Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1899-08-03

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And when this precious pearl is put
into the scale over against houses
and lands and wealth and worldly
preferment, we no longer wonder
why 80 many noble souls, so many
bright minds make their way through
the school-room to this goal and at.
tain unto the very acme of human
existence, travelling along this path
of drudgery, of toll, of self-denial,
and too often Of penury and want,
and not unfrequently of little appre-
citation by those whom they serve.
L do not deem it necessary on this
occasion to speak at length of the
benefits and blessings of education
or to enumerate the manifold evils of
ignorance. Should we travel back
through tho ages of the past until
we stand before the cottage doors of
Adam and Eve, on every people of
every age, we would find resting the
blighting curses of ignorance. The
most costly article ever purchased
by the human family is ignorance
and yet how many there be that buy.
1t does not pay even when reckoned
from pecuniary standpoint. AS I
once heard an eminent divine, who
has since gone TO mis- reward, express
it, "Ignorance is a luxury in which
the poor cannot indulge, for the sim
pie reason that they are poor"
Might I not express the thought in
another form and say that ignorance
is feast spread only for q Roths-
child or Vanderbilt and not for us
Not for the people of the South
not for the people Of South Carolina,
for the simple reason that we are all
poor. With us one dollar rightly
put in the head is worth thousand
in the pocket. And yet how many
are so blinded by ignorance as to re-
gard education as a matter of minor
Importance, as something which will
do one no harm, but which can be
dispensed with without any material
| loss.
Well, to be candid is q commenda-
BILE trait in man, and if the above
unfortunates have forncd their ideas
of what education really is by Ger
tain spurious specimens of the genus
homo, who sometimes go through COL
lege, we must confess there is some
thing in the objection. 1 remember
hearing of a certain young fellow
who recently returned home after
graduation and his father sent him to
the pasture to drive up the COWS.
The COWS we're on the far side OF the
creek and the Latin scholar crossed
over after them. He remained 80
long that the folks became uneasy
and went to search. And what do
you suppose they found him doing ?
Why, actually trying to drive the
COWS across the creek on q footlog,
and he had run himself, and the
COWS, too, almost out Of breath. As
consequence there was a scant sup
ply of fresh milk for supper and
bre". ".,fast.
Well, now, education had done it's
work for him. Don't you see it had ?
But, after all, education was not to
blame. Why ? Simply, because he
was fool to begin with, and educa-
tion had done its legitimate work of
drawing out and developing what
was within him.
EDUCATION HAS TO Do WITH MIND.
And, thus, it is pertinent to ask
what is education I? Is it few years
at school; a little reading, writing,
grammar and arithmetic smatter-
ing of Latin, English, French and
history? Or, still more, is it mere
instruction in all those things2 All,
no.
Education has to do with mind,
and that only is worthy of this OK
altcd title which at once determines
and enables the student to educate
himself. The true end Of education
being the unfolding and development
of mind, its purpose is to induce tho
habit of sound thinking.
DR.. Jas. II. Thornwell, for years
the honored President of the South
Carolina College, and ono of the most
brilliant thinkers, eloquent orators
and eminent educators South Carr,-
lima has ever produced, in his letter
to Governor Manning, says: "The
habit of right thinking is more than
n thousand thoughts. 1t teaches tho
student the use of his powers and
imparts those habits without which
his powers would be useless. 1t
makes man and oonuouuontly ,,,o