the iron puddler-第28节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　on　the　knees　of　the　gods。〃　The　luck　of　the　Mooseheart　boy　is　not　on　the　knees　of　the　gods；　it　is　in　his　own　hands。

I　visited　the　Latin　department　and　heard　of　Rome's　ancient　grandeur。　〃The　Romans；〃　they　told　me；　〃were　not　philosophers；　but　builders。　They　built　concrete　roads　to　the　ends　of　the　earth。　But　their　soldiers　brought　back　malarial　fever　from　Africa。　It　destroyed　the　builders　and　their　secret　perished　with　them。　Eighty　years　ago　concrete　was　rediscovered。〃　I　asked　the　students：　〃Do　you　know　how　to　make　concrete？〃　〃I'll　say　we　don't；〃　they　answered。　And　that's　how　much　good　their　Latin　education　had　done　them。

The　Mooseheart　boys　know　how　to　make　those　concrete　roads　and　how　to　build　the　motor…trucks　that　travel　on　them。　〃Transportation　is　civilization。〃　We　teach　civilization　at　the　Mooseheart　school。　We　teach　art；　too。　But　what　is　art　without　civilization？　The　cave　men　were　artists　and　drew　pictures　on　their　walls。　But　you　can't　eat　pictures。　There　is　a　picture　on　every　loaf　of　bread。　You　always　slice　the　colored　label　off　the　loaf　and　eat　the　bread　and　throw　the　art　away。　The　Russians　quit　work　a　few　seasons　ago；　and　now　they　are　selling　their　art　treasures　cheap　to　the　roughneck　nations　that　stuck　to　the　pick…　ax　and　the　plow。　The　moral　is：　Keep　working　and　you'll　get　the　chromo。　This　truth　was　taught　at　Mooseheart　long　before　the　Russians　saw　the　point　and　awarded　us　their　picture　gallery。

What　I　want　to　emphasize　is　that　we　are　not　opposed　to　art　and　literature。　All　men　want　them；　need　them。　We　teach　how　to　get　them。



CHAPTER　XLVI

THE　MOOSEHEART　IDEA


The　majority　of　the　Moose　are　men　in　the　mechanical　trades。　But　the　primary　trade；　the　one　on　which　all　others　rest；　is　agriculture。　The　men　knew　this；　and　so　they　founded　Mooseheart　on　the　soil。　It　is　an　agricultural　school。　It　occupies　more　than　a　thousand　acres　in　the　richest　farming　region　of　Illinois。　The　first　thing　the　students　learn　is　that　all　wealth　comes　out　of　the　earth。　The　babies　play　in　the　meadows　and　learn　the　names　of　flowers　and　birds。　The　heritage　of　childhood　is　the　out…of…doors。　I　heard　of　some　children　in　the　city　who　found　a　mouse　and　thought　it　was　a　rabbit。　But　when　the　city…born　children　come　to　Mooseheart　they　come　into　their　own。　They　trap　rabbits　and　woodchucks；　fight　bumblebees'　nests；　wade　and　fish　in　the　creek　and　go　boating　and　swimming　in　the　river　and　the　clear　lake。

When　a　boy　gets　old　enough　to　leave　the　kindergarten　and　start　in　the　primary　school　he　mixes　agricultural　studies　with　his　books。　First　he　plants　a　small　garden　and　tends　it。　Then　he　is　taught　to　raise　chickens。　Next　he　learns　swine　husbandry　and　then　dairying　and　the　handling　of　horses。　The　girls　learn　poultry…　raising；　butter…making；　gardening；　cooking；　dressmaking　and　millinery。

After　the　boy　has　had　a　general　course　in　all　the　branches　of　agriculture　he　is　permitted　to　specialize　in　any　one　of　them　if　he　wants　to。　He　can　make　an　exhaustive　study　of　grain　farming；　dairying；　stock　breeding；　bee　culture；　horticulture　and　landscape　gardening。

