| Show NECESSITY 0 01 EDUCATION THE acquirement OF intelligence A RELIGIOUS DUTY editor deseret news the spaniards have a proverb provo rb mendi cante caute che liguor ante better be a beggar than ignorant I 1 the larger p portion artion of the community composing the latter day saints were found among the ranks of the humbler classes the toilers boilers of the world most of us thanks banks to the liberal spirit of the age received a common school aduca us to pursue the ordinary avocations ot of life very few have had bad collegiate or classical instruction in the higher branches of learning we may have had bad aspirations for further advancement in ia schol larla attainments but from surrounding circumstances they were compelled to lie measurably dormant but when the liblit of truth dawned u on our understandings what glorious us hopes hopes filled our souls we had badU feen n in an incentive which created Us anew every laudable ambition we found that the gospel not only redeemed us from sin but pointed pointe d out the way tor for us to improve the talents which god had endowed us with THE GOSPEL PLAN embodied a f ua and complete salvation it was as intended to save to the uttermost morally socially physically and intellectually we were to te go onto on to perfection now no a man may be a righteous roan man in a moral and religious cause but if he fails to his bis mind and develop his intellectual powers can he possibly attain the con 9 of a I 1 perfect man I 1 in the full sense of the term god is a being of infinite power because his intelligence is infinite then the more intelligence we obtain the nearer we approach him this is an established axiom among us as a people we are told we cannot be saved in ignorance we must therefore under stand intelligently and thoroughly every principle of truth and knowledge that comes within our oar reacel reach for every principle of truth is a saving principle it is one step more in the right direction if we in our ignorance were brought suddenly into the presence of the intelligent tell igent beings of another sphere to dwell with them should we not feel em embarrassed barr assed how does an uneducated man feel today to day in the society of the educated be they ever so kindly disposed toward him he fie feels an uncomfortable un congeni congeniality alit y it is but natural that we should feel the same on the other side under similar conditions do we think we are going to be SUDDENLY EDUCATED instantly electrified into paragons of intelligence is it not annai unnatural oral to think so how should we feet feel it if it were so ao we should feel that we had obtained something we had not earned the whole spirit and theory of the gospel teaches us different we shall obtain what we earn know what we have learne dand what we do not know continue to learn in the school of experience peri ence Is anis not a natural view to take else how bow can we be rewarded accord according lif to our works joseph too tle prophet taught that the knowledge we obtain we shall take with us reason tells us then that there will be the same distinctions there as here between individuals hence tile necessity ol of dili gencena learning our lessons while permuted permitted to remain in this lite life in the early history olour ot our territory we had bad to endure great hardships in subduing thu the re refractory elements battling witti rude foreboding for boding ug nature to ia order to wrest a bare existence fro from in the soil intellectual PURSUITS had but bat little chance books were scarce and dear but bat now things have changed we are comparatively a wealthy people our facilities and resources are ample for great progress in tubs tina direction true we have done much among the rising generation but what about toe middle aged the heads of families those who have been in the front of the battles t attle 8 and t through h ro ugh circumstances in life have been deprived of inestimable blessings shall a 1 1 those of us who are thus ua un fortunate fortuna t e be content to remain in I 1 ignorance norance and take a back seat and allow allow toe the rising generation generation to put us quite in the shade shad e Is it not culpable negligence so to do with the knowledge we possess of the gospel and the requirements expected of us gusitis Itis is never too late to mend no one is too old to learn ADOLPHUS |
