The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 1, Ed. 1, Thursday, August 1, 1912 Page: 1 of 8
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THE OPTIMIST
Hio World Is Pull
Of Deauty. Open
Your Eyes And Sec-
The World is Full Of
Good. Cheer Up.
Quit Knocking.
r v
m
VOL.1
ABILENE TAYLOR COUNTY TEXAS. AUGUST 1912.
NUI8EB 1
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION.
With all our progress in
educational lines education
is still trreatlv in an experi
mental stage. In seeking'
.for the best the educators
are constantly changing
from the old to something
new.
Education is a drawing
out a development a prep-
aration for life. Yea it is
a part of life. It should
draw out and develop the
best there is in us thus fit-
ting us for life's highest and
holiest duties. True educa-
tion therefore is the full and
harmonious development of
all our powers physical in-
tellectual and moral' and
spiritual. The neglect of
either is an iniurv. and the
education tbatj"ails in amLThinkihg men are beginnin
oi -These lis defective. r "to'-recognizo'thls.- The Bibl
foundation in a proper un-
derst? nding and appreciation
of true spiritual relations.
The old adage that honesty
is the best policy is a lie; for
a man who is honest ior
policy's sake is a rascal just
as the man who is relicious
for policy's sake is a hypo
crite. There can be no true
morality without a feeling of
personal responsibility to
God.
Here is .yhere our eduw-
tional system of today fails.
In most of our State schools
and Universities we are de-
veloping intellectual giants
nd moral pigmies. This is
the cause or so mucn corrup-
tion in the professions in
business and in politics; and
this will continue till there
is a reformation in education.
To do our best we need I
strong healthy bodies; and
to this end we need to know
laws of health and we need
exercise.
And we cannot succeed
without mind training.
Competition in all lines of
business is sharp.
Greater problems are to be
solved today in every line of
human endeavor than ever
before. Pure brute force
does not count for as much
today as it did in former
ages. The intellectual giant
is worth more than the phys-
ical giant. Intellectual train
ing does not consist in cram-
ming facts into a studen'ts
head. The student should
be trained to rely on self to
do independent thinking to
discover new ideas and to
see the relation of old and
new ideas to present day
problems.
But above all it is moral
and spiritual power in the
person that makes his char-
acter worth while. And
morality must have a solid
fecogTiizo'thla. ?The Bible
Schools and Bible Colleges
are playing no small part in
bringing about this reform
ation. Let us take courage
and press on. Education
that fails to recognize God
in the affairs of men is faul
ty.
Physical development
without intellectual and
moral development leads to
brute force. With all such
might makes right. There
was a time when the world
worshipped at the shrine of
pure brute force. But in our
present methods of warfaie
and with our improved ma
chinery nhvsical force is
----- - t
not so important and the
world has for some time
recocrnized more the value
of intellectual power and in
the past century we have al-
most deified the intellect.
And we have reaped the re-
sults. But we are waking
up. The Men and Religion
movement is a sigh in the
dark for a better day Also
intellectual development
without spiritual dtvtlcp-
ment without reverence fori
God and His word leads to
rationalism and rationalism
in turn undermines the foun-:
aations of morality. I do not
underrate reason. It is es-
sential to a well rounded
character for reverence
without reason is supersti-
tion and superstition unfits
one for seeing the proper re-
lation of cause and effect.
As reverence guides reason
and keeps it from going to
pieces on the rock of ration-
alism so reason guides rev-
erence out of the fog and
slush of superstition.
We have learned that no
man because ot superior
physical power has a right
to take what belongs to an-
other. We call it robbery.
We will soon learn that :- is
no less robbery for one by
Bupeioriritellectval forca to
scheme another out of his
property or rights. At pres-
ent we call that shrewd bus-
iness; some day we will call
it robbery. This will come
when we exalt the Bible to
its proper place in the edu-
cation of every child.
The Bible is the essential
Book in the progress and'de-
velopmant of the race.
Nothing of its own inherent
power can raise itself. The
natural tendency of every-
thing is downward. The
law of gtavity affects the
spiritual as well as the ma-
terial. No man no race
can lift itself. The history
of man proves that nations
make progress only as they
come irtto touch with a pow-
er outside themselves. Ja-
pan and China awoke when
they came into touch with
outside forces. The Indians
de generated because they
were cut off from any other
force. There is a true evo-
lutiona developement
from a lower to a higher- de-
gree of perfection. The
flowers 'fruits; grain blood
ejd stock ofrbdayf proves
this. Lower forms of lifjlc.
were touched by the hightiid
power of man's intelligences
and transformed into theie
present state of perfection.
Left to themselves Ihey will'
degenerate into their former
scrubby condition. Man is f
no exception o the univer-;
sal law of gravity. He can-
not lift himself. He must;
come into touch with a high-
er power a superior intelle-
gence. And there is no
power on earth greater than
man no intelligence here
greater than his. Only the
power of L d can lift him
up and tb' power is
brought to bear through the
Holy Scriptures. There is
power in a thought an idea
a motive. There is d-"gte
pfr'tsr liGddsthoughtgy.
ideas motives. lrn;hlrBi-
ble God reveals his thoughts
to us. Here we may cSme
into touch with God's power
to uplift to civilize to re-
deem and save. We must
keep ourselves constantly
under its influence and put
our children in school where
they will be taught it daily.
"Let the word of God dwell
in you richly."
R. L. Whiteside.
Every man that amounts
to anything makes enemies.
So does every school that is
worth while. But we are
not paying any attention to
our enemies; we navn c
time we are at work. Be
sides "every knock is a
boost."-W.
No special rule3 for suc-
cess and happiness can be
set forth. We must lay hold
of the opportunities of life
and woik with perseverance
enthusiasm and confidence.
And it's fatal to wait loo
long to begin. S.
Q
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 1, Ed. 1, Thursday, August 1, 1912, newspaper, August 1, 1912; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth91153/m1/1/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.