Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-01-27


ply and science, and yet keeps them
in his mind as mere details, has not
accumulated so much useful knowl-
edge as the boy who has learned to dc
simple sum right and state a simple
proposition clearly. The boy who
knows many facts and cannot state or
calculate results from them has been
following the example Of Dominic
Sampson. The boy who has trained
himself to utilize his knowledge has
followed the example Of Sherlock
Holmes ..
The Interesting Schoolroom.
But" some one will ask right here,
do you mean to say that our school
course should consist entirely of dry
exercises, and omit all things that
make the modern schoolroom interest
ing?" BY no means. Other things be-
ing equal, an interesting subject is
much more useful than an uninterest-
ing one. 1t is more useful because the
pupil finds II easier to concentrate his
attention upon 1t, and to take the
trouble required for putting the re-
suits Of his study into proper shape.
An interesting book does more good to
boys than a dry book, for the same
reason that an interesting physical ex-
ercise like rowing does more good
than an uninteresting one like calls
,thenics-because you get the boy to
put the whole of himself into 1t. II
the boy does not put the whole of him
self into 1t, the interesting subject
does him little more good than the dry
one.
But besides knowing how to find out
facts and to deal with facts, we must
know how to value them properly in
order that our knowledge may be use
full. We must learn to distinguish
rightly the things that are important
from those that are trivial
1t is here that the ideal Of Sherlock
Holmes as to what constitutes useful
knowledge falls short Of being the
truth. To him everything was useful
that helped in the detection OF crimc,
everything was useless that lay out
side Of that interesting but narrow
domain. There are great many 9th
er men besides Sherlock Holmes who
make precisely that mistake. They re-
gard thing as useful II 1t Is going to
contribute to a boys success in his
profession; they regard 1t as useless
luxury, or sometimes even as a posi-
tive impediment, IL 1t has no bearing
on such success. That is narrow
view Of usefulness and a narrow view
of life.
"What is the Use7"
If men were merely money-making
machines, the knowledge that helped
them to make money would be useful
and the knowledge that did not help
them to make money would be a dead
weight. But men are something more
than money-making machines. They
are members Of society, citizens Of a
self governing community, with duties
to the men and women about them
and means Of enjoyment distinct from
those that they purchase with their
money. The boy who has acquired, q
useful education is the one who is 1T
ted not only for his duties and enjoy
ments in his trade or profession, but
for his duties and enjoyments as a
citizen Of the United States. Voca-
tional training must be accompanied
by training for service to ones fellow
men as a member Of society.
In the days when people thought
less favorably Of high school and col
lege education than they do now, l
was constantly asked the questions:
What is the use of history? What is
the use of literature? Will man get
any richer II he knows the history OF
Greece and Rome? Will he be a bet
ter lawyer or doctor for having read
poetry and philosophy"
The answer to those questions is not
that he will be any richer, but that he
will find out that there Is something
else besides riches worth pursuing;
not that he will practice his profess
sion more successfully, but that he
will have ideals outside Of his profess
sion which will make him happier
man in his own life and more valuable
to his friends and to his country /
am sometimes inclined to the opinion
that the knowledge that really Is most
useful today Is the kind which seems
less Immediately and obviously used
the knowledge of what great men have
done and thought in the past, and the
inspiration which comes from such
knowledge. Looked at from the stand
point of America as a whole, this Is
certainly true. There Is little danger
that our people will forget how to
make money. There is little danger that
we shall fail to practice our various
trades and professions with skill. But
there Is considerable danger that In
the pursuit of those objects we may
forget larger ends; that in getting
rich as individuals we may lose sight
Of the things that are necessary for
the making Of nations.
The most useful knowledge, then, Is
that which will make us the best citi-
zens.
ORIGIN OF PERFUMES