The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-02-05
THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF
POPULAR EDUCATION.

EDITOR NEWS DEMOCRAT:-O of
the poet philosophers is accredited with
saying:
"Tis Education forms the common mind
Just as the twig is bent the tree, Is Inclined"
Words more true were perhaps never
uttered, but what are we TO understand
by education. The poet evidently
meant our moral, religious and polit-
lcal education, as aside from education
in the natural and mechanical sciences.
A legitimate conclusion then would be
that such education, If based on true
and correct ideas, will produce social
order and elevate the race. While on
the other hand, If based on erroneous
ideas, or false theories, must produce
social disorder.
Some time ago was sitting in q
news depot reading Pentecost's Twen.
tieth Century, radical magizine. Mr.
Pentecost, the editor, in politics is an
anarchist; in religion Is any where from
an agnostic to an atheist. Now what
ever may be thought or said, of Mr..
Pentecosts political or religious here
sizes, he is certainly an original thinker
and great promoter of advanced
thought.
When flnishad reading, attempted
to hand 1t to a friend sitting by, saying
do you want to read it. He looked at
me with seeming indignation, saying,
"No sir, l do not want to to read it," rs
much as to say i am above reading that
kind of literature.
Now l don't believe that it is any
part of wisdom to adopt or to follow
all the ideas or theories of advanced
thinkers, even in the interest of human.
ity, or to elevate the race, but do be
lieve that II Is the part of wisdom to un-
derStand that we ourselves may be
wrong, that our education may be at
fault, and If 1t IS, how are we to right it
If we refuse to listen to any advanced
thought, not in harmony with our ideas.
We may say that our reason and
common sense with teach US what is
right or wrong in the matter. Now |
believe with the poet, at the beginning
of my essay, that the reason aud COM
mon sense or the average individual, as
a rule, is just what his education makes
IL.
And 1t seems to me, that when we
regret without investigation the ideas
of advanced thinkers, which are
the result of study, we
are simply leaving ourselves
behind III the race of social progress.
Pascal, an eminent christian philosopher
once said, "The sciences have two ex-
tremities which touch each other, the
first is pure, natural ignorance, the
state of all men at their birth; the
second Is that state at which great
minds arrive, after having traversed
the whole circle of human knowege,
that they know nothing, and find them.
selves in the same state of ignorance
from which they started ont. But this
is q scientific ignorance, which is
aquainted:wi h It's self. Those who
have left the first state, and have not
been able to reach the other have
some tincture of self sufficient science,
and are puffed up with conceit, ana
their judgments are more false than
either OF the others. These are dis
turbers of society,"" This IS true of
man individually and all the
evidence we have that bears
on the question would indicate that it
is true of man, collectively.
Go back one hundred years and we
find all popular education and litera-
ture based on the idea that man had a
right to hold properly in man.
Go back another hundred years and We
find all popular education based on the 4,
idea that Kings ruled by Divine right. |
Go back still further aud we fiud that !
the world was fiat and that the sun !
went around 1t.
To break up these prevalent notions, |
to which the people we're educated, has |
cost many advance thinkers their lives. |
And the Obstinacy of society in cling |
Ing to false notions has cost society |
untold millions in blood and treasure. |
Few of our sources of education dare
to oppose the popular wrongs of the
age. Our church societies seem to be |
afraid of advanced thought. The OBJ
ject of our public press is the only
source of education which the masses
have any time to read. Conflicts with
the interests of any class, no matter
how true or beneficial to society, is nee
essarily unpopular and consequently
denied space. We have honorable ex-
exceptions, but everybody knows that
this is about the rule.
A. J. KNIT.