The New York herald., 1921-05-18
In the College of Life.
Experience Of Man Who Began
Working for a Living at II.

To THE NEW YORK HERALD like the
letter OF "W. G. NJ" on Boys Chances
Now" Autobiographically as man in
his seventy-ffth year. permit me to say
that as a very poor boy ] attended
very poor country school with young
women as very poor teachers. At four
teen was compelled to earn my own
living and found my way into a high
class grocery store in a large city at a
wage of 81 a week.
There ] came in contact with well to
do. refined patrons and my tuition in
good manners began. My working hours
were from o'clock in the morning until
II at night. We did not have Samuel
Gcmpers and other union leaders to reg
ulate our hours of labor in those days
We worked and used our unfettered wits
in devisng ways to better ourselves.
After two years. realizing that / had
no time for reading, sought and found
employment in a wholesale book store
There / had books to read and my eve
nines for reading them, rs well as access
70 a public library David Copper
field" gave me the hint to study short
hand writing. and at twen.y-one | be-
came private secretary 10 a wealthy
banker.
Five years later his house Temporal
rily suspended payments during a panic
Through influences growing out OF that
| association l entered the service OF a.
Cabinet officer at Washington as his pri-
vate secretary. When he went out of
t~I
business. and several years afterward
became editor in chief OF one of the two
principal daily newspapers in another
large city.
wv. @. NJ" asks II we are not work
ing the school system to death. | think
we are, and / believe governmental reg
ulstion and constitutional amendments
arc working the Republic to death. Still,
while we are about It, and before the
end comes, n constitutional amendment
prohibiting Thomas a. Edison from char
| acterizing college men as Amazingly
ignorant" might be justified
| Personally I think Mr.. Edison Is too
dogmatic In his general declaration.
There is a vast number of college grad
, yates who as professional and business
men apply their accomplishments to the
best public uses On the other hand
there is a large number who begin their
mature lives on stills. Their diplomas
and caps and gowns too often are the
insignia of snobbishness rather than of
superiority OF mind, manners and char
acter.
Tltis Is particularly true OF young men
who have been forced against their own
inclination by their ambitious and un-
wise parents. or led, in pursuance of
their own sclf-ooncet. TO secure the
stamp OF a college or university cduca-
ton. These arc artificially lifted be-
ycnd their natural capacities ard liml-
tations and thus become ovcr-educatcd
noncntities and often are unable 70 adapt
themselves 20 any other occupation than
that of misohievous propagandists.
A boy at fourteen. possessed ot tho
foreknowledee that no must earn his
own living. should be permitted, II not
required. promptly to identity himself
with business activities. lie viii gain
far moro in his association with men
engaged In the practical affairs Of life
than can be derived from the humdrum
Of a public school roon and its Juvenile
chatter.
Granted that he Is endowed with ordi-
nary common sense, which embraces
moral and honest instincts. lie Will alb
sorb knowledge with every breath he
draws and every service properly per-
formed. A liberal education Is an intel
loctual luxury and not 70 be derided, but
excessive so-called education along lines
contrary TO the native instincts Of a
practical minded boy is as undesirable
as no education at all. EXPERIENCE.
NEW YORK. May IL.