Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-07-10
Education Through Reading.

| AcdQlns.
Do you long for an education? Are
you lamenting the fact that you had
to stop school at an earlyage on ac-
count of poor health, or the lack of
funds to finish? 1t is said that fifteen
minutes spent in reading something
useful every day will make you edu-
Gated. These questions and this con-
clusion occur to Miss M. N. Pease, of
Richmond, who writes for the Raj
cigh, N c., Progressive Farmer, as
| follows:
A great many but not all our fam
Gus men had college education Take
Benjamin Franklin for instance-a
poor boy in a family of ten children.
His parents were humble ambitious
and Industrious. At ten years of age
his school life was completed and he
was taken into his fathers shop to
run errands and help at candle-mak-
ing. But he had taste for reading
and had access to only few books,
but those he devoured. Bunyan's Pill
| erim's Progress was the first book
/ he loved and he read and reread it a
number of times. He also read any,
thing and everything he could get his
hands on
1t would take too long to tell the
story of Franklin's eagerness to
learn; but we all know that he made
himself what he was by his own per-
severance-the discovery of electri-
city, governor of Pennsylvania, and
ambassador to France where he spoke
fhench iluently. Being self-taught he
should be n glorious example for
those who have desire but little
means for education.
You may not be discoverer, gov
ernor or ambassador, but there may
be other things as important. You
who read this may be farmer, and
what is more important than farm
ing? Doesn't the whole nation de-
pend upon the farmers for what they
eat and wear? Because you live on
the farm do not think that YOU
shouldn't be educated because of all
people who do need it it is the farmer
Some farmers couldn't be paid to sub
scribe to farm paper. They knwo
more than the man who wrote the
paper, so they say. Maybe they do;
the one who edits the paper doesn't
claim to know all that's in it, but tells
what he knows and invites others to
tell what they know and have an ex-
change of ideas.
You may not have thought of it
before, but farming is a profession
and everyone who has a profession
should study and read as much about
it as possible, for if they do not, how
can they be successful?
There are other things farmers
should know besides farming. They
should read moral, uplifting books
and magazines, and take the daily
newspapers to keep up with the times
Farm life would not be so lonesome
II there were more things to read. If
you have only few books read them.
If there is library in your church or
NiiS 'NHSoi "hSic lHe SlllluTGfl Oh your
family attend, by all means make use
OF 1t. If there are no libraries near
borrow from your neighbors if they
will lend, and be sure to take care of
whatever they do lend so thy will
lend again.
You will pdrbably say you haven't
time for reading. l have very little
time myself, but | take advantage of
every spare moment. | always have
book or magazine on hand to read.
| lay them on a shelf in the kitchen
and every minute / have spare read
few lines. | also read while 1
churn, and always try to have supper
early so we all can read few hours
and get to bed in reasonable time.
am great lover of poetry and
learn a great deal by having a poetry
book before me while ironing. learn
ed by heart, while ironing, my favor
lite poem, the beautiful and inspiring
Gray's "Elegy." / also memorize
while cleaning up. If we all would
make every moment useful we would
be superior to what we are now.-The |
Richmond Virginian.