The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-23
SCOTLAND NECK N. @. THURSDAY. AUGUST %. 1894

and in most cases they don't par,icu-
larly need to remember them. What
they wanted was 10 stretch and touchen
and strengthen their minds for Nhatex-
er work they might have 10 do. And
20. some Of our best educated public
men and farmers can't read line of
Latin, but they can put their minds
down close, hard thinking when they
will, because they practiced that in
studying Latin. 1t seems TO the sol
dier useless and cruel thing 10 make
him drill twice day. and ii seems to
YOU waste of money To keep an army
so long in mere drilling. But when
YOU watch those well-trained men hv
the side of new troops under fire. you
Will think it worth while To make sol
diers drill-not that they may know
don't be too hard on book learned far
mers" What they learned in school
books may not help them much in
farming but the mental drill that
studying gives may help them very
much
But it is not altogether certain that
your boy ought to be farmer Posi-
fessions, dull though he seems He
has as yet shown no signs of talent in
those directions but have you given
him fair trial in the natter Gold
often lies deep but it is pure gold when
you bring it up. / suspect there is a
rusty old axe lying about your premls-
es, which would make the chips fly If
grinding. Whet the boy up little,
even if you hardly can spare HIM at
home. Don't send him anywhere, just
| to say he is at school. The greatest
! trouble about our common schools is
that they are SO very common. Send
the boy where he will be likely to learn
something, if he has a mind to.
But, alas the farmers boy is a poor
boy 1t would be hard pull for him
| to 90 to college, or even to an academy.
But did it strike you that the poorer
the boy is, the greater his need Of edu-
cation? And If ne has but little money,
hadn't he better invest it where it will
| paw best and can never be lost? Sup
pose YOU advance to the boy now what
| you had thought Of leaving him when
YOU die. Why not? To finish his
education YOU might have to advance
him more than his share of the estate.
and lend the rest, as some parents are
| doing with BOYS at school now? Let
no one get disheartened because he will
have to work hard and live close to get
an education Whether rich or poor
it is best for all boys at school to feel
poor. The boy always conscious OF
his wealth is from that very fact fail
ure from the start exceptions to this
| rule are about as common as black
swans Anybody who is ashamed TO
dress plainly and save money at school
had better stay at home and live and
die in the obscllrity he deserves But
the boy with good will and a good
character and little else, need not blush
to face the sons of wealth There used
to be at Oxford university some proud
young noblemen, whose names are
known now only because a young lad
named George Whitefield used to black
their boots Ho for the poor boys
wish | could set before you the long
line Of great men whose hearts knew
the cares. and whose hands knew the
marks of poverty. would name John
Bunyan, the tinker, and George White
field, the bit black, and William
Shakespeare. the butcher. and Robert
Burns, the plow-boy, and William
Carey, the cobbler, and William Her
schell, the cabin boy, and Benjamin
Franklin, the soap-maker, and Thomas
J. Jackson, the constable, and James
Garfield, the mule driver. All : the
carpenters son at Nazareth forever
dignifed the work bench.
And now, friend, put these things
together and see if you can't answer
Ill, ,I1oon,,,c