The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-03-24
RANG Err SPQK II.


braved the snowy, icy walking to at
tend the meeting. A xylophoue solo
was effectively rendered by Dean w.
Edison and was enthusiastically en-
cored by the audience. The Y. Nj.
@. A banjo, mandolin and guitar
club played selection. The members
| of this club are all musicians of abil-
ity and their work was excellent.
Their number was heartily applauded
and they responded with an encore.
Following the opening musical Sc
leotions, Harry r. Bolles. who presid-
ed, introd ooed the speaker of the
evening, Hon. Walter E. Ranger,
State superintendent of education,
who spoke ON "Work and Self. Educa,
ton" Subjoined is an abstract of
the address:
The speaker first discussed the in
innate relation between woIK and ed.
ucation, supporting his thought by
numerous illustrations and apt quota
lions. He paid tribute to work as
an agency of civilization, benefcent
law of life and means to happiness
Workers are the strong and happy
class; idlers are the weak, wicked
and miserable class, whether rich or
poor America is distinctively
nation of workers. Her greatness has
been constructed by free labor. Every
niviIizad raoa hos risan from, eovaoarv
through labor One gain of the Civil
War was freedom of opportunity and
labor. Interest in work is the secret
of the strenuous life Work is the
race is written on the face of Earth
in her farms, shops, railroads, villages
and cities. Work is the expression
and education is the process of civih-
zation for the race and for the lndivid-
ual of life growth.
Education is a life process. a mans
education never ends. The school is
only one agency. Traditional notions
of education, narrow and artificial,
are disappearing. Educational move
ments seek to bring the school into
harmony with the life of nature and
man. More and more the school is re.
producing the industrial, social and
civic life Of sdulthood, to prepare
youth for real living. Industrial life
as we'll as traditional culture is an
ideal of education.
Heredity and environment are
deemed the great agencies in educa-
tion, but education is not a machine
process. Even the mechanics of
school or college cannot produce SINH.
lar products. There is third agency
more potent that heredity or environ
ment, the personal factor-call it
what you will Oh what you please.
Personality may dominate education
even in childhood, but especially in
adulthood. The development of self.
direction, self mastery is self. educa-
ton, always the essential education.
All are more or less self.m made, self
educated.
Notable are recent movements for
adult education. Certain cities are
devoting thousands of dollars for such
education. 1t may be that, like school
education, it will become the function
of government. Evening schools,
trade schools, university extension,
home studies, culture clubs, are ex-
amples of this movement. In view of
existing vice, ignorance, crime and
penury, there is large opportunity for
adult education, and it must be large
ly self-eduction, wherein those less
Fortunate in childhood may gain con-
troll of life and it's development even
in later years.
The speaker spoke briefly of the
means provided for self Improvement,
by which adults may repair the losses
of school education, and of the gains
made in adult education. giving
practical hints.
The leading thought of the address
was work as a means of self. education.
The very work one is engaged in is
the most direct and chiefest means for
self-improvemenU. Growth of power
and efficiency in all relations of life
is the best education. A clerk, work
man, or professional man grows in
power of service by responding to each
new test that life may make. To do
well the work in hand is education
for the harder and higher task. Men
have grown to be great by meeting
every task with utmost fidelity and
| effort. The speaker used many aneo
dotes and illustrations from his OBJ.
servation to emphasize his thought
Some mistakes of young men were
given in practical way and each was
illustrated by actual incidents, among
which were to despise the work in
hand, to try to get ahead without
merit, to think one has no opportun-
| ity, to be visionary ana to fail in
| thrift.
The speaker closed by showing the