The Placer herald., 1873-05-17
Educational Department.
SPARE TIME.

.sTime is money" says the adage; but 1t Is
something more than that. 1t is far more valuable
than money, for it is SO precious that gold can
not buy it, Let us, scholars Of Placer, look at
the subject from an educational rather than from
a money point of view. The great majority OF
you have very many spare moments. "How
shall 1 use these moments ?'' You all should
ask yourselves, 'shall l play or study In
your lessons for the day has not some problem
puzzled you Has not something been stated
that YOU did not understand Has not your
teacher mentioned some fact you never heard
before Now l know that just such things used
to occur and occur at the present time. Here is
n task ready at hand for you to accomplish in
your leisure moments If your puzzle be prob
lem in arithmetic, get your slate, sit down and
give the puzzle good, earnest trial. You are at
home away from your companions, ten to one
YOU work the question. If the example get the
better of you the first trial. don't throw the slate
in one corner, your book in another and your
pencil out of the window, but try again, and con-
tinue trying till you have mastered the difficulty
or consumed you time. 1t is by such little vic
tories that great results are accomplished. You
get up conscious that you have done just what
you undertook and you will feel that you have
gained strength by the trial, besides the COM
forting assurance that you have used your time
proftably If some fact relating to history has
been mentioned get your history and search 1t
out, and when you have found the object of your
search, store it up in your mind. That fact may
lie hidden in your mind for years, but some oc-
currence may bring it to light and you may prof
it by it or aid some one by imparting it. Re
member, every fact stored away remains there,
although you may be unconscious of its exist
ence; but sometime when you are sorting out
your mental wares or reading some book, some
hint will be given which will draw forth the
missing fact you had lain away. 1t is by asso-
citation of ideas that we bring to light items of
knowledge which we unconscioTsly know.
''Take care of the minutes, and the hours will
take care of themselves y The truth of this max
i'm was well illustrated by the fact of the young
man who had been hack driver for two years,
and consequently had little leisure time. At
an examination of candidates for West Point, he
surpassed all the others. If he had had hours
instead of minutes he would probably have vast
ed them lust because he had so much time
When you do study, go at it determined to ac-
complish something and you surely will Re-
member, it is not the time person has but the
use he makes of it, that makes him well inform
ed or learned 1t is the right use of the little
minutes that tell the story. person can ac-
complish more in two hours of willing study
than in whole day of Indifferent study. The
attention must b. given wholly to subject-matter
and every fact fixed and clinched in the memory
When the mind has got food sufficient for one
day. let it work it over and digest it just as the
stomach does the food we eat. Then you will
always have by you whatever you have learned,
and it will become part of your mental furniture
ready for the use you wish to have it serve.
SuyIus