982 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVII. No. 704 



edge thus offered? The great rank and 

 file of our fellow citizens possess a large 

 share of the total stock of that rare gift- 

 common sense— and it is a fortunate thing 

 for the country that it is not coniined to 

 A¥hat is sometimes called the "ruling 

 class." It seems to be more inborn than 

 acquired and I have never heard of a chair 

 having been founded in any of our in- 

 stitutions of learning for instruction in 

 this subject. It is one of the elements of 

 wisdom, and wisdom is not necessarily 

 learning. Knowledge is a fine foundation 

 for wisdom, but it is not the only one. It 

 is indeed power, but it may be a power for 

 harm, which is not true of wisdom. Solo- 

 mon said: "Wisdom is the principal thing. 

 Therefore get wisdom." How to get it 

 and how to keep it are very different ques- 

 tions, and are questions which every one 

 must settle for himself. If Solomon be 

 right, time can not be better spent than in 

 seeking it, even if the quest occupy a life- 

 time. In all practical affairs, it is a most 

 valuable asset. 



I am asked to discuss briefly "The Col- 

 lege Course and Practical Affairs." Now 

 what are practical affairs? I suppose the 

 comprehensive answer to this is that nearly 

 all affairs are or should be practical. The 

 mechanic, the farmer, the teacher, the mer- 

 chant, the chemist, the engineer, in fact 

 nearly everybody excepting possibly the 

 pure theorist, and the impure loafer of both 

 the corner and the society sort, is engaged 

 in some, kind of practical occupation. We 

 even hear of practical politics. The meas- 

 ure of success or reward depends on fitness 

 and application, not often on luck, unsuc- 

 cessful ones to the contrary notwithstand- 

 ing. Of course, allowance must be made 

 for ill health or accident; but all other 

 things being equal, the man who is best 

 qualified by training, and does not neglect 

 his opportunities, will come out ahead. 

 The best training to make a good brick- 



layer is, of course, different from that 

 needed to produce a good merchant, and 

 both are totally unlike the preparation for 

 a good chemist or a good lawyer. But the 

 principle is the same. No one should 

 neglect or omit a single step necessary to 

 perfect himself in the trade, occupation or 

 profession he seeks. And just here is 

 where the rub comes in so many instances. 

 The boy may not be qualified, or his par- 

 ents may not help him intelligently to de- 

 cide on the career for which he is best 

 suited, and hence so many sad misfits and 

 failures. One of the most important deci- 

 sions a young man has to make is fre- 

 quently postponed over and over again, or 

 left altogether to chance, so that when the 

 necessity for action arrives he is quite 

 unprepared and hopelessly confu-sed. 

 Some may find themselves even at that late 

 stage, and struggle out and up, but the 

 majority will follow the line of least resist- 

 ance, and drift down with the current, to 

 an aimless and more or less useless exist- 

 ence. 



It is then immensely important that as 

 early as possible every boy should decide 

 on the calling he feels best qualified to fol- 

 low, and do all in his power to fit himself 

 to make good in it. It must not be as- 

 sumed that his success in life will be meas- 

 ured by the money he accumulates. We 

 are all glad to acknowledge that the con- 

 trary view is becoming more and more 

 generally accepted, and we are really be- 

 ginning to feel a healthy contempt for the 

 man who has nothing but money or other 

 tangible property to recommend him. In 

 fact even great learning will be found not 

 to be sufficient. The man to receive uni- 

 versal respect and approval to-day must 

 have character; and if he have this, and 

 yet is without wealth or learning, even, he 

 has the essential element of true manhood. 



While I believe all this to be true, there 

 is, of course, no doubt that the better edu- 



