The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1902-04-10


obstacles, has forced his way UP the
ladder, he has Il right to be proud and
to feel that there is something In his
makeup that makes him superior to
his fellow men. a few weeks ago Mar
quis Ito was being dined and feted In
England. Dukes and Lords did him
honor. He was made the guest of the
greatest city in the world. Great Brit
ain was at the feet Of the man who
has been four times Prime Minister of
japan. 1t wasn't ItDs first visit to
England On his first visit bands did
waving. In 1868 the English sailing
ship Pegasus arrived in London from
the far East. On board with the crew
was Jap youth who had worked his
passage before the mast. He was us
poor as poverty. He had eaten salt
horse and taken his share of abuse
from the ships officers. He was SO
| absolutely friendless that when the
crew rushed ashore he remained in
the forecastle. forgotten, and went to
| his bunk supperleSs. That was Mar
| quis ltos start, and it is no wonder
| that he swelled up bit when he con
| trasted 1868 and 1902. To-day he is
II power in great nation. He may
| be no happier than the hunhlest citi-
zen of his home country. But lie has
done much good. His country is Il
world power, and man who had no
money, little influence and great deal
Of ability has again proved that there
is no position worth having that can
not be secured by intelligent effort.
| -------=-------------
| HE died learning was the epitapl
desired by J. X. Green, the English his
torian. Aristotle has given us whn
Matthew Arnold calls this immorta
sentence: All men naturally desir,
Knowledge" Was this noble passion
ever more active than now? Did i
ever stir so powerfully the minds o.
all sorts and conditions of men! Ant
were there ever before such adequat,
provisions for it's qualification? Thu
rich abundance of Instruction, the eX
pansion OF cheap printing and the mul
tiplication of libraries have PRACTICAL!
brought every branch of knowledge
within the reach of any one who care
enough about 1t to pay the price of dill
gent seeking. The desire for menta
Improvement is not confined to post
graduate students; it Is taking posses
sion of those who are called 1.-The com
mon people" because there are so man,
of them. 1t is notably active amon'
men and women whose early OppOr
tunities We're narrow, whose school
room life was cut short, and who's
daily toll is eXacting as means o
livelihood. The demand for shorte
work hours Is more urgent becaus
multitudes are hungry for somethin
better than daily bread. University eN
tension work and other popular lee
lures come to meet this want; the scho
arship of the land thus tends to diffus
itself and to make learning commo
property. The Chautauqua courses q
, reading work in the same direction. IL
! struction by correspondence" is sal
to reach a greater number than are eI
rolled in all the colleges and hig
schools of the country. Indeed, eth
higher education" must now be unde
stood as relative term; any round {
the ladder Is higher than the one ne,
below. So the whole procession ma
as well be moving upward Progres
in intelligence is the peculiar need
free institutions. for as LaEoulay
says, what kills republics is igno
ance." The warning against super
ciality. cOnceit ana big-headedness. 4
!. well as pig-headedhess. is always
order. But at every stage of attai
! ment, low or high docility is the tr,
safeguard against shallow pedanti
!. and vulgar imitation. Grant White pu
It well: "A little learning Is not
: dangerous thing, Ii we only know TIL
! | II ia little"