The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-03-23

Let me point out 4 way IN which The
laI ona latlasrin aco0usr> village. wuo
luss not see ,4s way clear 10 It cpIlt.e
education, caa geg a]pntl.ar kind at ol5-
cation Chat will serve him about Us wgl!,
and ia some t.g.sgs better, when he be-
sims IL 10 news aper work.
Remember tlAat education has ge1Ier-
ally two par.s osas-tn train the mind and
to store il seitl kl.owlslgn. Ny plan for
the country bog does both. Here ii il:
Think Of yourself as standing on one
side of an imaginary line, ana the great
world with al. its men ami women and
governments and institutions. on the
other. Cross the line ana find out in
what way ami 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 o can find III 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 a little.
Yon 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 40 very well to begin with.
Fisst get all the information you car
about the school system of your state.
Ask the teacher all the questions you
can think of. If you are a country boy.
there is probably a 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 sc~hoolhouses and pay the teach
er. If yen live in a village large enough
to have graded schools. find ont how the
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 it easy to get
at the differences Of belief that separate
the Methodists from the Baptists and the
Congregationalists from the Presbyteri-
ans, bnt your minister or any minister
will probably lend you books that will
tell something about creeds and faiths.
Then make yourself "A master Of the
system of government or control in the
various churches. Inquire what churches
have bishops. what ones elders. what ones
deacons. and what the powers and duties
of these church officers are. In short.
learn in how many ways, and go as far
as you can why one church organization
is different from another.
Next comes government. 1t is a big
subject-take it mp in detail. Your father
is a county commissioner or a selectman
or a town clerk. That is n capital oppor-
tunity. Get him 10 tell you all he knows
about the duties of town and county Off
cefs-who lays out new roads and closes
cid ones. who sees to it that the paupe
are housed and fed. who determines how
large a sum shall be raised by taxes IN
the town. how much each taxpayers
share shall he and what shall be done
with the money.
II n Of your fathers neighbors is IA
member OF the Legislature, persuade him
to tell you how bills are introduced, re-
redtocommittees reported, discussed,
amended and passed or enacted as laws.
He will tell You that bills. after they
have been passed by the assembly or
house of representatives. must be passed
also by the senate and signed by the gov
ernor, but that only opens up new fields
for your investigation.
II perchance another neighbor is to
go as a delegate to the Republican or the
Democratic convention to help nominate
his party's candidate for the presidency.
get him to tell you all about the party
machinery by which conventions are as
sembled and candidates named: about
the town ~caucuses, the county or district
convention, the state convention, the
national convention and the delegates to
it, their number and their duties; also
about the electoral college and its work.
This will lead you into inquiries and
studies In respect to parties and politics
and state and federal governments that
will be in the highest degree interesting
and profitable.
So in regard to business. Ask the
village storekeeper where he buys his
cloths. his crockery. his molasses and his
hardware, and where they were got by
the man of whom he bought them, and
70 on until you have traced them to their
origin. You will in this way learn some
thing Of wholesale trade and manufac-
turing. something about notes. credits.
insurance, transportation by rail and
water and quite likely something about
the tariff.
Opportunities for this kind of HON.
study and training will multiply as you
follow them up until the field of research
broadens out surprisingly. Your mind
will broaden with it. and in following
out these pleasant paths of common
knowledge you will acquire a fund of
information that will be constantly use-
full to You in future years of newspaper
work.--Henry r. Miller in Youths Com
panion.
Remarkable Cnauimity.
Some one writes from London: 81
happened to be present the other day at