The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-09-07

lnIO COilpteLc COnluNCtlOHs no
Greek. Roman and Jewish civilizations
met IN Jerusalem. The essential element
of modern civilization and OF the ideal
civilization OF the future mnst Include
what has come TO us from these three
sources-retinement, power aud goodness.
The Roman element In civillzati0il, power,
finds its embodiment in the civil govern
ment. The Jewish element goodness, finds
its perfect expression in the Church OF
Christ. The Greck element, refinement.
hDds It's highest expression IN orr schools OF
learning. The educational system of our
country IS not generally compulsory. 1t
would be well il we could ln.use enough
enthusiasm into the whole sy stem TO save
ia from any necessity of ever making 1t
compulsory. We onght not to make any
thing good compulsory. We ought not TO
limit immigration. although we ordinarily
think, first of all. of closing the doors
against all foreigners when we face the
startling facts which / have dc Scribed.
Instead of closing the doors we o1ght TO
make some worthy and heroic effort to
educate all foreigners in American and
Christian ideas The most promising
and the largest of all missionary
our American civilization. has never
been touched. How wise ii would be If
every missionary society In America should
make generous appropriation to load up
all the steamships coming from Europe to
this country with educated and Cody men
and women who should spend the days of
the voyage in matchmaking these Euro
peans with American Christian ideas.
THE VALUE OF EDUCATION.
This great foreign population, amount
ing to millions of people. is in plastic con-
dItion when on the voyage to America. If.
now. It were possible for high-minded
men and women to come in con-
tact with them, giving them letters
e s.xA l. I'll. al
Christian people in the localities to which
they are going. we should secure almost this
entire population for the Christian churc hes
aud for the Christian schools instead of
having them massed together IN such large
proportions in direct hostility to American
and Christian ideas. Even our own peO-
pie. born and reared in this country, do not
have adequate appreciation of the relation
Of the citizen to the state In our form of
government. There must be some method
devised by educated Christian men
and by. patriots 10 awaken the
of the vaime of education. so that
precisely as politics and religion enter INTO
likewise must education be considered as
all essential part of his life. Our English
brothers were compelled to face these
facts earlier than we, and they have made
o promising beginning OF the solution OF
this problem. The university extension
movement in England is the university of
the future. Forty years ago widespread
disturbance occurred among the work
ing classes in England in response
to revolutionary disturbances on the con-
tinent. Frederick DennisOn Maurice. an
Oxford professor, a clergyman of the
which they were proposing III their discus
sions. He ridiculed tho idea of life which
made the chief purpose of every man to get
away from his present occupation and by
some sudden twist gain wealth. and SO
achieve "a brass door-bell on front street.
He proposed that he and the Oxford and
Cambridge men would be glad to lecture
for wOrkiDgmen on weekday evenings II
they would organize workingman's col
Iege. This proposition was taken mp and a
college organized. Among the lecturers
were men like Ruskin and Thomas
Hughes. Maurice was principal of the
college coll while he lived. ,, In ISL nNS
Church of England invited workinRmen to
meet him in o London tavern. where they
might discuss all the grievances which they
were talking over with so much bad tem-
per. After each man had stated his grew
ances. Professor Maurice stated them over
again with great ability and insight; stated
them much more powerfully than they had
been stated by the worklngmen, and then
showed them with equal candor that the
Da s ~ t aSs ,hs9 there
Bottom mot q shs % compex probems
Cambridge took mp this question and uni
versity extension began. There has come
back to England the true idea of education;
that it is for the whole people and for
every year of their life. When men and
women had come to the maturity of mental
power by some strange and lndehnabie
hallucination they had come TO the convlc-
ton that they were not TO be Students;
that they had lost their power TO learn
But now in many centers they are work
ing 10 the conviction that they are to
be students during the entire period OF
their lives. even as they are TO have
an interest in politics and in religion
during the entire period of their lives
Professor MoultOn, of Cam bridge Univer-
sity. Is the master spirit In the university
extension movement in England. He IN
sists that this work must be taken up by
the university corporation and the unlver-
sity graduate. and in true missionary spirit
He insists that the Fundamental, doctrine
Is 70 awaken among the people an interest
in study. The public lecture, the printed
slips of exercises and the class are all to
stimulate interest in study. Earthly and
human regeneration must come along with
any spiritual or heavenly regeneration that
il worthy the endeavor of rlght-tbinking
men.
WHAT Is NEEDED HERE.
Now the great universities of America
haye taken up the university extension
idea with the enthusiasm that might be
expected of men indoctrinated with the
democratic spirit" said the reverend gen.
tleman, in conclusion. my insistance is
that the churches ought immediately to be-
gin TO cooperate with the schools and CO l.
leges to awaken the Nation to an apprecia-
ton of the val ue of education. While
believe in evan geliZation in such an in
tense sense that | have no words with
which to describe my convictions, yet be-
lieve there is such widespread need of edu-
cation among the American people in Amer
lean ideas that ii would be wise of every
Christian church in the Nation for one or
more years to come. to give attention to
the formation of classes in American his
tory, in political economy and in American
literature. The desperate conditions in
which we find the city populations
in their unhappy ana fierce aliena-
tion from each other makes it necessary
that every school and church building
should be used to bring many-sided liberal
culture into contact with every condition
of life. In some manner We must enlarge
common interests, deepen fellowship and
create simplicity through refinement, and
check the passion for excitement by the
force of purer interests. We stand on the
edge of new age. 1t is time we begin TO
appreciate the seriousness of the situation.
We must look to the educated, to the gOdly,
to the patriotic, to unite in most loyal and
loving devotion in giving shape and dIrec-
ton to the new age"
Last Week of the Tax Commission.
The Tax Commissioners are so near the
nf ba, - &C hot @Ia,,