The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-06-08

The Independent To my way of thinking there
can be no greater exhibition of blasphemous i'm
pudence than for the finite to attempt to measure
the infinite, than for man to presume to be able
to dssect, to analyze, to explain and to apologize
for the Almighty God.
Instead of being as nation serving God, we
have become slaves of education science, phil
osophy, reason, or more often the counterfeit
presentations of these things. We build shrine
and put thereon sthe frail works Of our feeble
minds, and then fall in worshipful alteration be-
fore it. s 'a ~
Take for example, education. You can scarce
" take up a publication but what somewhere
within it's pages you will find Education" pre-
scribed as cure for all political, social and
moral ills. 80 -
Educate the fool and you have the fool still.
Educate the vicious and you have the villain STILL
The. worship Of God comes first; it is the
foundation; then build thereon your education
Do not be too strenuous about it even then
Recollect that there is limit to mental, well
as to physical strength and don't pile an eighteen
bytwenty education on a two-byfour mental ca
pacity. All along the track of educational develop
ment, there are many pitful wrecks, so overloaded
with superfuous knowledge that they are incap
able of Independent, original tlo'ght.
Now do not understand me to mean, that the
educational products / have just described are
either useless or vicious. On the contrary they
are necessary, almost essential The world could
scarcely spare them The trouble is that we
sometimes so overdo the thing by attributing in
fallibility to this style of thinker that what IS
called the common mind" is blinded or bluffed
into the idea that it must not think for ITSELF
but must accord worshpful attention to the ex-
pressed thoughts of the learned, without analysis
or question.
Herein is the harm, not in the learned or edu-
Gated for they are necessary, but in elevating
these to sphere above and beyond what is called
the common herd" in paying worshipful respect
to the opinions of the higher class whether they
are worthy Of it or not.
The American public has worked itself into
such state Of humble servility toward the oracles
of these things we call education, science, phil
OsOphy, that it will absolutely refuse to receive
a thought, no matter how much that thought may
be WORTH no matter how simply and plainly ex-
pressed. unless it happens to be endorsed by some
high educational authority, and couched in gran
eloquent phraseology.
Witness for example this proposition coming
from prominent thought leader to chloroform all
men over forty years Of age What could be more
foolishly vicious than that. If that thought had
been uttered by hod-carrier there would have
been no attention paid to it, but coming from the
source it did it commanded instantly worldwide
attention. and barrels of ink split tons upon
tons of paper were consumed acres of comment
were printed and sown broadcast over the land
until the worthless, brutal thought was present
ed again and again to many millions of minds.
We have become so idolatrous that we dare
not think for ourselves
We ask not what is the value of thought,
but s'who said it," If it comes from the direction
in which we worship, receive; if from any
other direction, we refuse it, however much it
may appeal to reason Judgment. Even
though convinced of it's worth we struggle in
desperation against it,
It is the trustful acceptance of the words of
the learned that makes it such an easy matter
to make fools of modern audiences. Since the mod
ern listener has thrown away his privilege OF
criticizing, analyzng, sitting in Judgment upon