Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-05-10
EDUCATION INSUFFICIENT.

In contribution TO the North Amer
lean Iovlew for May. Ilcbccca Harding
Davis discusses the question whether
education has always been an unmix-
cd blessing TO America and Amcri-
cans Ehc sccma 10 take a negative view
~ the matter ana points 10 the fact
that. according 10 the annual report u
1895 ~ the eastern pcnitentiary In
Pennsylvania. u ninety-one convictH
al u the hardened class. only nine
were unable TO read and write. OF
eight no record had been kept. but NJ
sumo Of them were forgcrs and counter
foitcrr. they evidently were not hitter
ate. and scycnty-four prisoners had at
tended school for from two 60 nlne
years.
She refers 10 another fact Three
years after the opening ~ free schools
In London. q marked Increase was not.
Iced In the number 81 juvenile offend
cra In the city prisons and rcformator-
lee. There was. TOO. change In the
kind ~ crimes committed by them.
The number of boys and young men
convicted Of forgery. grand larceny
and intricate Hwindllng Schemes. was
was more than doubled. while the num-
Der of sneak thieves. druniar,ia and
plokpocketa was iessened BY one-half.
A. years passed. tho proportion ~ ed
ucatcd criminals largely Increased.
Lord shafieabury. some years ago.
before large meeting called for noms
phiianthopc purpose. made "a state
m"nt of similar purport. showing from
statistics that education had not less
cned the number 81 crimes committed.
Tho question II practical one. II
n urged that II IN lack Of education
that II nj the root ~ tho race troublca,
with their attendant crimes. II has been
argued that intellectual cniightenment
l. the panaeea Tor all lila Of which hui
man society Il suffering. Hut In tho
light ~ tho facts this Ia certainly not
-. Education alone may elevate an
individual. or a nation. to n higher In
tellectuai level than that previously oc-
cupled. hut unless something more than
mere knovlcdEe II impaired. all tho
passions aud appetltc-. desires and am.
NANf"NAHH ANA NNN NNAA NW'N 10 NWANN
what Is called "the carnai MIND" viii
follow the process of elevation. No
matter how high Il the level attained.
Il viii an b. there and tho result will
be- ovil. just as II was at any stage be.
low,
Refined Rome was aa rotten az when
II was tho Authoritarian world-con.
dueror-porhnpa moro 10. "chriatian'
Europe " BY no means purer than $40.
hammedan Asia. And what In 10 be
said about our own country. with Its
race conflicts and labor troubles. IL.
cases u murder and frequent failure TO
convict crimlnaiHf
a consideration ~ the fact that evil
grows and nourinhen a. well with as
without education. leads 10 tho view
that what Ii needed In our age IL the
acceptance u the principles 81 saliva
ton. without that Their. Is M hope.
There must be- a reaction from the
tendency TO oyorortlmatc the power and
influence OF ro-oaiiod natural virtue.
and clearer recognition Of mans de-
pcndence upon a supreme power for
knowledge " fiEht and wrong. and for
power To do the one and to avoid the
other.
Wen has the present head OF tho ITO.
man church saidi
TO practice virtue there Il absolute
need OF the assistance u the Holy
Spirit yet We md those who arr fond
~ novelty Swing an unwarranted i'm
pprtance 30 tho natural virtues, ~
though they better responded 10 the
customs and necessities ~ tho times,
or what avail are natural virtues I'M
lcsH secured hy the Elft OF divine
graccg'
on this point thera can be- no real
disagreement. II. then, there IL serious
concern for tho evils which education
and evolution rather Intensity than era
dictate. the rcmcdy must be sought In
the uorpel Of Christ, which alone Is a
power unto salvation from rim and
an It's effects.