The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-13

/. He must be alert to find out where
to find knowledge.
2. He must cultivate habits OF reading
and Investigation In ali HIS spare hours.
3. He must consciously use his intel
lectual force 30 as to mako 1t work
steadily, habituaily, and as strongly as
possible without undue stimulation. In
fact, he must learn to work his brain
with as much sense as he works his
muscles. That Is the whole secret.
1t may seem paradoxical for me to
claim, as do. that II poor man Is to
be a scholar he had better go to work
at sixteen and learn to earn money,
without which he cannot live with dig
nifty and follow his future high calling.
II such worker buys and reads good
book every few weeks or months, be-
sides reading the history of his times
In the daily papers. hts education Is pro-
crossing. His experience of life will be
his best teacher. and IL he Is real
scholar. he Will distance every Phi. D.
at forty-five.
Herbert Spencer's autobiography is the
best work on education ever published.
1t tells how the greatest scholar that
ever existed educated himself.
Flo ripened his literary powers while
engaged in practical work with railroad
engineering parties. Then he made In
tellectual work his business and accom-
plished tho greatest literary and philoso-
phlcal work ever done by one individual.
Now what does education mean to the
mass OF the people? Simply enough read
ing to qualify one for the duties OF citizen
ship, and to keep up with the advances
in ones particular occupation This need
Is principally supplied by newspapers and
periodicals. Men who go from the COM
mon schools to. work may profit by a
book bought to read and read while it Is
a pleasure. If half the efforts made in
behalf of Latin and algebra were mado
to establish reading habits among the
manual laborers, much better results
would follow. @@Fs
It seems almost matter OF course that
a business man should be In business Mt
the earliest moment exercising his trad
ing powers and laying the foundations OF
that fortune. without which the business
man Is q failure. The business man. too
is In n fair position to use his brain
powers In and out of his business. He can
afford to buy books. and a few books
read while he is at his life work may
lead him to later age in which his
brain powers may bring him a modlcum
citizens.
Mr.. Carnegie Is a good example OF a
reading business man. There are many
such mon, known as much for their
wisdom as their wealth.
AS too much memorizing weakens the
mind. 80 too much studying under teach
ers destroys intellectual initiative. The
science of teaching. pedagogy, mas an
evil name. which It largely deserves.
Teaching nearly always becomes pendan-
tic. Nven Socrates himself was very
much of pedant.
Only when one learns for himself Is
knowledge really strong and beautiful
Learning only leaves bad taste in the
mouth when 1t Is acquired IN the
schools 1t Is only because OF tho
schools that knowledge is regarded rs a
bitter pill. When gathered for ones
self 1t Is sweeter than honey
The saying that little learning is q
dangerous thing applies only to school
learning; and few people know how little
learning Is really involved in the most
pretentious college course. Every little
nit or learning that ono picks up for him
SELF Is precious thing. The little learn
Ing that Is dangerous Is that which IS
not known to be little. but Is thought to
be big.
The busy man reading his own occa-
sional book knows he is progressing slow
ly in knowledge. The college man with
etA SAo h'i'hcoT lufpWH HIS IRE,
feels that he Is conquering kingdoms OF
Knowledge. while laboriously translatin&,
his classics. and tong through few
scientific texts he cannot retain until
the day Of examination without a painful
day and night OF previous "cramming
or "stuffing."
Tho deep dra,lghts at the fountain of
knowledge are taken by those who come
driven by their own thirst. Teachers can
perhaps bring students to tho fountain.
but cannot compel them to drink The
progress OF the human race depends
upon self-educatlon. individual lnvesti-
CATION. not ON pedagogy or assisted, en-
dowed, defined. pharmaceutical, or cor.
porate Investigation. The researches OF
a class In sociology results In rot
Government Investigations may I'LL cords |
OF pub, docs but they do not en-
Tighten the world. w, ALDRlCfI.
Ialfersnn, Va