f. d. henry
the demand of to-day and to-morrow will be for men who have had a college training, while the men who have little or no education will be compelled to fill the mediocre places in life. this fact was profoundly impressed upon my mind while yet in the grades of our common school. the per cent. of the men who have made good under adverse circumstances awoke in me dissatisfaction with my surroundings and circumstances. i resolved to attain some better station in life.
the fact that abraham lincoln, in spite of his physical appearance, financial condition, and many obstacles, any one of which would discourage the ordinary boy, attained the highest honors in the gift of our nation, was an inspiration to me. marshall field at one time was a poor boy, a clerk, in a country store, who, upon visiting chicago, resolved to become a great merchant.
i perceived that the keynote of the greatness of such men as lincoln and field was not only in having an ideal, but that, never ceasing, never flinching, never faltering, they kept their ideal before them. 222 these men realized there was no victory in retreat. they were men with a mission and an aim. they had faith in the standard they were striving to attain, and consequently they were truly successful.
because of the fact that the world has an unlimited field for the man with a college education, while the uneducated man is forced to mingle with the mass in the lower walks of life, a college education became my ideal. circumstances were such that i had to work my way through college, if i ever attained my ideal. at first the barrier seemed insurmountable, and i allowed myself to think of a college education more as a dream than something which i might actually obtain. after coming in contact with some college men, however, i found that my dream of an ideal might become a reality. through many discouraging difficulties somehow i clung tenaciously to my ideal, broke down every barrier that arose, and came to simpson college.
everything was entirely different from what i had pictured. however, my ideas are not changed so much as they are strengthened and broadened. the vital question of work while in school, which at first seemed dark and gloomy, has changed its aspect entirely. in the first place the thing that impressed me most forcibly was that the boys and girls who take class honors are students who are compelled to work their way through college. it is not that any of us lack talent. we all have sufficient talent, but where we are deficient is in will-power to persistently 223 keep our ideals before us and attain that ideal with the vigor of a field or a lincoln.
the next thing that i readily perceive is that the student who earns his way through appreciates his opportunity. he realizes that fortune smiles upon those who roll up their sleeves, put their shoulder to the wheel, and have backbone and stamina to fight the battle, and not turn aside for a little dirt or hard physical labor. the student who strikes the word “luck” from his vocabulary waits for no psychological moment, loiters not for a miracle to occur, but rather creates the miracle, makes his own opportunities.
in our college, here in the middle west, the manner of earning one’s way varies a great deal. we are blessed with a rich country and the greater per cent. of the people are prosperous. the majority of students canvass during the summer vacation. i was formerly employed as a clerk in a hardware store before coming to college. next summer, however, i will take up some form of canvassing. canvassing has two distinct features that should appeal to the student; first, the opportunity to study human nature, and secondly, the fact that the harder you work the more you earn. next school year i will have a position whereby i can earn my board and room, and with my summer earnings i shall be able to return for another year’s work.
my first reason for working my way through college was because of financial necessity. now if i 224 were to choose between the two avenues of securing a college education i would cast my lot with the boy who works his way. his conceptions of life are broader, and he is better fitted for the battles of life he will meet when he leaves college. thus, in many ways i consider the necessity of working one’s way through college not a detriment, but a blessing in disguise, which gives one a greater knowledge and a broader conception of what a life worth while really means.
simpson college, indianola, iowa.
