Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-28
A SCHOOL FOR LIVING.
BY DIR. FRANK CRANE.
Copyright. 1913. by Frank Crane

What is needed in the world is some
sort of school or asylum or institution
or correspondence course to teach peopl.
how TO live
| More than anything else they need to
know that. Yet states and school sys-
TENS are telling them everything but
| that.
! Single tax is grand and socialism IS al
Turing. women's rights are needed, dress
reform and simplifed spelling. food
chewing. prohibition and criminal laws
are all right in their way, but still the
"one thing needful'' is to know how 10
| live.
US who go wrong.
/ Only one kind of education is Of first
account for a bad boy; IL Is the kind
!! that educates him to live. Geography
and manual training Will not cure him
| of his cussedness, nor will common frac-
| tons and United States history help him
to be clean, brave and kind.
Here are the subjects in which a public
school pupil ought TO be drilled: How 10
control my temper How to use my
imagination so as 10 strengthen me in
stead of making me weak How TO i'm
prove and tougher my will How to find
pleasure in common things. How to get
joy out of nature. How TO curb my
selfishness and develop my altruisu
How TO play fair. How to work so L.
make work pleasure How TO be i
good fellow without being fool. How to
get stimulation out of simple food and
water drink. and not alcohol. How to
control my sex instinct so as to make il
conduce 70 my permanent happiness ana
not to disease, mental misery and the
wrecking OF my career. How 70
make friends and keep theH. How 10
handle enemies and those who wrong or
offend me. How 10 get along with rela-
tives and all those persons with whom
come in contact. How 10 value my own
self-esteem more than the praise OF
others.
When man commits a crime il is
simply because he doesn't understand
how to live. Why lock him up in .
prison where he is forced down stu
lower in degradation? Why not have =
ow-to-iive' school and send hiln
there? And, indeed. why not send Aiia
TO such "A school in the first place, 20
that he viii not become criminal
We even arrest a person for attempting
TO commit suicide. and lead him 10 jail.
when all the trouble with him j. that g.
doesn't know how 70 live. else h would
not have wanted TO quit.
Think OF AL the restless, worried NOR
bid. unhappy. complaining creatures VITO
simply need few primary lessons ~ tie
art of living.
They think they want money OF noto-
to change their circumstances. but these
things are not what they need they
need 10 know how - live
And nobody tells them. Churches doi 1
tell them schools don't tell them, uoc-
tors don't tell them, judges and prison.
keepers don't toll the
Millions blundcr along and make A
mess of life because they have studied
any thing else under the sun except lv-
ing.
Most people have PHILOSOPHERS 81 life.
ideas on the subject Of happiness. and
dreams OF success that are cheap, absurd
and idiotic.
I have met millionaires, successful
business men. learned professors, gifted
artists and able preachers who have not
the slightest notion of how 10 be happy
Yet / shall not start "A school OF tins
kind for the simple reason that those
who most need 10 learn how TO live Are
the first to resent the suggestion that
they ned IL
Humility is the only door by which
wisdom and greatness and Peace can en-
ter and III is usually barred and Doited
by pride and egousm.