The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-06-09

SlDlo that W1Cl some OI you Ln6
| course of your studies has not been
| regarded as a drudgery, and some OF
you may have had awakened within
YOU an interest that made you look
| forward to your lessons with pleas
ure, but most of you did not learn
your A, B, C's because you loved to.
You did not learn the multiplication
table because it was SO interesting
you could not leave it alone. And
you did not learn even your rules of
grammar because they thrilled YOU
| with their exciting revelations. Even
the attractions OF geography would
have passed unnoticed il your loving
friends-the teachers-had not meas
ured it out to you in palatable doses
and with considerable seasoning OF
outside information. By the time
you reached that interesting book OF
adventure entitled THE Discovery OF
America" and that still more thrill
ing story of human affairs known as
1.-THE Revolutionary War" 1t is quite
likely that at least In one branch or
knowledge there was some real IN
terest being aroused in you, and that
the longings for more knowledge and
further research had begun to as
sert itself
The, Critical Period.
Zone of the great historians-John
Fiske-entitled one of his books The
Critical Period This was an &C
count Of that uncertain and import
ant and vital time between the rev.
olutionary war and the adoption of
the federal constitution, and repre-
scented that period between childhood
and youth when serious purpose is
first realized and principles adopted
to guide such purpose. Likewise
your study here in the grammar
school, which you have just closed,
represents at least the beginning. II
not the end, of that critical period
in your education when you are
passing from the studies and habits
OF childhood, and from that time
when your parents will Is your
chief incentive In pursuing your
studies, to enter a more important
time when the incentive TO pursue
and succeed at your studies must
largely come from within, and when
you must realize that henceforth all
you will amount to during your sue
ceeding school days will depend up
on how fully you have at this time
aroused an ambition to acquire an
education, and how important 1t is
TO you to do SO.
You should now understand that
much of the study you shall hence
forth do is not merely to acquire
useful knowledge, but to acquire use
full training which will fit you to
compete successfully in any field OF
endeavor you may adopt as your lie
work. For Strengthening your body
YOU take certain exercises which may
| not be pleasant at the time, put
which make you physically fit. With
out this exercise you would be
weakling, but with it you have the
strength to compete successfully up
| on the athletic field. In the same
manner with the schooling OF your
mind you may take studies that are
not pleasant and that at first seem
to have but little reference to the
things that you may do in life. but
they bear the same relation to your
| mind in training and eQuipping 1t Tor
active service that your physical ex-
ercise does in the training OF your
body. If you will bear in mind this
principle it will cheer you many
time to further effort when you
| might otherwise feel that the effort
! was useless and the knowledge to
be acquired valueless.
Get More Schooling.
Speak to a few of you who are
1;o.oI IN pursup yOllr school