Concerning the Education of Young Men. V: High School and College

CONCERNING THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG MEN. BY MILTON BENNION, M. A., PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY, UNIVER- SITY OF UTAH. V.—HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE. It is not uncommon to find two extreme views of the value and importance of school education. One of these views identifies the school with education, and measures men by the number and grade of the schools they have attended. The other view regards the school, especially of the higher sort, as unnecessary and artificial, and holds that it is better for young people to get their education through hard experiences of life. The first view comes from an inadequate comprehension of education; the second, from a misunderstanding of the nature and purpose of the school. The school can be most correctly judged by viewing it in the light of history. Primitive man was educated without the aid of schools; but he was also without elaborate organization of church and state. He was a stranger to complex industrial conditions, and altogether his life was very simple. Somewhat analogous conditions prevail in pioneer communities, except that while conditions are less simple, they are generally more strenuous than with primitive man. Under these conditions man's time and resources are so occupied in acquiring the means of physical life that he has little opportunity to establish or patronize schools and colleges. It is true that without these aids some primitive peoples have attained a civilization worthy of respect, and some of our leading men today have come up through the hard conditions of pioneer

CONCERNING THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG MEN 699 life with little or no schooling. These latter cases are sometimes pointed out in disparagement of school training. Let us look into the reasons for this opinion. It must be understood at the outset that the whole life process is one of education, and that all the experiences of life, including the labor connected with making a living, and one's association with others in the family, and in civil and religious societies, enter into one's education. The school may be regarded as an institution that aims to provide for that kind of education that requires formal instruction and training, and that cannot be so well managed by other institutions. To return to the case of pioneer education. The men who have been brought up under these adverse conditions, but who have nevertheless attained to eminence, are men who have been diligent in every calling of life, and who have, moreover, taken advantage of every opportunity presented to them for self' improvement. They have devoted part of their time for many years to private study. Many of them have also traveled extensively. Thus, by this private study and wide experience, they have made up for much that was lacking in formal school training. If young men would become great through imitating great men, this imitation must be based upon principles. It cannot be based upon the detailed events of life. Any attempt thus to imitate another in detail is sure to be harmful rather than beneficial, sure to bring the imitator all the follies and weaknesses of his idol, without any of the strength and greatness. We learn from others by studying their character and principles, and by seeking to imitate only in this general way. Conditions, in detail, are greatly changed from one generation to another, but the fundamental principles of life and character remain the same. Some of these I have already indicated. To put them down more definitely, we may say, in negative statement, that the successful man does not idle away his time; he is not a loafer. He does not contract immoral habits. He does not shirk duties and responsibilities. In positive terms: He takes advantages of all opportunities for self-culture and development. He lives a virtuous and temperate life. He has courage and energy to meet every emergency, and he is pos"

700 IMPROVEMENT ERA. sessed by a sense of responsibility to God and his fellow men in all his conduct. These, therefore, are the things to be imitated. In so doing, no one will miss an opportunity to obtain secondary and higher education because some one else has been successful without it. No one who is fortunate enough to go to college will think that the mere fact of attendance there will put him on the road to greatness. There, as elsewhere, these same principles must be diligently applied. The application of these principles in the lives of most young men, today, would give them at least some advanced school training. A little energy and worthy ambition on the part of a youth will bring these advantages within easy reach. It is much more necessary now that young men should have this training than it was a generation ago. Conditions have so changed that if a young man is to profit by present and future opportunities, he must have better general education and more technical training than his father had to gain equal success. For instance, forty years ago young men could find abundance of land with water available, still unoccupied, and this virgin soil they could own and cultivate with very little capital and still less school training. They could with equal ease engage in stock raising on the public domain. The orchards and gardens in this new country were not generally infested with pests that required skilled scientific treatment. It is true that, with these easy conditions, there was also a lack of many comforts and luxuries now very common. But these comforts and luxuries never having been possessed, were not regarded as necessary to comfortable living. The increase of population and the advancement of civilization have changed all this. While many of the old opportunities have passed, new ones have taken their places. But the new opportunities are different in kind, and they require different training. A. young man, seeking to profit by the best opportunities, will find that competition has become a prominent factor, and that if he would succeed he must have as good training as that of his competitors. Higher education, then, is becoming more and more a necessity. Both state and church are doing their part to provide oppor-

