Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-03-23
ANY BOY MAY LEARN.
ONE WAY OF BECOMING AvALUA6LE
NEWSPAPER WRITER.


NEWSPAPER WRITER.
How n Country Boy Who Is Not Able TO Go
to College May Train His Mind So as To
he Able t2 Enter JournalIsm-Aequire
Informati6n ON Every Subject.
Let me point out way in which the
lad on farm or in country village, who
does not see his way clear to q college
education, can get another kind Of edu-
cation that viii serve him ebout as well,
and in some things better, when he be-
gins to do newspaper work.
Remember that education has gener-
ally two purposes-to train the mind and
to store it with knowledge My plan for
the country boy does both. Here it is:
Think of yourself as standing on one
side of an imaginary line, and the great
world, with all its men and women and
governments and institutions, on the
other. Cross the line and find out in
what way and through what things you
come in contact with the world. Then
study those ways and those things until
you know all about them or until you
know as much as you can find out about
them. This is what a sociologist would
call determining the relation of the indi-
vidual to the aggregate or the relation of
man to society. Let us explain the proc
ess little.
You will be pretty sure to discover
that you have relations with the great
world through the school, the church, the
government, through trade or business,
and socially through your friends and
companions. That is not all, but that
will do very well to begin with.
First get all the information you can
about the school system of your state.
Ask the teacher all the questions you
can think of. If you are country boy,
there is probably prudential commit
teeman in your district. Ask him what
he has to do. Then get at the superin-
tending committeeman and ask him
questions.
Find out where the money comes from
to build schoolhouses and pay the teach
er If you live in village large enough
to have graded schools. find out how the
system is organized, from the primary
grade up to the high school. Let nothing
escape you that you can possibly learn.
Then the churches in your town-study
them. You may not find il easy to ge
( at the differences of belief that separatt
the Methodists from the Baptists and tht
Congregationalsts from the Presbyteri
ans, but your minister or any ministe
will probably lend you books that vii
tell something about creeds and faiths.
Then make yourself master of tn
Q system of government or control in tn
various churches. Inquire what churche
I have bishops, what ones elders, what one
deacons. and what the powers and dutie
j of these church officers are In short
learn in how many ways, and go as ia
!. as You can, why one church organization
is different from another
Next comes government. It is bi
subiect-take it up in detail. Your fathe
J: is a county commissioner or a selectmal
D or town clerk. That is capital oppol
= tunity. Get him to tell you all he know
e about the duties of town and county off
: cers-who lays out new roads and close
:. old ones, who sees to it that the pauper
e are housed and fed, who determines hoy
l. large a sum shall be raised by taxes i
e the town, how much each taxpayer
k share shall be and what shall be don
g with the money.
i If one of your fathers neighbors is
e member of the legislature, persuade hir
IS to tell you how bills are introduced, rt
ferred to committees, reported, discussed
d amended and passed or enacted as lawi
n He will tell you that bills, after the
5, have been passed by the assembly Q
q house of representatives. must be passe
/. also by the senate and signed by the goy
e ernor. but that only opens up new field
n for your investigation.
/. II perchance another neighbor is
go as delegate to the Republican or til
II Democratic convention to help nominal
IT his party's candidate for the presidenc,
t. get him to tell you all about the part
<. machinery by which conventions are a
1t sembled and candidates named; abor
IL Ou0 tOWh CduCucCS, ouO SOuuUJ VI Olo1hi
convention, the state convention, tl
IN national convention and the delegates
le it, their number and their duties; ais
h about the electoral college and its worl
This will lead you into inquiries an
studies in respect to parties and polite
and state and federal governments thi
at will be in the highest degree interestin
W and profitable.
te So in regard to business. Ask Il
as village storekeeper where he buys b
y. cloths, his crockery. his molasses and b
k. hardware, and where they were got |
I'd the man Of whom he bought them, ar
ct SO on until you have traced them to the
IN origin. You will in this way learn som
IN thing of wholesale trade and manufa
ne turing, something about notes, credit
SC insurance, transportation by rail az
oy water and quite likely something abo,
at the tariff.
Opportunities for this kind of hon
IN study and training will multiply as "
ly follow them up until the field Of researt
er broadens out surprisingly. Your mir
to will broaden with it, and in followi1
as out these pleasant paths of commt
y. knowledge you will acquire fund
II. information that will be constantly us
I'D full to you in future years Of newspap
be work. Henry r. Miller in Youths Cor
! panion.