The daily sentinel., 1913-08-27
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THE STUDIES
(By r.. c. Tope, Principally

Is dAtteltu Dy the 1act tldt since the
civil war the public schools of the
land have decreased the illiteracy OF
the colored race from 81 per cent to
20 per cent. We have received for
eigners from every nook and corner
of the world at the rate of over a mil
lion a year and have made them into
good American citizens and reduced
their illiteracy from 100 per cent to
10 per cent. In the same length of
time we have lowered the illiteracy
among our native people from 12 per
cent to per cent. This is a record
hitherto unknown in the history of
the world.
To do this we have provided school
buildings and equipment complete in
maintenance of the system by public
taxation; and we command the atten-
ton of the American people to this
great educational ideal by eompul-
sorry educational laws Moreover. we
place in control of this gigantic en-
terprise vast army of efficient men
and women who are consecrated to
the work to which they have been
called.
Education is an uplifting, sitting,
! Va plttih6
fluence. AS such il IS moulding and
transforming the American people
until today they are the wonder and
admiration of the world. We are not
only teaching ourselves but Uncle
Sam is the schoolmaster OF the world.
We expect the progress of the twen-
tieth century to be marvellous. and
in view of this fact. We know that the
problem before the young people here
in Grand Junction this year is to be-
gin making definite plans for life SO
that twenty years hence they will be
able to fit nicely into some good po-
sition that offers an opportunity for
service and recompense that will
mean life OF happiness and influ-
ence.
To the student we can say that an
education comes high. but it is worth
all 1t costs. For all the hard work,
the self-denial and deprivations the
student undergoes to get an educa-
| tion, he will receive a bountiful re-
muneration during a long, happy,
prosperous and useful life. On the
other hand there is little in store for
the youth who neglects his oppor-
tunity and fails to prepare himself
ipi Aht iiit VI iht dbt Ill WUlNI ne is
to live. Accidents are rare and luck
is mighty treacherous thing to de-
pend upon. The fellow who hangs
around waiting for something to turn
up usually wastes a lot of his own
time as well as that OF others. We
make our own destiny and when one
attempts to shift the blame from his
own hand he is simply trying to cover
his SiliU and irr tinp oil of h
cd of living
To the parents we can say that
public education is an investment,
perpetual annuity. We need to stop
talking about the cost of education
and think and talk more about the
cost of ignorance. Show me COM
munity today that is complaining
about the probable cost of good roads
and | will show you an unprogressive
community. The progressive com
munity will be found trying to es-
cape the overwhelming cost of bad
roads. Just SO with education. Ig-
norance is responsible for most of our
troubles and mistakes and worries in
this life Add to the devastations
made by ignorance those chargeable
to lack of will power and to laziness
and you have the sum total of hum
an misery. Ignorance loses the farm
er each year more than his total in
come. Ignorance is the cause of so
per cent of all the death in the Unit
ed States, Ignorance is the cause of
our urban congestions. Ignorance
causes the masses to lose in their
struggles against the interests. Ig-
norance thwarts the dreams of the
ambitious. and wrecks millions of
human beings. who, because of it be-
come our human derelicts floating
upon the sea of society or incarcerat-
ed in our asylums and hospitals and
penal institutions.
The public schools of the United
States are yielding the best return
on the investment of the peoples
money of all the Investments in the
nation. OF course We can not tell
what the rate of income is. You
might as well try to measure the in
| fluence of the sunlight and place a
value upon It,
A study of the latest report of the
United States Commissioner OF Edu-
cation reveals some interesting facts
concerning the high school growth
in this country. Within the past
| twenty years the number of high
/ othoui pupllS mas lHdH
increasing over twice as fast as the
population of the country. In addi-
tion to this fact it may be stated that
its courses are given so well that sta
| tistics show that graduation from a
high school course multiplies the stu
dents chances for success in life by
ninety. In other words a boy or a
girl who is willing to invest enough
in life to enable him or her to finish
a high school course with credit has
ninety chances for a successful life
to one chance without this prepara-
tion.
Another interesting thing is to note
the tendency in choosing high school
studies More students are choosing
algebra than any other subject. Eng
lish literature, rhetoric, composition,
history, geometry and German are on
the increase as favorite subjects.
There is decline in the popularity
of all the natural sciences and civics.
1 xxsfl 1.