Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885, June 01, 1875, Page 5, Image 5
iwvswmmm. T l t pWZZ7eXK M4tlk.U. St. ;H i THE HESPERIAN STUDENT. 3 in0!,t dangerous possession of the Amur! can people Witness Iho rlsu ami prog rs of slavery and Us culmination In a bloody civil war. Anil yet slaveiy was sustained by a perversion of Iho cherished axioms of the Declaration oi Indepen dence, our Constitution and the IIol, Scriptures, backed by the suffrages of a majority of tho voters of the country. Had our government been an absolute monarchy, like Hu?&lu, the disgraceful In ttlttition would huve been abolished bj tin-royal edict of the Czar, many years before the bloiid of two millions of free men paid the penally of our error. The progress and enlightenment of the age would have demanded this as It did in llussia. Hut our tiocercign voters are not o sensitive to tlio tender inlluenco of lin age, and the sentimental principle ol shame, as the Czar of Russia. Again witness the other dangerous ox tremolo which tho people hurried, when Ihe utterly ignorant, debased throng of rrt-edincn were endowed with the right ol suffrage I Thus at one ell'ort raising them from Urn condition of chattels to that ol men. Civil war, murder, and violence have been the result, and more dangerous evils threaten us. Witness Ihe deplorable scenes continually being enacted in our legislative halls, where the popular vote often places Ignorant and incompetent men. Laws are lobbied through and en acted more dangeous In their operation than unbridled anarchy Itself. Measures ostensibly for the common good are enact ed which prove greater curses to society than the evils they propose to remedy. As an example witness the legislative ecouo my of our lasl legislature mhicb none but an uncultured mob would have been guilty of; to compensate for th ravages of ihe locusts, they robbed the rhililren of the already alllicted West of the common school fund, squandered hundreds ol thousands of dollars upon Ihe Ponltontla ry and a railroad corporation, and filled their own capacious pociu'ts with rich perquisite ami fat stealings! We fear sometimes that we have caught a dangerous Tartar in this thing of popular suffrage; a little absolute des potisui would be u wholesome restringenl for mir chronic disease of worshiping the "sovereign will of the majority." Vet we are, we trust, a true American, and be lieve that the ballot is our greatest safe, guard, If used Intelligently, but our great est peril, If used ignorantly. The ballot hi the hands of an illiterate man is us dan erous as a razor in the hand ol a madman. If he does not cut his own throat, he is li able to murder his best friend. Wo are more llrinly convinced each day that the illiterate voter, and tho ignorant legislator are the most powerful enemies to our na tional prosperity, and especially to the cause of popular and higher education. The ignorant American voter is a very self-sufficient man. Ho is a bully and a conceited braggart, lie meets the man of culture and acknowledged superiority with His head thrown back and an air of deilunce which seems to say: "I'm as good us you are, don't presume to teach me any- thing." "Upon my arrival In the United States,'' sayH Do ToquoviHe, an emiuont French writer, "I was surprised to iiuil so much distinguished talent among tlio subjects, and so little among the heads of govern ment." Ho addB as a reason for tliiB state of things: "In the United States the peo pie do not hate the higher classes of socie ty, but are not favorably inclined towards them and carefully exclude them from the exercise of authority. They do not dread distinguished talents, hut arc rarely fond of them. In general, one who rises without their aid seldom obtains their fa vor." The statement of Iho learned gentleman Is eminently correct. 1 1 is reason therefor, (ii a general sense, is not quite so Iruo; for there is no country among the nations of the earth, where patient toll and Intrinsic merit reap so rich a reward and gain it so speedily as in our own United States. Hut we are forced to admit with regret that, politically, especially in Ihe West, this an lagonism of Ihe, more Ignorant and less cultured classes of society to this highly educated is il growing evil. It is tho great danger which threatens our couuliy. Wit ness the Constitutional Convention of our own State which lias Just adjourned, where the antagonism and line of divis ion between tho men ol culture anil thought and the more ignorant class, were very clearly apparent. Stubborn Igir ranee, strong In number", pitted against ability" and education I A little incident occurred during