Wichita eagle., 1888-08-08
CUT SALE.
WORK AND STUDY.
A Suggestion to Mechanics and Othel
Laborers-Educate Yourself.

| A Suggestion to Mechanics and Other
| Observation-Disclosures Yourself.
| What portion of the great army of work
| men in this country ever consider this sub
| ject, or are willing to admit that they have
time for both. They argue that life is too
short and the prospects of advantage too
| few, to make it either desirable or necessary
| to devote their spare time to study and kin
dred improvements of the mind. Very few
ever find any time to read, even, except pos
sibly enough to keep posted on the results of
ball games, prize fights and the miscellaneous
sensations of the day; although upon these
important subjects one will find but very few
who are not thoroughly posted, and can ex-
plain every detail very infinitely.
Ask the average mechanic or other laborer
to subscribe to a trade paper, the benefits of
which you have carefully explained, and the
invariable answer will be: II shouldn't
read it if had it; l don't get any time to
read, and can't afford it anyway; besides, the
fellows that write those articles are too high
toned for me, and l can't understand what
they say" This is one of the lamest argu-
ments possible to think of, and is one of the
best reasons why they should read and study,
that they may be able to understand and
profit by what these high toned writers say.
Such arguments not only show their igno-
rance, but their willful disregard Of their
own usefulness and education.
There is no better educator than the trade
paper, for it keeps one posted ON what is
being done in the world of science, and we
think that many OF these disinterested men,
if they would spend small fraction of the
time they devote to reading trash in looking
Ha ind
some things that would interest and instruct
them, and also remove the prejudice against
the contributors The average working day
is ten hours Now it is safe to say that eight
hours sleep is enough for any healthy man,
and this leayes six hours out of every day
that may be divided up between study and
recreation, for we would not ask or expect q
man to devote all Of his life to the former.
Now the actual facts in the case are that
nine out of every ten of these men do not
sleep even eight hours, neither do they study
one-eighth part of that time; and still they
have not time enough to read a good, sensi-
BILE article that will show them how to make
the labor they perform, and about which they
are pretty sure to grumble, much easier and
more profitably accomplished.
Vow let us look at another side of this
Gue>Clol IOi u ilOLiSllI, duU SEE WIFI some OK
the effects of little time devoted to reading
and study are. Take, for instance, the great
inventors and prosperous manufacturers,
many of whom have risen from common
laborers. They have invariably been the
most careful readers. even burning the
midnight OIL in their pursuit OF informa-
ton, not of the standing of the League nine,
or OF the latest scandal. but OF that which
was to be the work Of their lives. Think you
that they found such time uninteresting or
Improbable, or tina. they'ever begrudged
the little they spent Of their hard earned
wages in the purchase Of books and papersi
"A B. Crime in Boston Budget,