Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-04-18
THE PERILS OF EDUCATION
bishop Hughes Discusses Them In Lee
ture at Methodist Church.

There was fair attendance Tuesday eve
ming at the Methodist Church to hear the
lecture of Bishop L. II. Hughes upon The
perils of Education" but the number or
those present was far from equal to the
audience which the address deserved
President Benton of the University of
Vermont introduced the speaker who IS
former college friend of his in a
humorous vein that called forth witty
repartee of Il like sort.
Bishop Hughes prefaced his lecture by
a reference to the "perils of beauty" by
way of illustrating the point that things
In themselves highly commemorate may
contain elements of danger. He said that
a western paper had referred to him
under portrait as the "homellest bishop
In the church." but that he had always
| believed there must have been a typo
graphical error in the line, of which the
! first letter was intended 10 be C instead
of H.
Tracing the powerful effects for ma
tional misfortune that lurked In the
beauty of Helen of Troy. Cleopatra and
Mary Queen of Scots, he said that 1t is
the relation In which a thing stands that
determines Its influence for good or for ILL.,
The law Of gravitat1on holds a building
In place until an earthquake comes when
1t Is the same law OF gravitati that re.
suits In the ruin of the structure
Religion. great as is its power for good.
has been. when misdirected. one Of the
most dangerous forces In history, as dis
played in the massacre of ST. Bartholo-
new, and the present-day prosecutions
OF the Jews In Russia AN axe that will
cut wood Will also cut At ringer"
The first peril OF education, said the
bishop, is that education makes for self
consciousness. One man is led by It to
look into the world with a certain con-
ceit, another man with a certain t!midity.
The performance Of thing always falls
, short Of the ideal In the case Of an edu-
Gated man A young woman with a train
ed voice knows so well how a song ought
to be sung and that she can't sing II as
It ought to be sung. that she is unwilling
to try.
Conceit Is another peril that Is liable TO
be the outgrowth OF education. A college
student begins to speak Of people who
haven't had his advantages as 1.-The COM
mon run" the hoi polloi." 1.-The common
herd, 1.-The rank and file" las If they
We're rank and vile)
Now ard then" said the speaker, lone
can see certain nasty condescension
working into the second stage of intellec-
tual life. We don't want in the United
States an intellectual aristocracy. and II
we ever build up a purely intellectual
aristocracy 1t will be just as bad as an
aristocracy founded on wealth or family
btr1 ri1 &c
the tendency to substitute knowledge for
character. The old idea was that intel
lectual genius should be held to no strict
code of morality. 1t is possible for a man
to soar among the clouds intellectually
while wallowing In the mud morally. Blu,
70 make intellect substitute for charac-
tel is radical mistake.
The speaker attacked the life and
work of Oscar Wilde in treating his
fourth peril, the danger of making
knowledge an end itself. Art for
arts sake" he likened to a spade for
a spades sake. The higher view is
that knowledge Is simply a means to
a larger end. "A bookworm." said he
lis more contemplate than a money
worm"
woodward Kindling'," said the
speaker. In commencing the work OF
an English writer known the world
over, rs a term that has been applied
TO Rudyard Kipling, INT he has writ
ten some things worthy to be timbers
In the house of God. notably the Re
cessional "
Bishop Hughes displayed a remark
able memory, as shown by long quota
-
sense OF humor In his references tc
MS own experiences. while his fusil-
iade OF ready wit kept his audience
at all times interested and much OF
the time In hearty laughter, bearinl