After　this　grounding　in　agriculture；　which　all　the　boys　must　have；　the　student　gets　an　introduction　to　the　mechanical　trades。　Then　he　may　select　a　particular　trade　and　specialize。　The　usual　grammar…school　and　high…school　courses　are　taught　to　all　the　students；　also　swimming　and　dancing　and　music；　both　vocal　and　instrumental。　The　kindergarten　has　a　babies'　band；　and　both　the　girls　and　boys　have　their　own　brass　bands　and　orchestras。

Students　are　graduated　when　they　are　eighteen。　Up　to　that　time　they　are　permitted　to　stay　and　learn　as　many　trades　as　they　can。　Learning　comes　easy　in　such　a　school　as　Mooseheart；　and　many　of　the　boys　go　out　with　two　or　more　finished　trades。　Music　is　one　of　the　trades　that　the　boys　double　in。　We　have　graduated　many　fine　musicians；　but　none　who　didn't　know　a　mechanical　trade　as　well　and；　on　top　of　it　all；　he　knew　how　to　run　a　farm。　Such　a　boy　can　serve　his　country　in　peace　or　war。　Before　men　can　eat　they　have　to　have　food；　and　he　knows　how　to　raise　it。　To　enjoy　their　food　they　must　have　a　house　to　live　in；　and　he　knows　how　to　build　it。　After　a　house　and　food　comes　music。　This　lad　can　play　a　tune　for　the　cabaret。

One　of　Mooseheart's　earliest　graduates　made　a　high　record　in　his　academic　studies　and　mastered　the　trade　of　cook；　pastry　cook；　nurseryman；　cement　modeler；　cornetist；　saxophone　player　and　landscape　gardener。　He　was　brilliant　in　all　these　lines　and　ready　to　make　a　living　at　any　one　of　them。　And　if　all　these　trades　should　fail；　he　was　yet　a　scientific　farmer　and　could　go　to　the　land　anywhere　and　make　it　produce　bigger　crops　than　the　untrained　man　who　was　born　on　the　soil。

What　other　school　in　the　world　will　give　a　boy　at　eighteen　an　equipment　like　that？　I　ask　this；　not　to　disparage　the　old…　fashioned　schools；　but　to　call　their　attention　to　what　the　new　are　doing。



CHAPTER　XLVII

LIFE'S　PROBLEMS


Mooseheart　is　at　once　a　farm；　a　school　and　a　town。　The　boys　help　handle　the　crops　and　herds　under　the　guidance　of　the　experts　who　teach　the　classes　in　agriculture。　For　extra　work　in　the　fields　the　boys　receive　pay。　They　save　their　money　to　buy　the　tools　of　their　trade。　The　bandsmen　when　they　graduate　go　out　with　fine　instruments　bought　with　their　own　earnings　during　their　school　years。　〃Preparation　for　life〃　is　the　one　aim　of　Mooseheart。　Therefore　at　Mooseheart　the　boy　or　girl　will　encounter　every　problem　that　he　will　encounter　in　his　struggle　in　the　wider　world。　Nothing　is　done　for　him　that　he　can　do　for　himself。　He　is　taught　no　false　theories。　But　every　fact　of　life　is　placed　before　him　in　due　time。　The　first　wealth　of　facts　comes　to　these　city…bred　children　when　they　are　set　down　in　the　middle　of　this　great；　busy；　beautiful　farm。　John　Burrows　says：　〃No　race　that　does　not　take　to　the　soil　can　long　hold　its　country。　In　the　struggle　for　survival　it　will　lose　its　country　to　some　incoming　race　that　loves　the　soil。〃　Already　the　Japanese　farmers　in　California　have　shown　that　if　we　should　let　them　in　they　would　take　this　whole　country　in　a　few　years。　They　drive　the　American　farmer　out　because　they　have　a　passion　for　the　soil；　and　they　turn　their　whole　families　in　to　till　it。　What　is　the　answer？　Teach　our　young　to　love　the　soil　and　to　till　it　well；　or　else　an　alien　race　will　take　away　their　heritage。　The　first　lesson　in　Mooseheart　is　to　till　the　soil。

