The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1921-07-28
Something to
Think Ab0uf
EDUCATION.
By F. II. WALKER


THOMAS EDISON, whose ability
to get space on the first page Of
he newspapers has of late been thor
oughly demonstrated, announces that
the modern college graduate has no
education at all and that there Is no
place In his organization for the ig-
norant.
The trouble with Mr. Edison is that
he has confused education and knOwl-
edge. They are entirely different
things.
You can educate horse or a dog,
but nobody has yet succeeded in CIV
Ing them knowledge.
Mr.. Ford, who Is warm friend OF
Mr.. Edison, has very little education.
as he proved when questioned under
oath on matters literary and historical,
and yet no one would deny that he
has knowledge.
Mr.. Edison based his judgment OF
The college graduate of today on the
answers submitted In response to
questionable which he prepared as
test for young men seeking employ
ment with him.
Those same young men, even II they
were only average college men, could
have off-hand prepared a QUESTIONABLE
in answering which Mr.. Edison would
Lave made a miserable failure.
II would be no trick at all for any
well-informed man to write ten Ques-
lions TO which Mr. Edison could net
furnish 80 per cent technically cor
rect answers.
Ii you do not believe 1t, or II Mr.
Edison does not believe 1t, try to write
down without consultation of any
books or seeking information from any
outside source the answers to these /:
Who was Pilpay?
What and where is the medulla OBJ
longata?
What point on the earth has neither
latitude nor longitude7
OF what nationality was Columbusf
Which is the oldest Of modern re-
ligiOnsl
How many teeth has dOgf
How much does cubic foot of air
weight
Were is the island OF Philaef
How many nations has the earthi
What three noted men were contem-
pOrates OF voltaire7
OF course as wrote down these ques-
tions | naturally chose queries to
which | knew the answers and yet !
am not, even as the author Of the
queries, certain as to the accurate an
swers to two OF them.
To be able to answer all Of those
ten questions correctly, offhand, would
Indicate education, but II would prove
knowledge.
The mind Of the college graduate
when he leaves his alma mater is In
much the same condition as the palate
OF q man who has tasted In rapid sue
cession several varieties Of spices.
He Is unable to make prompt and
accurate use OF what he really pos
sesses.
To the spice faster all the spices
temporarily taste alike.
To the graduate his information II
q conglOmerate mass out of which he,
with great difficulty, picks the fact
which he requires.
Time will restore the accuracy to
the palate.
Time and application of the knowi-
edge will enable the college man to
arrange his mental storehouse 80 thar
ne knows where things are and how
to use them.
Mr.. Edison does the college gradu-
ates an injustice when he says they
are uneducated. They are In most
eases educated, but they are un-
trained.
Education you can get In part from
books. Training comes only with ex-
perience and practice. in applying edu-
cation.
st. Bernard, who was one OF the
greatest Of ecclesiastics, writing to a
friend, said: Trust to one who has
had experience. Stones and trees will
teach you what you will never learn
from the masters"
And Shakespeare, who had perhaps
read what st. Bernard wrote, put
these lines In "As You Like It."
"And this our life, exempt fron
public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books In the
running brooks,
Sermons In stones, and good in every