The Llano colonist. [volume] (Llano, Calif.) 191?-1937, 1922-12-23
Reporters: Maxine Gsddis, Gather.
me Sutherland and Bennett Babb.
Advantages Here and Elsewhere

Advantages Here and Elsewhere
! have often heard men say: "oh
it ! had only had an opportunity t
get an education when | was Young
what happy life | could be Twins
now!'
That is the disadvantage that ha.
numbered the masses from advancement
ever since ancient history: No advan
tages to learn, to grow mentally, anc
to develop the great power within
which is the only power by which VIC
can hope to broaden our knowledge
Every hindrance that was available
has been thrown in the pathway Of the
common people that they might moi
know and perceive the great power.
which they possess.
Schools, colleges, universities, and
all educational institutions have been
run for centuries by the class that wish.
es to keep the poor in ignorance and
poverty, in order that they can prey
upon their bare backs with their sharp
talons. Our school books are full Of
the competitive system. King and
slave stories, profit and, loss, political
civics, and historical lies about the la
boring class is all we are taught.
Again, we are hindered in advance
ment by the prohibiting Of new ideas
and inventions to be materialized.
Early in the eighteenth century, ma
chinery was invented to aid the tex
tile workers and the miners in England,
but it was over a century before it was
used simply because it would open the
eyes Of the workers, that they might
demand better conditions. Benjamin
Franklin discovered electricity, and yet
it is on " of recent years that the COM
mon classes can afford its use. New
inventions are springing up daily, but
unless they can be put before the public
at a high price and for the benefit of
some speculator, we never hear of
them. There have been some success
full substitutes for gasoline, but where
have they gone? Surely the oil trust
would not let such an invention ma
terialize as long as they have gas to
sell. There was once an unbreakable
glass discovered, but what has become
of it? Some glass company gave the
inventor few thousand dollars to keep
his mouth closed and that ended it.
They could not afford to be out-done
by any such new-fangled stuff. So we
still are using brittle glass. Hundreds
of other such inventions are being dis
covered every year and unless some
company or corporation c3n make.
fortune from them, they are never fur
ther mentioned.
The same S true with our school
system. Teach the pupil how to swim
die his .neighbor without getting bit
himself, and you are a good teacher.
The man who graduates from college
with the highest honors is the man who
is best fitted to beat his fellow man
out of his earnings. Be banker, a
lawyer, merchant, doctor, and take
from humanity all you can get and rem
der the least service possible is the sIo-
gan of the world. The nation is des-
perately suffering today because there
are thousands of bankers. lawyers,
preachers, doctors, and dealers Of all
kinds; because there are more thou
sands who have no profession at all.
simply because under the system which
they were born under, they never had
an opportunity; but there are only hum
dreds who are professional farmers.
gardeners, mechanics, electricians, and
all the many other useful professions
that aid humanity. How often | as a
young man have been asked, What
are you going to make of yourself"
And when l reply Horticulture is my
trade. journalism my profession. how
l have been laughed at and told that
/ am preparing myself for life of
hard toll, without rewards! BE law
yer; you can speak; there is money
in that. /" is what dozens have told me:
And when l reply that the world could
not live on lawsuits, how often have
been told that | was fool. Leave il
to the other fellow! Yes, leave all the
constructive work to the other fellow
and he tries to leave it to the next
fellow, and SO on down the line, until
we come TO the conditions as they are
to-day-miIIions living off the few. In
4 al. i all