The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-10-06

come an Intelligent citizen of the
community, to do which he has to
know from three to thirty times as
much as Is required to understand
simply the manipulation of his trade.
A few months ago had the pleas
ure of listening to an address by that
e. cator Of educators, David Starr
Jordan. He called to mind the OPP
to the introduction of a free public
schoOl system in his native state of
Rhode Island, and his fears for the
existence OF commonwealth which
should adopt so pernicious and dan
gerous system, and he humorusly
pictured the reflections of his Puritan
ancestor as he might look down at
the present time from his station in
the other world and witness the
glorious refutation of his gloomy
forebodings in the success of the sys-
opposed. In the good old Puritan
days the conception of the province
of the higher education was almost
as limited as was that OF the Egypt
ians. 1t was not deemed possible
that Harvard College could render
aid to any young man in practical
life unless he were to become min
lister, lawyer or q doctor. The
great majority of the small number
of students were candidates for the
ministry alone. One of my own an
cestors graduated from Harvard Col
lege in 1860, being the son of the fret
minister of the town of WOburn, Mas
sachusetts. He was undoubtedly in.
debted to his paternal profession for
the opportunity to obtain the higher
education. In 1855 the town having
one hundred families and therefore
being compelled by law to establish
grammar school, the instructor
whereof should be able to instruct
young men 80 as to fit them for Har-
ward College, the Selectmen appoint
ed the aforesaid ancestor, Mr.. Samuel
Carter, to keep the school that year
with a salary of five pounds for the
year. But though the instructor ac-
cording to the town records was
dou btless competent to teach the
school, there were no scholars to at
tend it. In the following year, 1856,
M IN 10
expose the town to the penalty of ter
pounds prescribed by law for neglect
to keep a grammar school by towns
of 100 families each. and yet reluctant
to obllge themselves to pay master
five pounds the second time tor doing
nothing, again employed Mr.. Carter
to keep the school but promised alb
solutely to give him only 30 shillings
for that year, providing that if he
should have any scholars they would
give him five pounds as they had
stipulated to give him the year be-
fore. There were also no scholars in
1886, and in the town accounts tor
1856 and 1856 the Harvard graduate
stands credited with six pounds and
ten shilliDgs for school teaching in
Woburn when he had no scholars to
teach and all the room and all the
time to himself
1t is not by accident that although
less than three per cent of the popu-
lation of America advances beyond
the grammar grades of the public
school system, yet from the ranks of
that insignificant three per cent pro.
coed more than fifty per cent of all
who reach the halls of congress and
take part In the conduct of our ma
tienal affairs. 1t is not by chance
that the university graduate upon
the average attains the same degree
of success in public and professional
life ten years earlier than the non
graduate Notwithstanding the APP.
parent sacrifice of eight whole years
in the development of mental power.
Rightly considered the eight years
vi DlRn cCllObl anu COllOSo hldOlpllub,
when properly undergone are not a
wasteful sacrifice but constitute u
direct preparation for active life and
enable their possessOr instead of scat
tering his forces after the manner of
the unframed man, to concentrate all
his energies with overwhelming
power upon point after point with
consecutive victorious results as Dew.
ey exhibited his educational training
in the destruction OF the Spanish
fleet in Manila Bay"
The foregoing paragraphs are suf
ficient to indicate the line followed
by the address, which was through
out strong and eloquent plea for
higher education for all classes Of the
people, the Chancellor especially urg-
ing that the time had come when the