Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-24

Written FOR The Star.
So you think you are past what is popu-
lsrly known as the school age? i5e careful!
This is the day Of the grown-up student,
and first thing you know you may find
yourself, for all your mature years, a dill
gent student in one Of the many schools for
grown-ups that this broad land Of ours now
holds
Time was when only teachers were sup
posed to go to school, that they might keep
their knowledge brushed up for the ulti
mate good Of the sprouts of the land. Now
grown-ups In all walks of life are going to
school for a variety of reasons, and all are
good ones.
Perhaps the vast majority go to school
that they may equip themselves to step a
little higher on the ladder Of success. Others
attend because they wish to ft themselves
more fully for the work IN hand. In these
days the store OF human knowledge along
all lines increases so rapidly that unless
every man makes a systematic effort to
keep abreast Of the advance in lines es-
peClally valuable TO him, the results may
be disastrous. Not all men can do this
unaided hehce schools for business
economy investments, accountancy, the
science and art OF advertising, and solicit
ing and selling, among others, which are
attended by merchants, big and little, cap
ttalists. advertising managers and agents,
expert accountants and statesmen. These
schools supply and expound the latest ideas.
and 50 they flourish, for TO be up-to-date
these days is to make money,
Not only are employers schooling them
selves; they are also sending their EN-
ployes 20 the very schools they themselves
have attended. Amy Y. NJ. c. A. center
will inform you Of this face, and. will tell
you that the corporations especially have
realized the advantage Of putting some OF
their best men through these highly prac-
Naan 81 al Al e. ~1I -
the corporations IS that of accountancy, and
the classes In acCOunCancy maintained by
a certain Y. NJ. c. A. In the east are made
UP almost entirely OF employees Of corpora
tions. the corporations footing the tuition
bills.
In this particular Y. NJ c. a. there are
SIS men taking he special courses. Twelve
ore close 10 sixty years each; the majority
range IN age from twenty-one 10 thlrty-five
years In this country there are some
thing like 800 y. NJ. {. A 5, and In each
one the education Of the adult is being car
rted on iH one or more classes. For the av-
erage man las come 10 realize fully that 70
get on Die must be educated, and that the
broader his education the farther is he like
j. 20 get on, no matter what his work,
whether it IS that Of selling groceries or
running stationary engine, or stringing
electric wires. or advertising, Or taking
care OF Lis money And, above all, lie re-
allies that 20 step from one line Of work 10
another a bit higher and more remunerative
requires special knowledge that unless he
goes 90 a practical school for IL. he cannot
get without wasting valuable time In the
more expensive bitter school Of experience.
Farmers Flockng to School.
The way IN which the farmers are focking
70 school !u order to learn the best meth
DDS Of tilling and planting and what not,
Is In the veruaculsr, a veritable caution.
In 1904 farmers Institutes were held in ali
except five of our states and territories; and
the completed statistics for last year may
show that every state and territory, with
the possible exception Of ALASKA, now has
It's Institutes.
The total attendance OF farmers at the
1904 institutes was close on 10 eight hundred
and ifty thousand. The attendance for 1908
Is eNpeced 10 top million. This figure rep
Tesents a little over ODe-stxth the number
OF farmers. planters and oyerseers that
were set down as such by the census takers
or 1900.
In addition to this million. thousands OF
farmers took special courses last year In
the agricultural schools and colleges main
tained by the various states where agri-
culture - OF prime Importance 10 the ma
tons prosperity. A good statistical guesser
has said that with these farmer students
taken into consideration. probably almost
ons-itfth of the total number or our farm
ers went 10 school some time during the
year recently ended.
The Illinois farmers lead all the rest IN
$500 Of them being present at the meet
ings of itOI. The sessions numbered GU9.
Ohio was next. with seventy-five thousand
farmers present al leo sessions, and Penn
syvania third. 10000 OF her farmers at
tending $40 sessions. These figures regard
ing the keystone state serve to recall a lit
lie point that the majority of US are apt TO
foFget-thdt. despite her great interests In
manufs curing and mining, Pennsylvania IS
stu one OF our important agricultural
states and IS certain OF remaining so
long as the Pennsylvania Dutch thriftily
till hey eastern valleys.
The speakers on the various state forces
at the Institutes Of 1904 numbered close on
to a thousand. The state appropria tons for
the year for conducting yhssl institutes ag-
gregated 100000. while last year the sum
total of the appropriations Increased S25,-
coo 49,
Continually increasing attegdaRee at these
institutes is due simply TO the farmers real
izng that IL they wish to get all they can
out OF their farms. and still conserve their
property. they must devote at least a few
days each year 10 systematic study and ex-
change OF ideas. "
This conviction has been brought home in
various ways: the Macoupin county Qll}