The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-10-19
EVIL OF UNIVERSITY TRAINING.
Andrew Carnegie Says II Units n
Man for Active Business.


an account of his visit, from which
the following is an excerpt:
The subject OF education came up.
A learned Dutch Baron declared that
many people are overeducated.
YES" remarked Mr.. Carnegie,
Lord Reay, here, who speaks five
languages, knows too much"
In reply to question the philoso-
pher of Skibo launched out this way:
"One of the alterations of the age
is the sacrifice of time to ancient
classics on the part of young men
preparing for a business career. A
man with a university education Is a
man lost to commerce. A young
man who begins business at eighteen
is very much better off than he who
spends three or four years In uni
versity studying rufIians who
lived two thousand years ago. Study
ing skirmishes among savages In the
classics is no preparation for man
going into the iron, steel or coal
business. Greek and Latin are no
more use than Choctaw, except to
the few. Why should English sailors
have to learn the language of Virgil,
Horace and Cicero? English officers
study classics. What's the result?
They have foolish courage. Instead
OF saving themselves they allow
themselves to be shot and say they
are dying for their country. / prefer
an officer who would make an in
telligent run when necessary and
then come back and live for his
country"
do you condemn university edu-
cation for all?"
by no means. | am speaking of
the uselessness of university educa-
tion for the young man who has to
make his way in life. The man who
Is born to wealth can do as he
pleases. He has no interest for me.
He rarely amounts to anything, any
way. Those preparing for profess
sional pursuits should go to the uni
versity by all means"
DO you make any exception"
"Yes; clergymen.
University education Injuries
them. 1t leads them to higher criti-
cism. They begin to pick flaws in the
Bible. The moment they begin that
they are done for; they are no good
for religion. They lead to intellect
ual and religious anarchy"
A remark by Mr.. Carnegie about
looking to the masses of the people
to cure social ills led to a conversa-
tion upon democracy.
Are you still as devout be-
lever in the people as when you
wrote Triumphant Democracy Mr..
Carnegis?" | queried.
Yes" he replied. Years have
made me love that teaching more
and more. If democracy does not
succeed, then there is no hope for
humanity. The classes have failed:
now democracy is getting a show. l
have no fear for democracy in Amer
lea When things begin to go Sc
riously wrong there the people set
them right with a sudden jerk.
What is the greatest American
institution" | asked.
lie DuDllC SCnOOl mouse.
What makes America so great?"
Equality and the fact that it's
foundation was laid by colonizing
race
Does your republicanism dimin-
ish by absence?"
No. 1t increases. | am more re-
publican than if ! had been born in
America, for | realize better the
meaning of the word republic. The
great thing is to be a citizen and not
a subject"
] called Mr.. Carnegie's attention
to the British flag flying beside the
Stars and Stripes over the castle. At
once his blue eyes flashed fire and he
replied, Scotland has annexed Eng
land, not vice versa"
Talking of annexation he said,
Canada will yet annex us, so will
Mexico. Both will ask the privilege
of coming into the Union. We will
not force them. The request II
properly proffered will not be re-
fused. We should have taken Cana
da in the war of independence. 1t
would have been just as easy.
From this the conversation drifted
to temperance. Turning to one of
his guests, who had the stuff of a
social reformer in him, Mr.. Carne-
gle said:
II have the best temperance lee
ture in Scotland. | give an increase
of 10 per cent. in their wages to all
my men who come to me at the end
of the year and tell me they have
been total abstainers. 1t works like
charm. They are all temperate /;
all have money in the bank My
young chauffeur might retire to-mor-
row and the interestson his money
would bring in 5000 a year"
DO they ever pretend to be alb
stainers when they are not?"
! asked.
mo. A Scotchman will not lie to
, you. He knows his Bible and his
Burns, 1t may be the Bible, but
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