St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1910-12-24
Need of Church
Effort to Reach
the Educated


tor of the Fountain street Baptist
church of Grand Rapids, Mich. He de.
clared that the church has strength In
direct ratio to the amount Of education
the people at large have.
There is a widespread belief that
religion and education are antagonis.
tic, or, at least, unrelated departments
OF life" said Rev. Mr.. Brown. Certain
texts from the Bible are wrenched
from their connection and quoted as
proofs of this separation.
Nothing could be farther from the
truth. The spirit of Christianity is that
of self-improvement. Everything that
enlarges and enriches life, that In.
crease the powers, that clarifies the
vision and sharpens the judgment and
elevates the tastes is vital part OF
our religion, for it determines our atti.
tude toward God and the world, and II
determines the amount of service we
can render to the cause for which our
lives are devoted. When religion and
ignorance are welded, fanaticism is
the offspring. Divorce religion and
education and religion becomes super
stition, while education becomes inf.
deity.
Education Is a Passion.
THE desire for education has come
to be a passion In America. A few
weeks ago there was witnessed the
march of an army more mighty and
magnificent than any whose stately
tread has disturbed the peace of EN-.
pires since the first conqueror led forth
his savage horde. 1t was the march
to the sehoolhouses Of our country.
They bore no arms and obeyed no gen.
eral, but they hold within their power
the destiny of our great nation. In 20
years this army will be the ruling pow.
er of our national life. They will man.
age our great railroads and corpora.
tons. They will sit in the halls OF
state and determine the policies of our
republic. They will be the leaders OF
thought and action-making our litera.
ture, leading our churches and building
our cities.
question in this way its Importance
overwheims us. 1t Is staggering. Can
any public question compare with it?
The work Of the schools is to lead 20
100000 savages through barbarism to
civilization. Is such a work anything
but religious?
Individually, each scholar is receiv.
Ing something Of incalculable value.
An education Is an asset of which nc
| man can rob him. 1t gives him infiu.
| ence and power. An unframed boy or
girl stands but one chance in 10000
of being an influential factor in the
| worlds work. A high school education
increases the chances for influence 95
! times, while college education in.
creases them over thousand times.
Need Of Conscience Training.
But schools and education are no,
without their critics. It is said that
modern training exalts brilliance and
cleverness at the expense of solid
worth and honesty; that it breeds a
desire. not for unselfish service, but
for soft snap; that it Is superficial
impractical and irreligious.
Much of this criticism comes from
expecting too much from the schools
but the leading educators recognize
! that, as a recent resolution of the Ma
tional Educational association put it
the next great advance In school life
of this country must be to put con
science training decisively above mind
training When we recall that the
great crimes of today are not the re
suit of ignorance, but of perverted
shrewdness, we are reminded that 9
knowledge Of mathematics or litera
ture or the sciences will not make hon
est men. The men that wreck our great
financial concerns, that bring shame tc
our government by bribery and cor
rupt practises, are not wanting in in
tellectual training There were, a few
years ago, in Joliet prison 200 college
bred men and only 119 illiterates.
True Religion Is Not Taught.
LAS a remedy it is proposed that re
ligion be taught in the schools This
Is easier proposed than practised. True
religion is not taught. 1t Is caught II
Is matter of life, not of formal creed
and catechism. Some principles could
and should be taught, but study oil
| ethics does not bring honor and self
control and inspiration to the heart
This comes only from person al conta
gion. We can lift the moral tone OF
the schools by exalting the office Of
teacher. There is little incentive TO,
| strong men to enter the teaching pro
fession. The salaries are miserably
low. The average salary for teacher
is s34O a year, while the average an
nual income for a day laborer is $3.50
But education must not be confined
to the schoolrocm. The church and the
home must not shfrk their responsible
ties. The Bible school Is the only place
where many children learn of the 81
BILE. which has more influence on his
tory than any other book. A child il
entitled to know what is contained IL
this great book The public schools
cannot teach it without arousing bittel
controversy. The home seems to have
forgotten its teaching function. Tit
church must put It's best energy ana
thought in the fundamental work O
building the character of a coming ma
ton"
Standing steadfast.
N the lifelong struggle for Chris
| ton oha no for M vfctory o1,ar a,,{1