The Easley messenger. (Easley, S.C.) 1883-1891, 1883-10-19

and State, the ornaments of your
homes, the delight Of your friends.
The knowledge to be gained at school
is more precious to you than gold and
silver. If your parents We're to send
you here to gather gold and yon could
find little nuggets Of it all over the
ground; you would not be idle; you
would come early and work late, i'm Or
der to see how much of the precious
metal you could carry home. But if
you conld get gold in that way you do
not know how long you could keep it.
What you would buy with it might be
drowned by floods, swept away by
storms, or burned up by fire, but the
learning that you get cannot be taken
away. 1t is said that gold will enter
any gate but heaven's-knoaoledge will
enter even there. You hear tell of
your soul that must live forever; this
soul that you hear of is nothing but
your mind. Education then is..the i'm
provcment Of the mind or soul, and
God who gave you your mind will GER
talnly not destroy any work that you
may DO for it's Improvement. What
may be the scope and power Of the
mlnd in the next existence we know
not, but many of it's achievements in
this life we do know, and of these M.
der the proper Influence of education,
and our duties in regard to tie same we
propose to treat.
In this progressive age you see on all
sides signs of Improvement. In the
workshops, on the farms, and in your
houses, may be found laboring imple-
mcnts and machinery. Throughout
all parts of the land may be seen DOW
erfnl engines exhibiting phenomena of
strength and velocity mighty steam
ers plowing the oceans and the rivers,
bringing the fruits Of the soil and the
products Of industry from every cline
beneath the sun ; and the lightning of
heaven flying across continents and
oceans, bearing messages from one to
another. all for the comfort and happ-
ness of mankind. All Of these inven-
ti"ns and discoveries contributing so
much to our convenience and haDp-
ness are either directly or indirectly the
results of education.
Furthermore. by the aid of letters.
you may sit at your own tiresidc and
become acquainted with the various
countries of the earth learn of the in
dustries, productions, manners, Gus
toms and peculiarities Of their inhabi-
tants; nor is the mind confined to this
terrestrial globe; it travels off into re-
gions beyond the clouds, where other
worlds circle in more spacious orbs :;
there it learns of those distant spheres.
their weights, magnitl,dcs, changes of
seasons. and periods of revolution.
II you are not friend Of learning
you may Try to console yourself with
the reflection that YOU do not intend to
immortalizc your name by developing
some important truth for the aid of
science; as did Calico, Newton.
Franklin or Morse !; but you will not
be qualified to fully comprehend and
enjoy the blessings and beauties of ma
ture without some degree Of learning.
Young persons often think that the
only noble aim Of life is TO gain riches.
This is very well, but wealth is not
the only source of happiness. When
one has gained enough to enjoy ease
and comfort, he naturally anticipates
some social pleasures. but how sad will
be his disappointment when he finds
that his want Of learning units him for
{l,,N T.. l.