The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-06-10


said that the France-Prussian wal
was won, not by German soldiers
or statesmen or German guns, bui
by the old schoolmaster.
Twenty-Five years ago, ordinary
education was thought to be found
In the mastering of the three arts
reading, writing and arithmetic. In
some localities this Is still true.
When / was a school boy, Il was an
unusual boy, and exceptional girl who
wanted to study grammar. But there
came change and new studies were
added. There came history. physio-
logy, music an ddrawing and each in
It's turn was given to the school teach
er to teach This shows our trust
in the public school. We sometim es
say. the schools are too crowded with
different branches of learning. Is
this the fault of the teached? No.
Society sets the curriculum and trusts
in the schools to carry II out. Man
ual training Is an instance of the
change in our lives. Formerly we
got our manual training at home. But
now. times have changed. Formerly,
lHt ldIlItA illn bNh A'A INNS III
plements, but now this is unheard of.
Now we buy everything ready made
and iron and steel do for us what
our fathers did for themselves.
Some people say they done be-
lleve I'm high schools. They say they
have gained wealth without the aid
of an education and their children
can do &c same. That may be true,
but what was an edccated man in
one generation is not an educated
man i'm the next. The person who
wants to turn back to the good old
days and the good old schools" must
remAmber that these schools may
have been good enough for him then,
but not for the boy of today. In the
pioneer days II took men who could
look from beneath their vroad-rim-
med hats down the barrel of a rifle
into the eyes OF an enemy But now
we have railroads and telephones and
other matchless inventions and we
are living no longer in an age of
physical. but of mental contest. To-
day there are 800 high schools In the
state where but ten years ago there
were only three hundred. Some peo-
pie can't understand why boys and
girls must study certain studies. They
say II Is useless to teach girls geo.
metry. and boys Latin. etc. We don's
teach them these things just for the
few facts they gain from them, but
to make them think. The thinging
man is always the successful man.
"Then, the question arises, after
the boy has graduated, what are we
going to do with him? Many people
think that only professional men need
education. That the farmers, labor.
ers and mechanics don't need II That
is where the great mistake lies. Edu.
cation is not meant to keep people
from work, but to make It easier for
them. on, it's "a tragedy to see a
young graduate turn from the farm
to the city which Is overcrowded with
professions. Education Is not only for
professional men but for drawers of
water and hewers of stone" as well
This is the use of the high school
The best investment a city can make
is not in its paved streets or its beau
tfful buildings, but in ITS boys and
girls And the institution which
brings this to your doors is the high
school"
At the close of the address. the
presentation of the diplomas was
made by Mr.. Jacoby. Following this
the class song was sung under the
direction of Mr.. Starbuck, with Miss
Jessie Havlll at the organ.
The benedlction was pronounced by
Rev. q. NJ. Rourke, closing the pro-
gram.