The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1883-02-10
~EDCC4TIOy.

Att. "A muCH larger OF
those who contemplate "co,'ese"
as one alternative for their boys,
regard efficiency in life as quite as
valuable as culture, and are i%ncii.-
ed to doubt whether all tie adyan
tases Of university training are not
counterbalanccd by the necessary
loss of experience gained at a time
when the mind can be made to take
a definite "ply." The bar and the
| church absorb very few lads now
compared with the total number Of
the educated, and, except when
they have decided on the wooisacS
or the mitre, fathers OF falnilies arc
still divided, and, indeed, i'll An in
nense number of cases, dubious,
as to their best course. They like
the universities, but they recognize
success in life. or it may be The ac
tual getting of bread, as far prefer
able to any amount Of mental cult
walton. or, indeed, as absolutely in
disrensable. They seek advice,
and they do not get it. III all tie
immense and ramifed branches OF
occupation known as commerce,
trade, banking, engineering, agri
culture, India, the colonies and s.iit
erature' in its money getting sense
the experts are seriously at vuri
ance. We should say, though of
course we may be attaching too
much Importance to the experience
of a few men, that at least one
third of such experts consider a uni
versity education a. clear and decid
ed drawback-a source Of uufitness
instead of fitness-and this third
contains a good many persons them
selves men of unusual aud varied
culture. They say that the uniyer
sites produce dislike for hard life,
and in this dislike is an ultimate
and incurable cause Of i'll success.
Another third, though less hostile.
consider the university career "uo
good" except to give manners, and
hold that the money and time,
though not exactly wasted, ;are ex
pended to secure a problematical
gain, in the way not so much OF sue
cess or of happiness, as of grade.
These men are never thoroughly
cultivated, but greatly exaggerate
the effect of university culture up
Oh grade, perhaps of all errors
about the system the one most gen
orally prevalent. Of the Remaining
third a large proportion maintain
strongly and definitely that The
higher education always pays ;"
that no matter what a mans oecu
patton may be he will alwaya, il
willing, pursue it more successfully
as a man With a degree. he may
not be willing, but If he is willing,
he will always, as they say become
more efficient, better able to give
and take, more persistent, more
sensible Of duty to the work itself,
and, above all, better able to man
age men, that first secret OF fortune
in almost all departments of lite.
The graduates, they declare, even
if they keep shops or supervise
building yards or manage ranches
in Colorado, always try for the big
gest things, and see far better than
merely experienced men to what
their work may lead, and what is
the most reasonably probable road
to success. Moreover, argue these
men, descending into slang, the
graduates afioat in the hard work
of life, s'do not go muckers" in any
thing like the same proportion do
not, when they fall, so under so
hopclessly, or take to drink or dis
reputable courses SO often. They |
are supposed to do so, because