The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1892-06-09
" ELL SAID.
4 WORD TO THE GRADUATES
THE ETHICS OF PRACTICAL
LIFE.
.GoIdsboro Argus.J

rent CONNIE several thou
sand young men whose education IS
'fniahed," and who are, therefore,
almost as helpless as new born
babes in the great busy business
world around them, into which th'y
are ushered for the first time ss full>
dedged men to bear 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 in
situations have fulfilled their con-
tracts in supplying their students
with their tools Of knowledge. How
the tools will be used depends en-
,irely upon tue boys. For it must
always be borne In mind that the
mission OF The teacher is not go
much to impart information as 10
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 arrow field of
his past life. 1t is very easy, but at
the same time very silly to ridlcule
him for that innocent vanity. 1t
is more generous, as well as more
Just, to applaud his pride and en-
courage him to further epdenvor in
the higher and harder road before
him. He will find it hard enough
at best. Perhaps the hardest part
Of it will be the dismay and morti-
flcatIon with which he will learn for
the first time that his poor little store
Of scholarship is of such slight APP
parent worth in the great and busy
world. No doubt he has had his
dreams of success; and if he has
sometimes entertained the possibility
OF failure 10 the more ambitious
spheres, he has complacently thous ht
20 .IiIb.eif: "Well st the worst, ]
have always my Education to fall
back on"
Poor lad, he does not know that
tic fatteet and emptiest Of all air.
cushions to break the fall CT &mbi
item - that same "E1ucatiOn". II
will zarp:ise and wound him when
BE is told that one Language, and
that one the vernNcular, is sufficient
foy t0e boy who ~ set 70 copying
law oOCumente, sweeping out count
irg-r00me, or running erraDds. But
let him not be discouraged. The
Education which has seemed such 6
docaittui acquisition is worth every
pcnoT and hour it has cost, il be be
willing to hide his time. The mos
uocaltivotcd and hsrd-headed bust
ness man that he maY meet will re
spc..t him 7cc-etlY for that same use
less kn0 NIedge. He may not be
able to dnst desk or direct an en-
volope i hit better for his ability tC
construe Latin or to reel off the his
tory # Patagonia, bat If the stuff il
in him, r he has learned to handle
tbe tools Of knowledge, and has no
macclY slowed away lot Of literary
l3Dlner IN a wooden head-he will
nct anaod many months in busting
OF directing. Brains will win. There
was q painter who mixed his color
with thCm once.
"BGt the Professions are all over
CtOwdsd". cry ten tnOusand anxIort
and aImless holders of sheepskins
The qoick and not very reasonable
answer is: "There is always room
at the top" or, LEARN trade; s
GOOD woykingnan never need starve'
1t may be fairly retorted that the
top Is long way off, and that it is
not so easy fDr youth OF twenty
ye8rs OF So to get chance t. learr
a trade. Fortunately, or unfortu
natefv, each one must work out that
problem for himself. If he be de
termined, he can make a place fol-
himself in the trade or profession
for which he has an aptitude. He
must expects privatiOns and pler
ty IF them; but they will not hur'
him No success IS worth mucl
without them.
II lie ha7, or thinks be has taste
for i'teCature, it will save hin anc
his fricGI5 much trouble to uoder
stand at the outset that there i,
o1l@ one way of following that ca
reer.
"ihe way to resume is to resume
SAID Horace Greeley. The way t,
write is to write, if one has anything
to say and knows how, say it. Sue
cess il literature comes most SLOWLY
an& % never very dazzling at best
Literature is { profession, aud il