The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-30
The Commencement Season.

The commencement season approaches
and IN little while a large number of
Young men and young women who are
attending the Virginia schools will receive
their diplomas and enter upon the serious
business of$llfe.
The term commencement" signifies
that the graduates are beginning their
career Unfortunately some Of them 10
not realize the fact. They seem to think
that when they receive their diploma they
have accomplished all things, that the
season Of struggle and endeayor Is end
ed and that the future Will take care
of itself. Poor fellows! The rude awaken
ing comes all too soon, and there is MOTH
ing under the sun more pathetic than
disillusonized college graduate. 1t IS
would do any good. the Times-Dspatch
would print a sermon and try to make
these young dreamers realize that In
gaining u diploma they are simply train
ing for the serious struggles Of life. that
their attuinments thus acquired are mere
ly the weapons with which they are to
fight, and the victory Is nfar off. But
such sermon would be laughed to
scorn by the dreamers. 1t will take more
than words to awaken them. But after
all, 1t Is Better to givo them words of
good cheer und in spite Of discourage
nlents to come-thls much may be SAD
for their comfort.
Every now and then some practical
business man goes into print with the
statement that a college education tends
rather to unfit man for practical
career. If that be true, there Is no virtue
in training and education is flat fall
ure. Tho trouble with nll such philoso-
pliers H. that they do not discriminate.
They draw general conclusions from spo-
sific Instances. They tell you that they
know of college men who failed In busi-
moss and they conclude that their train
ing was the cause OF It.
College men fail in business, not be-
cause Of their training, but In spite Of 1t.
How can mental training unfit man
for any pursuit that requires brain
power? II the college man failed in spite
come of him. II he had had no such ad-
vantage? But college men nre not fall
ures. The record shows It. There is u
| publication called who's Who" 1t con-
| tains short biographical sketches Of tho
men and women who are prominent In
American iio, The editor OF that pub.i-
cation recently mado the statement:
According to the last census there
| are In the United States l479i.40 males
1 over thirty years old The Untel states
| Bureau of Education estimates that
1 these are divided cducatonally as fol-
| lows:
| Glass !. Without education... 1857, O23
4 Glass 2. With only common school
| trained or trained outside OF
/ organized schools ,,.,....,...,,. 70, o,4 1885
| Class g. With regular high school
training ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. G57, 432
| Glass 4. With College or higher
! education added ..,..,..,,,...... 3g3Gi3
| "Om!tting tho few persons under thirty
| years old, the report from l070i notables
! shows: Without education, none. self
/ taught, "a: homc-taugh, rs; with com
| mon school training only l,0s6; with high
school training, l.C27 with college train.
ing, T,T9. OF whom 6,l2d were college
graduates That Is.
/ From the l,757,o2a OF class ! no notable
| reported.
1865. one for every .....,......,,,...8,SIl
1 t2i OF these report themselves us SELF
| taught; e7s as privately taught)
From the G57.432 of class came
1,G27 one for every ..".....,...... Az
From the S25,6l3 of class came
100 one for every ......,...,...... 4.
! II thus appears;
u, That from 1900 to 1870 the uneducates