The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-06-15
Knowledge"
BY SEBASTIAN aMITH.

spirit seemed waning and the world
wished for peace, the mind Of man
asserted itself and the raw material
of tradition was moulded by keen in
tellects; then the clash of arms was
silenced by the more powerful weap-
on, knowledge.
During the so-called dark ages,
whilst the noble and his followers
were disputing and settling the ques-
ton In bloodshed, the nlonasteries Of
Europe and the hermits of the east
We're fostering with tender care the
germs of knowledge until at later
period the tree burst forth in all its
beauty and usefulness. In the thir-
teenth century the mental outlook
broadened and human sympathies
deepened Men began to attain emf
nence in literature, and royalty pat
ronized learning.
When in the fifth century. the art
of printing was invented, knowledge
grew more general as, books became
more plentiful and schools sprang up
on every side. The result has been
that illiteracy has almost disappeared
from the great christian nations; and
even Japan and the other eastern
countries are promulgating the theory
that man must be educated to be
made rightly human. Each age and
country has it's peculiar form of liter
ature, with its great poets, historians.
novelists and orators, who receiving
and imbibing the influences of the
times mould them into an educational
atmosphere which prepares the way
for succeeding generations.
The novel. short story and news
paper stand for the literature of the
! twentieth century; we are In busy
I restless age, and no writer stops long
enough to become great author;
many write merely for money. others
for the entertainment of mankind. It
has been well said that the triumphs
of the pen have rivaled those OF the
sword Demosthenes. Cicero, Milton
and Homer are as well known and re
nowned today as Caesar or Napoleon.
Philosophers tell US that knowledge
/ is precious for its own sake, but ex-
perience tells us that knowledge is
not beneficial until we use it. At
present the trend of education is for
| practical purpose, the prodigy of uni
versal knowledge is a relic of the
past.
Whether for science, literature
business or professions; 1t matters
not. provided that the chosen subject
/ be pursued with definite purpose and
with perseverance, it will eventually
/ bring success. No knowledge Is use
less; that priceless treasure once ours
I is always ours; it never leaves us IN
want of a friend or employment; it is
in short. "a thing of beauty and JOY
I forever" In this age of universe
arbitration the battle field affords tht
opportunity for gaining renown t.
comparatively few, while there is Ar
! ever increasing demand for goot
| teachers, good business men, goot
professionals and good priests. Like
i the Aeolian Tyre, the life of each o
us Is being played upon by the winds
Of centuries and the character of thu
past is being reproduced by Its lit
erary monuments; as the present vii
i be in future generations. Each er;
leaves Footprints on the sand 0
time" now as in ancient Greece an
1 Rome. the basic problem is the ain
ond nneanfno Of life for.
Each day doth on a winged whirl
i wind ride,
We and our glass run out, and must
Both render up our dust"