Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-07-07
A WORD TO SCHOOLGIRLS.

Whenever meet party of you on
your way to school, I am strongly
tempted to stop and have little chat
with you. Possibly you might call
what l would say very much like
preaching. Well, it might start earnest
thoughts, and we are apt to call words
which do that preaching. 1 wonder,
boys, if you realize what it costs to get
an education. Have you ever heard
how much your own city or town annu-
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 yearsp How
much parents often deny themselves,
how many pleasures and luxuries, that
the boys may have a good high-school
education, and then, perhaps, 60 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 fit you for bust
ness life, and if you study for profess
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 a 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
paying others for the use of their
brains, and are at disadvantage at
every turn in life. If you have
capital and go into business, you
must pay 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 swindle you out of half
your profits, and you will never be able
to discover it.
remember years ago a 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 a letter, and they invariably
charged him ten or fifteen cents for
their service. 1t was not very large
hearted for the boys to ask payment for
such small service; but that is not the
point 1 want to make. The ignorant
man had to paw for the use of a 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 profession or trade you will find
(other things being equally 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.
If you will carefully observe men you
will find that most of them have an
ambitions; by that / mean fixed deter
mination to possess something, or to
succeed in some undertaking. One man
longs to become learned, and will spend
his days and nights in study, giving up
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 the
comforts of quiet home, and wanders
over strange countries, suffering untold
discomforts that he NAV become noted
as traveller or discoverer. Another
has set his heart upon riches, and
toiling early and late turns his heart and
mind from much that is ennobling. be-
coming old and worn in his pursuit for
gold.
Now, do these win the object for
which they are striving? Invariably,
if they are persistent in their efforts;
there are few things within the bounds
of possibility that you cannot possess If
you patiently and perseveringly work
for them. Then how important is it
that your ambition should be noble
one. Have you ever asked yourself the
question, "What is my aim in life?"
Probably you will say that you are now
too young and inexperienced to deter
mine what trade or calling you will fol-
low. That is true, but il you are old
enough to be in school you can UNDER
stand that you may work for some OBJ
ject. and this should be clearly defined.
You want to get the most thorough
education possible. Your advantages
may be limited, or may be very good;
in either case you want to make the
most of them. Having set your heart
on this, do not look far ahead and ex-
pect to accomplish great things when
you take up advanced studies. Do not
expect algebra and geometry to make
you accomplished mathematicians un-