tlio convention which will serve as an Illustration of our state ment. An open meeting of the Commit, tec on Education was oppointed to meet one day at tho Capitol. A number of tho leading educators of the State, at large, and of the University were expected to be present and express their convictions lie- fore the Committee on various educational questions. Pending tills meeting, a gen tleniau metacer'ain member of the Conven tion iu the post otllce building, and there upon Ihe following edifying conversation ensued:"! understand," said the gentle man, "that you have an open session ol tho Committee on Education this after noon Y" "Yes, wo have," responded tlio honorable member, In language that would have paralyzed Pinneo, "and a lot of them confounded educational jackasses what don't know nothing about legislation, arc coming up hereto leant m how to leg islate"! Such then, we believe, is Ihe imminent crisis in our country. The danger which th Milan it i an antagonism betiacit igno ranee and (he high r education. If we have succeeded in showing the nature and import of this danger, it is our next duty to search for the causes. Experience has taught us thai, not unfre quontly, the causes for the political dis turbances of society, like tliedi-turbances of a new planet whose orbit has not been determined, are very dillicult to discover, and must sometimes be sought where one would least expect to llnd them, bo, wo approhor.d, in tho present case, the cause for the danger that threatens us lies closer to the doors of some of our eminent edu cators than they would like to acknowl edge. The prima at mo of thm anttigonim i the dt grading of the standard of higher ed ucation. Who are responsible for this V In a great measure, those educators who are the advo cates of special education, whether pro. fesslonal or Industrial, in lieu of a general or University education. There is an inllu. once arising in tlte halls of our profession al and Industrial schools, and spreading wider and wider among tho people, which is most baneful. We are aware that we are liable to bo misapprehended. Eminent men, like A. I). White of Cornell, are warm advocates of thorough, general edu- cation, but now and then a sneer or a slur upon the work of our literary colleges es. capes them, which Is construed Into an as sault on higher education by the mass'-s and the elli-ct is most dl'iaslrous. The de sign and object of all these schools is very commendable. The establishment of schools for the arts and industries is a tiling of recent origin and experiment. It has been a broad -stride in the inarch of though!, dillicult to realize. To Hhellleld and Lawrence, Wayland, Cornell and Mor rill, wo owe a deep debt, of gratitude. Therefore lei no one misunderstand our position. We have no word to say against (he usefulness of these institutions; thorn aclcett. It is the perversion of their true mission of which we complain. An some way there if a growing tendency to sneer at classic and general edueution'as frivol ous and impractical, and to extol special education as tlio only valuable culture. The notion is taking possession of the minds of the people that the acquirement of a 'rade and a knowledge of thesclenlllc principles upon which it is based, or the technicalities of a profession, is the highest type of education. The higher education is replaced by the technical, while the truth is, they should bo complements of eacli other. The evil inlluenco thus exerted until be acsidenlat, hut tho ell'ect is just as bad, and demands a remedy. Says James Fkoude: 1 accept without qualification tho llrst principle ol our loretailiers, mat every uoy 1)0111 into the world should bo put into the way of maintaining himself in honest in dependence. No education which does not make this its first aim is worth anything at all. First and foremost a man has to earn his living, and all the 'ologies will not of themselves enable him to earn it. Light! yes we want light but it must bo light which will help us to work and find food and clothes and lodging for ourselves." Yes, education should enable us to at tain and maintain n manly independence. And a true education will do it. But in spite of tlio eminent Historian's assertion, Ihe first aim of a true education is some lliing lienor, nobler, and holier than to find food and clothes. Thai we must care for the body well that we must live, and live in comfort, if possible, is a self-evident end in view. A man can not become an eminent or lntollliront specialist by lint and exclusively studying the particular branch he Intends to make his profession. "Education makes a man a more ltilolll- gent