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Show TRUE EDUCATION: The Paramount Purpose Of A Free People By Pres. David O. McKay Now Morn, her rosy steps in ihe eastern clime Advancing, sow'd the earth with orient pearl. Milton If I were to apply the entrance en-trance of well-trained youth into the streaming ranks of humanity to that poetic picture of the breaking upon the world of the effulgent light of morning, you would accuse me of making a strained comparison, of attempting attempt-ing to give to education an un-. un-. merited, over-estimated value. Yet, when I picture thirty million under-graduates and pupils pu-pils in our public schools, I can but think that if every graduate gradu-ate and every child were influenced influ-enced even in a slight degree to seek a higher and better life, the moral tone of our Nation would be improved, and the foundation of our government made more secure. Of course, the annual influence influ-ence of that army of young pso-ple pso-ple upon society is indeterminable indetermin-able and some may claim comparatively com-paratively infinitesimal, but infinitesimal in-finitesimal or not, it is an influence in-fluence which howsoever imperceptible, imper-ceptible, is constantly raising or lowering the moral and intellectual intellec-tual standards of communities. Who knows what earth needs from' earth's lowest creatures? No life can be pure in its purpose pur-pose and strong in its strife And all life not be purer and stronger thereby. Owen Meredith Our nation is facing stupendously stupen-dously critical problems, not the least of which is the present-day " ' V",', ' 'tl M, ll ' ' ' ' l ' : ' i " t ' . ' ' " ' 1. Ii L PRES. DAVID O. McKAY .... "America's Greatest Safeguard is Proper Education." Educa-tion." indifference toward the need of better training and proper education edu-cation of youth America's most precious asset, her greatest safeguard, her most important, most potentially profitaula enterprise! en-terprise! Students enter school primarily primar-ily to gain economic or social advantage. But this aim is not always achieved, nor is it, nor should it be, the highest purpose pur-pose of education. However, we must not underestimate the value of obtaining an education for a livelihood. Education for economic advancement is a good investment for the individual individ-ual as well as for the State. The United States as a Nation is still young, but its brief history his-tory is replete with striking examples of the value of its free public school system even as a financial investment. Here, for instance, was a son 'of a slave entering Iowa State College, having worked his own way through the grades, high school, and three years at Simpson Collage. Four years later, he took his degrep in Agriculture. Ag-riculture. -His work so impressed the authorities that they appointed ap-pointed him a member of the College Faculty. Soon thereafter he refused a tempting offer of $100,000 a year. As a child, frail and undernourished, he earned a living by doing odd household chores. His adopted parents wanted him to get in education, but offered him no money.- The handicapped boy's primary purpose was the same as that of every other child in America; namely, to gain economic eco-nomic and social betterment to broaden his means.nf gaining a livelihood. Experts say that this man (Dr. Washington Carver) Car-ver) has done more than anv other living man to rehabilitate agriculture in the South. Since 1898 the industry which he fostered fos-tered has grown until it now runs into more than $60 million a year. No, I do not in the least dis parage this aim, nor criticize oi;r public school system for planning plan-ning to make possible its realization. reali-zation. But education for a livelihood live-lihood is not the highest purpose pur-pose of education. "The fallacious falla-cious belief," writes Dr. Robert M. Hutchings, formerly Chancellor Chancel-lor of the University of Chicago, "that education can in some wsv contribute to vocational and social so-cial success has done more than most things to disrupt American education What education can do. and perhaps all it can do', it to produce a trained mind . . . It is principles, and everlastingly everlasting-ly principles, not data, not facts, not helpful hints, but principles which the rising generation requires re-quires if it is to find its way through the mazes of tomorrow. No man among us can tell what tomorrow will be like. All we know with certainty is that it will be different from today." To train childhood along these conventional lines there was expended ex-pended on education, including high schools, during 1950, $5 billion. At first thought . this seems to be a great sum of money as much as the American people spend on horse racing every year! In that same period, it is estimated that crime and criminals crim-inals cost the government five times that amount. This is a state of affairs that reminds one of Joseph Malin's "The Fence or the Ambulance," Better guide well the young than reclaim them when old; For the voice of true wisdom is calling; To rescue the fallen is good, but 'tis best To prevent other people from falling. Better close up the source of temptation and crime Than deliver from dungeon or galley. Better put a strong fence around the lop of the cliff Than an ambulance down in the valley. Law enforcement agencies reported re-ported that