The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-06-17
ASATURDAY
H$ NIGHT
1 SERMONS
BY
h. RExSAMuEIW.puEXsnl
THE CURBSTONE UNIVERSITY.

Jim. my old classmate. met me at
college station He's on the faculty
of rapidly growing college Lets
stop here for sandwich aud Java"
murmured, "Oh, you starved prophet"
he tainted wait till | get you to
old Baked Potato Pie chapter house
I'll stuff your preacher jacket full of
chicken and watlles" thought of
Tantalos. A college dominates a town.
of course Princeton town is Princeton
university, New Haven is Yale, Cam
bridge is Harvard. palo Alto Is Leland
Stanford. Berkeley is University of
California. SureI And the only school
ing worth while Is right here.
God Pity the Poori
That evening | hurried back to "lit-
tie old New York" to address a down
town mission. Oh. the lure of the
city, Here the throDbing pulse is
near the surface Here every forty
seconds an emigrant arrives. every six
minutes child is born. every seven
minutes funeral moves off. every two
hours some one killed by accident. ev
cry ten hours some one commits sui
eide. every two days some one is muir
dered | passed down the most bril-
liant street in the civilized world. Sons
and daughters of luxury rolled by In
Haunting touring car or modest limou
sine. A turn of corner and | en-
tered q new world In a few steps ]
had gone through dozen layers of
society. Every step is down. darker
flthier, r-sckening odor from
that cellar, startling oath from sub
terranean den: everywhere drink and
dope for mind and bodies craving food
and oxygen, stimulation for tagging
vitality; everywhere the hacking
cough; everywhere the fearful fever
of unsatisfied poverty My mind went
back to the college campus and shade
trees. Children fill the sidewalks
babies that never heard mother pray,
only swear; babies who will occupy
prisons asylums. brothels. Old and
young, black and white Jew and gen
tile. sick and SHINING. are herded to
gether Here the footpad brings his
plumber the beggar his scraps, the
scarlet girl of the street her booty
Mary Magdalene without repentance;
Lazarus, the leper. without his God
BY the Eternal, though within sound
of hundred church bells, this is the
saddest spot on earth!
The Curbstone College.
No education here? Yes, indeed!
This year the department of education
will spend $27. 500,O0O-and this only
fraction Of our national school bill
and book teaching only an inflnitesi-
NAL part of the education of the Amer
lean child. The real schools are out Of
doors. Most knowledge comes not
through books, but by observation
seeing and hearing A university Is
not one school, but a collection OF
schools. The school Of the street is
the great university. Other schools
ere open six hours day. five days
week, nine or ten months a year. The
school of the street is always open.
Children Of the town must 60 into the
street or into the coffin: there's no
choice There are no hills. but houses;
no meadows. but asphalt The arc
lights put out the stars of heaven.
The street is the only school many can
attend In ten thousand cities and
towns of our great republic the street
is the instructor Not town hall, or
high school. or public library of the
community. but the street is the great
educator There the children attend
willing and are apt learners. The dev
IFS tuition is free Every day is ma
circulation day; every night is com
mencement night.
Yes, Your Children Too!
Say. mother, any Of your children
getting their education on the streetf
Know where your boys and girls are
when you are at prayer meeting or
whist? Yes; Johnnie's at Jacks house,
and Susie's at-say, daddie, where did
Susie say she was goingf Oh. yes!
She's at that new girl friends, Lottie-
what's her name?" Are you suref Do
you know that? "Of course ! do. Do
you mean to say All right, mother
Don't feel hurt. It's only a preachers
asking. one who used to be newspa
per man Some night when Johnnie
comes In with the smell of liquor on
him. some day when you are puzzled
about Susie's actions and hear of clan
destine meetings, this education will
become mighty real But we've so
many social engagements in the even
ings" But you don't LET Fidc out.
Some one might steal him. OF course
Fido's a valuable dog BEFORE God. ia
ther | would give Johnnie and Susie
as much thought as your house dog.
though the social sky should fall! Ev
cry now and then u mother is shocked
Little Bobbie, in petulance about some
tri6e, gives vent to an oath. why
Bobbie. where did you ever hear such
word?" Some boy on the street. y
A week ago mother spent an evening
in terror and tanrS Her little miss OF