The Oskaloosa herald., 1907-05-16
Random Thoughts
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Of a
Busy Outsider

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slider tonight, gruesome one, with
which the student loves to decorate
his books. 1t is skull resting on
crossed bones and crowned with la,l-
rel Before 1t ia the open page Of
fame. The significant legend below
this grim reminder of the common end
Is Whats the user"
1t is not in the spirit of pessimism
that the picture is presented. There
is no doubt that it is well to recall oc-
casionally the end Of man. 1t is true
that "iniquf.y abounds because no one
thinks in his heart" eos
1t is surely certain that we all need
to be reminded of the transitory ma.
ture of earthly joys and pursuits.
Carried to its complete extreme there
is nothing that is of use when faced
by its ultimate end. 1t was this stern
thought that drove anchorites to de-
|sert our mountain. II is this con-
sideration which prompts a man to
sell all he mas and give to the poor,
and then embrace a religious life.
But it is not exactly in this way
that the Outsider regards the grin
old picture with its sardonic con.
domination of man, true though it be.
There is use in certain human pur-
suits, otherwise Gods purpose in ere
alton would be unattained and civiliza-
ton would be at stand-still. There
is use in life and it's activities, but the
great study for mankind is that wnicii
teaches them the worth while.s
There Is so much which is not worth
while, considered in itself, and so
much more which is not worth while
when measured by the span of desti-
nys
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What is worth while in the family
is question of moment. 1t is GER
tainly worth while to raise honest,
.selfrespecting citizens, to strive to
teach that true independence of char
,acter wnlch liberates man or wom-
an from the slavery of human respect.
1t is worth while to be what you
are and to be satisfied with simple
living. Kindness and gentleness are
worth wnil in the family, so is po-
likeness, and it is worth while to let
those whom you love know that you
do so. That last is worth while be-
cause the time comes when those who
love must part. But when family
ties are rudely broken, when pain or
shame comes there is a limit to the
anguish. What a grim tragedy was
that enacted in our midst this week,
where the disgrace of one member of a
family brought death to another. Yet
that disgrace was not irreparable. On
the contrary, there was conversion and
hope for the wrong3oer Whatever
criticism the world might offer,--and
it is always charlottesville right
thing was done for the guilty party,
and that is all that really made any
difference.
There is a story which appeared
some years ago in magazine called
THE Trouble Woman" 1t detailed
the family disasters and sorrows of a
woman who stood courageously up
against financial disaster and the
death of. her loved ones. Her real
trouDie came when ner son went
wrong, committed murder and was
hung. Then as she drove nomeward
in her one-horse wagon with her boy
a felon corpse lying in it, she said
she knew what trouble was.
1t is wisest not to- exaggerate fam
lily troubles, best to shut our eyes
against many of them and go on as
serenely as possible. Many unhappy
marriages could be prevented,by a dis
position to seek only the worth while.
The divorce courts would not be half
so busy If husband and wife would
only consider how little the hasty
word or the omitted attention really
meant. .fy
RR q
What is worth while in the school.
room Is the problem of the times.
What studies are best, what line of
conduct to. require, what inspiration
to give the young minds. 4
For twenty-five years,-no, longer
still,-for almost fifty years, the
question of the worth of the study of
the dead languages has been moot
ed one. On one side mea avow their
belief in strictly utilitarian educa-
ton. On the other there is the cry
for cultural studies. The war between
the adnerents of each belief has been
a strong one as well as long one,
and great names are found in either
list of foemen.
Our manual training ideas are re-
suit of the search for the worth while
in education. 1t has been at last de-
cided to cultivate the hand as we'll as
the eye, and industrial education ID
the result. The thing that is best
worth while in the school room as
well as In the home Is that educatioa
which fits man to earn his living as
a good citizen, and to put a proper
value on the pursuits and incidents of
life.