The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-09-02
College Degrees
BY Ebert Hubbard

-tcepy#asAs, aaI22, International NeEs
Serviee.)
So long as some men who are noe
college bred take first place on the
roster of fame, and other men who
are college bred, working alongside
of them. sink out OF sight. most
thinking men are quite willing to adj
init the so-cailed higher education
is not a necessity.
CT the college men who sncceeds
who shall say they succeeded by and
through the aid the college gave. or
in spite of 1T
Yet many men who win will waisS
.sIf only had the advantage of co.'s
lege training,
II so. 1t might have ironed all the
individuality out of them
However l would have every man
have college education in order
that he might see how little the thing
is really worth. would have every
man rich that he might know tina
worthiessaess of riches
To take young man away from
work, say at eighteen years OF age,
and keep him from useful labor, in
the name of education, for four years.
will some day be regarded as a most
absurd proposition. 1t is the most
gigantic Illusion OF the age. Set In
motion by theologians. the idea was
that the young person should be-
drilled and verscd in sacred" themes.
Hence, the dead languages and tho
fixed thought that education should
be esoteric.
This separation from the practical
world for number OF years whero
no useful work WAS done. and tho
whole attention hxed on abstract
themes and theories, often tended to
cripple the man So that he could
never go back to the world OF work
and usefulness He was no longer u
producer. and had to be supported by
tithes and taxes. e
And, OF course. as he did not intend
TO 20 back to the world of work and
usefulness. II really didn't make any
difference If he did sink into q pupa>
like condition OF nulllty
In the smaller colleges many ins
stances are found of students work%
ing their way through school. Ny
experience leads me to believe that
such students stand very much bet-
ter chance In the world race than
those who are made exempt from
practical affairs by having everything
provided. The responsibility Of car
ing for himself is necessary factor
in mans evolution.
And the point OF this preachment
lies right hare==thAt to mako a yeHH8
man exempt from the practical world.
from eighteen to twenty-five. In to run
the. risk OF running him for life. Pos~
sibly you have taken opportunit!
from him and turned him into q
memory machine.
There are persons who are alwaya
talking about preparing for life. The
best way to prepare for life Is to hes
gin to live.
A school si1oufd not be prepafas
ton; school should be life. @ =. .
Isolation from the world In order I'd
prepare for the worlds work II folly.
You might as we'll take boy out oe
the blacksmith shop in order to teach
him blacksmithing.
Any college that does not teach IN
pupils to work at practical. useful
tasks, Is a make-believe, and every
college student knows II. From the
age OF six or seven and upward the
pupil should feel that he Is doing
something useful, not merely killing
timo and so his work and his inEtrras
ton should go right along hand in
hand.
The educated man Is the useful
man.
And no matter how many college
degrees man has. II he cannot do
something that the world wants done,
he Is an educated ignoramus. and 10
one with the yesterdays, doing ped
agogic goosestep ad0wn the days to
dusty death.