Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-06-06
High School Address.

The following extracts from State
Superintendent Lawrence's address
to the graduating class Of the Canton
High School are worthy Of being
treasured in the memory of all:
The great business of life is certain
ly to learn to work. 1t is not good
that human nature should have the
road of life made too easy. Better to
be under the necessity Of working
hard and faring meanly than to have
everything done ready to our hand
and a pillow of down to repose upon.
An eduation should be secured not
to enable one to live without working
but to make one a more efficient
worker, not merely for culture and
self qualification but for social ser
vice.
It is being realized as never before
that our government is social demo
cracy, and accordingly the kind of
education that our public schools
must provide Is education for social
service. In conformity with this new
conception of education our whole
educational system is being trans
form ed at the present time, in the
way of making school work more
practical and thus meet the needs Of
the masses:of these students in our
high schools who will not 60 to col :
lege as we'll as of those who will. The
tendency all along the line is to re.
late school work TO life outside the
school room and in that way fill up
the long existing chasm between
school life and real life.
The world is waiting for young
men and women who can serve hui
manity. The opportunities for service
which are open to the youth of today
are greater thap ever before.
The world is getting better every
day. Today is better than yesterday
and tomorrow will be better than
today.
A higher ideal of a successful life
exists In the minds of people today
than obtained a generation ago.
Formerly the ideal of successful life
was the amassing Of wealth; it was
"to get there,'' and getting there
meant the accumulation of wealth.
The successful men we're called ''cap-
Ntains of industry, and these captains
OF industry cared little about human
ity and the rights of others in their
money getting. The mere fact that a
man had accumulated a fortune made
him the best and most typical Aneri-
can. The men and women who are
considered successful today, however,
are those who are giving their lives
to the service of others.
An example of the new type Of a
successful man is found in Judge Ben
Lindsey of Denver, the founder of
the Juvenile court, who is devoting
bis life to reclaining the wayward
boys Ia the city of Denver. Another
example is Jacob Riis of New York
City, who came to this country from
Denmark when already young man
and became such fine type OF Ameri-
can citizen that Theodore Roosevelt
In writing about him has called the
best American he ever knew. Jacob
Riis has been devoting his life to Inn
prove the conditions of living in the
slums of greater New York.
Jane Adama, the founder OF Hull
House In Chicago, is a woman who
examplifies in her life-work the new
ideal of successful life. She is work.
ing for the uplift of the fallen girls
in that great city, and she has al
ready accomplished a great amount
Of good. To rise In the world is not
merely to make money. While it is q
good thing to be frugal and cultivate