the university of hard knocks-第12节

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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　to　intercept　new　students；　even　to　their　homes　in　other　states。　Each　old　student　pledged　new　students　in　his　home　country。　The　military　companies　turned　the　school　into　a　military　camp　for　weeks　each　year；　scarcely　sleeping　while　drilling　for　a　contest　flag。

Those　students　went　out　into　the　world　trained　to　struggle。　I　do　not　believe　there　is　a　school　in　America　with　a　greater　alumni　roll　of　men　and　women　of　uniformly　greater　achievement。

I　believe　the　most　useful　schools　today　are　schools　of　struggle　schools　offering　encouragement　and　facilities　for　young　people　to　work　their　way　thru　and　to　act　upon　their　own　initiative。




Men　Needed　More　Than　Millions


We　are　trying　a　new　educational　experiment　today。

The　old　〃deestrick〃　school　is　passing；　and　with　it　the　small　academies　and　colleges；　each　with　its　handful　of　students　around　a　teacher；　as　in　the　old　days　of　the　lyceum　in　Athens；　when　the　pupils　sat　around　the　philosopher　in　the　groves。

From　these　schools　came　the　makers　and　the　preservers　of　the　nation。

Today　we　are　building　wonderful　public　schools　with　equally　wonderful　equipment。　Today　we　are　replacing　the　many　small　colleges　with　a　few　great　centralized　state　normal　schools　and　state　universities。　We　are　spending　millions　upon　them　in　laboratories；　equipment　and　maintenance。　Today　we　scour　the　earth　for　specialists　to　sit　in　the　chairs　and　speak　the　last　word　in　every　department　of　human　research。

O；　how　the　students　of　the　〃dark　ages〃　would　have　rejoiced　to　see　this　day！　Many　of　them　never　saw　a　germ！

But　each　student　has　the　same　definite　effort　to　make　in　assimilation　today　as　then。　Knowing　and　growing　demand　the　same　personal　struggle　in　the　cushions　of　the　〃frat〃　house　as　back　on　the　old　oak…slab　bench　with　its　splintered　side　up。

I　am　anxiously　awaiting　the　results。　I　am　hoping　that　the　boys　and　girls　who　come　out　in　case…lots　from　these　huge　school　plants　will　not　be　rows　of　lithographed　cans　on　the　shelves　of　life。　I　am　hoping　they　will　not　be　shorn　of　their　individuality；　but　will　have　it　stimulated　and　unfettered。　I　am　anxious　that　they　be　not　veneered　but　inspired；　not　denatured　but　discovered。

All　this　school　machinery　is　only　machinery。　Back　of　it　must　be　mengreat　men。　I　am　anxious　that　the　modern　school　have　the　modern　equipment　demanded　to　serve　the　present　age。　But　I　am　more　anxious　that　each　student　come　in　vital　touch　with　great　men。　We　get　life　from　life；　not　from　laboratories；　and　we　have　life　more　abundantly　as　our　lives　touch　greater　lives。

A　school　is　vastly　more　than　machinery；　methods；　microscopes　and　millions。

Many　a　small　school　struggling　to　live　thinks　that　all　it　needs　is　endowment；　when　the　fact　is　that　its　struggle　for　existence　and　the　spirit　of　its　teachers　are　its　greatest　endowment。　And　sometimes　when　the　money　endowment　comes　the　spiritual　endowment　goes　in　fatty　degeneration。　Some　schools　seem　to　have　been　visited　by　calamities　in　the　financial　prosperity　that　has　engulfed　them。

Can　we　keep　men　before　millions；　and　keep　our　ideals　untainted　by　foundations？　That　is　the　question　the　age　is　asking。

You　and　I　are　very　much　interested　in　the　answer。



Chapter　VII

The　Salvation　of　a　〃Sucker〃

The　Fiddle　and　the　Tuning

HOW　long　it　takes　to　learn　things！　I　think　I　was　thirty…four　years　learning　one　sentence；　〃You　can't　get　something　for　nothing。〃　I　have　not　yet　learned　it。　Every　few　days　I　stumble　over　it　somewhere。

For　that　sentence　utters　one　of　the　fundamentals　of　life　that　underlies　every　field　of　activity。

What　is　knowing？

One　day　a　manufacturer　took　me　thru　his　factory　where　he　makes　fiddles。　Not　violinsfiddles。

A　violin　is　only　a　fiddle　with　a　college　education。

I　have　had　the　feeling　ever　since　that　you　and　I　come　into　this　world　like　the　fiddle　comes　from　the　factory。　We　have　a　body　and　a　neck。　That　is　about　all　there　is　either　to　us　or　to　the　fiddle。　We　are　empty。　We　have　no　strings。　We　have　no　bowyet！

When　the　human　fiddles　are　about　six　years　old　they　go　into　the　primary　schools　and　up　thru　the　grammar　grades；　and　get　the　first　stringthe　little　E　string。　The　trouble　is　so　many　of　these　human　fiddles　think　they　are　an　orchestra　right　away。　They　want　to　quit　school　and　go　fiddling　thru　life　on　this　one　string！

We　must　show　these　little　fiddles　they　must　go　back　into　school　and　go　up　thru　all　the　departments　and　institutions　necessary　to　give　them　the　full　complement　of　strings　for　their　life　symphonies。

After　all　this　there　comes　the　commencement；　and　the　violin　comes　forth　with　the　E；　A；　D　and　G　strings　all　in　place。　Educated　now？　Why　is　a　violin？　To　wear　strings？　Gussie　got　that　far　and　gave　a　lot　of　discord。　The　violin　is　to　give　music。

