The University of Hard Knocks

em of "Pr

g Childr

e into insignificance before this. The history of nations shows that their strength was not in the size of their a

long as the people were struggling and overco

le. When the people became materially prosperous and surrendered to ease and indulgence,

an nation reac

communities h

en thru their struggles, who are saying, "Our children shall have better chances than we had.

y from their children their birthright-their opportunity to beco

etting out of his way. Many an orphan can be grateful that he was jolted from

r children the best educ

ation, or else send off to New York or Paris or to "Sears Roebuck," and get a bucketful or a tankful of education. If they are rich enough, maybe they will have a private pipeline of e

blow out." Those inflated children are

y can do is to buy them some tools, perhaps, and open the gate

hlete to give them his physical development he has earned in years of exercise. As well expect the musician to give them the technic he has acquired in years of practice. As well exp

en the way, but each chi

a typi

ry of "

rty mill and a lot of little dirty houses around the mill. The hands lived

in' like the rest of you." He was the man who owned the mill. He had made it with his own geniu

idolatry f

vus Adolphus. The little old man often said, "I'm goin

nt him to the astrologer, the phrenologer and all other "ologers" they had around there. When Gussie was old enough to export, he sent th

at about everything else, and so foolish about his own boy. In

the opportunity of becoming great

thru that university about like a steer from Texas goes thru Mr. Armour's institute of packno

and he merely rides thru and receives it. There is a row of professors with their sleeves rolled up who give him the degrees. So as Mr. T. Steer of Panhandle goes ridin

o department. They upholstered him, enameled him, manicured him, sugar-cured him, em

d. The mill shut down on a week day, the first time in its history. The hands marched down to the

re was crape hanging on the office door. Men and women stood

Adolphus was at its head. He had inherited the

ce. In two years and seven months the mill was a wreck. The monument of a father's lif

a descriptive name, I would call him "Bill Whackem." He was an orphan. He had little chance. He had a new black eye almost every day. But he seemed to fatten on bumps. Every time he was bu

they simply had to appoint Hon. William Whackem. It was Hon. William Whackem who put the w

s Give

ussie. They said Bill succeeded so well because he never went to one of "th

is handicaps. If he had had Gussie's fine equ

education." They cannot do that. You cannot get an education from the book and the college any more than you can

ou finer working tools. But the real education is the journey you make, the s

d no experience in using them. Bill was the man with the poor, homemade, c

Knocks G

rally. I believe I know some people liberally educated who cannot write their own names. But the

who have never been to college nor have studied many or any books. Yet they are ed

ave been handicapped by

n handicapped by lack of proper preparation.

e from a few bits of junk. But send him to Westinghouse and see how mu

eparations. When you are thru with the books, remember, you are having a commencement, not an end-m

nto the school of service and write your education in the

urts will take as evidence when t

dy of Unp

every community in tears, failure and heartache. It is

s and large bank accounts, so often think they can give greatness to their

enough for the places. The child gets the blame for making the wreck, even as

nce very indignant. He said he was very glad his boy was not there to hear it. But that

e of the lecture somebody does not take me aside a

come a man. He seems to have been robbed of his birthright from the cradle. Yet the father of this boy who has cost America millions in court and detention expenses was one of the great

se who blunder most in the training of their ch

the swollen fortunes, but in the

he barrel shaking down the rattlers. Somebody said it is

ys this nation produces. Steam heat is a fine thing, but do you

, Learn

u everything you need. You get to thinking, "I won't have to turn my hand over. Papa and mamma wi

trouble. You are going to rattle. Father an

back. Anybody who does for you regularly what you can do for yourself-anybody who gi

in your head and food in your stomach, but you canno

in trouble and needed help. He opened the envelope with a knife and set the struggling insect free. But out came a monstrosity that soon died. It had an over-developed body and under-developed wings. He learned that helpi

ckhors

d a place to lie down to sleep, then another day of the same grind, then a year of it and years following until our machin

nd that horse went, seeing nothing, hearing nothing, his head down, without ambition enough to prick up his ears. Such work deadens and stupefies. The masses work ab

ng to grow upward to it, that is the wo

p, we will love even the packhorse job, because it i

g" the

nough, one day the eggs began to crack and the little turkeys began to stick their heads out of the shel

