Nebraska advertiser., 1877-04-05
MORAL EDUCATION.
An Essay Read Before the Teachers
Association in London, March "a.
BY JENNErTE HARDING.
Published By REQUEST. !


istence; not to consider the import
ance OF human life. 1t is a serious
matter TO live Who am / where am
/, aud whittier am going. are ques-
lions Of deep interest. Another ques-
tiOn presents itself. For what pur-
pose are the powers of the mind de-
signed? Happiness, most assuredly.
This is evident from the results wit
messed from human action. Then If
the varied faculties of the soul are
designed for enjoyment. whence the
misery everywhere? This might be
answered briefly by saying, Trans
gression of the laws which govern
these faculties" But this compre-
hends much. Indeed, just how to
obey all the laws which govern hu-
man beings, would take in the extent
of human wisdom and human action.
So it is well to go into detail some
what.
4
and evidently designed for different
purposes and different forms of enjoy
ment, yet all bearing a relation to each
other, and connected by magic chain
of sympathy. The development Of
one class of faculties will never satisfy
the wants Ofanother class of faculties.
Each must have its own development,
or education, az it is called, to have a
harmonious character. tits this want
of harmony in education that is the
source of great amount OF misery In
the world. 1t is difficult to find per-
sons with faculties equally developed.
There is an undue attention given to
one, and aruinous neglect to the other.
There is loss of balance in most minds.
Then there Is a continual effort in
each one to bring the other into his
partially educated state. For with
great assurance each are saying he is
right, the other wrong, so they
quarrel on. Both parties coming to
conclusions with very limited
amount of knowledge.
We hear much about education in
these days. This is well enough, for
education is the bringing out of the
powers of the mind, and when taken
in its brOadest sense, cannot be over
estimated. But partial culture may
another partial culture. There is a
certain routine of studies-venerable
in age, and as fixed as the laws of the
Medes and Persians-gone. through
with in the schools, and when an indi-
vidual has gone through this routine,
and gained a smattering of science
and prescribed amount of knowledge
of the dead languages, he is called ed
ucated. And so he Is, to the extent of
the knowledge gained. but that may
not be equal to the knowledge of the
one who can scarcely write his own
name. There may be degree of de-
velopment in both, and a lamentable
lack of it in both, and neither have
anything to boast of over the other.
The history of mankind presents
evidence af intellectual and religious
culture. The brilliance of intellect
flashes out with a splendor which as
tonishes aud daZzle5. The devotion
of the religionist often reaches mar
tyrdom. Men everywhere, in every
age and cline. are religious; the
mode of its manifestation is merely
educational. But how often is intel
lectual power used to bind the fett er
on the oppressed by tyrants; to de-
fraud honest indust ry Of daily bread !;
grinding the face of the poor to fiji the
Golfers of the rich. Whence this cry
of corruption going over the land :?
Why is it said there is no political
honesty ? Why this war against rings
and monopolies ? Is it not caused by
the evil doing, by the cunning aud
craft of the intellectually educated II
is not the unlettered man who plots
and plans to injure and defraud his
fellow man. He cannot do it. The
evil growing out of his state of devel-
opment is more negative than posi-
tive. Again, we see the religious de-
votee, in the enthusiasm of his faith,
rise from his knees, with the sacred
name of God on his lips, and the "pois-
on of asps under his tongue" attack
the character of his neighb and fol-
low him with the malignity of an evil
demon until he crushes him In
the coils of the serpent. Look
at the rivers of blood which
have flowen because CT religious
wars. These things being so. and it is
presumed ne one will deny it, where
is the hope for humanity? Where
is the evil, and where is the remedy !?
The great difficulty is want of NOR
al education. Man has moral facui-
ties, but they are not developed
as they should be. Dark clouds
seem TO enshroud them. 1t seems
so difficult to reach the moral
sense. The passions, which should
ever be suppressed and kept in sub
lection by the higher faculties, often
rule the man !: the moral nature dor
mant, and the individual dead in
Irespasses and sin, will intellectual
culture or religious zeal arouse him
from this dead state? Never! Light
must shine upon the darkened moral
faculties, and lift him up towards God |
and Heaven. A man may have wis
dom to understand all mystery, and |
give his body to be burned, as evidence
Df his religious fervor, yet it will avail |
him nothing if he lack love. Love is
he action of the moral powers which |
'thinketh no evil" and "worketh no /
II to his neighbor. ITO the pure all