Good for Nothing?
You can count on Jim Purcell to liven up a statistical report.
Purcell is the numbers guru at the State Regents for Higher Education. He compiles detailed, informative reports about the status of students, colleges and education funding in Oklahoma.
At today’s Regents meeting, he started a presentation about education trends with excerpts from a message sent in 1744 from The Indians of the Six Nations to William & Mary College.
“Several of our Young People were formerly brought up at the Colleges of the Northern Provinces: they were instructed in all your Sciences: but, when they came back to us, they were bad Runners, ignorant of every means of living in the Woods, unable to bear either Cold or Hunger, knew neither how to build a Cabin, take a Deer, or kill an Enemy, spoke our Language imperfectly, were therefore neither fit for Hunters, Warriors, nor Counselors; they were totally good for nothing.”
Purcell went on to talk about college-going rates and employment trends, but his introductory tale sure made me chuckle.
Susan Simpson
Education Writer
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