The title suggest that "book-learning is alright as far because it goes, but success in life goes to the sensible man of affairs instead of tot he lofty theorist." Such ideas are certainly given the color of truth by the undoubted incontrovertible fact that the successful politician goes further on shrewdness than on political orientation, and therefore the rich businessman further on practical ability than on the degree in economics.
If success in life is to be measured in terms of money, power and position, it is the practical man who succeeds most often. Experience has taught him when to shop for and when to sell, whom to trust and whom to suspect, whom to form friends with and whom to ignore. The title also suggests that we tend to require more notice of the teachings of life than the teachings of our teachers in class . This is undoubtedly true! Children are naturally lazy and inattentive because a failure in school doesn't seem to matter considerably - a minimum of at the time.
After all, there is always the security of home. But, when a man comes to have his own home with payments falling due and hungry mouths to feed, he is afraid to be inattentive to his job because he may lose it. Harsh experience teaches him to be his best, because if he fails, he knows his employers won't be sentimental about the requirements of his family.
And again, the title suggests many spheres of adult activity during which, although a touch theory is clearly necessary, practical experience alone are able to do results a learner-driver can easily learn the mechanics of driving a motor car within the classroom and be ready to answer any question, but with all his theoretical knowledge, he (or she) is sure to be nervous the first time out on the road alone - even when the driving-test has been successfully passed. Only experience can teach the new driver to cope with the speed of the hurly-burly of the city roads.
Marriage, also, is said to be 'a lottery'. Some mutual thoughts can perhaps, compile partners who are likely to be happy, but experience really counts in marriage quite anything . No two people can live happily and successfully together before they need learned by experience the way to strengthen their bonds and break down their barriers. Many occupations also demand a maximum of experience, given a minimum of theoretical knowledge. The salesman goes to shops and personal houses with an honest theoretical knowledge but experience has got to teach him to form friends, what selling line to require , and how to avoid offence.
Many a job depends entirely on practice and knowledge; the shoemaker, the goldsmith, the tailor, the fisherman. All of these and hundreds like them learn their skills by practice, by trial and error, and sometimes serve an extended apprenticeship to their trade. Even the soldier in battle learns the art of jungle-warfare better in action, when his life may depend on his decisions, than in the jungle-warfare school. All an equivalent, we must take care to not regard experience because the only teacher.
There are indeed certain subjects concerning which practical knowledge is either impossible, or beside the purpose, or completely hooked in to theoretical knowledge. The astronaut is the practical man of space-travel, but he is merely the 'Guinea-pig' of the scientist in actual fact, doing precisely as he is told by men whose practical experience has never been extended outside the university lecture-room. In fact, within the approaching age of science, technology and automation, theoretical knowledge are going to be at a premium, while practical experience diminishes in importance.
Again, nobody's individual experience can ever be considered complete. We must inevitably draw on the experience of others for success in any worthwhile occupation. after all, theoretical knowledge is actually no quite the accumulated experience of people . While such textbook knowledge will are sufficient in itself, the person who fails to use it merely, makes matters harder for himself. The usual process with theory is that we learn at college rather reluctantly - then refer back thereto when experience teaches us its value and therefore the less well the idea has been learnt at college, the harder this becomes in later life. Experience is not any doubt the simplest teacher, but it's foolish to scorn the classroom.
