The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-08-12
Where a Classical Education was thrown
Away.

w uGIG D. VkdSS1Cd1 CuuCdC1Uu Was LuTOWu
Away.
Complaint of disafected farmer soho mad
sent his sons to CoUege-A laac achich the
farmer thinks ought to be passed.
From the Providence Journal
MISTER EDITOR /: haint no edication, and
thank God for it-Gov. Lipptt said in his
Kollege speech that edcation paid better than
mortgage at six per cent.
Gov. Lipptt, l ask you. have you got such
things as three highly edicated sons on your
hands, what can't supp it themselves, and all
living on the old man? You know you haint,
and as have, guess I know as much about
this edcation matter as you do. 1 cuss the day
when liturray ambishun broke out in my fami-
ly-I fit three sons to kollege, and il had not
had one left to stay on the farm and work with
me. we should all on us be takin deep inter-
est in the annual appropriations for the poor
of the town.
My Slas studied law, and all the write he has
yet seen, has been on himself. He has to sware
out of jail three times week, regular trips he
makes, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, like
the Rhode Island from Stonington.
He has got pretty little Hoffis as ever you
see, with the legal work of Smolet, Byrons,
and all them great Jurists ranged on shelves
the portraits of Bufus Chote and that CURL what
dances so good at the Theatre, hung up on the
walls. We furnished him with all those neces-
saries of the legal profession, and although he
smokes and drinks beer, and does all young
lawyer ought to do 10 win confidence and pub
lie esteem, it is all no go.
He belongs to ten secret societies, and | tell
him wish to God he'd jine one so secret that
his creditors could not find him.
He buys all his tobacco in my name for fear
of its getting attached, and as for his beer, he
drinks up five dollars worth at a time, and then
rirhf OIto m He i, Unttipo
tied now, and says that all the Blackstone he
wants to know about is the Blackstone river,
with a big stone tied to his heels, which made
his mother cry, but I told him he was of age
and had no control over him.
Poor Silas, when he graderated at kollege, his
Orashun was on "a classical edication indur-
spensible to success in life."
His mother and ! cried in the Baptist Church
when we herd him deliver it, we didn't know
what for then, but hev since found out tell
Silas that the only chance see ahead for him
is take to drink strong, then reform, and may
be the Temperance folks will shove him along
to keep him moral and steady.
My t'other boy, Ezra, studied to be a doctor.
The first case he had was Hawkins, that was
gored SO bad by Olney's big bull. Hawkins had
six good, stiff hornes aboard of his own before
the bull muXed with him, which made it bad
case. Ezra wanted to be sure, so he gave him
all the medicine he had on hand at once. Just
the treatment he received from the bull was
generous and humane compared with that of
his doctor. Hawkins widow sued for mall
practice. and her lawyer told the jury that NJ.
ID. stood for murderous doses and that Ezra
was drunk, and that he was a doctor of many
drains but few scruples. At this joke the Judge
and jury laughed like split, and they gin big
verdict against Ezra, and he had to run off to
Californy.
Heidrors small drafts on me often so we know
that he is alive, which is more of a comfort to
his mother than myself. When Ezra gradera-
ted his Orashun was on sKollege Purtection
against the Kalamities of Life" His mother
and cried bad then, and we have since found
out why.
But the saddest case of all was poor little
Calvin. At the time when unthinking youths
are spent in laying stone walls or hoeing corn,
Calvin was seriously thinking of the more inn
portant work of saving souls. He entered COL
lege and was finally settled over large parish
at Heilburn Woods.
For few years things went smooth. He not
only saved others souls, but he meekly accepted
his portion of the trials and discipline of life by
getting married and raising up little family
OF souls OF his own manufacture.
Then his parish got tired of him and told him
to quit, land they turned off as they do ministers,
by passing lot of resolutions about the pain it
gives to sunder such tender and hailed ties.
He and his hull family came home to us, and
arter we got about used up with them, got
Calvin's life insured for all could, and he sailed
ten months ago as commissioner to a lot of fero-
cious cannibals. I have prepared my mind to
see soon from the king of the tribe letter
something like this
My DEAR SIR Your son arrived in good
condition. While we regret to state that he
disappointed lis all badly i'll regard to the
amount of gravy, it gives me pleasure to add
that he was tender and small boned. Should
any ether member of your estimabe family
feel inclined to Christianize us, send him along.
We can stand it as long as you can.
Poor Calyin's orashun was Oil 1.-THE final re-
suits OF the missionary enterprise. ("
My other SON was not edicated and has stay
ed on the farm, and is the support and comfort
OF our declining years. He is so ignorant that
he thinks the New York Weekly is the ablest
paper in the world, and the prevailing impress
sion on his mind is that Willium the Con-
queror took all active part in burning the
Gaspee.
For all that, lie can support himself, and has
money in the bank, which is more than his ed
icated brothers can say. My opinion is that
law ought to be passed making the corporation
OF Kollege liable for the debts of all their
graderates. This would make them all pla-
gy careful not to edcate any but them what
was fit for it, and others might be spared what
ME and my poor wife has suffered.