the university of hard knocks-第11章

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The　book　and　the　college　show　you　the　way；　give　you　instruction　and　furnish　you　finer　working　tools。　But　the　real　education　is　the　journey　you　make；　the　strength　you　develop；　the　service　you　perform　with　these　instruments　and　tools。

Gussie　was　in　the　position　of　a　man　with　a　very　fine　equipment　of　tools　and　no　experience　in　using　them。　Bill　was　the　man　with　the　poor；　homemade；　crude　tools；　but　with　the　energy；　vision　and　strength　developed　by　struggle。




The　〃Hard　Knocks　Graduates〃


For　education　is　getting　wisdom；　understanding；　strength；　greatness；　physically；　mentally　and　morally。　I　believe　I　know　some　people　liberally　educated　who　cannot　write　their　own　names。　But　they　have　served　and　overcome　and　developed　great　lives　with　the　poor；　crude　tools　at　their　command。

In　almost　every　community　are　what　we　sometimes　call　〃hard　knocks　graduates〃people　who　have　never　been　to　college　nor　have　studied　many　or　any　books。　Yet　they　are　educated　to　the　degree　they　have　acquired　these　elements　of　greatness　in　their　lives。

They　realized　how　they　have　been　handicapped　by　their　poor　mental　tools。

That　is　why　they　say；　〃All　my　life　I　have　been　handicapped　by　lack　of　proper　preparation。　Don't　make　my　mistake；　children；　go　to　school。〃

The　young　person　with　electrical　genius　will　make　an　electrical　machine　from　a　few　bits　of　junk。　But　send　him　to　Westinghouse　and　see　how　much　more　he　will　achieve　with　the　same　genius　and　with　finer　equipment。

Get　the　best　tools　you　can。　But　remember　diplomas；　degrees　are　not　an　education；　they　are　merely　preparations。　When　you　are　thru　with　the　books；　remember；　you　are　having　a　commencement；　not　an　end…ment。　You　will　discover　with　the　passing　years　that　life　is　just　one　series　of　greater　commencements。

Go　out　with　your　fine　equipment　from　your　commencements　into　the　school　of　service　and　write　your　education　in　the　only　book　you　ever　can　knowthe　book　of　your　experience。

That　is　what　you　knowwhat　the　courts　will　take　as　evidence　when　they　put　you　upon　the　witness　stand。




The　Tragedy　of　Unpreparedness


The　story　of　Gussie　and　Bill　Whackem　is　being　written　in　every　community　in　tears；　failure　and　heartache。　It　is　peculiarly　a　tragedy　of　our　American　civilization　today。

These　fathers　and　mothers　who　toil　and　save；　who　get　great　farms；　fine　homes　and　large　bank　accounts；　so　often　think　they　can　give　greatness　to　their　childrenthey　can　make　great　places　for　them　in　life　and　put　them　into　them。

They　do　all　this　and　the　children　rattle。　They　have　had　no　chance　to　grow　great　enough　for　the　places。　The　child　gets　the　blame　for　making　the　wreck；　even　as　Gussie　was　blamed　for　wrecking　his　father's　plant；　when　the　child　is　the　victim。

A　man　heard　me　telling　the　story　of　Gussie　and　Bill　Whackem；　and　he　went　out　of　my　audience　very　indignant。　He　said　he　was　very　glad　his　boy　was　not　there　to　hear　it。　But　that　good；　deluded　father　now　has　his　head　bowed　in　shame　over　the　career　of　his　spoiled　son。

I　rarely　tell　of　it　on　a　platform　that　at　the　close　of　the　lecture　somebody　does　not　take　me　aside　and　tell　me　a　story　just　as　sad　from　that　community。

For　years　poor　Harry　Thaw　was　front…paged　on　the　newspapers　and　gibbeted　in　the　pulpits　as　the　shocking　example　of　youthful　depravity。　He　seems　never　to　have　had　a　fighting　chance　to　become　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　greatest　business　generals　of　the　Keystone　state。　He　could　plat　great　coal　empires　and　command　armies　of　men；　but　he　seems　to　have　been　pitifully　ignorant　of　the　fact　that　the　barrel　shakes。

It　is　the　educated；　the　rich　and　the　worldly　wise　who　blunder　most　in　the　training　of　their　children。　Poverty　is　a　better　trainer　for　the　rest。

The　menace　of　America　lies　not　in　the　swollen　fortunes；　but　in　the　shrunken　souls　who　inherit　them。

But　Nature's　eliminating　process　is　kind　to　the　race　in　the　barrel　shaking　down　the　rattlers。　Somebody　said　it　is　only　three　generations　from　shirtsleeves　to　shirtsleeves。

