The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-05-25

Population. S93, 000 families, 1850;
strike out 1860 for colored, and S0O,OO0
families remain; third of this is
100. 600 possible college students: | can
count only 5000 actually in college in
the State which is only 5 per cent. There
| is absolutely no place for the spirit OF
rivalry. except friendly rivalry. between
the colleges or colleges and the univer-
| sity. If you count 600 graduates year,
| in this State it would be only one-third
| OF one per cent of the population; and
| at the same rate it would take 800 years
| TO graduate our present population and
in that time nine generations would pass
| away. People are being born faster than
! they are being educated, and the battle
| with ignorance is to be a prolonged strug-
/ gle. universal education except in the
| most ordinary way is visionary dream.
There never was a time when the edu-
| Gated person had such opportunities.
| There lis absolutely no chance TO over
| stock the market with capable men.
| The great public school system like
| gentle showers and sunshine upon the
| grass in springtime, gives new life and
| upward motion to the young minds and
makes the field for a larger class OF
men, hopeful and inviting future. The
great army of pure young ladies. who
| teach in the public schools, is making
the wilderness and solitary place glad
for them and the desert blossom as the
rose Beautiful manners take the place
of rudeness, love the place of tyranny,
and roses the place of rods. Nothing
has changed more than the public school
room and this through the influence of
good young women who are the angels
the school room, the impersonation Of a
new intelligence, the opponents of
new civilization. They deserve the homage
OF the nation, crown of gold They
have made the air sweet with cleanli-
ness. the voice musical with tenderness
and lessons bright with refinement. But
these schools only start the tender mind
in the path of learning and strength:
the college must take up the. work and
carry 1t forward to more useful ends.
|. How TO Learn-Acquistion.
The possession of information alone is
not education. Alexander Lyons, or
blind Alec" of Stirling. Scotland, had
committed the words of the entire Bible.
James Calls Natures Normal SCHOOL,
says. mention any sentence and he
could finish It and tell where it was
found. But. when tested. he could not
apply the teaching of a single passage,
and did not understand the meaning
of a single verse. Well authenticated
instance is reported of a student who
actually learned six books of Euclid by
heart. though he could not tell the diff
ference between an angle and triangle.
A Scotch student tells of a fellow-student
who learned his Geometry in this way.
and when letters were changed on the
figures on the board it was amusing to
hear him recite.
DR.. Arnold of Rugby. said: THE effort
boy makes is hundred times more
valuable to him than the knowledge ac
quired as the result of the effort and
Herbert Spencer says: THE child should
be taught as little as possible and in
ducsd TO discover as much as possible"
Knowing how to learn, the ability to
acquire for ones self being able to stand
alone and to walk alone is the first vic
tory in education. And this capacity for
Requirement is the disideratim in
all the world of human effort. Life is
perpetual school in the trades, business.
farms, homes and professions; and the
person who k, VS. how to learn presses
on in learn ). In this sense all men
are self-m. =.
III. How TO LiVe.-Character.
The students of Dr. Arnold used to
say that a boy who was under his in
fiuence could not do a notably mean
thing because a boys honor was made
so much of in his school" This admits
the influence of the teacher over the
pupils. instilling the very character and
life into young men. This has much prom
Use in the faithful professors who spend
their lives in the retirement of the lee
ture room 1t is their life, after all,
that most impresses and fashions man
hood and womanhood. The mineral wa
ters OF Vichy, in France, are celebrated
for their tonic and invigorating qualities.
Thousands seek health at these springs,
and many thousands more buy and use
this water at home In addition to their
health restoring qualities some of these
springs have the power of petrifying or
coating with stone. whatever steadily
and for considerable length OF time
is exposed to their action. The water
is clear and colorless, but slowly pre-
cipitates its mineral elements until the
, image is coated with stone. If cross,
it becomes stone cross if a figure in
human form, it becomes one in stone.
So the pupils under the invisible in
Uence of the teacher take on, or in
| the mind, the character of the teacher;
| and this is the chief element in education.
If education fail here, it fails every
where. Without character education is
nil A man died in Norfolk a year ago,
! and his death illustrates the Importance
of character in education His name was
Frank Gilbert, son of w. s. Gilbert, who.
with Sir Arthur Sullivan, was the author
of ''Pinafore," Patience and numerous
other operas which have been sung and
resung all over the face of the civilized
world. Frank was a graduate of Oxford
in England, a great musician, but the
drink habit had fastened itself in his
being. He had roamed from city to city
seeking place to redeem himself, and
| at last reached Norfolk but found place
for drunkard to work in associa lions
that could help. Drunkenness had driven
MIN into low resorts TO make music for
shame and he finally died in the city
Aims House May 2. 1901 And all be-
cause he had not learned how to live.
III. How to Work.-Usefulness.
| A young man applied to a city mer-
| chant for q place as salesman ssCan