January 1925
T H E K I N G ’ S
B U S I N E S S
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though t in it which would underm ine C hristian citizenship? Prof. Todd’s book belittled th e social teaching of Jesus as compared w ith th a t of certain German propagandists. On certain of our high school buildings is w ritten in con spicuous letters: “The education of th e youth is th e foun dation of th e S tate.” Well, th a t altog ether depends on how and in w hat they are educated. If you mean education in honor, in principles of justice, in th e square deal, in kind ness, in neighborliness, in a clean conscience, in righteous ness, in patriotism , in first-class Christian citizenship, then, and not otherw ise, will “The education of th e you th” be “th e foundation of th e S tate” . W hat avails chem istry w ithout character? W h at use has mathem atics w ithout manhood? Who can tru s t th e sharp m entality of a moral idiot? We have all had our pity stirred by Dr. H ale’s story of “The Man w ithout a Coun try ” , bu t the man w ithout a conscience is worse. IV W anted: Schools th a t teach th e essential worth of the hum an soul. W anted: Colleges th a t pu t first in importance conscience and character. W anted: Universities th a t regard g reat souls as of more importance th an g reat sprinters. The citizens who support these educational in stitu tion s have the moral, th e financial, and th e civil rig h t to expect from them “F irs t things first” . Real people are getting tired of education, so called, th a t stops sh o rt of th e rea l thing. And education th a t stops sho rt of conscience, char acter,. and courageous citizenship is not th e real thing. It is even a dangerous thing. The duller th e knife in the hands of a fool th e better. It is dangerous to fu rn ish an idiot w ith a loaded gun. L et the guardians and th e con servators of our Christian American civilization beware of th e educated moral idiot and of any in stitu tion th a t fosters conditions to produce him— or, her.
direction does it lead? W hat is the stud en t going to do w ith his sharpened weapons? Is he going to wreck a bank? Is he going to hold up a train ? Is he going to set fire to a city? Is he going to m urder his neighbor? Is he going to dynam ite a g reat news p lan t th a t stands for a square deal in the labor world? W hat does it mean to be. “ educated” ? Let some diction ary man speak out. Let some university president tell us w hether it means to respect the Constitution of th e United States, or to sneer a t certain p arts of it which you do not personally like. The supporters of our schools, colleges, and universities have a reason and a rig h t to ask th e presi dents and in stru cto rs in these in stitu tion s w hat they really mean by education. We know th e etymology of th e word. We m ust have something b etter th an th a t. We know it means “ lead o u t” , “ lead fo rth ” . But Chicago and th e rest of th e country are asking now w ith a new emphasis: “What is it th a t th e university is going to lead out— a moral idiot or a sane citizen w ith a conscience?” If sensible men are to be asked for m illions to endow th e Chicago University and other schools, these men are going to ask w ith fresh in terest and emphasis: “W hat so rt of citizens are you going to tra in in your university? Are you going to lay more stress on chem istry th a n you do on ch aracter?” “Are you going to fan th e cen tral fires of th e universe called God and the hum an conscience, or are you going to have sneering professors who make ligh t of these everlasting v erities?” The men who give money to educational in stitu tion s have a rig h t to ask these questions. And it is th eir duty to demand a satisfactory answer. III. Do we not know th a t a book w ritten by a professor of one of our no rth ern universities and distributed by th e thou sands since th e World W ar began had patches of poison
Us Us Us
Tke Mouse in the Meal R ep rin t of an ed ito rial by “C. R .” (Dr. Charles Roads) in “The E astern M ethodist” of which Dr. L. W. Munhall— th e sta lw art old Methodist w arrior— is editor. B T was a Modernist theological professor who shouted in a recen t speech: “ I don’t believe in heresy hunting, nor in calling men to account for theological beliefs. I t is like getting an expensive ploited them— such heresies are not whispered in corners now nor vociferated in infidel clubs, bu t orated from Meth odist, Baptist, and P resbyterian pulpits, and given in set lessons from college and sem inary chairs.
It is Voltaire, Tom Paine, and Octavius F ro th ingham ru n ning banners of th e ir unbelief to th e m asthead of th e old ship Zion. They have run them up in foreign missions so th a t Moslem newspapers rejoice in th e su rrend er of such m issionaries to w hat was always, they say, Mohammedan belief about Jesus. Such m issionaries now also say th a t Mohammed, Confucius, Buddha, and Jesus are all g reat prophets! W hat then about heresies displacing th e Gos pel itself— heresies him ting Christians— and runn ing them out? Are tru e and m artyr-spirited believers in Christ to lie down under all th a t? To care nothing when Christ is dis honored and put to shame? The professor is too near-sighted. It is no t a mouse in th e meal simply soiling its pu rity ; it is a noxious reptile making of it a deadly poison. The pure meal of th e Gospel teaching about th e n atu re of Christ is th a t “He was con ceived by the Holy Ghost, born of th e V irgin Mary,” and if th is is corrupted to mean born of Joseph or Mary or worse, th is altern ative concerning Jesus Christ is too blasphemous (Continued on page 46)
cat to chase a mouse in the meal.” This is a typical stupid Methodist illu stratio n ; for, the mouse being in the meal, w hat would th e professor do w ith it? Cultivate his ta ste to eat mousy meal? Shut his eyes to its existence and imagine it is b etter meal th a n the orthodox b arrel free from a mouse? This he really is doing. And worse, th is meal being— in any clear application of his little parable— th e only meal he has, what a fine mess it becomes w ith no re stra in t a t all on th e sportive mouse! And w ith actually a whole nest of o th er mice in it. There is no dis puting tastes, bu t the orthodox man has none for th a t. Let him who will, like it. Did th is easy th ink ing professor, roam ing w ith Modern ists in th e superficialities, know th a t th ere is no need a t all of heresy hunting today? In all th e g reat denom inations it is heresy “ flaunting” th a t shocks th e believer. To continue th e professor’s parable, th e mice are running in droves in and out of the precious meal. Heresies— th a t is, w h at th e Church so regarded when the Unitarians ta u g h t them , and Tom Paine and Ingersoll ex
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