Wichita eagle., 1888-06-02

| in the midst of the garden which the Lord
planted to the eastward.
Working without the co-existence and
coersion of knowledge, mere animal force
/ exhausts its own strength. knowledge
! standing thus pre-emlnent, gives us power
over the forces of nature, over the lower
animals, over each other and over self. 1t
| teaches us to annihilate time and space. 1t
! shows US how to make machines with
bones and sinews of steel, blood OF steam
and brain and nerves Of electricity. 1t gives
us the power to raise great weights and
crush to atoms the most resisting sub
| stances. 1t enables US to cultivate by our
doors what naturally grows in far distant
lands, and TO bring TO our and the products
1 of every country upon winch the sun
| shines. knowledge bestows upon US the
ability to use the animals gwen TO our
/ first parents, showing Just TO what extent
each may be relied upon and IN what kind
/ OF work he excells.
| But the most important Office of this
great knowledge is the power 1t gives us
over others. Aided by it we now CLEAN
! from the lives and works OF such as Patha-
| goras, Virgil, Homer, Plato and others,
full harvests of scientific and historic
| lore. Archimedes, fearing that his beloved
mathematical calculations might be lost.
| had them engraved upon his monument,
where nearly two centuries later, Cicero
| found them, thereby turning the thoughts
| OF thousands to mathematical research.
| The great Sicilian said: Give me where |
| may stand and l shall move the world"
| little imagining that two hundred years
after his death the lever of his great
thoughts in the hands of an
, other should move the world
| of thinking minds. He had the
| power, though unconscious Of It's nature.
| BY knowledge We may become possessed
of the thoughts and words of thousands
! M no, haf nd then,
to account, as Cicero did, may benefit our
selves and others And herein consists
the power that we obtain over self. BY
dwelling in the shadow OF the tree Of
knowledge we learn 10 use TO the best adj
vantage, those machines the world calls
bodies and minds. for to quote Prof Rog
ers: "A skilled man goes straight TO the
mark, while an unskilled one wastes time
in finding ont what the mark is and what
IS the way to it"
Many have to fight the dragon CT an
tlpathy TO labor before they can enjoy the
fruit of the tree of knowledge, but having
conquered him, they are.doubly blessed, for
upon saving the teeth OF the vanqulshed
monster they see springing up a harvest
OF armed warriors ready to help him to
grander victories and nobler achievements.
From what kind of seed this important
tree sprung we have no means OF ascertain
ing, but the desire to eat of the fruit OF it
has been the stepping stone to civilization.
When Adam and Eve We're driven from
the garden the great tree, banyan-like,
threw out a branch after them to the east,
and so came the first spread of knowledge.
Gradually the world became populated,
nation after nation appeared, reigned for a
time and went back into oblivion. Yet in
each case, before the supremacy was fully
established the tree of knowledge threw
out branch into their midst to become
ha n. tarnr CTR Of r,O.ar 1Ea
For years Greece was the seat of learn
ing and there the tree of knowledge flour
lShed, spreading its benign influence in
every direction and growing harder each
day. But before many centuries had
passed it felt the blasting influence of the
lightning stroke of war, and soon, care
fully nurturad, the strongest trunk seemed
TO rest III Rome-Rome. the grand old city
known to US, the children of the nineteenth
century, by its ruins, but IN those days
known by splendor far surprising any
thlng since produced.
After the fall of Rome the seat of knowl-
edge Is disputed, though it rested for some
time in Ireland and England, only leaving
them when the virgin soil of the New
World was found to yield more nourish-
ment. And now the American branch
may be called the strongest part OF the
tree. It's powerful bOughS have taken root
all over the country, in Harvard, Yale and
Princeton and more recently in Nassar,
Wellesley, Smith and Girard, followed by
the grand array of public schools in every
village and hamlet, as well as in the great
cities But as westward she star of EN-
pire takes its way, so with learning, and
we see the old Alma Matters of the east
losing their hold upon the educational in
fiuence OF the country. Already new cen
tiers of learning are being established by
the rapid development of the great west,
an no frll Lofty foir
to become one of the greatest seats of
learning in our country. When that day
comes and when the people of this country
see that their only safety is in education
and TO our institutions OF learning is given
the support they deserve, then our place i'll
the worlds eyes will be greater, then we
shall have power.
And but for the spread of knowledge,
would we ever stand thus pre-eminent |
among the nations of the world? And but |
for the desire of its possession would |
knowledge ever have spread? And but for |
the sin in the garden would there ever |
have been that desire? Nor, while we do |
not attempt to deny the evil done by |
Mother Ewes transgresson and do not |
even apologize for the actual disohedience, |
still we do claim it was not a dark picture !
in every respect. 1t did not produce only |
woe, but it gave us along with the evil, as |
we have seen, many blessings also. Hay- |
ing sinned and lost paradise, while gain
ing knowledge, she longed to repossess |
what had been hers, as well as what she |
had earned. And we lind her naming her |
first child Cain, for she said, II have re
ceived the man from the Lord" her idea |
of the atonement evidently being, that |
the first born OF the human race should |
redeem the world 1t is also a curious fact |
worthy of note, that while Eve was the |
first transgressor one of her daughters was |
y II. Ice 70 1aa- (, DYaI b.f
greet the risen Lord. Honor then to the
deliverer of the human race. Save your
contumely for the man, who would take |
from her that praise she merits. Honor to
the strength OF will, TO the moral courage
that dared assert itself against Heavens
decree, even while you regret and discredit
the dlsObedlence it necessarily incurred. !
Honor to Mother Eve and let every insti-
tuition of learning erect monument TO
the one, who struck the first blow at inor-
ance.
A most excellently rendered overture on
two pianos-Meudelssoh The Marriage
of Comsco''-by Miss Thomas and Mr.
Sickner, was enthusiastically received.
This concluded the regular program and
the exercises closed with the comforting of
diplomas by Hon. Rudolph Hatfield. of
the executive committee. Prof MAYOR |
thanked the audience on behalf of the
school, and the school year of Lewis
was declared at an end. The
fall term which promises TO be even more
than the one just closed. will
begin on the first Monday in September
next.
Since last year the art and musical de
partments have been added The success
Of the musical department is a source of
to all friends Of the acad-
envy. The class in the art department
l.. L Il. L.