The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1921-12-23
TALKS ON EDUCATION.
(By BRowNLEE FRIx)
'CCCOOCooccOooo
1T PAYS TO EDUCATE.

Up to the time DR.. Edward Jenner
lived smallpox was the scourge Of the
world. 1t was worse than thousands
of kissing forked-tongued poisonous
snakes. Snakes may be killed, but
there was no weapon with which to
fight this plague; no door that would
keep 1t out. Deaf to all entreaties, 1t
went whene 1t would, in palace, in nut
marring beauty and spreading death
an desoluation and terror along its
way. Then DR.. Jenner with "scien-
tific application Of his knoledge" dis
covered vaccination. 1t was a mighty
good thing for you and the whole
world, that that boy was educated.
Suppose that all the people in North
and South America were transplanted
back to the old world. why" you
say, that would be like trying to put
full grown chicken back into an egg
she'll There would not be room TO-
us" If Christopher Columbus, instead
of being allowed to study every theory
that had been advanced in regard tc
the shape of the earth, had been
worked in a cotton mill all through
his childhood America might yet be
undiscovered It was good thing for
20 uthat he was educated.
Suppose that all the steam engines
were not in existence, that we had to
depend on wind and horses and man.
power to do the things which steam is
doing for us. If the talent which God
planted in James Watt had not been
developed we might not yet know
what steam engine is. 1t was fine
thing for you that he was educated.
Suppose that you should go to your
grocer's and find that he did not have
any canned goods at all, you would
say, "Why when did the cyclone hi
your store? 1t left you with almost
nothing" If Nicholas Appert, who
discovered a way to can fruits and
vegetables, meats and everything that
is now saved in cans, had been swim
died out of his opportunity to develop
his great talent we might not yet
know what canned goods are like, and
millions of dollars worth of food
might still be going to waste, and mil
lions of people starving. 1t was
good thing for you and for all human
ity that Nicholas Appert was educat-
ed.
|. know what you want to say: that
il these things had not been invented
or discovered by these men, others
would have invented or discovered
them. But the Others" would have
been educated! Just as each individ
ual differs in looks from al lother in
dividuals, 1t seems that the Create:
has given each individual peculiar tai
ents. ducate all the children; develop
their talents, and a transformed world
will soon blossom into being.
Jules Verne, who SO accurated de-
scribed the submarine that all the in
ventors had to do was to follow his
description, said that the future fuel
Of the world will be water, that the
hydrogen and oxygen which compose
water will be separated by electricity
and will furnish the world with an
inexhaustible supply Of fuel. Stranger
things than that have been done. The
world is waiting with brass band
and a crown for the man who can
make water burn. Is the boy who
holds this priceless boon in his brain
getting a square deal? Are his talents
bein gdeveloped? 1t Is a good thing
for us IL they are and bad thing for
us If they are not.