The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-02-19
'TODAYS BABEL LEWIS
PRESIDENT LEWIS ON SPEAKING
TOUR DISCUSSES PRESENT
ECONOMIC AND IN
DUSTRIAL CON-
DITIONS
Emphasizes Real Need of an Educa-

Normal Leader


es which President Lewis made on his
recent tour. The account which fol-
lows is taken from the December %
issue of the Cyclone:
The real need of an education
that was the uppermost thought in
the address of President Lewis of
Hays Normal in assembly last Tues
day morning. The subject Of his ad-
dress was ''New World Opportunities
for the Prepared" and it was deliv-
cred in the easy and convincing, but
nevertheless forceful manner charac-
teristic of DR.. Lewis. It is not often
that a speaker can hold the attention
of an audience of high school people
for seventy minutes and the fine hear
ing that was given DR.. Lewis on this
occasion proves that his remarks were
timely and well given. The address
was packed full of the sort of advice
that we medium to the editorial
page and read the nuggets that we
were able to catch.
In the evening DR.. Lewis addressed
the parents of the students, choosing
as his topic, "Are We Rearing Mod
ern Tower of Babel?"
Choosing as his central thought the
biblical account of the third displeas-
ure of the Creator as recorded in the
story of the confusion of tongues and
purposes at the tower of Babel he
built up, in remarkably constructive
style, a resume of the history of hui
man association from the family
group to the modern political and So
cial state. He showed how consider
alton for the individual had given out
by the time of Christ and that the
Messiah came at the time he should
have come, when the idea of the COM
plete subordination of the individual
to his social group was at its highest.
DR.. Lewis said that empires do not
exist for the purpose of perpetuating
empires but that people are here for
mutual development and that tht race
exists to perpetuate and develop souls
each other. His comparison of the
world ''religion" and christianity
emphasized the truth that the latter
is the stronger and more virile term.
He said that excessive religion is
selfish while Christianity is concerned
as to the uplift of ones neighbor.
Using the example of Charles Mar
tel at the battle of Tours in 721 in the
clash with the Saracens where Chris
tianity was saved to the world, he
showed how the philosophy that ''glor-
ification comes through service to an
other individual" met and defeated
the philosophy that "glorifcation
comes through service to the state. -
He characterized Roosevelt as coun-
terpart of St. Paul, who in his time
''broke down the wall sof reserve and
prejudice and for the first time took
up the burden of furnishing well-be-
ing to peoples less fortunate and less
well placed than u.s."
Developing more carefully the
thought of his biblical reference he
proved by clean cut argument and
example that in every particular,
when people are of one mind and one
opinion las those who attempted to
rear a tower that should reach to
heaven) decay sets in. To keep US
all from being beggars, to develop
self-respect, he said, was the reason
for the confusion of tongues and pur-
poses. He showed that a degree of
uncertainty and dissatisfaction leads
man to exercise his functions of in
ventiveness, to develop, to give place
for hope, for vision, for ambition and
reason like that of his Creator though
in a finite and relative degree.
To cinch his argument he proved
that the menace of Bolshevism is the
result of common purpose of a peo-
pie, to which religion and decency and
the individual has been subverted as
of no consequence. The world is a
vast whirlpool and the scum that is
coming to the top is Bolshevism and
the only agency that will stabilize the
world is the Church. eve cannot es-
cape" he said, paying the price for
the publication of the race-we can
not refine without fire, for the pro-
cesses in nature for the formation
Of the diamond through heat and
pressure are needed in tie develop
ment OF souls''
We have escaped the visible agent
of destruction, the German military
power, he said, but we grappIe with
the invisible and the subtle from
which only the teachings of Christ in
their practical application can save US.
DR.. Lewis closed his address with
an appeal for the support and not
alone the tolerance of the Church and
its activities.
Nuggets from the Speech of DR..
| Lewis