The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-02-28
NUMBERING HELPS.
Beware of the short Cuts to Attainment.
They Never Pay.

/ Beware of the Short Cuts to Attainment,
| They Never Pay.
! Boys ard girls are sometimes tempted
| to take what seems like short cuts to
! attainment The old rounda bout road
/ of steady, plodding endeavor looks too
long and wearisome, and so they try to
/ get ahead of their fellows-or at least
keep abreast of them with less effort
by taking some royal footpath toward
the desired goal. The motive always
is to get along more easily and quickly
than they otherwise would; and so
they call these abridged ways of get
ging work done ''helps," unmindful Of
the fact, which a more honest and sin
cere view of life would make plain to
them, that they are really helps that
hinder.
Let us take some instances which
show how this is true. A boy or girl
who is studying Latin or Greek au-
thor, becomes tired OF the good old
painstaking method of thumbing lexi-
con and grammar, and conceives the
idea that literal translation" would
not only throw light upon obscure
passages of the text, but also enable
one to get his lessons more quickly and
intelligently. In fact, the student
comes to the conclusion that it would
be a great labor saver" So the COW
eted translation is secured, used slyly,
but more and more constantly, until
the student becomes absolutely de-
pendent upon it, and can not trans
late even the simplest passage with
out peep at this false helper"
The result is that the boy or
girl becomes like person who though
perfectly sound, is tied by force of hab-
it to the use of crutches. The object
for which Latin and Greek authors are
studied, viz: to acquaint the student
with the structure of those languages
and enable him to have an independent
command Of them, is wholly defeated,
and in the end, instead of a saving Of
time, this using of translation proves
to be total loss of time-yes, and more
than that, prostitution of time to
base and unworthy purposes, for the
student soon learns the necessity of
deceit and concealment in the pursuit
of his royal road to learning Any
thing which encourages mental indo-
lence and dependence ought to be
Stunned. 1t is help that hinders.
Take another instance. A young
man desires to secure situation in
some business concern, but he is not
content to begin at the very bottom of
the ladder and work up, although he
knows absolutely nothing about the
business. He seeks short cut to some
responsible place in the esta Enlistment.
In order to get this place he secures
letters of recommendation from all his
friends-and perhaps he has some who
are more influential than wise in this
matter. The engagement is at last Sc
cured, though with some reluctance in
granting it on the part of the firm,
who prefer to promote those in their
own employ, of whose experience
and fitness they are assured. But
the young mans budget Of in
fuential letters carries the point
and he is put in charge of
affairs concerning which he Is
practically ignorant The result is,
either some great and disastrous mis-
take at the outset, or n brief term of in
efficient or laundering service; after
which the over-confdent young man
steps either down or out. He sees his
mistake then. Those letters Of recon-
mendation, with really nothing 10 rec
ommend. were better never written.
They were a help that hindered.
So it is all along the way of life The
royal roads, the short cuts to attain
ment, do not pay. They seem TO run
straight as an arrow for the goal a
little while, and then they-stop. Be
ware of them, boys and girls! Stick to
the sure and safe old highway.
Ruckhan. in Christian at Work.