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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 1901)
Conservative. JOHN R. H. LATCHAW , D. D. , President Defiance College. In this article the word olmnco is to bo understood in the souse opportun ity. And the question wo are to discuss will bo more clearly stated : "What are the young man's opportunities in the educational world today ? In general it may bo asked when were they ever greater in the history of our race ? When was there more money , 'means of all kind and time exacted and consumed upon the altar of education , than ; just now , at the beginning of the Twentieth Century ? To me it is one of the signs of the times an evidence that the world not only moves , but is perpet ually onward that men who have mil lions of dollars at their command are laying their money at the feet of educa tion. In 1880 the college wealth of the United States was probably estimated fairly at $50,000,000.00 all told , $35,000- 000.00 of which was acquired between the years of 1870 and 1880. Even more phenomenal is the increase in college and school property of all kinds since 1880. It is simply a marvellous exhibi tion of converting the lower and grosser products of the earth into the higher and more refined ; the temporal into the spiritual ; the material into moral and spiritual energy. Whether the increase is in proper proportion to the increase of the nation's wealth as a whole is doubt ful , and that much greater improvement might be made along this line we do not deny. But what has been done is indic ative of progress great and mighty ; it is suggestive of opportunity for the young people of this and coming gener ations. This opportunity is two-fold : an opportunity to be or become , and an opportunity to do. Opportunity is the fitting time , is many instances the only time , for doing or being. It is one of the most suggestive words in our language. Happy , blessed , indeed , is the man who sees his opportunity and has sense enough to seize it when it comes. There is an old Roman maxim which says opportunity has hair in front but is bald behind ; you can seize her as she approaches , but if she once gets by , Jupiter himself ( the president of the gods ) cannot overtake her. The great trouble has been for centuries that so many people have eyes , but they do not see ; ears , but they do not hoar. They sit on the fence gaping while opportun ity goes by. What more can bo said or done in order that the young man might be edu cated than at the present time ? I do not hero touch the ques tion of whether in some ways and conditions it is not being over done , I simply ask the average , wide awake , common-sensed young man , who wants an education , what could bo done for him that God , nature , and the edu cational spirit of our times have not done for him ? The only thing that my experience teaches me is sometimes lack ing in the case , is brains. Of course when that is wanting the end is known. I have known people who acted sometimes as if they thought the institution of learning ought to furnish brains. But it can not. Diplomas may be issued , de grees granted in some cases , where the question of brain has not conspicuously entered , but they cannot stand for educa tion nor impart culture. In addition to the vast amount of time and means devoted to the work of edu- catioii , the great variety of schools , rang ing from the kindergarten to our great universities , including industrial , tech nical , and professional training of all kinds ; and in most of these quite a wide JOHN U. II. LATCIJAW , D. 1) range of elective study , all go to increase the young man's opportunity , to not only obtain an education , but the education which is best adapted to his nature and his needs. Many young men whoso con dition in life compels them to work dur ing the day , obtain a good business edu cation in the night school or by corres pondence. To bo sure much depends upon the nature of the employment dur ing the day , as to results of night study. But I cannot but reflect what it woiild mean to the young man who works at manual labor in the shop or on the farm all day , if instead of walking a mile or more at night to spend the evening in idle dialling , nonsense or worse than nonsense , ho would cultivate the habit ofxeaditfjQr studying those two or three hdirs whioftare thus practically thrown away'eyerydjiy. What the young man may 6e. and b como , by simply wisely using hjs spare"-moments " I Surely no age offer morejiu the way of literature of all kinds tliim oura. It is no small fac tor in the Iui6 of education to keep thoroughly pcod in.'the news of the day , and to kno& < isome'frb > * ug of current literature and n tory Unparalleled facilities are offered for education of this sort , and , infract , of every sort. My observation , experience , and philos ophy , all drive mo to the same con clusion , so far as educational facilities are concerned surely they never were better. One other aspect of the case is worthy of a moment's notice , however. It is this : There is after all a want of time in this "hurry up" ago of ours. Young men , sometimes from choice , of toner from necessity , are driven to neglect their education for business. They do not have time , or at least , think they have not time for study. And the time factor can not be eliminated from culture of men any more than from growth of trees. This is not to be attributed so much to de fect in our educational methods or facilities , as to false notions and cus toms of life. The ten dency is toward undue anxiety concerning what we shall eat , what drink , and with what be clothed. The Great Master warned his disoiples against such folly. Greater simplic ity of living would mean longer and better living ; it would admit of some leisure for study. Less eating and drink ing , and less servitude to fashion would mean better libraries , more papers and magazines and a refined taste aii adornment of life almost as rare as it is beautiful. The mercenary spirit of our ago is , in my judgment , the greatest foe of education and religion. In our hurry to get rich wo have scarcely time to be come either learned or pious. The Opportunity to Do. Is there any room in the educational world for the young man to do something for himself and others ? Is the business not overdone ? Have we not more appli cants for positions in the learned profes sions than there are places ? I attended the sessions of a medical association , not long since , and if not consternation at
