The Mankato free press., 1902-06-06


them2 "Victories that are easy are
cheap"
In the early part of the 18th century
on a clustering winter day another
little band landed on the wild New
England coast. Who were theyf What
sought they thus afar9 Was it richest
Was it fame All No, it was home,
where they might educate their chill
dren and worship God as they please.
| 1t cost something to make home in
this country then, it cost labor, it cost
suffering, it cost lives, for half of the
little band died, during the hard
! winter that followed. Yet when
, spring came not one of the company
: thought of returning to England.
sNo wonder then that the influence
of such a people has been felt through
out the country and that Fore
fathers rock on which they first
stepped, is yet held in grateful re-
membrance.
! with Washington, Lincoln and many
other men of noble character that have
made America. IT is they who have
drained swamps, irrigated arid places,
developed our mines, built magnif-
, cent cities, flung railways across this
continent from Maine to California,
from the Atlantic seaboard to the
Golden Horn.
All this have they done not through
genius but through labor and patience.
Washington was not a genius, he was
stern, elf-denying man, ever faith
/ full to truth and duty. Lincoln was
| not a genius, he was a plodder.
1t is very we'll for genius to
| light up the path of life by it's
intellectual brilliancy, but it must be
labor and patience that carry a man
over the ruts and mounds and Hill
tops of that pathway. Genius is never
so great as when with labor as its
staff and patience as its watchword it
marches through the world to con-
quer. I would have you write these
two words upon your minds and
hearts. And remember, New occa-
sions teach new duties Time makes
ancient good uncouth. We must up
ward still and onward, who would
keep abreast of truth. Lol before US
CLEAN her campfres. We ourselves
must pilgrims be. Launch our May
flowers and steer boldly through the
desperate wintry sea- Nor attempt
the futures portal with the past s
bloodrusted key"
The piano solo by Miss Ethel Bart
lett was an excellent rendition the au-
dience being unable to constrain their
applause until the close of the selec-
tion. This number was followed by
the commencement address by Prof
R. Watson Cooper of st. Paul on the
subject, "The Education of an Ameri-
can" Prof. Cooper is very earnest
and polished orator in the fullest sense
being considered the best speaker on
the Minnesota platform today. He
proved himself an entertainer of rare
ability and all were sorry when he
closed.
He said in part as follows:
"The purpose of an education is to
give the student learning. Education
means knowledge of the facts Of life,
and how--to use these facts. In order
to become accomplished in any certain
thing one must become familiar with
the ..facts and principles concerned.
To play base ball one must learn the
facts about the game, then learn how
to use these.
"Another purpose of education is to
correct false impressions and erroneous
ideas. Some will say that two and
two are four but say two and two
, are not four. Some may tell you that
two boys and two boys are not four
boys but 1 say that two boys and two
boys are more than ten boys. One
boy is boy, two are one half boy,
three boys are no boy at all and four
boys are minus quantity especially
if you put them to work. When it
comes to making "a noise one boy is
two boys tive boys are six boys, three
boys are ten boys and four boys are
pandemonium.
"People draw wrong conclusions
from what they see. I knew lady
who upon seeing curry comb pur-
chased it taking it home with her to
pound beef steak thinking it was a
meat FOUNDER.
Another purpose of education is
the enrichment of human happiness
and enjoyment
Speaking of American life he said
"America is a democracy and the
future of this democracy rests on the
individual citizen. In olden times
everything pointed to Rome. All
roads led to Rome Even Paul in time
of trouble, pleaded that he was a
Roman, but Americans plead man
hood. Every nation passes through
certain stages of development. Amer
ica is in its commercial stage. In
England large per cent of the people
live at ease upon the -means sgathered
by the previous generation. America il
becoming.like England in this respect
Minnesota points to Pillbsury {
best as an example of her commercial
standing Wisconsin points to Mil