. Hundreds Of the young who
now give themselves to light reading
Of doubtful character, or who spend
their time in lying on a sofa. or rock
ING in an easy chair, might become
as famous as Tyndall, Agazzis, or
Gray, by doing no more than nnprov-
ing the chances which the quiet Of
farm life affords to study little reg
ularly in the leisure time as it comes.
Natural history especially offers
!-.ery inviting field. 1t is not now.
rs it once was. mere accomplish
ment. The mere city boy, who can
talk about what he has read in the
text books, is nothing in this line
now. But natural history has had
such a wonderful bearing on the
worlds progress-such amazing in
fiuence on the advancement Of hu-
manity-that the real scientist has
become the pet Of society, and re-
ceiyes the homage Of the princes Of
the earth. And this real science is
so easy to gain. 1t comes not so
much Of reading as Of training the
eyes to see, and the other senses to
take note Of the little things about
us. Elementary books we must
have; these let Us know what Of that
we see is already known. 4 few
standard text books, a pocket lens
costing perhaps fifty cents-a good
common school education and toler-
sbly good powers Of observation, are
about all that is necessary to give
one a fair scientific character.
Nanya famsr's boy looks out upon
the heavens, wondering what sort of
worlds are the bodies sailing through /.
the space above him; or thinks how
pleasant itwoGld be to see the strange
sights he reads of in foreign lands. |.
And vet about him, close under his |.
eyes, are hosts Of new worlds waiting
especially for him to explore, and |
which he will find much more won /
derful than anything he can find |
abroad. Let our country boys think |
Of these things. They may not have |
the glitter and show of a city life.
but they have the substantial ele-
ments Of an education which is fast |
becoming popular; and they have
what city boys have not-the time |
to intelligently pursue and make use
Of them.-Phiiadeiphja Press.
The Last of John Browns Men.