Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-12-31
The Ili.hr; E.dIlcatim ~ the
Poor

thai WOuii ehrfiic luz NiE nest lutetli-
ceLce AMI the hg5llcst possible gener.
a Cnta:".
The knowledge OF most Americans is
exceedingly inaccurate; hey know
about ya~t nglabcr Of things, but do
uot positively know thon. Their oiu.
cation has aeon niadc too technical.
The main object IL scouting it is that
il may lead 20 :ie acquisition Of prop
crtv.
Money getting is the curse o! the
country. Il Is making servile slaves Of
its people and narrowing them down to
the rcpulsive luts OF avarice. 1t shuts
them ont from view oi anything not
tiuged by gold. 1t closes their eyes 70
ANYTHING that has not an immediate and
daily money value. Ii bliste,s their
sensibilitics and renders callous their
finer feelings. 1t causes them to
recognize merit on a money basis, and
it matters little ii the character be
"foul as Nulcan's stithy," golden
fleece conceaIs all that. The better na,
ture is lost sight OF and the dcvotee
falls prone before the golden calf.
Afiuence is not ali of life or the best
part Of it. The possession of knovl-
edge is worth more, inasmucb as it
contributes to the happiness Of our ex.
isterce.
The laboring classes are resting I'M
der greatsrespousibility in the matter
of the education Of their children, in
which they should reflect that these
same children are capable Of receiving
the best advantages and Of occupying
positions IN life much more influential
than those in which their parents may
be placed. They have growing, healthy
intelects as we'll as the children of the
wealthy and are subject to the same
ambitious longings for better things.
The5development of the children will
place the parents on q higher plane
ami add to the happiness of house
hold. Our high schools are placed in
peril in almost every city on ac
count of the opposition of the
very class who might be most
benefited by them. They falsely rea-
son that their children must go to
work and canno. enjoy these advantages
hence, since they cannot, the children
of the wealthy ought not.
The laboring man should sacrifice
something to place his children in pos
session OF as high standard Of educa.
ton as possible for him to receive in
the public schools at least, but he will
not. The anxiety to get money hurrles
his boys into the workshop and his
girls into the laundries, kitchens, or
dressmaking shops. TO be sure, these
positions must be filled, but will
young man be any the worse mechanic
because he has good education? The
more general culture you can give
him, the better will he enjoy life, the
more esteemed he will be and at the
chauic. Parents fear that education is
likely to cause their sons to choose
lives of idleness or professional lives,
in short to make them feel entirely
above their station. This is not nee
essarily true.
There are young men, and old ones,
too, who are daily regretting that they
were not taught some useful mechanical
calling. 1t is not q laudable ambition
which causes parents TO neglect to
have their sons learn trades, because
they desire them to occupy higher
positions. Work of the brain is no
less wearying, nor less work,
than manual labor, nor does the
latter require. in very many cases,
less intelligence.
The possession OF polite culture in
creases the chances ef the sons and
daughters OF laboring men and mechan-
les for social and political preferment.
1t fits them for the lives of the greatest
usefulness and happiness, and improves
in every way the tone OF our society.
Several deplorable follies exist at
present to influence people in moder-
ate circumstances from taking full ad-
vantage of the educational opportuni-
ties presented to them. One of these
is the matter of dress. No parents
can be called sensible who will deprive
their children of what is Justly due
them, because they may not feel able
to clothe them as elegantly as their
more opulent neighbors. Here is an
evil that stands in the way of the full
development of myriads of children.
They are withdrawn from school and
grow up uncultured from motives of
false pride. Every city should be
proud OF its high school, and all classes
should enjoy its benefits to the full,
allowing no slight pretext to cause
them to lose its advantages. The high
school is the taxpayers college, and
should he sustained as the dearest boon
to the working classes. Every ad
vantage Of advancement in learning
should receive the hearty support OF
all citizens, and instead of throwing
barriers in its way, AMI praying con-
tinually for its humiliation, they
should heartily second every action
that would afford them better cduca
tional advantages. -Ha,rheYe.
Woodvorker," an Indian chief, says
he has never seen a gray-haired Indian
in his life, and he has seen some over
ninety years old. 1t is because an In
dian has no trouble, nor worriment, or
anything that way. His wife chops all
the wood, builds the fire, goes to the
market at daylight, stones tramps out
OF the front yard, and blacks his boots;
and he is not tormented by tax
collectors, gas-bills and lightning. rod
peddlers. Let an Indian start twenty
four column newspaper in siX-column
f0wp fn fill a 1npu felt want and his