"Do not spend time in learning that which will be of little use to you in your afterlife. Instead of reaching out for a knowledge of the classics, learn first to speak the English language correctly. Learn how to keep accounts. Gain a knowledge of those lines of study that will help you to be useful wherever you are. CT 219.2"
"Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue."
Both passages prioritize practical and understandable communication over obscure or less useful knowledge. Paul prefers speaking a few understandable words to many in an unknown tongue, while EGW advises focusing on useful skills like English and accounting over classical studies. The emphasis on practical communication is the key parallel.
"***** The instruction which the Lord has sent us, warning students and teachers against spending years of study in school, does not apply to young boys and girls. These need to go through the proper period of thorough discipline and study of the common branches and the Bible until they have reached an age of more mature and reliable judgment. CT 219.3"
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
EGW's statement about the need for thorough education in youth directly reflects the principle of Proverbs 22:6, which advocates for early training to establish a strong foundation. Both emphasize the importance of proper education during formative years.