Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-28

cipal thing; therefore, get wisdom"
Prov. AT.
| 1t is startling when one atops to
think how fascinating wi sdon be-
comes when once one has stLr:ad on
course, we understand the broadcast
definition that can be given, includ-
| ing every branch of knowledge. That
| is small man, indeed, who 5 salts
| fed to confine his studies to the par
ticular line of @owledge that en-
cages his attention for a livelihood.
There is no such bore as, the doctor
! preacher who knows nothing but re-
| ligion, the merchant who talks shop
all the time, or the housewife whose
interests are limited to her children
or her servants. What appalls one
who allows himself to travel along
| the paths that open up along tho
| highway of knowledge is the over
whelming multitude of things we
would like to know. Recently, for
example, my Bible studies have led
me into a new study of astronomy,
astrology, archaeology, ph1lology,
| comparative religious ancient litera-
lures, and architecture, which were
| necessarily more or less superficial
and my medical studies have led me
into an equally astounding list of
allied or suggested branches of
knowledge. Oh! for the time and
strength to undertake it, and the
mind to appreciate and appropriate
| it all.
: The Bible and wisdom
Now wisdom in the Bible means
all of this and more. Wisdom and
| folly are respectively the attitudes
of those who appreciate or depreci-
ate God. The wise man is not neces-
sarily the man of books, but the man
who knows what is his right relA-
| tionship to God. To know God as
He wants US to know Him is to
to know Him as our loving Heavenly
Father. To grasp for knowledge of
| the vast amount of earthly learning
the sciences, history, philosophy,
art, etc.-is to reach out after God,
for these are but expressions Of Him
self. When the wisest of men, there
fore, said: wisdom is the principal
was speaking of God as manifested
in the world. Get all the informa-
ton you can, therefore, about as
many different subjects as your
mind can assimilate, but In getting
them do not lose sight of God n
them. That is the wisdom which Is
the principal thing.
Acquiring this wisdom is educa-
ton, for education is the resultant
of all the forces which have been
operating upon us; it is the develop
ment which results from all the in
f1uences that have affected us. This
assumes, therefore, that there must
have been something to develop,
something with which to start. You
can not educate an idiot; there's
nothing there with which to start.
And, therefore, education can not be
limited, as we have been limiting 1t
to the head. More recently we have
included the hand: but even this is
not sufficient. The heart must not
be neglected if wisdom is to be at
tanned, if the man is to be really
educated. Head and hand and heart
must be proportionately led out.
Mind and muscles and morals must
be dealt with in due measure. 10
be complete it must be symmetrical
and include the fourfold effort; for
we have in the Man of Galilee the
perfect example who increased In
wisdom (mind) and in stature (mus-
cles) and in favor with God (morals)
and with man. The latter or soc!al
side must not be neglected for no
man liveth to himself, and education
must not only provide for the needs
of the individual mentally, physical
ly and spiritually, but also Tor his
needs socially-that is, in his rela-
tionship to other man as one OF a
great group and not as an individual
list.
Our modern system OF educatlon
is sadly deficient in some OF these
ideals. For long time emphasis
was laid entirely on the mind, and
particularly as it was trained in
book learning. Fortunately, while
the necessity for book knowledge
has not diminished more and more
emphasis is being placed on tnat
which is not learned from from o the
books, observation in the laboratory,
in the out-of-doors, in the. factory
and shop. Jesus knew the books OF
thc day, but He was also we'll IN
formed through His close obserVa
ton of the everyday things He met.
More attention is now being given
to the trainifg of the hand. Begin
ming in the. ki1A'argarten and event
ualiv specializing = the great tech
nical schools, the hand is being
trained along with the head to the
great benefit of mankind and of the
Industrial development of the world.
And this is eminently proper.
Just here the failure occurs. NO
attempt, that is worthy of the name,
is made to educate the heart Just
here the great public school system
features Who can tell but that
large proportion of the unrest OF
this country is due to the failure
during the past generation to edu-
cate the heart along with head and
hand?
The Processes
The processes by means Of which
education is accomplished demand
our attention. Here, too, we have
departed from the scriptural way.
Originally the parents were the
teachers who brought those inf1u-
ences to bear on the heads. hands,
and hearts. of their children which
resulted in their education, their &C
curing wisdom, and knowing God
in His person and performances But
things have changed. The parents
have turned over this God-given re-
sponsibility to other people, and oft
en- to those who not only do not
honor God. but frequently are openly
antagonistic to Him. Yes. there was.
some excuse for this. Highly spe-'
cialized work required specially
trained teachers, and the demands OF
modern life allowed insufficient time
for parental training. The heart
training his been left to the Sun
day school teacher-and for this i'm
portant part less than one-half hour
a week, under the most unfavor-
able circumstances, is the time allot-
ted. 1t is not right: it is not giving
the innocent children a square deal.
If the state cannot provide the op-
portunity for adequate instruction