the iron puddler-第31章

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hat　to　do；　but　nobody　cares　to　do　it。　Hand　work　will　make　a　country　rich　and　mouth　work　make　it　poor。　All　the　speeches　I　have　ever　made　have　never　added　a　dollar　to　the　taxable　value　of　America。　But　the　tin　and　iron　I　wrought　with　my　hands　have　helped　make　America　the　richest　country　in　the　world。　The　Indians　were　philosophers　and　orators；　they　could　outtalk　the　white　man　every　time。　But　the　Indians　had　no　houses　and　no　clothes。　They　wouldn't　work　with　their　hands。　A　race　that　works　with　its　hands　has　run　the　Indian　off　the　earth。　If　we　quit　working　now　and　try　to　live　on　philosophy；　some　race　that　still　knows　how　to　work　will　run　us　out　of　this　country。　The　first　law　of　civilized　life　is　labor。　Labor　is　the　giver　of　all　good　things。　Let　us　teach　these　orphans　how　to　apply　their　labor；　and　after　that　all　things　will　be　added　unto　them。〃

And　so　we　established　a　pre…vocational　school　where　the　young　people　are　taught　farming；　carpentry；　cement　construction；　blacksmithing；　gas　engine　building　and　dozens　of　other　fundamental　trades　that　nourish　our　industrial　life；　a　life　that　draws　no　nutriment　from　Greek　or　Latin。　I　am　not　opposed　to　literature　and　the　classics。　I　make　no　war　on　the　dead　languages。　The　war　that　killed　them　did　the　business。　Why　should　I　come　along　and　cut　off　their　feet；　when　some　one　else　has　been　there　and　cut　off　their　heads？　But　as　an　educator　I　promote　the　industrial　trades；　because　they　educated　and　promoted　me。　I　have　done　well　in　life；　and　if　you　ask　me　how　I　did　it；　I'm　telling　you。　Industry　first　and　literature　afterward。　And　if　you　wish　to　see　that　kind　of　school　in　action；　you　can　see　it　at　Mooseheart；　Illinois。

There　is　a　school　with　more　than　a　thousand　students；　boys　and　girls　of　various　ages；　ranging　from　one　month　to　eighteen　years。　Some　of　the　students　were　born　there；　the　mother　having　been　admitted　with　her　youngsters　soon　after　the　loss　of　the　father。　Each　lad　will　get　an　introduction　to　a　dozen　trades；　and　when　he　selects　the　one　that　fits　him　best；　he　will　specialize　in　that　and　graduate　at　eighteen；　prepared　for　life。　This　education　is　the　gift　of　more　than　half　a　million　foster　fathers。　The　Moose　are　mostly　working　men；　and　so　they　equip　their　wards　for　industrial　life；　and　then　place　them　on　the　job。

A　boy　that　knows　how　to　build　concrete　houses　will　not　have　to　sleep　in　haystacks。　If　every　high…school　boy　in　America　was　a　carpenter　and　cement　builder　how　long　would　the　housing　shortage　last？　〃The　birds　of　the　air　have　their　nests；〃　says　the　Bible。　And　we　know　why　they　have　them。　Every　bird　knows　how　to　build　its　nest。　Nature　teaches　them　their　trade。　But　men　must　learn　their　trades　in　school。　I　visited　a　college　once　and　saw　how　Greek　was　taught。　They　showed　me　a　clay　model　of　ancient　Athens　and　pointed　out　the　house　that　each　philosopher　and　poet　lived　in　thousands　of　years　ago。　〃Where　are　the　houses；〃　I　asked　the　graduates；　〃that　you　are　going　to　live　in　to…morrow？〃　〃Heaven　only　knows；〃　they　said。　〃We'll　have　to　take　our　chances　in　the　general　scarcity；　our　fate　is　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　tool