So　there　is　much　yet　to　do　after　getting　the　strings。　All　the　book　and　college　can　do　is　to　give　the　stringsthe　tools。　After　that　the　violin　must　go　into　the　great　tuning　school　of　life。　Here　the　pegs　are　turned　and　the　strings　are　put　in　tune。　The　music　is　the　knowing。　Learning　is　tuning。

You　do　not　know　what　you　have　memorized；　you　know　what　you　have　vitalized；　what　you　have　written　in　the　book　of　experience。

Gussie　says；　〃I　have　read　it　in　a　book。〃　Bill　Whackem　says；〃　I　know！〃




Reading　and　Knowing


All　of　us　are　Christopher　Columbuses；　discovering　the　same　new…old　continents　of　Truth。　That　is　the　true　happiness　of　lifediscovering　Truth。　We　read　things　in　a　book　and　have　a　hazy　idea　of　them。　We　hear　the　preacher　utter　truths　and　we　say　with　little　feeling；　〃Yes；　that　is　so。〃　We　hear　the　great　truths　of　life　over　and　over　and　we　are　not　excited。　Truth　never　excitesit　is　falsehood　that　excitesuntil　we　discover　it　in　our　lives。　Until　we　see　it　with　our　own　eyes。　Then　there　is　a　thrill。　Then　the　old　truth　becomes　a　new　blessing。　Then　the　oldest；　driest　platitude　crystallizes　into　a　flashing　jewel　to　delight　and　enrich　our　consciousness。　This　joy　of　discovery　is　the　joy　of　living。

There　is　such　a　difference　between　reading　a　thing　and　knowing　a　thing。　We　could　read　a　thousand　descriptions　of　the　sun　and　not　know　the　sun　as　in　one　glimpse　of　it　with　our　own　eyes。

I　used　to　stand　in　the　row　of　blessed　little　rascals　in　the　〃deestrick〃　school　and　read　from　McGuffey's　celebrated　literature；　〃IfI…p…p…playwiththef…f…f…i…i…i…i…r…r…eIwillg…e…e…et　my…y…y…y…yf…f…f…fingersbur…r…r…rnedperiod！〃

I　did　not　learn　it。　I　wish　I　had　learned　by　reading　it　that　if　I　play　with　the　fire　I　will　get　my　fingers　burned。　I　had　to　slap　my　hands　upon　hot　stoves　and　coffee…pots；　and　had　to　get　many　kinds　of　blisters　in　order　to　learn　it。

Then　I　had　to　go　around　showing　the　blisters；　boring　my　friends　and　taking　up　a　collection　of　sympathy。　〃Look　at　my　bad　luck！〃　Fool！

This　is　not　a　lecture。　It　is　a　confession！　It　seems　to　me　if　you　in　the　audience　knew　how　little　I　know；　you　wouldn't　stay。




〃You　Can't　Get　Something　for　Nothing〃


Yes；　I　was　thirty…four　years　learning　that　one　sentence。　〃You　can't　get　something　for　nothing。〃　That　is；　getting　it　in　partial　tune。　It　took　me　so　long　because　I　was　naturally　bright。　It　takes　that　kind　longer　than　a　human　being。　They　are　so　smart　you　cannot　teach　them　with　a　few　bumps。　They　have　to　be　pulverized。

That　sentence　takes　me　back　to　the　days　when　I　was　a　〃hired　man〃　on　the　farm。　You　might　not　think　I　had　ever　been　a　〃hired　man〃　on　the　farm　at　ten　dollars　a　month　and　〃washed；　mended　and　found。〃　You　see　me　here　on　this　platform　in　my　graceful　and　cultured　manner；　and　you　might　not　believe　that　I　had　ever　trained　an　orphan　calf　to　drink　from　a　copper　kettle。　But　I　have　fed　him　the　fingers　of　this　hand　many　a　time。　You　might　not　think　that　I　had　ever　driven　a　yoke　of　oxen　and　had　said　the　words。　But　I　have！

I　remember　the　first　county　fair　I　ever　attended。　Fellow　sufferers；　you　may　remember　that　at　the　county　fair　all　the　people　sort　out　to　their　own　departments。　Some　people　go　to　the　canned　fruit　department。　Some　go　to　the　fancywork　department。　Some　go　to　the　swine　department。　Everybody　goes　to　his　own　department。　Even　the　〃suckers〃！　Did　you　ever　notice　where　they　go？　That　is　where　I　wentto　the　〃trimming　department。〃

I　was　in　the　〃trimming　department〃　in　five　minutes。　Nobody　told　me　where　it　was。　I　didn't　need　to　be　told。　I　gravitated　there。　The　barrel　always　shakes　all　of　one　size　to　one　place。　You　notice　thatin　a　city　all　of　one　size　get　together。

Right　at　the　entrance　to　the　〃local　Midway〃　I　met　a　gentleman。　I　know　he　was　a　gentleman　because　he　said　he　was　a　gentleman。　He　had　a　little　light　table　he　could　move　quickly。　Whenever　the　climate　became　too　sultry　he　would　move　to　greener　pastures。　On　that　table　were　three　little　shells　in　a　row；　and　there　was　a　little　pea　under　the　middle　shell。　I　saw　it　there；　being　naturally　bright。　I　was　the　only　naturally　bright　person　around　the　table；　hence　the　only　one　who　knew　under　which　shell　the　little　round　pea　was　hidden。

Even　the　gentleman　running　the　game　was　fooled。　He　thought　it　was　under　the　end　shell　and　bet　me　money　it　was　under　the　end　shell。　You　se