Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1892-06-02


truth to say that the colleges and
high schools of the country will
send forth into the world from their
current"commencenlent" season seve-
raj thousand young menwhose educa-
ton is"Gnished," ana who are, there
fore, almost as helpless as new born
babes in the great busy business world
around them, into which they are
ushered for the first time as full
fedged men to bare their arms in
the battle of life and solve the prob
lem of existence for themselves.
Don't blame the colleges and
schools, however, for the helpless
ness of their offspring. Those insti-
buttons have fulfilled their contracts
in supplying their students with the
tools Of knowledge. How the tools
will be used depends entirely upon
the boys. For it must always be
borne in mind that the mission of
the teacher is not SO much to impart
information as to teach the young
how to acquire and employ it.
The graduate goes forth into the
world proud, and justly proud, Of
his triumphs in the narrow field of
his past life. 1t is very easy, but at
the same time very silly to ridicule
him for that innocent vanity, 1t is
more generous, as well as more Just
to applaud his pride and encourage
him to further endeayor III the high
er and harder road before him. He
will find it hard enough at best.
Perhaps the hardest part of it will
be the dismay and modification with
which he will learn for the first time
that his poor little store of scholar
ship is Of such slight apparent worth
in the great and busy world. No
doubt he has had his dreams of sue
cess; and If he has sometimes enter
tanned the possibility Of failure in
the more ambitious spheres, he has
complacently thought to himself:
"WelI, ct the worst, | have always
my Education to fall back on"
Poor lad, he does not know that
the --LATEST and emptiest Of all air
cushions to break the fall Of ambi-
zion is that same Education. 1t
will surprise and wound him when
he is told that one language, and
that one the ~yernacular, is sufficient
for the boy who is set to copying
law documents, sweeping ont count
ing-rooms, or running earands. But
let him not be discouraged. The
Education which has seemed such q
deceitful acquisition is worth every
penny and hour it has cost, if he be
willing to bide his time. The most
uncultivated and hard-headed bust
ness MAI that be may meet will re
spect him secretly for that same use
less knowledge. He may not be able
to dust a desk or direct an envelope
a bit the better for his ability to con
strue Latin or to reel off the history
of Patagonia; but if the stuff is il
him, if he has learned to handle The
tools of knowledge, and has no
merely slowed away a lot of l~iterar,
lumber in a wooden head-he viii
not spend many months in busting
or directing. Brains will win. Their
was a painter who mixed his color
with them once.
"But the professions are all over
crowded., cry ten thousand anxiou
and aimless holders of sheepskins
The quick and not very reasonabl
answer is: "There is always ROOF
at the top" or, "Learn a trade; a goot
workingman never need starve". [
may be fairly retorted that the to-
is a long way off, and that it is no
so easy for a youth of twenty year
or SO to get a chance to learn a trade
Fortunately, or unfortunately, eacl
one must work out that problem fo
himself. If he be determined, he ca,
make a place for himself in tn
trade or profession for which he ha
an aptitude. He must expect to en-
dure priyations and plenty of then
but they will not hurt him. n