The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-01-01
BOYS AND BUSINESS.

On the above topic the Atlanta Con-
stitution has the following very timely
comments:
THE Chicago Herald has asked sew
eral of the most successful business
men in Chicago what qualifications
they deem best to fit boys for commerce
and trade.
Without an exception the answers
are to the effect that boys wanted in
business must have good English
education. They must be quick at
figures, write good hand, and express
themselves fuently and correctly with
their tongues and pens.
Nothing is said about what is called
higher education. The inference is
that it is not wanted. The youth who is
chock full of culture is, nine times out
of ten, very useless fellow when he
has to start at the bottom ofthe ladder.
He is under the impression that he is
entitled to place at the top, and wants
to get there without the trouble OF
climbing.
1t is a bad thing for a boy to.be edu
Gated into the belief that he knows 1t
all. When he starts in the world with
simply an ordinary common school
education he is willing to learn some
thing more. He feels that he must
serve before he can command, follow
before he can lead, be bossed before he
can boss others. There is hope for such
a boy, but very little for one who
imagines the educational mill has turn
ed him out fully equipped and prepared
for leadership.
The boy who has not been made the
slave of books will learn to use them
during his business career, but the
youngster who is the victim Of culture
will find it hard matter to become a
business-like, practical worker in the
great bee hive of the world.
A healthy country lad, who has mas
tered the three Rs will stand better
chance of rising in large business
house than a graduate who is able to
grumble at hard work in five Ian
guages."
The boy or young man who is quick
at figures, can write good hand and
can express himself fuently and cor
rectly with his tongue and pen is very
well equipped indeed for the business
walks of life. At the same time we do
not think that all this is any argument
against higher education as tits termed.
The young man who has received the
advantages of higher, or collegiate
education should possess in so much
higher degree the above necessary
qualifications for a business career. It
is very bad indeed for young man, as
theConstitution says,to be educated into
the belief that he knows it all and that
there is no more for him to learn. But
our experience and observation is that
only those who get mere smatterlng
of education, so to speak, are those who
think they know it all. The most
learned of men are generally the most
humble and always unassuming, and
always the most willing to learn more.
It is very true that the greatest of COM
manders are those who have first
learned to obey orders and no one can
hope to rise to position which will
command attention and admiration
unless he first learns to obey. IN other
words the man who expects to be great
must learn to perform the little duties
that lie in the pathway of every day
life as they present themselves. The
work of life only begins after the educa-
ton has been completed and only by
the proper use Of it can it be Of any
value to its possessor. The graduate
who grumbles at hard work in five or
more languages is not balanced. He is
lacking in something. But all this is
no argument against education or even
higher education.