hell out," I urged, "for Than

stuck to

the shells off. "Little turkeys, you will never know how fortunate you are. Ordinar

was "right" that I helped. They were runts. One of them was a regular

hells. You must overcome your own o

ance than a poor boy. The cards are against hi

ter, for the joy of having a larger life. I am pleading with you to kn

ss in O

All the world is seeking happiness, but so many are

developing a greater arm, a gr

an expanding consciousness. It is the cry of the eagle

find happiness in our work, we have the wrong job. Find the work that

me into "taking care" of myself. And I got to taking such good car

nd rejuvenated me. Now I do two men's work, and have grown from a skinny, fretful, nervous wreck into a hearty, happy man. This has be

days-and then take a vacation by editing and writing. Thus every day is jam full of play and vacation and good times. The ye

se, I would be carrying a terrible

e Paul I am happy to be "absent from the body and present with the Lord." Thus this old body behaves just beautifu

ver known of anyone killing himself by working. But I have

working are merely overworrying. T

is to d

for those you love, is to turn work

work, it is not

nds of

n being amused. The world is amusement-

stands and see a picture of the popular mind, for these places keep just what the people

nkard. There are a hundred amusement drunkards to one

ith nothing but amusement, we never grow. We go thru

me hall to lecture, I hear somebody asking, "Wh

o have a

tho it was "small pox." "I ain'

wants to follow his nose around. Other people generally lead his nose. The man who will not make the effort to think is the great menace to the nation. The crowd that drifts and lives for amuse

re of

get more salary. Poor, hungry, doped butterflies of the bright lights,-hopers, suckers and straphangers! Down the great white way they go ch

ne will stop chasing amusements long enough to think upon his ways, he will arise and go to his father's house of wisdom. But t

is not furnishing th

the muscle that goes on continually relaxing is degenerating. And the individual, the community, th

axing another is contracting. So you must learn that your real relaxation, vacat

the great pulpit, to the college chair-go to any place of great responsibili

o, I was born in Poseyville, Indiana, and I came to thi

and push-buttons. There is no virtue in a log-cabin, save that there the necessity for struggle that brings strength is most in evidence. There the young person gets the struggle and service that makes for str

ntrols the majority. The red blood of redemption flows from the country year

would disappear. If it were not for Poseyville,

Pep" for th

ns of America are sick. Man

ng people leave is the town the young people ought to leave. Somebody says, "The

elephones, centralized schools, automobiles and good roads, there are no more delightful places in the world to live than in the

o thousand insane people in this institution and only a score of guards to keep them in. Aren't you in danger? Wha

on't understand. If these people could get together they wouldn't be in this asylum. They are insane.

owns of America have one thing in common with the asylum folks-they can't get together. They cannot organize for the public

massing for the common good. And when the churches fight, the

of a hundred of them will jostle with the straphangers all their lives, mere wheels turning round in a huge machine. Ninety-nine out

ord to spend its years raising crops of young people for the cities. That is the worst kind of soil impoverishment-all goi

tness of a few crowded cities, but in t

ld be, For God and Ho

ol of

ty at Ada, Ohio, one of Ohio's greatest educators, used to sa

ses elastic to accommodate them. He saw the need of combining the school of books with the school of struggle. He organized his school into

lt that he was initiating an individual or class effort to win. The literary societies vied with each other in their programs and in getting new members, going every term to unbelievable efforts to win over the others. They would go miles out on the trains

do not believe there is a school in America with a greater a

e schools offering encouragement and facilities for young peop

d More Th

new educational

eges, each with its handful of students around a teacher, as in the old days of

e the makers and the p

few great centralized state normal schools and state universities. We are spending millions upon them in laboratories, equipment and ma

es" would have rejoiced to see this

then. Knowing and growing demand the same personal struggle in the cushions of

nts will not be rows of lithographed cans on the shelves of life. I am hoping they will not be shorn of their individuality,

he modern equipment demanded to serve the present age. But I am more anxious that each student come in vital touch with g

than machinery, methods,

d the spirit of its teachers are its greatest endowment. And sometimes when the money endowment comes the spiritual endowment goe

ep our ideals untainted by foundations?

ry much interest