The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1900-06-29

interesting and of credit to the school,
and we beg you will overlook their short
comings. Again let me say as I close
and you turn your attention to the other
exercises Of the hour, that the class of
1900 bids you welcome.
THE SECONDARY EDUCATIoN--Is 1T WANT
ED? BY MISS BERTHA HASTINGS BUR-
CESS.
Yes, among the professional or literary
men or the men OF leisure, who will be
surrounded by the world of literature,
arts and sciences. With these the abso-
lutte need of liberal education ia never
questioned. But, for q farmer, 8
mechanic, or the average busy worker
the answer is too often, mol" Is even
| q secondary education needful for such o
position2 Ia it not possible to lead as
fruitful and successful q life with the
mesgre education acquired at our dis.
trict schools as to spend time and money
to remain perhaps but three or four years
in High SCHOOL, The question ia
reasonable enough, "Will it pays"
Lack Of desire for an education pro-
ceeds often from lack of an understand
ing OF It's true nature. The less we COM
prehend of the worth OF thing, the less
we wish to possess it. To define an edu-
cation rs "book-lesrning" or ''gettine
knowledge" ag so many persons are
wont to do. is entirely to misrepsesens
the matter, and it ia not to be wondered
that, among the workers, with this signi.
ficatlon attached to it, an education ia
Stunned and even scorned.
The word education is derived from the
Latin e.duco, meaning to "lead OUT
Mere acquisition OF knowledge would
mean to ssput in" An education does
not consist In creation or In examining,
but rather in the development and train
ing of those faculties which we have
the sharpening OF our life-tools as 1t
were. Without undertaking to determine
how far this process of education Is
needful in each case, 1t must be plain
that in any profession or trade the most
perfect results will be obtained by the
best equipped man, the worker who has
the sharpest tools and best knows how
to use them.
This Ia education, and il embraces,
first, the thorough acquaintance with
ones self; second, the acquaintance with
ones competitors; and third, the &C
quaintance with ones position and en-
vironment. Only BY such an education
may man be able to discriminate, appre-
ciate, and make the best of his opportu-
nifty.
IL Il enough TO be content with the
knowledge that this and that il so--it
making little or no difference how Or
why II is sop It would seem perfectly
correct in little child to look al the
world in this unthInking way, but not
for man or woman. By an education
the mind ID trained to look beneath the
surface Of things TO the reason 81 things.
HALF the good and worth ii gone out Of
anything when we take IL al matter of
course, with no thought Of care of how
| il has come to as and why We should
have Ii. Nor do We understand even
what II II until we look 1T It ii this truer
way.
An education trains ~ To draw deduc-
lions from observations not ID look at
things with eyes which can me only tl,a
mere facts On the surface brought M our|
Immediate notice, bnt ID see more ana
to form opinions Tor ourselyes y % tIaes
/ end for which things no means u exist.
The practical value IL flsIs mental
training II evident when M conaider tl,e|
recent enorlnoul increase III nechanieal
apparatus n our own country larRs
percentage d tho manual laboas
III Nv our forefa tl1ora I'll I'M I, y MT