Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-01-13
L. ]. LEONARD GAVE
A PRACTICAL TALK
To HIGH SCHOOL
CATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES HE
RECITED FROM VAN DYKE


speaker at the Central school build
ing last Friday afternoon. The sub
ject OF his talk was The Cost Of an
Education. Mr.. Leonard prefaced his
remarks by stating that the subject
as announced was one which he could
not capably handle and for that rea-
son he expected that his hearers would
be disappointed.
Mr.. Leonard continued by saying.
II am not going 10 give you the cost
of an education. l do not believe that
the cost of an education can be COM
puted in dollars and cents. The cost
10 the school boards in various parts
of the state and country vary on this
point. The cost per year TO the tax
payers for each student in Belding is
about forty dollars. In other cities 1t
is much higher than this, while some
have a lower cost
THE cost Of your education, in a
great measure. is borne by the tax
payers OF your district. Take the gas
plant, for instance, in which / am
interested. The value Of this plant as
II appears on the tax rolls is forty
thousands dollars. This plant is re-
quired To pay on that valuation over
two hundred and forty dollars taxes,
enough to educate six students for
year. And yet the gas plant has no
children TO educate. Regardless of
this fact we are glad To pay the tax
because it is right We are enjoying
the advantages. in the city, that have
been made possible through the edu-
cation of the children of the city. This
general tax system places the children
of the whole community on the same
level.
'In this great marathon race for an
education all children are placed on
an equality The rich and the poor
have the same advantages in the
liberal school system of our common
wealth All OF the schools are free.
The expense is borne by the taxpayers
and the more property man has the
more he will contribute to the cost of
education in his district. 1t makes
no difference whether the schools are
in the rural districts or in the city the
expenses of running the schools are
paid just the same.
"Now the individual cost to each
student for attending these schools is
a different matter. But regardless OF
the financial opportunities or boy or
girl if he desires an education there
Is nothing in the world can keep MN
from getting it, My favorite poet
Robert Burns, was a poor boy. | am
of the opinion that the greater part
of his education was CLEANED during
the periods when he had To follow
the plough His advantages while
youth were small, and yet he had the
desire in him and by strict adherence
to his purpose made a place for him
self in the world and became one of
the greatest characters the world has
ever known 1t is not so much the
matter of dollars and cents in meeting
this expense as il is the purpose to
accomplish the desired end.
Take one Of our own home pro-
ducts, as / might say. You probably
are familiar with the lad who began
life as train boy How he picked
up telegraphy while stopping at the
stations along the route, how he
sprang from a lad having no money
and apparently no opportunities in
life to be the great modern WIZARD
Thomas A. Edison. He had fire the
other day The loss was$2, coo, ,000,
and yet that did not deter him. lie
will build another factory and make
opportunities out of the misfortune.
But you cannot figure the cost OF
Edison's education. He has an edu-
cation and a good one, but no one
not even himself. can tell what IT has
cost
Take the boy fror ur neighbor-
ing state, the great Abraham Lincoln,
YOU all know the circumstances under
which he acquired his education. You
remember how he studied by the light
of the fireplace because his parents
were too poor TO buy oil for lamp.
Hence | say the cost of an education
lies principally in yourself, in the
work you are going 20 put into 1t.
THE influential men Of this coun-
try were, almost without exception,
moor boys They were required to
make their own way. The idle rich
children OF the country are usually
the failures of the country There is
a constant evolution from the rich 10
the poor and from the poor TO the
rich. 1t is the qualifications that
fellow has that make him succeed
and these same qualities will make IT
possible for boy TO get an education.
II Is not possible for any man TO COIN
pute a cost that will fit every case.
Now / find that some of you nave
already studied the selection that !
hadprepared for you to-day, but
good things will always bear repeat
lng nave spent ~ blSob N'"i VI
tim In the study Of Henry Van Dykes
selection The other Wise Man Two
OF the chapters ! will recite for you
today" With this introduction Mr..
Leonard recited two chapters from
this famous work in a very able man
ner, and with wonderfully clear in
terpretation. The several parts were
given such distinct expression that
the listeners could easily discern the
settings OF the scenes and the char
acteristics OF the individuals as por-
trayed in the story.
At the opening Of the exercises OF
the afternoon Miss Lillian Harrington,
a student in the grades, favored with
a beautiful vocal selection. The talk
of the afternoon was supplemented
by two solos rendered by Miss Flossie
spfcer and Misss Verna Downs
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