The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-05-29
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iStered somewhere whose record Will
| surely confront US some time in the be-
yond. Motives OF mere prudence or per-
| sonal utility, of legal veto or permission,
| of social convention, are OF value in So
| ciety, but alone never created a man OF
| exalted character and heroic virtue
never even kept man honest in the pres
ence of a great and unexpected tempta-
ton. Public morality without religion is
impossible, said Washington.
Religion furnish to the ardent and am
bilious youth the Hottest and most in
spring of motives in the pursuit Of an
education.
"Son of the Great King, I will be
worthy Of my celestial lineage Heir to a
decayless heritage. by no lapse, by no
failure in fiHal duty, by no barter for a
mess OF worthless pottage, win I forfeit
my divine birth right. An immortal soul.
capable of almost limitless expansion and
growth in knowledge and virtue, destined
through amounted ages to be the friend
and companion Of all the good and the
great, the redeemed out of all nations, the
spirits of just men made perfect, angels,
achangels, and the Sons of God Most
Nigh will seek for knowledge and wis
dom with tireless patience. I will ch2s-
ten my spirit and subdue the unruly
members of the body under the spirits
dominion. Compared with such motive
as the handspring Of effort Iii self-educa-
ton and culture what are such trivial
considerable as these-enlarged capacity
for sensuous pleasure, sharpening the in
tellect's edge the more readily 10 over
- 1T
Of mercenary gain, greater ease in gain
ing a livelihood and more facility in at
tanning the ends of q merely selfish am
bition, affluence, applause, station, all to
end in the grave
do you tell me that young men In the
secondary school and the college, at the
period of life when are crystallizing into
permanent forms the intellectual and
moral habits, the aims and motives, that
are to dominate the character and life
of each, do not need to have set before
them the great themes and matches
precepts of the Christian revelation?
PHILOSOPHY in the person of Herbert
Spencer has lately discovered that no
man can live for himself alone, and that
rational society among men is possible
only as one member ministers, on oc-
casien, unto the welfare of every other
member. Philosophy has christened its
new discovery, 'altruism,' regard for
Others
"But Christianity calls this old virtue -
religion 'benefcence' doing good to 9TH
ers,' and exalts it to the topmost place
among the virtues; enjoining it on its
votaries to the extreme limit of offering
life itself to save or bless anothers, and
exemplifies the transcendent Importance
and meaning of the virtue by offering its
founder on the cross for human trans
gression and transgressors. Would you
hold up before the young, photographs of
the great heroes of history-Leonidas,
Moses, Alfred, William the Silent, Wash
ington, Lincoln-in the fond hope that
their ardent souls may be inspired there
by to do like service for mankind? You
would to well; but remember, that Jesus
Christ is the worlds greatest hero. Nay,
He is the worlds Redeemer and Savior.
Strange, in deed. if in the schools of
a Christian country where months and
even years are given to the careful study
of the lives and deeds of the prominent
makers of secular history, some of them
illustrious and benefcent heroes, other
some great knaves. infamous for their
crimes. the memoirs of Jesus of Nazareth,
greatest of all moral heroes, wisest and
best of all men, must be carefully ex-
Guided Strange yet, If in our costly
training of the $1,000 teachers
of American children and youth, whom
are to sit in docile mind at the feet Of
the worlds illustrious teachers, Plato,
Aristotle, Kant. Herbart, Ascham, Locke,
Pestalozzi. Froebel, Arnold, Mark Hop
kins. Asazzis, we are forbidden to point
to the most illustrious teacher and the
most authoritative master Of all human
time.
THE testimony Of secular education is
strongly towards the merely 'Uractical'-
TO fit the young in the briefest time at
the smallest cost, to earn a living, for
business success. for a career.
Il do not altogether decry this tend
ency. All education should be in the
best sense practical. In most cases a
short cut in education TO life vacation
is all that can be had. But ali school in
should inclue the element of
culture. e., the symmetrical develop
ment of the mind on all sides, so that the
pupil, when grown to adult state, shall
stand forth a complete and well-propor-
toned man or woman TO quote President
Angel.
The civilization of any society or state
IS graded by the predominanca Of educat-
ed men. The test TO be applied to our
American civilization is not the produc-
ton OF our fields in wheat, corn, cotton,
fat beeves and swine; nor the vast yield
of mines of gold, silver. zinc, lead. coal
and iron; nor the measureless extent OF
ceramic, metallic and textile manufacture;
nor the tonnage or great fleets on lake
and stream and seas.
The test of any civilization that would
endure is the degree of its adjustment
to the spiritual possessions of the race;
the pradominance of religion, morality
material and sensuous.
IF, then. the author Of Beside the Bon
rie Brier Bush is just in his criticism
Of American society and tendencies. how
can We arrest this downward trend Of
our national life, save by the primary and
persistent processes OF education2 II we
are becoming harmfully msterialistic in
our motives and acts, our education is
defective. We have left out OF cur sys-
TENS Of school and college instruction
and training elements essential to the
production OF the best type Of manhood
and womanhood; we have too much ad-
jused our motives an dacts 20 the ma
terial possessions 0f the race.
There is need therefore OF the Chris
tan school and OF the Christian college
to help check in our processes OF educa-
ton this tendency to dangerous material