about 15 per cent of those arrested and fingerprinted finger-printed involved young people under 21 years of age. Patriotic citizens, clear-thinking men look with apprehension and foreboding forebod-ing upon this increasing tendency tenden-cy of youth toward delinquency and criminality, and with commendable com-mendable zeal and enterprise put forth every effort to foster counteracting and uplifting organizations. or-ganizations. Let us face clearly and forcefully force-fully the fact that the paramount para-mount ideal permeating- all education edu-cation in the grades, the high school, through college and the university, should be more spiritual spir-itual than economic. I am but repeating what we all know and feel when I say that our country's greatest asset as-set is its manhood. Upon that depends not only the survival of the individual freedom vouchsafed vouch-safed by the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and all other ideals for which the founders of the Republic fought and died, but the survival of the best that we cherish in present-day civilization civil-ization throughout the world. Only through proper education educa-tion can these fundamental orinciples become fixed and ?uiding influences in the lives of human beings. Our educational education-al system will radiate such principles prin-ciples just to the extent that we jmploy in our public schools, high schools, colleges, and universities uni-versities men and women who are not only eminent in their oarticular professions, but loyal to the Constitution of our land, Influential as leaders, noble in character. Imagine what it would mean to' the national integrity of America if every one of the half million graduates, in addition to his having earned his diploma, he could cherish the memory of a noble teacher of whom throughout the years he could say as a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States said of one who had influenced in-fluenced his university career "I admired him for his learning, loved him for his g-oodness. profited prof-ited greatly from both. He believed be-lieved that scholastic attainments attain-ments were better than riches, but that better than either were faith, love, charity, clean living, liv-ing, clean thinking, loyalty, tolerance, tol-erance, and all the other attributes attri-butes that combine to constitute that most precious of all possessions pos-sessions good characer." In his appreciation of the instructor in-structor who wielded the most influence in his life, this leader of men is but echoing the sentiments senti-ments expressed by Ralph WpI-do WpI-do Emerson, reputedly the wisest wis-est American "Character is higher than intellect: a great soul will be fit to live as well as to think." The most potent influence in training our youth to cherish life, to keep, their word of honor, to have increased in-creased respect for human kind and love of justice, is the life and personality of the teacher. Dr. Ralph Macdonald rightly portrays as follows the high class of men and women whom youth should have as leaders and exemplars: "The teachers of our young must be strong anc1 vigorous; keen of intellect, balanced bal-anced in outlook, superior in nersonality traits, deep-rooted in their spiritual foundations. They must have a passionate devotion to human freedom, and be anchored an-chored to an abiding faith in the unprovability of man. To such an outstanding personality must be added education and the heritage of the human race, with a loving understanding of human growth and development in the precepts of democracy, in the lure of the school, and in the skills of teaching." The contribution of general education to the industrial and commercial greatness of the country is obvious on every hand in research laboratories, in increased productivity of farms, in achievements of electrical, elec-trical, physical, chemical, engineering engi-neering sciences, in harnessing either for the benefit or destruction destruc-tion of man, the boundless force of atomic energy but what true education has done, and may do to awaken .in the human heart a sense of the end and aim of human existence on this (Continued on next page) True Education . . . (Continued on page 4) earth, what it has done to raise the standard of citizenship, how it has helped to make living happier by contributing to the prosperity, peace, and security of our country, are beyond evaluation! eval-uation! I look upon all recipients of true education as individuals and groups radiating an influence influ-ence that makes less dense and ineffective the darkness of ignorance, ig-norance, of suspicion, of hatred of bigotry, avarice and greed that continue to envelop in darkness the lives of men. Oi course, to quote Newel DwigJV Hillis: "Not all men are of equal value not many Platos only one, to whom a thousand lesser minds look up and learn and think. Not many Dantes: one. and a thousand poets tune then harps to' his and repeat hir notes. Not many Raphaels; one and no second. But a thousand lesser artists looking ud to him are lifted to his level. Not manv royal hearts great magazine? of kindness. Happy is the town blessed with a few great mindc and a few great hearts. One such citizen will civilize an entire en-tire community." (Reprinted by permission of Deseret Sunday School Union from THE INSTRUCTOR. September, Sep-tember, 1952, and The Utah Education Association.) |