The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1922-12-07
VITAL TOPIC DISCUSSED
BY PROMINENT LAYMAN
Shows Danger of Illiteracy and
Need for Thorough Educa-
ton.
"THE CHURCH AND
GENERAL EDUCATION
(By Hon. w. A. Shipman.)


bility in regard to general educa-
ton. She is charged with the re-
sponsibility of saving the world, and
of saving it wholly; of building on
earth a universally triumphant king
dom of God, social order that is
permeated through and through with
the spirit of Christ and that is
regulated in all its departments by
the principles set forth in the teach
ings of Christ. The agency upon
which she is principally to rely for
the accomplishment of the mission
is religion. But religion, if the
writer is permitted to express an
opinion, is not something that ex-
lists apart from all other human in
terests. The religious man is also
a business or professional man, a
member of society, member OF a
family, citizen of the state, and
his religion is to determine the
spirit which he carries into these
various relations and the way in
which he discharges the duties
which grow out Of them. No one
can be religious man who merely
has his name on the church record.
goes to services on Sunday, pays
even literally for the support Of the
church, the minister, foreign and
domestic missions, etc, and spends
the balance of the week in efforts
to overreach his brother, in profit
teering in the necessities of life.
Interpreted in its broadcast sense,
therefore, the mission Of the church
is to prepare the individual for the
discharge of his many social respon-
sibilities.
But a man who is ignorant can
not be socially efficient. Ignorance
decreases the capacity, however
humble it may be, which makes for
the general veal. Those who have
looked into the matter tell US that
one of the most serious difficulties
incurred in the mobilization of our
army during the war was the fact
that so large a proportion OF the
young men called to the service
were illiterate, and that because of
this, the efficiency of the army was
seriously decreased. The same dig
ficulty is met when we undertake
to promote the public health, or law
endorsements; consider the habit Of
some ignorant people in dynamiting
dipping watts, of making and selling
illicit intoxicating liquors, or any
other undertaking in behalf of COM
munity or national welfare.
Ignorance is especially dangerous
in democracy where the determl-
nation of public policies rests with
the people; for the ignorant are
nearly always narrow, provincial,
short-sighted. They are too often
suspicious of wise and intelligent
leadership and too often are the
victims Of fanatical and selfish
demagogues, who mislead them by
plausible sophistries or by appealing
to their suspicious and prejudices.
, Ignorance is one of the most
serious hindrances to the develop
ment Of healthy and efficient re-
ligious life in the church itself.
There are thousands of local
churches in the United States that
count for almost nothing IN the
building of the kingdom, because
the membership is ignorant and
lacks capable leadership.
There are some ecclesiastical or
carnations that thrive on the igno-
rance of the rank and file of their
membership, because they succeed IN
maintaining their hold on the people
bv appealing to their superstltlons.
But the progressive Protestant
denominations are seeking not to
keep man in mental or physical
slavery, but to set him free; not
to make servile proselytes, but to
develop Christ-like men and women.
And they cannot effectively use IN
such an undertaking the ignorant
and the incompetent. 1t demands
consecrated intelligence, and the
purpose cannot be successfully car
ried forward without it.
The present educational situation
in the United States becomes, there
fore, a matter of grave national
concern. The fact that there are
more than five and one-half million
of people in our great country who
are unable to read and write any
language shows that our system OF
education stands in need of improve
ment. Here in Mississippi the leg
islature has recently made splen-
did beginning, by the passage of the
compulsory school attendance law,
and we confidently hope for great
L