Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1908-11-25

greSS, however, Is pelNS lnauS III o0t
own city toward the correction OF
such undesirable conditions. Anoth-
er cause, more deep-seated and more
serious, is the growing commercial
spirit Of the day. The dollar Is the
circle of life. Men sell Their own
souls and put under tribute their
chiIdren's for dollars. There Is great
need for resolute struggle against
the allurements Of dollars. Too many
affairs are being builded to the god of
gold; too many souls arc being sacri-
feed upon these affairs. 1t Is hard,
yes, we'll nigh impossible, to trans
mute commercial ideals, dollars e1d
cents into more abundant life.
Our course Of study may we'll neel
revision, may require radical change
in content. But our greatest need Is
larger and truer ideals established
firmly in the hearts and minds OF our
boys and girls. A greater emphasis
must be placed upon moral and ideal
than upon material and commercial
values. The voice in defense Of the
child's inalienable rights, his heritage
of moral and religious ideals, should
ring deep into the hearts Of parents.
Parents need to learn that the dollar
is not the goal Of life, that the child
is more than the victim OF 4 parents s
base ideals; that he is more than a
money-naking machine. They need
to learn that the child has self-hood
to be developed, g soul to be cultured,
and a destiny 20 be achieved. To
take child out OF school and compel
him to earn money is to deny him his
rights, is to degrade him. For
parents to do so is selfish, brutal, I'M
moral. repeat that one OF the great
est evils that threaten our nation Is
our too complete allegiance to COM
mercial ideals. Our mad rush for
gold makes us nation Of individuals
rather than a democracy. Christ
says, "No man liveth unto himself. 7"
In New York it sometimes seems as
though every man reversed that prin-
ciple. Indi"idualism is menace to
the life of the republic. There is, as
never before, q crying need for
parents and teachers to exalt moral
-and spiritual values; a need to de-
throne the god of gold and to re-
enthrone the God Of old; a need to
engrave upon the very physical and
spiritual fiber oil the child's nature
the exceeding, the incompatible
worth of moral character. Parents
themselves need to possess and prop
erly estimate these ideals and then to
instill them and give them first place
in the hearts of their children. Such
ideals of truth and righteousness, i'm
plying as they do profounder sense
of social obligation, will contribute IN
the highest degree to the enrichment
of human life, to more abundant
life.
Mighty possibilities are resident IN
the teachers vocation because Of the
material with which he works. Eter'
nal consequences follow therefrom
The true teacher spends little time
waiting for pay day to come. His is
a worthier work than that Of mere
wage Garner. He is a maker fol
social betterment, not a mere hir g
ling. AS with the preacher, righ ;
eousness is his concern; with God he
is q co-worker. That our teachers
might feel that they are called Of GOO
and are doing Gods work, there was
a Man sent from God who was named
Teacher. He Himself says Ills mis-
sion was to give a more abundant
life. That was His mission, that wa:
His religion, that was His life. The
religious aspect of the teachers work
the religion of education, If you Will
is a subject worthy gilmore though
than it has received.
While there is an imperative neet
forget that the ideals must be of pcs
| sible attainment. We need, then
sane teachers, teachers balanced b1
perspective False ideals, ideals be
yond the realm of the possible. helc
up before the young, defeat tht
teachers purpose. Hold up before {
boy an impossible ideal, making hin
struggle toward its realization unit
one day its utter absurdity dawn'
upon him, and with what result: Hi!
| cherished idol falls and with it there
come tumbling down all his ideal con
structs. In this day when our college
presidents are little more than none.
gatherers, when our school principal!
are little more than clerical workers
there is a positive need for teacher!
with lofty ideals, but ideals within
the realm of possible achievement
Impossible ideals made for lawless
ness rather than for Righteousness!
and the betGermant3of life.
We need, finally. to rediscover ths
meaning of life,. .toSlearn that a man:
life consisteth not in the abundance
of the things that he possesses. We
need to rediscoyer the fact Of God
and that in Him We live and move
and have our heing. He is the source
OF our life and TO find Him is to fine
fuller life. There is need to re-em
phasize the fact OF Christ as the Re
vealer of the true life which Is the
life Of service. The life Of the world
has received new impulse in Him
His faith and practice we're that tho
only way to find life is to give life
Christ gave His life in deeds of loving
service even unto death that the life
heritage of humanity might be en-.
riched. He thus emDnasized in teach.
ing and in life social obligation. For
Him every enriched life was an in.
creased social asset. From Him VIC
learn that the inheritance of life into
which we have como must be shared
with our fellows and passed on. to
others enhanced in value by reason
of our participation. To give life Is
to make life more abundant