How　long　this　nation　will　endure　depends　upon　how　many　Gussie　boys　this　nation　produces。　Steam　heat　is　a　fine　thing；　but　do　you　notice　how　few　of　our　strong　men　get　their　start　with　steam　heat？




Children；　Learn　This　Early


You　boys　and　girls；　God　bless　you！　You　live　in　good　homes。　Father　and　mother　love　you　and　give　you　everything　you　need。　You　get　to　thinking；　〃I　won't　have　to　turn　my　hand　over。　Papa　and　mamma　will　take　care　of　me；　and　when　they　are　gone　I'll　inherit　everything　they　have。　I'm　fixed　for　life。〃

No；　you　are　unfixed。　You　are　a　candidate　for　trouble。　You　are　going　to　rattle。　Father　and　mother　can　be　great　and　you　can　be　a　peanut。

You　must　solve　your　own　problems　and　carry　your　own　loads　to　have　a　strong　mind　and　back。　Anybody　who　does　for　you　regularly　what　you　can　do　for　yourselfanybody　who　gives　you　regularly　what　you　can　earn　for　yourself；　is　robbing　you　of　your　birthright。

Father　and　mother　can　put　money　in　your　pocket；　ideas　in　your　head　and　food　in　your　stomach；　but　you　cannot　own　it　save　as　you　digest　itput　it　into　your　life。

I　have　read　somewhere　about　a　man　who　found　a　cocoon　and　put　it　in　his　house　where　he　could　watch　it　develop。　One　day　he　saw　a　little　insect　struggling　inside　the　cocoon。　It　was　trying　to　get　out　of　the　envelope。　It　seemed　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　helping　the　insect　was　killing　it。　He　took　away　from　it　the　very　thing　it　had　to　havethe　struggle。　For　it　was　this　struggle　of　breaking　its　own　way　out　of　that　envelope　that　was　needed　to　reduce　its　body　and　develop　its　wings。




Not　Packhorse　Work


But　remember　there　is　little　virtue　in　work　unless　it　is　getting　us　somewhere。　Just　work　that　gets　us　three　meals　a　day　and　a　place　to　lie　down　to　sleep；　then　another　day　of　the　same　grind；　then　a　year　of　it　and　years　following　until　our　machine　is　worn　out　and　on　the　junkpile；　means　little。　〃One　day　nearer　home〃　for　such　a　worker　means　one　day　nearer　the　scrapheap。

Such　a　worker　is　like　the　packhorse　who　goes　forward　to　keep　ahead　of　the　whip。　Such　a　worker　is　the　horse　we　used　to　have　hitched　to　the　sorghum　mill。　Round　and　round　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　about　that　way。　They　regard　work　as　a　necessary　evil。　They　are　rightsuch　work　is　a　necessary　evil；　and　they　make　it　such。　They　follow　their　nose。　〃Dumb；　driven　cattle。〃

But　getting　a　vision　of　life；　and　working　to　grow　upward　to　it；　that　is　the　work　that　brings　the　joy　and　the　greatness。

When　we　are　growing　and　letting　our　faculties　develop；　we　will　love　even　the　packhorse　job；　because　it　is　our　〃meal　ticket〃　that　enables　us　to　travel　upward。




〃Helping〃　the　Turkeys


One　time　I　put　some　turkey　eggs　under　the　mother　hen　and　waited　day　by　day　for　them　to　hatch。　And　sure　enough；　one　day　the　eggs　began　to　crack　and　the　little　turkeys　began　to　stick　their　heads　out　of　the　shells。　Some　of　the　little　turkeys　came　out　from　the　shells　all　right；　but　some　of　them　stuck　in　the　shells。

〃Shell　out；　little　turkeys；　shell　out；〃　I　urged；　〃for　Thanksgiving　is　coming。　Shell　out！〃

But　they　stuck　to　the　shells。

〃Little　turkeys；　I'll　have　to　help　you。　I'll　have　to　shell　you　by　hand。〃　So　I　picked　the　shells　off。　〃Little　turkeys；　you　will　never　know　how　fortunate　you　are。　Ordinary　turkeys　do　not　have　these　advantages。　Ordinary　turkeys　do　not　get　shelled　by　hand。〃

Did　I　help　them？　I　killed　them；　or　stunted　them。　Not　one　of　the　turkeys　was　〃right〃　that　I　helped。　They　were　runts。　One　of　them　was　a　regular　Harry　Thaw　turkey。　They　had　too　many　silk　socks。　Too　many　〃advantages。〃

Children；　you　must　crack　your　own　shells。　You　must　overcome　your　own　obstacles　to　develop　your　own　powers。

A　rich　boy　can　succeed；　but　he　has　a　poorer　chance　than　a　poor　boy。　The　cards　are　against　him。　He　must　succeed　in　spite　of　his　〃advantages。〃