Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-05-07
WHAT DOES A YOUNG
MAN NEED TO KNOW?
OF Applicants for Employment Have
Disclosed an Interesting Condition

FIhiNMAS y. EDlSON - discovery vi
l. what he calls the ignorance of college
men IS not unique. He has been quizzing
applicants for work.
College men would doubtless find Mr..
Edison lamcntably ignorant of many things
which they know.
II is not likely that hr could tell the name
Of the star quarterback Of last year. He
may not know where PENNSYLVANIA State
College Is II asked to tell what he knew
about Apollonius Of Tyana he might BE- COM
PEELED to admit that he knew absolutely
nothing. Yet Apollonius cut a considerable
figure in his day and has been the subject
of bitter controversy involving large groups
Of learned and dcvout persons. II asked to
distinguish between Samuel johnson and
Ben JonSon he might be stumpcd. So il
goes.
\ western college professor has lately
been bcwailing in the Atlantic Monthly tn"
lHmrntatlc ignorance of his students. Some
of them when asked what Lcghorn was
said it was n breed of cows. Others did
not know where Yale University is. And
still others could not tell whether Rodin
was painter or n musician.
Another college professor with little
broader vision has replied TO the indictment
against the students that Il does not matter
whether tho students arc ignorant about
lot Of facts. Their knowledge varies with
the surroundings in which they have grown
up.
4 country boy would know the difference
between LeghornS and Shorthorns and he
would never think that brcadfruit was
kind Of wheat. Nor would hc expect to sce
maple sugar growing on trees and he would
not hope to get eggs from cggDiant But he
would be absolutely ignorant Of multitude
of fnCts with which the city bred boy is
perfectly familiar.
The average college does not pretend to
teach anything about these things. 1t is
occupied with something much more i'm.
portapt.
For the first two years the students are
put through a course of intellectual gym.
nastiCS to harden the fbers of the mind and
thus qualify them to bear the strain Of the
tasks which must be undertaken in life.
For the next two years il is engaged in
conducting a tour of exploration through
the realm Of knowledge under expert guides
who do not pretend to hand out facts as
mental food They are busy with intro
ducing tho students TO literature. science
and history and showing them the hsunts
of these fascinating subjects. Then they
leave the students free TO pursue the nc
Quaintance as either the mood or necessity
inlp"ls them.
1t has been we'll said that intelligence is
inSrnstivc to q mere fact md that IL reacts
only to ideas The purpose Of education
Is primarily :" stimulate reaction to ideas.
They are tn" things which really matter
II is not facts but ideas that have
changed the course of history.
The idea Of human brotherhood cmpha-
sized in Syria two thousand years ago has
done more to affect the relations OF men
vii nj ba kpn
electricity or steam or coal that have been
accumulated by patient and persistent IN
vcstigatOrs. The application ot the facts
has changed "XtcrnulS Of human society,
but the idea has put new motive into
human action.
Tho idea OF dcmocrayy--an oUtgrowth nt
the idea Of human brotA"rho0d-wa applied
in this country in l77G and the dcmonstra-
ton OF what that idea could do started po.
liticaI movements in The rest Of the world
which have not yet stopped.
II is much moro important for boy to
understand what that dcn was and how il
was Developed than for him TO know 'h-
name, Of the sgncrs Of the Declaration Of
IndeprnGcac" or the date OF every batt" N
the Revolutionary war or the size Of the
armies or the names Of the opposing com
mHud"r- These things are in tho book and
can b. readily learned il one has need for
them. They are q mere matter of detail
Mr.. ElisonS experiment suggests an in.
QUiry into what man needs 10 know. It
may b. undertaken By IA qualified iuvrsu,
gator some lar. But without Investigation
it may b, suid that he should know enough
Ia do n" work in which he Is engaged, II
h" knows mor", that is SurplusRgc, con-
tributng - his enjoyment OF III" and to hts
preparation for an old age ot leisure.
al. -, 81.