The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1905-06-09
COLLEGE GRADUATES
A Di3quisisicn Suitable to This Es
ce-ial Period Wien the Country
Is Being Flooded With Di-
plomaed Young Men and
Women.
Jackson, Miss, Evening News.

graduates. These graduates will 60
forth into the world armed with their
diplomas to do and to dare The av-
erage college boy is inclined to the
belief that his diploma represents to
him the sum total OF human knowl-
edge and experience, and in this he
makes the mistake OF his life. Edu-
cation is necessary thing for every
human being. In fac:, man to attain
he highest state in this life is COM
PEELED to have an education. But
mark you he is not compelled to have
a college diploma. Some Of the most
highly educated people in this coun-
try are no: college graduates. They
hold diplomas from the college OF
experience. The college graduate
should recognize that his diploma
means that he has been prepared to
learn. His mind has been trained to
think, and it has been the idea of
those who have had him in charge
through the different stages OF his
education to prepare him to use his
own mind and to think out PROPOSE
tions for himself A diploma, there
fore means that man has been pre-
oared 10 do his own thinking. to
learn from the experience of others
that which will be useful to him ii,
his daily life He will be able to
commune with the great men OF the
world in all ages. An education
wh:c'' does not train boy to do his
own thinking and to apply what he
has learned is failure. Often in life
we have seen people holding degrees
from some of the best universities IN
the land who were wholly i1npracti-
cable. In the race of life they were
swiftly passed by men who never saw
the inside of college. So often has
this been the case that men who have
risen by their own exertlons, with
only the help of limited education,
have been constrained to look on all
college training with contempt. This
is an erroneous basis from which to
reason. To where there is one man
who has risen to eminence, on an
education given himself, there have
been ten who starting under the same
conditions have fallen back utter and
ignoble failures. An education is
only valuable as it is applied by the
one who receives it. # it makes
man an impracticable dreamer, unable
to cope with the stern realities OF
life, then .manifestly it has done him
no good; but in judging whether a
higher education has been wasted on
an individual it is absolutely essen
tial to know the individual. It is pos
sible that he would have been what he
is whether or not he had received the
training of an institution of higher
learning.
The world today is hunting for men
who know how to apply their knowl-
edge. Applied knowledge brings a
high price in the market, hence we
see the drift towards mixed edu-
cation, part literary and part indus
trial, which is coming more and more
into favor. An education that o>'-s
not teach man the lesson Of self
reliance and of competency is an ed
ucation that has fallen short of its
high aims. OF course boy who
receives his diploma thinks that he is
going to do great things when he gets
out in the world, hugging the de-
lusion 10 his soul that the diploma in
itself imparts to him certain qualih-
cations, OF which in reality he may be
lacking. Education has been the
!Achimedian lever which has raised
the world to its present level, but all
this education has not been secured
within the walls of college. Many
whose educational opportunities, as
we consider them, have been limited,
are more truly educated than those
who have been through some cele-
brated college. After all, it is