shoemaker, if that be his occupation, but notbv lunching him how to make shoes; it does so by the menial exercise it gives and the habits il. imposes." " Mx- perlence," continues .1. Stuakt Mii.i., ' proves that there is no one study or pur suit, which, practiced to the exclusion of all others, does not narrow and pervert the mind." Hut it is asserted that if the student at tempts to master more than one brunch of knowledge ho will be superficial In all. This is the ..ro.it objection urged against Ihe general education, the mint of time. What! is the business of getting food and clothes, anil hoarding up dollars so im portant, that only a little white can bo snatched from their engrossing cares to learn a trade or profession which has tho same cud in view V There Is time enough if well used, to thoroughly muster the general principles of all Ihe leading branches of literature and science, and then have time sulllcienl remaining to master a profession by which to earn your broad. We would rather increase the general college course in this country to the length required in the Scottish Uni versilies, than diminish il. Tills fear of spending time in gaining an education, we apprehend, is the secret why professioal and industrial schools are made the medium of lowering tlio stan dard of education. Iu our professional schools, in particular, and in reality, in our industrial institutions, it is so very easy and requires so short a time to gain a degree! More importance attaches to the possession of a diploma than most people imagine. It is a certificate of n certain amount of mental culture. If it is given without having been earned, it is a ficticious passport to iutoducoan impostor- of tho most dangerous character Into society. The masses are apt to rank all graduates on the same level. In the eyes of the people tho diploma of the scholar who has toiled leu years in tlio University, proposition; therefore the first care should js l)(. ,1() moro Vlliu0 u,an t,ut ,,f tho grad be for the body, hut the great aim of edu- j UU, ()1 a th,.eo ,mnth's course in a petty cation ouglit io nc u uevemp h ammg, pure uUsinChS College, or of a two year's courso in a Law School, or Medical Academy and noble character. As K. P. Wiiiitms says, to teach us to be something as well as U) .-now something; or, as Mr. Fkoude himself says, "To make us know our duly and do It, to make us upright in act and true in thought and word, is tho aim of all instruction, which deserves the name, the epitome of all purposes for which educa tion exists." Alas! the most of us only too well live up to tlio maxim of Mr. Fhoude. We make knowledge tho means of gain imr our daily bread, and not tlio end of our existence. The mind is prostituted to the service of the body. We make education tlio instrument to dig up gold, and not gold the means of furnishing ornament and nourishment for tho soul, and of add ing to the world's stock of intellectual wealth. It should be the aim of eacli generation to Jit tho next to lake a higher intellectual plane of life. Each successive generation should bo a superior class ol Intellectual hniiwru to tho nrocedimr. This result can- not bo attained by a special education in some particular applied science, or Jianiu craft, but by thoroughly mastering tlio general principles of all the important branches of classics and scientific lore, always studying, however, with a specific By tlio way, although right in themselves, under their present management, our business colleges and law and medical schools are likely to prove greater curses to society than ignorance itself; for thoy "ivo Ignorance tho warrant and title to disseminate itself. Multitudes of young men without iho rudiments even of a dis trict school education, annually, are thrust upon society bearing these factitious cor tlitaatcs of a fictitious education. The consequence Is that many are deceived, and our higher institutions are neglected for those schools where the name of "grad uate'1 can bo obtained by the outlay of ' little time, toll, or expense. The remedy for this evil will bo to make a thorough college education a prerequisite to en- trance Into our professional schools. But says Mr. Fhoudk : History, botany, logic, moral philosophy, classic literature, aro excellent as orna ment. It you euro tor sucn inings, inoy may bo tho amusement of your leisure hereafter, but thoy will not help you to stand on your feet and walk alone, and no one is property a man uaiu no can uo that. Wo might answer him and say that no one is properly a man until lie can do l m Wi 1 4 1 1? 10 i i . if, '3 i a ' I !': I '" I 1 ' i'A ; m ! 1 k i -i i - m"mlJ2J2M