The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1882-03-10
TIE RELATION OF Culture TO LABOR.

come from its suggestions of politi-
cal bombast a most unsavory theme.
1t may command from loyal thinkers,
! however, some earnest consideration.
Tae position OF America geograph-
ically, as the fartherest west of the
great centers of civilization; historic
ally, as the latest developed; and po-
| li,ically, as invested with the highest
preogalives Of freedom, render her
the law where the worlds theories
are to receive their final test, the
worlds forces their final adjustment.
Already the great problems of self
government, of church and state, of
slavery and freedom, have been met
and solved. Now pressing close up
on us come the Negro, the Indian, and
the Mormon and. flowing into the
surging turbu lent sea, streams OF for
eigu immigration, each with its ele-
emnt of discord. Irish fanaticisms
German infidelity French commun
ism and Chinese heathenism. The
task of assimilating all these elements
while maintaining our nationality,
the strength OF our government and
the purity Of social life bequeathed
us by our country's Puritan founders.
is task beside whose tremendous
Importance the tasks of other nations
seem bnt adventurous pastimc.
The influence of the diverse Gle
ments is revealing itself in the com
plexity of our civilization and the i'll
stability of our thoughts. Five pee
pies in succession on the soil of Britain
fonght for supremacy; five factors en-
,crei to constitute the "world-man."
To-day hundred peoples meet on
our shores fighting i'll peace their
| great moral conflict. These hundred
peoples form each a factor in the
character of the new "worldman,'
and each force to affect the direction
| of the national life. Their influence is
| every where. The three great quss-
.tions OF "man" 'the uniyerse" "God',
in Tie many read phases which have
been developed over the world and
down through tirns, meet here to-
gether till Sec alism and Nihilism in
society, Materia!ism in science,
| Transcemdentallsm and Emplricism
in philosophy, and Pantheism, Pos
i,ivism, Atheism and Agnosticism
in religion, confuse the reason and
pervert the heart. The American ID
characterized by his restlessness OF
mind and nervous fitful energy of &C
ton, and the American char acter is
but natura sub-growth of Ameri-
can democracy.
To satisfy the conditions Of life in
this age and country therefore a
thorough education and, l will add,
thorough christian education is i'm
perative and it's needs should be inn
pressed increasingly. Only the man
with keen perceptions, acute judg-
ment, and the powerful grasp Of sys-
tens which comes through close
trainine, is fried to think his way
independently through the vital
questions that will challenge him at
every step of his advance.
| This section is as yet too isolated
| to feel the hot blood Of the nation
throbbing along its veins. 1t is un
reached by the impetuosity Of East,
| ern life and too much absorbed III
the officiousness of the bread and
butter question to concern itself
much over the speculations of meta
physics. a few years however, must
bring US into the arena to measure
our powers and test our faculties
Are We prepared
As higher education is impaired
in the East two objections are urged
which will hold equally here whel
more populous civilization shai
make the division of labor genera
and grades of society more marked
The first is negative.-that the
student is not rendered by his train
; ing self supporting: the second posi-
, tive,.- that feeling OF gentility i
generated which is opposed to wor
shipping at any shrine other thar
that of the three "black dc,ties" law
medicine, and theology.
That the objections embody
truth is unquestionahle, but that the.
should furnish grounds against biehe
education brings q regret. The sam
truths might hold in a lesser degre
tagainst our primary system.
TO b. eo,stinued)