But　in　addition　to　being　a　farm；　Mooseheart　is　a　town。　The　young　folk　live　in　cottages　and　do　their　own　cooking　and　house…keeping。　There　are　no　great　dormitories　where　hundreds　sleep；　and　no　vast　dining…room　where　they　march　in　to　the　goose…step。　We　are　preparing　them　for　a　free　life；　and　the　only　place　they　use　the　goose…step　is　in　the　penitentiary。　Mooseheart　is　a　town　instead　of　an　institution。　All　〃institutionalism〃　is　cast　away。　In　each　cottage　is　a　group　of　boys　or　a　group　of　girls　living　under　family　conditions。　They　are　not　all　of　the　same　age；　some　are　big　and　some　are　little；　and　the　big　ones　look　after　the　little　ones。　Each　cottage　has　its　own　kitchen　and　orders　its　own　supplies　from　the　general　store。　The　girls'　cottages　have　each　a　matron　（sometimes　a　widow　who　with　her　little　ones　has　been　admitted　to　Mooseheart）；　and　she　advises　the　girls　how　to　do　the　buying　and　the　cooking。

In　the　boys'　cottages　there　is　a　proctor　to　advise　them　and　usually　a　woman　cook。　The　boys　who　care　to　can　learn　cookery　and　household　buying　under　her　supervision。　All　the　boys　do　their　own　dishwashing；　sweeping　and　bed…making。　Once　three　boys　about　fourteen　years　old　went　on　strike　because　the　proctor　asked　them　to　scrub　the　dining…room　floor　on　their　knees。　They　thought　this　work　would　degrade　them；　and　they　started　toward　the　superintendent's　office。　On　the　way　they　met　me　and　told　me　their　troubles。

〃I　think　it　is　all　right　for　a　young　man　to　scrub　a　floor　on　his　knees；〃　I　said。　〃I've　done　it　for　my　mother　many　a　time。　I　have　been　a　bootblack。　But　it　didn't　hurt　my　character。　You　are　going　to　the　superintendent　for　his　opinion。　He　is　a　Harvard　man；　but　he　worked　his　way　through　school　and　one　of　his　jobs　was　bellboy　in　a　hotel。　Had　he　been　too　proud　to　work　as　a　servant　he　would　never　have　gotten　the　education　that　makes　him　head　of　this　great　school。　Didn't　you　ever　scrub　a　floor　on　your　knees？　You　can　see　the　dirt　come　out　with　the　suds　and　you　can　watch　the　grain　of　the　wood　appear；　where　before　it　was　hidden　by　dust　and　grease。　If　you　never　saw　that；　you　have　missed　something　that　I　have　seen　many　a　time。　To　know　how　to　scrub　a　floor　is　as　much　a　part　of　your　education　as　to　know　how　to　sandpaper　a　floor　and　varnish　it。　We　could　hire　this　work　done　better　than　you　can　do　it；　but　that　wouldn't　be　giving　you　a　chance　to　learn　the　work。　Now　I'm　not　telling　you　boys　to　go　back　and　do　the　work　if　you　don't　want　to。　Use　your　own　judgment。　But　fellows　that　balk　on　a　job　never　go　far。　A　balky　man　is　like　a　balky　horse；　everybody　gets　rid　of　him　as　quickly　as　they　can。　A　quitter　is　never　given　a　good　job。　They　always　keep　him　in　a　place　where　it　doesn't　make　any　difference　whether　he　quits　or　not。〃

The　leader　of　the　boys　said：　〃Aw；　piffle；　cut　it　out。　We　might　as　well　be　scrubbing　the　floor　as　listening　to　this　talk。　Come　on；　fe