The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-07-10
gueciaI Contributors.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT.
BY REV. EDGAR LEAvITT.
Oshkosh, Wis.,

The subjects of the graduating essays
and orations, at the Wisconsin State
Normal School, at Oshkosh, are signif-
icant as showing the practical drift OF
thought of the times. The salutatory
was ION the Value of Discipline" then
followed ''Morals in Politics." "Wo-
mems Wages" Labor and Capital"
"Practical Charity" and "Communism."
We have not time to sketch even in
outline, the thought of the writers, but
they were all well and practically han
died. Then the following week came
the High School exercises, and an ad-
dress on s'Civil Service Reform show
ed the same practical drift of thought,
and we venture to say that an examina-
tion of the programs of the Commence
ment Exercises of the various acade-
mics and colleges throughout the coun-
try, will generally manifest great
change from the hackneyed sentimental
subjects that for so many years tested
the ingenuity of the young glad-
uate.
The High School exercises were fol-
lowed by an address by President John
Bascom, of the State University at
Madison, on Higher Education an
ssddress worthy the min and the posi-
tion which he holds, and worthy the
consideration of every intelligent, every
patriotic citizen. He said that we
prided ourselves on our admirable COM
mon school system-but the common
schools profted very little unless sup
plement by higher institutions of
learning. Just to read and write were
not sufficient to make good citizens.
Reading and writing were not enough
to cure all evils. A man might be able
to read and write, and yet not be intel
ligent, be no thinker, no judge of the
things which he read. Educating young
people in the common schools and then
turning them adrift, was marching them
up the first few steps of the hill of
knowledge, and then marching them
down again. But it was thought that
the great palladium of our liberties and
our civilization, was the press. Only
teach people to read, and they had the
newspapers before them. This was a
wonderful thing Many looked upon
the press as a pulpit. Some few papers
occupied that proud height, and were
verify pulpits, proclaimers of intelli-
gence and of principle, but the mass of
the press, instead of being a high pulpit,
was a low platform, on different parts
of which stood persons proclaiming all
sorts of wild, vain and discordant prin-
-ciples. This man in one corner was
clamoring loudly for free-trade, an
other from another corner calling loudly
for protection; one clamoring loudly
in behalf of this partisanship, another
for another-all full of villiication,
slander and abuse of the party or indi
vidual with whom they did not agree.
And then the papers, under the plea of
furnishing the news, dished up all the
scandalous gossip and transitory hap
penings of the day, the crime, the
divorces. They pandered to low tastes
and corrupted the public taste instead
of elevating. They appealed to the
love of gossip, pruriency, partizanship,
prejudice, and excited them to still
greater height, when what was needed
was intelligence, calmness and fairness.
To teach people to read, and then turn
them over to the newspapers was
poor preparation for citizenship. They
needed the higher education to protect
them from the newspapers. He then
spoke of the dangers our country was
in from socialism and anarchy, but he
said that danger was not nearly so great
as the danger we are in from ignorance,
and prejudice, and wealth. Wealth
was great power. In the hands Of the
good, great power for good, but in the
hands of the ignorant, sordid, grasping
philistine, most debasing element.
If a man has intellectual tastes and
sympathies joined to broad and culti-
waited humanity, wealth will not harm
him; he will spend his acquired oppor-
tunities for good, in good-but with
the uncultured, sordid man, his oppOr-
tunities are likely to run into miserli-
ness or low and Hcentious pleasures.
1t is a terrible disadvantage and risk to