The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-07-31
WORK AND STUDY.


A Suggestion to Mechanics and Other
Laborers- Educate Yourself
What portion Of the great army Of work
men III this country ever consider this sub
ject, ornre 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 1t either desirable or necessary
to devote their spare time to study md kin
dred improvements of the mind. Very fcw
ever find any time to read, evon, 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 OK.
plain every detail very minutcly.
Ask the average mechanic or other laborer
to subscribe to a trade paper, the benefitu Of
which you have carefully explained, and the
inyariable answer will be; II shouldn't
read Il il ! bud IL; don't get any timo to
read, and can'taifordit anyway besides, the
fellows that write tho articles are too high
toned for me, md | can't understand what
they say.n This is ont OF the lomest argu-
inents possible to think Of, and Is one OF the
best reasons why they should read aud 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 IL Keeps one posted on what Is
being douc In tho world Of science, and we
think that mnny Of these dlsintercsted men,
II they wluld spend n small fraction Of tho
time they devote 10 reading trasa In looking
over good trade aper, they would find
some things that woull interest and instruct
them, and al o semove the prejudice against
the contributors The average working day
Is ten hours. Now ii is safe TO say that eight
hours sleep is enough for any healthy man,
and this leaves six hours out Of every day
that may be divided up between study and
recreation, for we would not ask or expect q
man 10 devote oil OF his life 10 the former.
Now the uctual facts IN the case are that
nine out OF every ten OF these men do not
sleep even eight hours, neither do they study
oneeghth pnrt OF thnt time; and still they
have not time enough TO read good, sensi-
BILE article that will show them how to mike
the labor they perform, md about which they
are pretty sure 10 grumble much easier and
more profltahly accomplished.
Now let us look Mt another side Of this
question for moment and sec what some Of
the effects Of little time devoted TO reading
and study are, Take, for instance, tho 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 oiln in their pursuit Of informa-
tion, not Of tho standing Of the League nine,
or Of the latest scandal, but Of thnt which
was to be the work of their lives Think you
that they found such time uninteresting or
Improbable, or that 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.