The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1910-04-01
Working Their Way.
By e. B. Cowgirl, Department

account. The story Of heroic effort
INSPIRED by purpose not understood
by the many who see only the out
come, may be told to another genera
tion, but Is now to the actors grim
contest without romance. But the
81 ory is enacted more frequently as
the value OF university training be-
Comes more widely KNOWN.
Formerly 1t was thought that high
er education was for the few. Now
society begins to reaize that the in-
terest of all the people-the interests
of the state and the nation-the abil-
ity of our people to hold their own III
the fierce and fieTcer competition of
the present and the immediate future
require that higher education and the
power thereby developed become gen
eral. The instinct of self-preserva
tiop, as pertaining te the whole pee
pie and to each separate alt, in the
conditions foreshadOwed send child
rem Of poor, children of fairly well-to
dc, and children of rich parents to the
schools.
For the children of the rich and of
the well-tO.do, the question of meet
ing the expense may be of small i'm
portance. But the increasing mum
bers Of those who must earn part or
all Of their keep, presents subject of
growing interest and consequence
The fact that in many cases the self
sustaners OF generation ago have
become leaders of the worlds great
work Of today, lends inspiration to the
present generation Of those who face
the double problem of making living
aud OF hold n, their own In the co.,
test for educational supremacy. So
ciety has no present prospect more
full of promise, no present investment
more certain Of profitable return than
the outcome of this double problem.
1t is worth while to inquire how
IA few Of the many who are working
their wsy" to education are solving
the problem. For this purpose inquiry
was made of several hundred students
both men and women, at the Uni-
versity Of Kansas:
A young man reports that during
his first year at the University he
worked Saturdays, afternoons and
holidays at odd jobs and did carpenter
work for his parents in summer vaca-
tlon. During the next year he worked
at odd jobs, table waiting and laundry
delivering and In summer vacation
worked for the Missouri Pacific Rail
road. During his third year he did
work afternoons and Satur'
davs. His total expenses per year
were s270. He found no lack Of cour
tesy on the part Of other students
because of the fact that he had to
"work his way"
Another young man whose expenses
average about 5000 per year, works on
a farm during his summer vacation
earning SlO0. While at the Univer-
sity he does janitor work for which
he receives $l2 per month and his
room. He experiences no lack of
courtesy on the part Of other students.
Another whose expenses are stated
to be $3.50 per school year. earned $175
while in school and 800 during vaca-
tiuR. The work was "retouching In
photo studies" "None so far" is the
reply to the question, "Do you find
any lack Of courtesy on che part of
other students because Of the fact
that you have to work your way?"
With total expenses per year
amou ting to $500, a young man who
had saved some money from his salary
as a teacher and who earns $125 in the
harvest fields during his summer va
cation, adds $3.50 during the school
y ear at "waiting on table,"
Another former teacher whose total
expenses per school year are about
$500, earns about $3.50 per year from a
laundry route Ia which he has pur-
chased an Interest.
A young farmer pays all Of his ex-
penses, $500 per year, from his farm
ing which he describes as follows: 81
owned a team and the year before l
entered the university 1 rented forty
acres OF wheat land and used my faith
er's farming implements to SOW the
wheat. Then the work of myself and
team would pay for harvesting it. /
have used the same forty acres each
year"
A vacation farmer" earns money
while at the University writing news
padsr dope" He made his expenses
while attending academy 10 this way
aud has three papers on his Stirring"
while at the University. His total
per year are stated to be
close to $40.