The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1904-07-14

OUuUUllNu MAUE
TOO EASY.
A PLEA FOR THOROUGH METHODS
Mult:trdes Going to Colleges, But
Not Many Becoming Scholars.
Charlotte Observer.
North Carolina is making rapid GRO
gress in education and wealth. In
rnany sections every child will receive
a liberal education. Those who are
less fortunate will be in a miserable
plight, when they find themselves at
the bottom of our civilization. It is
also true that those who receive the
highest education will be at the top of
the ladder. Many of our successful
and wealthy citizens are making terri.
BILE blunders in the education of their
children. The law of nature is action
and reaction. As communities change
from temperance to license and from
license back to temperance. so ex-
tremes in other matters change back
aud forth. The wealthy citizen of to-
day laid up his treasures by toll and
self-denial. It was hard life, but the
grinding developed him into a man.
With love for his children he brings
them up in ease and seli-irdulgenc-.
He sends them to the finely equipped
schools, where all the modern Improve
ments are found and every facility tor
learning is pretended. The old adage,
There IL no royal road to learning, is
forgotten. Each boy is allowed to &C.
lect his own course of study, and with
out experience he selects the one that
requires the least labor. Every thing
must be done that will enable him II
learn with least labor to himself. Is it
wonder that such boy, when he en-.
ters college or the struggle of life, is
undeveloped and soft? Yes, the boys
from the most wealthy families do not
generally take the front in the busy
world. It is true that blood will tell
and IN spite OF the difficulties of mis-.
guided education, many get down and
dig their way to success. Thus the
man of toll succeeds, and raises children
of ease and extravagan ce who are fail
ures.
Our successful men as q rule come
from those families where. the children
secure an education under difficulties
The boy that overcomes obstacles and
forges his way by personal effort is an
overmatch for the soft fellow reared in
luxury, or the fellow who in false pride
spends his fathers hard-earned dollars
in trying to live like the boy of wealth
Ex:ravagance is found everywhere. i
the demand was only Tor better teach
ers and for better and more nutritious
food no objection would be raised. Bu1
the demand IS for more luxury, more
eaee, more latitude and less work. /
boy has some poorly developed facul.
ty, and consequently has difficulty ir
learning certain branches, the trouble
must be met not by grinding but by
Sinking, and the difficult studiel
must be discontinued. The schoo
that says no, generally loses the boy
AS the twig is bent, so grows the tree
Every careful planter prunes and cor
| rects a one-sided tree. But when il
comes to his boy, the indulgent paren
let's his boy follow his bent and leav'
of what he has difficulty with, and doe:
not soe that his child is growing VI
lop-sided In his mental development
Our schools must yield and suppl!
what is demanded. Examine the cat
alogues of cur most largely patronized
institutions, and you will find the few
taking the curriculum which mad
scholars in the past, and the many tax
| ing the new courses, and the so-callet
special course provides for the fellow
who only wants to go to college ant
nothing more. They remind me o
the farm negro who said he bad beel
to college-he blacked shoes there
Yes, to-day multitudes are going t
college, but not many are becoming
scholars. They are learning ease ant
extravaganza. They are attending
banquets, they are smoking and drink
ing.
Your boy must have money to keel
up with the other fellows. You don
want your boy to be stingy. He mus
ioin the fraternity that has the best sc
cial class in it. In theory this sound
we'll. But your boy Is learning to graf
ify every want, and wants more. Th
mortal has never liyed who gratitie
every want and did not want more
Read Rasselas if you have forgotten
that story and its sequel. Again, th
law OF nature must assert itself and n
action follow. Your boy spends th