The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-08-30
Have You q Boy %->Let hina ReAd
This.

In a recent ed,torial we alluded to TIL
fact that parents ofto-day nave a create
obligation to educate their children, thar
their own fathers had, because tn
world il advancing, and mankind Is be-
coming more and more enllghte ned. an6
the needs of a libe raj education are be
coming daily greater and greater. On,
hundred years ago a man of good charac-
ter and superior natural talents. could &C
quire prominence, or make q fortune l
fortunate, although perhaps unable tt
read and write. But the child who Is
born in this year of our Lord, 1882, viii
find ere he reaches his 40th year that ht
was handicapped, and crippled by his pa
rents, if those parents neglected TO give
him as much schooling as they could pos
sibly afford. Ard all are able to afford
at the least a good solid English Academic
Education in these days of free schools,
and cheap scholarships. Since our ar.
ticle, we notice in the Biblical Recorder,
the following letter from Mr.. n. B.
Broughton
Recall. a conversation between a bro
Their OF the country and myself four years
ago. 1t was just after several addresses
a. a meeting ia behalf of education,
where | had taken part in the discussion.
During recess for dinner he approached
me and said: BRO. Broughton, you're
just as good a reason to me against col
| lege education as [ want" How so, my
brother? p said l. well, you said IN
your speech that you left school when
twelve years old and yet | can't see that
here that have been to college and a
sight better off than some of them"
Said he, my son is nearly crazy to go to
Wake Forest, and is urging me to give
him his portion and let him secure an
education, and | am not favorable to it.
He has a tolerable good education =
enough for n common boy, and tell
him he had better make use of what he
has got, and | have pointed to you sew
eral times as my reason.
l told this good brother for most part
what | propose to say GOV to all our
young men. But before doing so, let me
say that our brothers son did go to Wake
Forest, and it was my pleasure, with his
father, to sit under his preaching not
long since, and | thanked God for him
and his noble choice, and ! an sure his
father did.
My pecuniary circumstances called me
into q printing office when twelve years
old. Cut off from school | could not
have gone to a better place for knowl-
edge. When Fl years of age | came in
possession Of a small patrimony, say $500.
All along through my boyhood | longed
for an education, and had thought all
the time that [ would use this money to
its fall extent in securing all it could.
But | was poor, friends to encourage
and advise were lacking-an opportuni-
ty, for what seemed to promise a lucra
tive business, opened up to me, aud |
gave up my life-dream and invested in
groceries, and soon after got married.
At the end of three years, | had lost every
cent OF my investment and was out of
business. 1t was no time for any thing
but cork, and the thought Of going to
school was dismissed. 1t is not necessary
that l should detail my entering our pre-
sent business, for the object of this al
ticle Is to give my experience to our
young men.
l have travelled a great deal, spent
some time in our great cities; lived over
a year in New York, taking advantage
Of every idle moment to learn something
new. For fifteen years | have been
studying, rarely going tc bed TIL eleven
and twelve O'Clock at night, and never
for a mt thinking of spending an
hour 10 lettering or gossipping around
club rooms, bar rooms or anywhere. Sell
dom paying even a social visit to q
friend, but turning the printed page
every spare moment.
Not "a day of my life passes that l do
not feel most keenly the need of a CLASH
cal education. As it is now, l can only
work with one hand, So to speak, and
whatever Of knowledge | have acquired
or shall gain, has and must come 10y the
hardest kind Of toiling. A thousand
times | have been humiliated by my ic
norance. Opportunities for doing good
and for making money, have passed me
without number. Almost every day they
come. i'll have been of any service to
| the public, it has been the result of their
generosity and not merit on my part. If
| have succeeded partially in business it
has been because of most providcntial
circumstances. If failure does not come
after all, it will be because of the mercy
of God.
1 said to my good brother, if you think
we'll of my ability now, multiply it by 4
and you will get what l believe 4 years at
Wake Forest would have done for me.
You cannot appreciate my feeling, for you
stay al home; 60 out into the world a lit
tie way and you will see and feel rs | do,
that men without education have but lit
tie to do with shaping the destinies of our
institutions, religious, social, or political
that they are with few exceptions,
mere ciphers. If you desire to see you
son bend over the plow handles all his
life as you have done, and make a LUtng,
then he can do so without an education.
If you would like to see him take a place
among the men that are controlling this
world-that will be felt for his power and
influence, then you must help him to fill
his head. 1t doesn't make any difference
specially what he is to do for a living
education controls in every department
o flife.
| said to him what say to every faith
er now: If had ten thousand dollars for
my boy, and it would take every cent to
educate him, with my experience, !
would not hesitate to spend the last dol
lar of it, if he would receive the educa-
ton. 60 further. | had rather to day
be the possessor of the collegiate course
at Wake Forest College, and penntless
than to have twenty thousand dollars In