The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-12-23

and civilization, and the world
looks today with wonderment and
suppressed admiration upon the
fruits of Amerieanism; yet, to this
word, which is dear to every lover
of liberty and progress, / would
add with greater emphasis-praeti-
cability. Do not understand me
to say we are not practical, for we
have often proved that we are. In
our late victory oyer Spain we
showed that we are practical in
war; in the management of the
government we show that we are
practical; we also show the same
thing in science; in literature; in
discoveries; and in inventions; and
the announcement of the secretary
of the treasury, that this year the
commerce of New York will ex-
ceed that of London, and that New
York has now become the greatest
shipping center in the world, more
than proves that we have been
practical in the growth and ad-
vancement of our commerce.
But the all important question,
the one that should receive the in
terest and support of the people
of our land is education, and when
1 say education. 1 mean practical
education, that education which
fits and prepares boys and girls for
the active duties of life, and any
education which falls short of this
is neither practical nor complete.
We boast today of the proudest
and grandest nation the world ever
saw of universities, colleges, schools
and educational facilities surpass-
ed by none, and boy or girl can
get an education with little or no
expense; yet, we must admit that
we are not practical in our meth
DDS. Our dicipline is not what it
should be. Our schools do not
teach that which is needed to make
a happy and profitable existence.
1t is a pitiable fact that thous-
ands upon thousands of our young
men spend from four to eight of the
best years of their lives in some
college or university trying to get
a classical or an ornamental edu-
cation; or being polished for the
decoration of some drawing or club
room; or to afterwards become
street-pacer searching in vain for
something to do, just when they
should be in the march of practi-
cal progress, acquiring knowledge
and experience that better fits them
for the sharp competition of the
present day.
Not long ago a traveller found
three graduates wol king on a sheep
farm in Australia. One was from
Oxford, one form Cambridge and
the other from a German universi-
ty-college men tending brutes.
Trained to lead men they were driv-
ing sheep. The owner of the ranch
was a rough ignorant, uncultured
sheep raiser. He knew nothing of
the quotations of poetry, Greek or
Latin: or the discussions of theo-
ries or PHILOSOPHERS of his hired
men, but he knew sheep, and made
a fortune out of them.
Had these men been given
practical training how much bet
ter life would have been to them.
A boy cannot depend upon a
literary education as a means of
earning a livelihood. The literary
professions are full, and there are
hundreds of these graduates who
are exercising their budding genius
upon the columns of our newspa-
pers and magazines for less pecun-
iary reward than would suffice to
pay their board at a cheap restau-
rant.
If a young man desires to be self
supporting, to do something the
world will pay him well for, six