The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-09-05
THE NTERMoUNTN AND COLORADO CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 1908

soning is liable to error Theories as advocated by
certain reformers which were proved fallac1ous
thousands of years ago certainly would not have so
many intelligent advocates if these same advocates
had read and understood the experience of people
long since dead. What was untrue in days gone
by is untrue today.
Besides the lessons of history literature fur
nishes guide for action. The Darwinian theory
of evolution, upon which many wise men have
placed their stamp of approval, certainly if true,
can furnish no guide for political action, social
guidance. The knowledge impaired by Darwin is
not such as to give men better understanding of
mans duty to man. and it has a very strong tend
ency to destroy mans conception of the duty he
owes to his God. 1t is a very interesting theory,
however, and shows to what lengths the genius of
goes to solve problems contrary to the recorded
history of Gods earth But the theories based on
hypothesis that the world is not the creation of God
furnish no guide. On the other hand, Plato'5
teachings in the art of living one with another
far valuabe.' And the philosophy of Demos
themes is of far more social value in the modern
world than the science of Huxley
Summed up, however, history and literature con-
tain no message to the people of the United States
half so important as the lessons taught in the his
tory of the life of Jesus Christine real teacher
Here we find the experience of the human race in
small compass. For Jesus Christ sounded the
depths of human experience. In his teachings may
be found the solution of all the problems of the
come before the people of the world Jesus Christ
firmly established mans position in the world. He
created the ideal to which mankind has been strug
Cling through all the centuries. And this ideal is
firmly established is the course of the stars
In efforts at reform. any changes we make will
be for good or Ill only as they follow the guidance
of the teacher who knew all. We like to credit
mankind with wisdom when some great reform is
accomplished in government, but when the source
of the inspiration which leads to the reform is
discovered, it will be found in the work of the
Savior. He sounded the depths of knowledge for
he left message to man to guide him in all the
walks of life
Darwinism may be knowledge, and the mas
terry of botany may be knowledge and knowledge
may be the discovery and recording of the move
ment of the heavenly bodies. We do not decry
such knowledge. Rather do we encourage the
mastery of all the mysteries of nature. But this
intellectual work, while it may be given the plau-
IlIo
man to man, and serves no useful purpose in teach
ing how to live in brothery love with his
fellows. Education without history cannot develop
in the souls of men that love and sympathy which
leads to his highest estate In history in liter
allure and in the religious thought of the olden
days can be found an infallble guide for present
day action.
To say that such education is impractcal-that
it does not produce dollars and cents-is to over
look the vital lessons of the past and to place
kind, with his hopes and fears, and thoughts and
deeds in a world full of trying ordeals, with moth
ing but his intuition to guide him. With the les
sons of history and the training of thousands of
years of experience TO guide him, and God the
nfallible director of humanity, the problems of
today can be solved. Without these things, the
world will grope in the dark, first trying theory
and then another, only to find in the end the same
I'D problems arising, and the same old fallacious
answers coming out of the experience of the people
If one age To know history and to know God
should be the great aim Of education, for in these
Kings and these only, lies the solution of the prob
ems of the age.