Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1907-05-30
OUR INHERITANCE
Excerpts from Prof. Birkbeck's AID
dress al Class Day Exercises

T. lie auuFGSS uoIibeTou by Ito ~
+. Birk beck of Galena, ILL.,, at the
Cllss Day exercises at the opera
house last Friday night was most
instructive and inspiring. Mr.. Birk.
beck was principal of our schools last
year and hence was in close touch
with this years graduating class.
After a most compre ensiye pre-
lude, setting forth the force Of habit
and the responsibility Of parents and
teachers, Mr.. Bikheck went Oh &c
say that the child has much to learn
and many instincts to train hence
their period OF infancy is much longer
than the brute. 1t takes thirty years
to train a child for adulthood, while
the puppy and the kitten come to
maturity in a few months. Most OF
the adult activities are the result OF
habits.
There are possibilities i'll every
child life which may be Illustrated by
milk. When it goes through the
process which results in butter it
loses its cheese possibilities. Tins
| in the development OF the child the
possibilities at the beginning are
numerous growing less numerous
| and more definite as he advances in
age Human skill and efficiency is
| limited. The ''Jack of all trades
can only be at the price OF being
"Master OF none"
| The child is born with an instinct
for language but not for grammar.
| He is born with an instinct to feed
| himself but not for table manners.
These must be acquired by a process
OF education. While it is given to
| the parent to determine, In q large
measure, what shall be the range OF
the child's possibilities, nevertheless,
through the teacher as the conscious
agent the child's most thoughtful
stimulatians are realized. 1t is the
teachers pleasant, though difficult,
task to determine what the child
shall be. The mission of education
is two fold: that we may know
widely, accurately and systemat-
ically, and that we may do intelli-
gently, honestly and efficiently. If
this is correct, then the subjects OF
thought which will offer the widest
field for accurate, interesting and
helpful knowledge are the ones to
pursue.
Education is the key that unlocks
many doors to success. There is
only one path to education but
many paths leading from it.
Never before was there SO much
need OF trained body and mind.
All lands, all seas are open to us.
The race is getting acquainted with
itself. All the sciences, literatures,
PHILOSOPHERS, political and religious
systems are placed within our reach.
The products ofeKery cline find their
way into the markets Of the world
National prejudices and race antag-
onisms are disappearing. Wars are
becoming less numerous and less
cruel. Established wrongs are yield
ing to the pressure of opinion.
Privileged classes are losing their
hold on the ina gination and opportu-
nifty offers itself to ALL
There is need for an intelligent
patriotism. There will ever be in
this country grave questions to be
settled. Ignorance, which is the
most fruitful cause of misery, must
give place to knowledge. Society
must be made to rest upon justice
and love. If not, it is organized
wrongfully,
To have a cultivated mind, to be
able to see things on many sides, to
have wide sympathy and the power
of generous appreciation is not only
desirable but necessary. The aim of
our civilization is not merely to
instruct the ignorant, but to make
ignorance impossible, not merely to
feed the hungry, but to do away
with famine. Much has been done
to ameliorate human conditions but
there is still great need of strong
personalities to counterfeit evil
forces. Only strong characters and
marked Municipalities can resist the
influence of wealth and machinery
which tend to make man of less i'm
portance than that which he eats
and wears.
Education is not merely a mental