The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-03-29
1MANKATo FREE PRESS.
pEAN PATTEE'S LECTURE.
he Aim of Human Life Is Perfection
of Character.
We Are Guided by the Triple Laws
that Govern the Universe.

Scarcely hundred persons cCmpos-
ed the audience that listened to re-
markably fine lecture by Dean w. S.
EPattee, of the law department OF the
State University, last night in the
Normal hall. The lecture was under
the auspecies of the Normal Literary
society, and was the only one secured
-onl proposed course of lectures, but
the members of the society evidently
failed to appreciate it's excellence. as
only "a few of them were present, and
even the president was absent. This
is mot as it should have been. and all
Of THE higher classes of the school
ought to have been largely represent
ed. in the audience.
A trio composed of Miss Griffin, Miss
sparrow and Mrs. III. l. Parry render
I'D delightful selection.
! Dean Pattee opened his lecture, on
THE Law of Human Progress" by
referring to the mystery that is every
where found beyond and bordering
the known laws of the universe. The
word ''law" appears in all languages,
and belief in law has existed in all
ages and among all people. The first
laws laid down are certain great
truths, intuitions, truths of human
reason. Examples of these are: ga
thing cannot be and not be atthe same
5fme," Something cannot be created
0ut of nothing" A law is truth reg
Native of . power. We cannot con-
aeive of the Almighty creating some
Thing out of nothing.
- The inertia of matter is another
great law. You cannot make two
bodies occupy the same space at the
same moment.
From the physical world we come
to the finite mind, and find all laws
Of mind fixed. There are three grand
systems of eternal jurisprudence. Is
the human intelligence all there is,
Dr. is there other intelligence? If man
were Gagged in by three cast iron laws,
with a blind and speeches. force
above him, he would have no hope, no
comfort and no promise. The human
mind has always rebelled from this.
The astronomer photographs star
which to him is invisible even through
bhe strongest telescope. Can he
foubt it's existence, it's brilliancy, or
its power of illumination, when he
has such evidence on his camera be-
fore him? When we look off into the
blindness of space, we see an intellec-
tual activity and love here and we
,Anow that it must be there.
I Is there such a thing as law OF
human progress? We have knowing
creature in the world that can be
Known. The desire for knowledge
IS one of the inherent qualities of
very soul. In it's lowest form this is
,alled curiosity. 1t is this which i'm
,els us to action, and therefore we
lave intellectual progress certain.
The truth of this is established by
he history of the race, which is one
ST progress, as well as by the analysis
# our own minds.
The desire for knowledge is the de-
ire for truth-the law of supreme in
'estigation. That unity which binds
verything together is the supreme
aw of action-the love of man.
- Is our main end in life, power? 1t
annot be, because the great mass of
,eople could not, in that case, obtain
he end for which they were made.
s it wealth? No, for then, also, must
he greatly majority fail. Is it high
tation? The same answer applies.
she one great end and aim of human
ite is perfection Of character. Gagged
10 in the cast iron bonds of the three
reat laws of the universe, we can do
othing only as we act in harmony
nth those laws. When we do that
re have, or are obtaining, the end for
hitch we were placed here. The
rouble is that we are drifting away
ITO regions of vagueness, and have no
Rchor. Here we have something
Re can hold to-the triple laws.
We are entitled to all the means for
he accomplishment of our end. BY
blowing this idea we solve many
that are bothering the
oman race today. You must have
fe. You must have the results of
our own industry. Nothing is more
icred than property, for it is the
leans of unfolding the mind power
18th which a man has been endowed.
= We have perfect system of juris-
rudence There is no flaw in the
inverse. The way is perfectly clear
toll on, inspired by desire for
,nowledge, under the light of a
'iendly providence. This is a world
hope, when our actions are in har-
-7ony with the three great finite laws.
Of