CONCERNING THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG MEN. 701 tunities for young people to meet these conditions. The practically free, liberal and technical training that the state, church, and some private schools, afford should be an inspiration to every young man to become a member of one or more of these institutions. If a youth has to work and save in order to pay his own expenses while in school, this need be no obstacle. On the contrary, it is commonly an advantage, since this very experience tends to give strength and stability of character that, joined with scholastic studies and •experience, make for the highest manhood. To be successful, a young man entering upon a school course must be thoughtful and attend carefully to his habits. If I were advising in reference to these, I should say: Cultivate vigor in all your work. The preparation of a lesson is measured, not merely by the time spent over it, but by the amount of concentrated attention given it. A few hours of vigorous work are worth more than a whole day of half-hearted application. If sleepy in the evening,do not nod over your books until midnight, but go to bed at nine o'clock, if need be, and have enough sleep in a well ventilated room, so that you can work without dozing between the disjointed fragments of your thought. A little relaxation shortly before and for some time after meals is, in the end, economy of time. Physical exercise, in moderation, is necessary. This may be had in athletics, gymnastics, or otherwise, depending upon the inclinations of the individual and the opportunities at hand. If taken in athletics, avoid excess; take enough to promote health and the greatest mental power. Let it be a means to this end, but do not be possessed by athletics. Seek to be regular in all personal habits. Be active |in student organizations, and other worthy enterprises. Do not break the connection between knowing and doing. A whole-hearted, patriotism, manifested in co-operating with others for the advancement of the institution of which you are a member, is the best antidote for that carping, destructive criticism characteristic of the cynic. As to what course of study, or what elective studies, should be taken in the high school or college, suggestions would have to be made to fit the natural abilities, inclinations and circumstances of each individual. This can be done by teachers and intelligent parents as the work progresses. A few hints, however, in gen_

702 IMPROVEMENT ERA. eral. It is not good for young people to try to specialize at the beginning of their courses. They cannot do it successfully. The first years should be devoted to general studies to form a foundation for special scholarship or technical studies. These early years may be devoted properly to acquiring a more perfect knowledge of the English language and literature, to the study of elementary algebra and geometry, the elements of physics, chemistry, and biology, of history and geography, civil government and economics, physiology and psychology, and to the acquisition of one or more foreign languages. Those who are going on with advanced studies will find it most economical to do their elementary work in foreign languages in the high school period, beginning as early as they can. That the acquirement of foreign language becomes more difficult with age, after maturity, is too well known to require comment. Beware of a tendency to turn against, and try to get out of, a study that you do not happen to like at the beginning, or one that presents unusual difficulty. Be governed by your highest* ideals, rather than by temporary inclination. You should consider not so much what your interests are, but what they ought to be, and endeavor to make the are conform to the ought. You may follow your natural or acquired interests if they are right and best for you; if they are not, create new ones to take their places. A new interest can be created by directing attention to the thing that is to be the object of interest, and by working successfully with it. Any student will observe that if he gets behind in a study and neglects it, his interest lags; and that the harder he works, and the more difficulties he overcomes, the greater his interest and his profit. Beware, also, of a tendency to reject every study that seems to you to have no practical value. That word practical is a snare to many minds, since it is frequently misunderstood or misapplied. What practical value have poetry and philosophy? None, indeed, for the vulgar who see nothing in life but making a living. For most people, nine-tenths of the science, history and literature they study likewise would have to be condemned. If you would know what is truly practical in education, lift your eyes to the starry heavens and ask yourself, Is it worth while to know something of the meaning of this Uniwse? Is it worth while to appreciate its grandeur and to behold the

CONCERNING THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG MEN. 703 beauty it contains? Is it worth while to think and feel and act as though you were an organic part of this Universe, and especially as if you were a unit in the great brotherhood of mankind? If you answer in the affirmative, then you must know all you can about this Universe, and you must comprehend and feel as fully as possible the life of mankind. Then mathematics and science, history and biography, languages and literature, art, philosophy, and religion, all these have intense practical value. They, each and all, will help you to understand the world, the life of man, and God, and to enter into and appreciate this life. They will aid you, not merely to make a living, but to live that richer, fuller, more spiritual life appropriate to man as a child of God. Salt Lake City,