The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-07-16
A WORD TO SCHOOLGIRLS.

Ana S0an { DC II kTOWIl-up
In many a long year.
Mrs.. w. +. Butts, in iuuhs Companion.
A WORD TO SCHOOLGIRLS.
Whenever ] meet a party OF you on !
your way to school. am strongly |
tempted to stop and have little chat !
with you. Possibly you might call
what l would saw very much like
preaching. Well, it might start earnest
thoughts, aud we are apt to call words ,
which DO that preaching. | wonder,
boys, if you realize what 1t costs to get
an education. Have you ever heard
how much your own city or town annu- I
ally devotes to the schools. Have you
ever considered how much your parents
must expend to keep you clothed and
in school for ten or twelve years? How
much parents often deny themselves,
how many pleasures and IuSur es, that
the boys may have q good high.school
education, and then, perhaps, 90 to
college. Then how much labor you
yourself must give, how many years OF
labor it costs you to obtain even an Or
binary education to tit you for busi- i
ness life, and if you study for prOfes.
sion there must be three or four years
more of hard work.
So you see it costs a great deal in
money, and in that which is of more
value than money-in time, self denial
and close application to acquire an ed
ucation; but let me tell you secret.
1t costs much more not to have one!
For without it how helpless you are;
all your life long YOU will have to be
paving others for the use Of their
brains, and are at a disadvantage at
every turn in life. If You have
capital and go into business, you
must pay a high-priced man for
doing much which you ought to be
capable of doing, and even then you
are in measure in the power OF an
other. If you are so unfortunate as to
have dishonest book-keeper or cash
Ter, he may swindIe you out of half
your profits, and you will never be able
to discover it. ,n,,{ 1..,....t,. o., ..,.. .-,l
remember years ago janitor en-
ployed in our school building who could
neither read nor write. He frequently
hired the boys to add up bill for him,
or write letter, and they invariably
charged him ten or fifteen cents for
their service. It was not very large
hearted for the boys to ask payment for
| e,,oh n cr,,on cor1,;oo. b,,t fhot "a NOT tho
point I want to make. The ignorant
man had to pay for the use OF little
learning, and you will find it the same
the world over; all business men will
tell you that knowledge and judgment
are hired only at great expense. In
any pro 'ession or trade you will find
(other things being equal) the man Of
the best education has the advantage.
And lastly, the lack of knowledge
will cost you the society OF cultivated
people, for Of course you cannot asso.
ciate with the educated if you are igno-
rant; they would not enjoy your socie-
ty, nor you theirs Ignorance will cost
you much modification and many re-
grets for lost opportunities, so when
you grow disheartened that you are
giving up so much for your education,
remember it will cost you much more
not to have one. ID 5unf08.ro aH
If you will carefully observe men you
, will find that most of them have IN
ambition; by that mean a fixed deter
mination to possess something, or to
: succeed in some undertaking. One mar
longs to become learned, and will spend
his days and nights in study, giving ut
many pleasures that he may have more
time to spend over his beloved books
Another wants to be famous as an ex
} plorer, so he turns away from all thu
| com forts of q quiet home, and wander
over strange countries, suffering untolt
discomforts that he NAV become notice
as a traveller or d.scoverer. Another
: has set his heart upon riches, ant
, toiling early and late turns his heart All.
, mind from much that is ennobling. be
! coming old and worn in his pursuit 70
t gold. 5y. -. ~ ,r ',.'.''
3 Now, do these win the object fo1
8 which they are striving? Invariably
8 if they are persistent in their efforts
r there are few things within the bound
4 of possibility that you cannot possess
r you patiently and perseyeringly worl
; for them. Then how important is i
that your ambition should be a nobl
r one. Have you ever asked yourself tn
4 question, "What is my aim in life??'
! Probably you will say that you are no,
r too young and inexperienced to deter
:. mine what trade or calling You will fol
% low. That is true, but ii you are OIL
}. enough to be in school you can under
,. stand that you may work for some oh
!. ject, and this should be clearly defined
y You want to get the most thoroug
il education possible. Your advantage
d may be limited, or may be very good
"a in either case you want to make tn
II most Of them. Having set your hea,
# on this, do not look far ahead and e,
!. pect to accomplish great things whe
!. you take up advanced studies. Do nc
!" expect algebra and geometry to max
d you accomplished mathematician Ut
- less you have first conquered arithmetic
n Remember the duty which is OF fir.
10 importance is the one which lies nearest
= Do you remember the legend Of tn
+ man In pursuit of the four-leat clover
Is When boy he was told that it he coul
/. find 4 four-leaf clover it would be
j. him . talisman Of good fortune. An
70 with II in his possession success in an
70 undertaking was sure; SO early in Il!
70 he started out to search for this littl
token Of good. He left his home an
friends to wander alone in this. pursui
: travelling across continents and ocear
D. In his search, but oil in vain. AT las
70 . disappointed and WORKOUT old ma,
10 he returned to the old homestead
die: and as he tottered up the famiiis