CXfoj Nebraska. Independent
JUNE 8, 1905
PAG 3 3
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Letters From The People g
V)gT S W m
Education's False Gods
. Toronto, Canada, June 1. To the Editor of
ffhe Independent: To my way of thinking there
can be no greater exhibition of blasphemous im
pudence than for the finite to attempt to measure
the Infinite, than for man to presume to be able
to dissect,, to analyse, to explain and to apologize
for the Almighty , God. .
Instead of beMg as a nation serving God, we
have become slaves of education, soience, phil
osophy, ifeason or1" more often ' the counterfeit
presentations i of these things. , We build a shrine,
and put thereon sthe frail works of our feeble
minds, and then fall in worshipful adoration be
fore it' " ::A' ;
Take for example, education. You can scarce
ly take up a publication but. what somewhere
within its pages you will find - "education" pre
scribed as a cure for all political, : social and
moral ills. ' ;;...'."
Educate the fool and you have the fool still.
Educate the vicious and you have the villain still.
The. worship of God comes first; it is the
foundation; then build thereon your education.
Do not be too strenuous about it even then.:
Recollect that there is a limit to mental, as well
as, to physical strength, and don't pile an eighteen-by-twenty
education on "a two-by-four mental ca
pacity. All along the track of eduational develop
ment, there are many pitiful wrecks, so overloaded
with superfluous knowledge that they are incap
able of independent, original t!io'-ght
' Now do not 'Understand me to mean, that the
educational products I have just described are
either useless v or vicious. On the contrary they
are necessary, almost essential. The world could
scarcely spare them. The trouble is that we
sometimes so over-do the thing by attributing in
fallibility to this style of thinker,-"that what is -s
called the "common mind" is binded or bluffed"
into the idea that-it must not think for Itself,
but must accord worshipful r attention to the ex
pressed thoughts of the learned, without analysis
or question. ' 1 ' ' ' " ;
' Herein is the harm, not in the learned or edu
cated, for they are necessary; but in elevating
these to a sphere above and beyond what is called
the "common herd" in paying worshipful respect
to the opinions of the "higher class' whether they
are worthy of it or not. r
The American public has worked itself into
such a state of humble servility toward the oracles
of "these things we call education, science, phil
osophy, that it will absolutely refuse to receive
a thought, no matter how much that thought may
bf worth, no matter how simply and plainly ex
pressed, unless it happens to be endorsed by some
high educational authority, and couched in gran
diloquent phraseology. '
Witness for example this proposition coming
from a prominent thought leader to chloroform all
men over forty years of age. What could be more
foolishly vicious than that. If that thought had
been uttered by a hod-carrier there would have
been no attention paid to it, but coming from the
source it did it commanded . instantly world-wide
attention, and barrels of ink were spilt, tons upon
tons of paper were consumed, acres of comment
were, printed and sown broadcast over the land, ,
until the worthless, brutal thought was present
ed again and again to many millions of minds.,
. We have become so idolatrous that we dare
not think for ourselves. . ;
We ask not what is the value of a thought,'
but "who said it?" If it comes from the direction
in which we worship, we receive; if from any
other direction, we refuse it, however much it
may appeal to our reason v or judgment. Even
though convinced of ito worth we struggle in
desperation against it.
It is the trustful acceptance of the words of
the learned that makes it such an easy matter,
to make fools of modern audiences. Since the mod
ern listener has thrown away his privilege of
criticizing, analyzing, sitting in judgment upon
among men of the soil stockmen and farmers
amounting almost to an uprising? The voters cf
Chicago recently became aroused at the indif
ference of the traction corporations. They spoke
at the ballot box for a riev deal a "square deal,"
as President Roosevelt would say and they have
been heard around the world, wherever larga
cities are laboring under similar abuses of public
utilities of private corporations.
Fellow stockmen and farmers of the west,
we have opposition and imposition to overcome.
Every Individual grain shipper knows what he has
to contend with grain dealers' associations, etc.,
etc. Stock shippers, have many wrongs which
no one man can successfully fight against dis
crimination in rates, etc. What is the one quick
and sure way out of such troubles? '
I appeal to you who read and think' and who'
have Independence, enough to act, that the cure
for all things which today most obstruct produV
00 conclude that thaWect is -
"broad and deep too "wide and 'high" for -?, . , b.itv . ni
uv noi regara nrsc steps toward complete, far-
tbat which he hears, it is an easy matter to make
a fool of him. All that is necessary Is to an
nounce with a loud and long enough blast upon
.the educational trumphet, that your writer, speak
er, lecturer, is "away up in G" in- educational,
scientific and philosophic matter. : i
His auditors may not understand, may not
get his thought, but they will be all the more im-
pressed on that account. ' The thought will never
occur to such auditors that' the reason ; they do
not understand is because' there is nothing" to un
derstand, but their worshipful ' feeling will cause
them
too "broad and deep
them to comprehend, and be impressed accord
ingly. ; ... ,
Better be a self -worshipper, there' is some
chance for a character of this kind for he' may
come to see the futility, emptiness, and unworthi
ness of all human, attempts . ,to solve the ; great
problems of life , and death, r Such an one may
look within his own heart at the rottenness of
his own nature, then in his helplessness and dis
tress he may cry out into the surrounding dark
ness and mystery, he may sound the wailing note
that will be quickly heard and; quickly answered
by his God, the Saviour of his soul. H, ,
The pride of man revolts at' the idea of hum
bleness or self-abasement, but 'there is no escap
ing it. All must 'pass through the experience, but
between the worshiper of God and the idolater
there is this difference, the . one prostrates him
self before the One object Infinitely greater than
himself, the other before some object less than
himself.-' -j;'?-; ;' ; . ?-; ", r.;i
r Meantime let us not forget that the command,
"thou shalt have no other gods before me," means
just as much today,- as it meant when it was
thundered out of the clouds of Mount Sinai. '
TOl..-;;. . :. SID FOREE.
Mt-8v: .-'..Organlilnfl the -jFarinera..., ,',''
Gordon, Neb.j June 3.To the Editor of The
Independent: Are you aware that there is a stir
mer organization as something difficult. Begin
among your neighbors in your home school dis
trict. 'Send" delegates to a 'towiship meeting
where a simple ? pledge can be signed ' to stand
together in all, business matters. Elect; officers, re
port them to National Farmers' Association head--quarters,
96 Board ot Trade, Chicago, and you,
are in the fight for the most important reform'
ever undertaken for producers and shippers. This
is not a spasmodic move.' It Is ( the natural out
growth of, a system of agitation covering years,
started and persistently urged upon farmers by
H H. Carr, known as ,'The Farmers'. Friend.'
asking them to. do direct marketing, and add $100
to $300 yearly to the income for eachwell culti
vated western farm. Profits in direct , shipments
will make grain ' raisers stand firm , "when cmoa
united. Then, too, there is something Inspiring
about forming the greatest brotherhood of work-,
ers the world knows from the bone, brain and
sinews of men of the soil. From Texas to Da
kota the" work of organization is in progress. The
press scents the importance of this latest union
izing force on American soil .r ; -1 .
I ask you to rally and engage in calling far
mers and stockmen's meetings and letj us throw
the whole force of our great numbers into build
ing up perfect organization for these two ringingf
ideas "pfbfit and power." " " - ...
' . . ' -:" w. A. bENNfis. v
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o
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