The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1915-04-22
THE POWER OF KNOWLEDGE
Continued from First Page.

his resources in the battle of life, for his
fellowmen.
Thus quoth Goethe, ''Man exists for
culture, not for what he can accomplish
but for what can be accomplished in him."
No matter what the environments, you
can acquire self-culture and self-training to
any degree desired if there is will-powe
or inclination to do so, as this is the whole
philosophy of education in its truer mean
ing.
Lincoln's education was perfect in its
simplicity and thoro in the fundamental
principles, when it came to doing great
work. He would accept no indistinctness of
ideas. What he knew and thot must be
clarified in his mind and he made it so in
language and thinking of his own. He was
very fastidious intellectually. 1t was this
great mind that dealt with the tremendous
problems of the Civil War; that won the
heart of the nation thru its simple, persua-
sive wisdom, cultivated and clarified by the
habit of right thinking with laborous, alb
sorbent care.
In him, too, we perceive the truest kind
of honesty that exists in man: fundamental
ridicule of mind.
Lincoln was ever eager TO give to others
what he found in his own mind, in actual
lied ideas illuminated by his simple way of
delivery, which anybody could compre-
bend. Heinvariably took some story that was
plain to ordinary persons to emphasize his
ideas and force instantly the point of his
lesson before his hearers in way very gra-
tifying in its comprehensive construction.
Was there ever masterpiece of oratory
delivered, that conveyed the thots of a
truer, nobler character with its impressive
effect and simplicity than Lincoln's address
at Gettysburg.
Let us bear in mind what the continual
craving desire for better education gave
to this humble soul, strove to obtain the
knowledge by self-training and who by his
wiIl-power and confidence eventually be-
came one of our ablest statesmen and placed
him in position to serve his fellowmen, to
so great an extent. AS Carlyle said, s'From
the lowest depth there is path leading to
the loftiest height
There is path for each and every one of
us if we but desire to seek it, and determine
that our future course will be to CLEAN what
ouo- Sc haoaGc;,1 fro,,, o,,-
never forgetting to extend to the less for
tunate brotherly, helping hand
In connection with this argument we will
endeavor to call your attention to a few
facts in reference to the life of the wizard
of electricity, Thomas Alva Edison. He has
spent practically half century of his life
devising ways and means to alleviate the
burdens and further the advancement of
mankind thru his genius as an inventor.
Time is no factor with him when he has
centered his thots on an idea that has pre-
sented itself, but works necessarily until he
obtains the desired results. Failure has no
place in the mind of this persistent, ener-
getic, but patient parsonage. His mind is
ever active, which he has developed by
clear logical thinking backed by a person.
ality intense with courageous hopefulness.
Therein lies the power of knowledge and
the true purpose for which we educate our.
selves. But how many so called educated
persons dispense with their knowledge, to