The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1903-10-02
"MY SON HAS GONE
TO COLLEGE.'

My son, you have gone out from
your fathers house and from under
the watchful eye of a loving mother;
1t is no longer possible for them to
speak face to face with you. You
have entered into new world whose
environments widely differ from that
Of the past, 1t is my fervent wish
that you give heed to the advice Of
kindly friend. The first Of all: Let
it be clearly realized that you arc
entering upon serious time in the
history of any life. in fact the next
four years that you spend in col eye
will determine almost surely your fu-
ture career. Under the instruction
Of skilled teachers you will find op
portunities for deeping your eXpcr
ience and widening your intellectual
horizon almost beyond measure. As
the sessions come and go, you will find
that you must "put away childish
things" If you are to be success
in an institution of learning, you
must realize that thero is no ROYAL
road to knowledge. The steady
stroke Of the blacksmith AZ the anvil
produces mighty muscle in his arm
and it is the sturdy plodding Of the
deve1opment Of the trained mind
Some students, my son, go through
regular periods Of industry and lazi
ness, but these fellows lily skip
through by the "skin of their teeth" >"
. but invariably form the miserable
habit Of inattention which mars their
prospects Of success in life. George
Elliot says that genius is an immense
capacity for taking pains, and truer
words were never spoken. You can
not see the wisdom in many of the
tasks imposed upon you by your
teachers, but be sure that you take
up these tasks with the faithful re-
solve to oxert yourself to the best of
your ability. AS your course in col
lege progresses you will realize the
wisdom Of your instructors and when
You get out into the broader activi-
ties Of life you will find occasion to
feel your gratitude more and more.
My son, you will find yourself as
sociated with young men from the
homes Of the lowly and the mansions
of the rich from the gentle environ
ment Of Christian home, and from
homes Of the Goddess and wicked,
and word with respect to your con
tact with your fellow students will
therefore be in place. Despise no
man among them; cultivate friend
ship among the rich and the poor;
throw some Of your best energy into
the making Of friends, and you will
find in the end that many Of the
lifelong friends Of u man are those
he made in his college days, and
some Of these who have come from
the homes pf poverty, who show up
80 poorly in the midst OF those who
have been reared moro fortunately,
will some day rise to the position of
men who bring things to pass in this
world. The green country boy with
his awkward gait will some day be
great lawyer or physician, or fiji
some of the mighty places in the
world. II you find kindly heart
speak words Of cheer in his ear, get
into his inner life and learn lessons
from his experience.
There are many things which
might be said which are here left un-
said, My son, do not forget to care
for your body; trained mind in
broken body is Of little use in q world
like this world. Regular habits,
freedom from vices and systematic
attention will preserve the health of |
your body. Your play hours are
just as important as your hours OF !
study, indeed the college boy should |
regard it as sacred duty to take
systematic exercise and plenty of
wholesome sleep.
In conclusion; let these words sirk