The Detroit times., 1915-11-02
Education For World Living
~ On. FRANK cRANR
Copyright. 1915. by Frank Crsne)

This title, Education for World Liv-
ing" was used some time ago by Presi-I
dent King Of Oberlin College In an adj
dress at Oakland, California. All saw
Ia the press report was the heading; hio|
discourse was not given.
But the subject announced Is certain
ly striking and thought stirring. It rel
veals to us, - by lightning fash. the|
narrowness, the septic crudity Of alniostI
all Of what we call education.
Is not catholicity the very first essen-I
tial to any culturef Is not provincialism|
the arch foe to wisdom? Is not tho|
gentleman, the scholar, simply the mani
who has broken down the hedges that
cramp little minds, who has surmountedI
the last prejudice, realized the folly oil
egotism, and reached that sunny mesa
Of intelligent experience where he views
all human concerns with generous sym
pathy and lives in the unconfined and
universal democracy of ideas?
And how few systems Of education
attain that, or aim at it, or even see It II
The human creature runs to class al
the sparks fly upward. As a boy he joins|
a gang. The pride of family is instillsd|
into him. When he goes to college hej
strains his soul to get into Greek letter.
society. He is also made to feel that
the noblest adornment of life is to beI
loyal" to dear old Amherst, or Yale. orI
Siwash.
Out into the world forthgoing he must
be good Baptist, religiously; memberl
of the Rod and Rife Club, socially, and
a consistent hardware man in business.
Politically he must be Republican, orI
"a Democrat, or a Socialist, and stand byI
the Grand Old Party in whatever non-I
sense or crime its bosses may decree.
Citizenship never means more to himI
than the consciousness Of belonging to a|
certain geographical territory. He must|
swear allegiance to my country, right
or wrong" All the vanity and self-glori.I
fication of the inhabitants Of his district
he must adopt, glory in, and boast OF.
Patriotism, or intense national prejudice,
is elevated to a religion, and he is ex-I
pected to 60 out and kill the denizens OF
other states whenever there Is quar-
rel over tariffs, boundaries, or blunder.I
ing politics.
Why wouldn't it be good idea to edu-
cate men to consider themselves first OF
all as human beings, with loyalty til
mankind outranking fealty to a state,
with q sense of brotherhood to Hindus,
Chinese. and Russians outweighing the|
petty interests Of his own group7
Is it not about time for this? Ocean,
liners have obliterated the barrier Of the|
sea. that most ancient Of separators. |
Commerce knows no foreigners, but ex-
changes goods between the zones and
over the Seven Seas.
Science has no home nation. ThereI
can be no English science, French |
science, German science, Oriental science.
Science has no race, color, languages
accent, or garb It is as universal a.
the sun, as unconhned as air. There areI
no squatters in the territory Of ideas.
No king, conqueror, or millionaire cam
own foot Of the truth, or fence it in:
Health has no province, belongs" toI
no one. to no class. The same microbAI
will kill q Malay that will kill q German. /
Bacilli speak all languages. Medicines
need no interpreters. The world OF mem
IA bound in one law of sanitation, alimen-I
tation and danger of poison.
Such q thing as q national religion OF
a local or race religion Is absurd. TheI
only religion thinkable must include the
God and Father of US all" and must have
IA place for ''the least of these, my
brethren"
Think of the hell of misery our provin-
cialisms have wrought. OF religious
persecutions, Of family feuds, OF clan
clashes, of lowlands against highlands, OF
south against north. of whites against
blacks. of yellow men against Caucasian,
of colonists numbering instead OF help.
ing each other in the far wilderness, OF
wars. of the utter idiocy Of one people,
irving to dominate another instead OF CO
operating, of the hideous slaughter now
going on in Europe, millions Killing,
burning. devastating over something
they do not understand in the least!
How long, o Lord! u.
Il may sound like far off dream. bus
never until there Is an ideal OF world
citizenship, and an education toward II,
and a real passion for humanity, -
above any division of humanity, never
shall we have peace.
And they who hope for peace or tori
any permanent progress until we reAiixeI
humanity do but heal the hurt OF the
daughter Of my people slightly, saying.
Peace. peace when there 10 no peace T.