The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-06-11
THE REALITY AND VALUE OF
IDEALS.

ny tnom0 - the reallty ana value OF
deals.
Man is being who fashions ideals,
Ind the worth Of man in relation to his |
elbows depends upon the ideals he cher.
She's" says the Bishop of Durham. |
Man partly is and wholly hopes to be. |
The simplest human act Is directed to an |
ind, and life, series OF unnumbered |
lcts, must answer to some end, some
deal, mean or generous, seen by the eye
)f the heart and pursued consciously or
which gives unity and q
clew to the bewildering mazes OF human
,onduct. The word progress is unmean-
ing without reference to an ideal. They
support Ms, and still more, they rule ne.
e IS then momentous that we should
pause from time to time to regard our
IDEALS. They exercise their influence
over us insensibly. We grow like the
object Of our desires, perhaps before we
have distinctly realized it's nature, and
may find ourselves involved in unexpected
calamities through needless choice"
There is nothing particularly new in
this passage although there is much that
is commonly lost sight OF in busy
life. People generally criticise the man
Or woman who is aiming at some high
ideal. We call him an idealist, a crank,
and urge him to come down from his
perch and talk common sense. We sheer
ut the idealist who dreams OF q reform OF
our civil service, call him q miss Nancy"
and his ideal ''sDivel service reform"
We treat reformers in other fields in the
same manner, even while we are hugging
some grOsser ideal-tO become an a. T.
Stewart, q Jay Gould-even to become a
rival OF 1.-THE only Kelley" or John L. Sui
Ivan. While we reject Emerson's ideal,
Hitch your wagon to STAR" we con-
tinue our hunt for the pot Of gold at the
end OF the rainbow. Our ideal may be
OF God or OF mamm0n, or we may strive
to combine both ideals, but an ideal We
all have, We must have.
What are our high schools doing to.
wards leading their pupils to form worthy
ideals OF life and conduct, ideals that will
sustain AZ we'll as lead them? BY truck
ling 10 the money worship 90 common
nowadays, by attempting to compete
with the short business courses Of pTi-
vate business colleges, they may obtain q
cheap popularity. But, better than
this, by sound, conservative curriculums,
pursued IN . thorouRhgoing way, they
can lead pupils to form ideals that will
mark them Oh from the bread-and. butter
brigade, young people whose only ideal
is to get q job behind some counter
where work can be found that will allow
them to wear good clothes and not soil
their hands.
Let me call your attention for mo-
ment to the attempts that are being made
To make our courses more practical-save
the mark! Our Arithmetics, the prac.
tical study par e.rcellence Of our courses,
are almost wholly engrossed with the
almighty dollar. The problems usually
involve money, gain or loss to some one,
how this investment compares with that,
how much shOelng a horse would come
to if you paid one cent for the first nail,
two cents for the second nail, four cents
for the third, etc Ian application of Geo.
metrical Progression to blacksmithing).
how many silver dollars laid side by side
would extend across the Brooklyn bridge
or face the Washington monument? The
men who erected that structure probably
thought they were giving an object les
son in love OF country instead of supply
ing problems to puzzle young America.
Our temperance reformers are aiming at
the practical side of the rising genera
ton. They are putting into their hands
arithmetics designed to show up the gi-
gantic sums expended for this kind OF
liquor or that. There undoubtedly is a
financial feature to the temperance ques-
ton, and big one, but the point that
needs emphasis is, that it is moral ques-
ton, that the liquor traffic is an accused
thing because it makes men brutes, be-
cause it breaks the hearts OF women and
children.
Among the so-called excellencies OF
some OF our new Algebras is their adap-
tation to business. You can work prob.
lens in interest. Geometry, because il
is pure thought and cannot be directly
applied to business operations, is often
dropped and Commercial Arithmetic put
in its place. am thankful that 1 car
report one branch OF mathematics in oul
high school course that does not have
the dollar sign in it. We (also) can study
in the Natural Sciences, History, and Lit
erature nature and man from some Other
point OF view than as a commodity or 8
dealer in commodities. We can direct
attention to the fact that mans greatness
does not lie in what he has. but in what
he is and does.
Rousseau says, I'VE pity the state oil
infancy; we do not perceive that the hu.
man race would have persisted il man
had not begun by being child The
child is weak that he may be moulded by
eaucation-the education of nature or OF
man. The period of childhood was made
long that the preparation for living
might be thorough and complete. Nc
other animal is immature so long. No
other animal continues to grow and
develop SO long. Let us let childhood
ripen; windfalls are understood and rot.
ten at the core. Let us not burden the
precious years Of childhood with the
cares OF money getting, but spend them
IN preparation for right living-a prepa.
ration as broad and long continued as
possible.
AS an important part OF this prepare.
ton let us look to the forming of worthy
ideals of life and conduct.
Michael Angelo was once seen hewing
at shapeless piece Of marble, without q
model. When questioned as to what be
was doing, he answered, 'Oh, I see an
angel in the stone and l am getting it
out" The young man must strive to set
free from the encumbrances which sur
round them the good. the true and the
beautiful. The vigor OF his action will
depend on the clearness OF his vision OF
the ideal he wishes to realize.
"Poets tell us that, in this pilgrimage
OF life, we shall watch the glory fade
away from the things Of earth. II SO, it
is our own fault" By guarding sacredly
our high ideals we may preserve our
early faith in the truth and beauty Of the
world and man. by the vision OF the
ideal We can prevent the monotony oil
work from becoming the monotony oil
life."
The Spring Medicine.
The popularity which Hoods Sar.
saparilla has gained as a spring medi