San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-12-15
LET THERE BE LIGHT.
BY GEO. c KNOLL.

AS the sun is the light OF the day,
80 is education, to use q figurative
simile, the light OF the mind.
Where the latter shines brightest,
there we invariably find progress
greatest. In education we have a
light which casts no shadows. Pen
etrating the chamber of thought,
mans intellectual throne, it leaves
its sublime and permeating Influence
indelibly impressed upon memory's
page.
The mind in it's in fancy is enveloped
in in tellectual darkness; and educa-
ton as a light, is the only remedy
that will dispel this lingering dark
ness ard cause the radiant dawn of
intelligence to break.
Ignorance, the mother of supersti-
tion and fear, has been in ages past,
and TO some intent is still today, the
retarding agency of human progress
and advancement Those letters,
however, which bind the human mind
to mere religious creeds, have done
more than the former to retard this
progress and advancement. And am
1 not right? Is not ignorance prefera-
BILE to mental bondage?
There is always hope for theignorant
80 long as they show q willingness or
desire to learn.
But for such W no are.too opinionated
and dogmatical to investigate
those matters of moment not
within the pale of their narrow creed,
there is little if any hope. Religious
minded people-no matter of what
sect invariably lay greater stress on
he - tINnv on, a q q
phase of life. They maintain or
rather assume that spirit is eternal
while matter is but temporary
and make their deductions according
ly. Their hypothesis relative to the
question at issue is, to my mind, both
homogeneous and undemonstrable. In
congruous because spirit and matter
form a sublime unity and are In con-
sequence relatively dependent upon
each other-undemonstrable because
the human mind cannot, and what is
more, need not conceive OF the origin
and destiny of things. Rather than
be forever forming uncertain theories
as to our origin and eventual destiny,
let us devote ourselves to the prac-
teal, useful and ennobling in life.
I'm the light which we already
have, let US walk. That vision of
splendor which long ago lit up the
Indus shores, and through the ages
has shone in darkness everywhere,
the vision of the Indwelling God-in
man and in all things-will absorb
and convert at last all peepings for an
outdwelling god, a looker-on, or, at
most, an In terterer In the things that
are made"
A mans highest aim in life should
be to build up his character. Charac-
ter is the pillar upon which mortality
rests. You can have religion without
character, but never mortality.
And why? Because in specializing
about divine things, we are apt to
become oblivious and neglectful of
present important duties which often
confront us. The moralist's ideal OF
perfection is a perfect man, while the
ideal of religionist is q perfect God.
The one is real, the other imagina-
tive.
Very few are there who reach the
zenith of perfection-no matter what
their ideal may have been. 1t is OBJ
viOus, however, that the former Will,
when lite's journey ends, be nearer to
his goal than the latter. TITS solace
to him who on the eve of life's temp
tuous struggle can in reflection calm.
ly gaze over the bsttlements and say:
"I've done my level best, and GCd
will do the rest" Again, lin the
light which we already have, let us
walk ~