From the southern end of Lake Geneva, Switzerland, flows the river Rhone. The water of this stream is in color a deep blue. Scarcely does it leave the lake before it is joined by another stream, a mountain torrent, whose source is the eternal snows of the higher Alps. This water is of a green hue.
Both of these currents move with the swiftness of an arrow; and so for several hundred yards below their point of confluence, flow side by side in the same channel without uniting, the one blue, the other green. Farther down they become one—one foaming, dashing river, their waters freely commingling; and flowing on thus toward the sea.
In taking a view of education, looking backward to its very beginning, it seems appropriately represented by this strange, double river. Education has two sources— One high up among the pure principles of truth, whence flows the stream of true wisdom and divine power; the other low down among the forms and theories of error, out of which glides the dark current of evil and subtle delusions. These two systems of education were introduced at the very beginning of man's history. One proceeded from God; the other from the powers of evil.
God, man's Creator, and rightful instructor, established His system even before the existence of man. The great schoolhouse was built; the master teacher employed; the text-books prepared, printed, not upon paper with type and ink, but written upon leaf and flower and stone and star, by God's own hand, before man ever set foot in Eden. The central theme of this system was to be God; the lesson books, nature and the revealed word. In them was to be found all knowledge and wisdom,—everything that could strengthen the intellect, delight the mind, and purify the heart. It was designed that such knowledge should bring man to the highest state of development, and keep him in perfect union with his Maker.
The Great Teacher in this plan of education knew all truth because he was the Author of truth. The deepest problem in mathematics he had worked out, not with figures on a board, but with eternal worlds in the heavens. The greatest mysteries of science also, he had solved and made plain by the works of his own creation; and physical laws were but the result of his power. He never made a mistake and so could never teach error.
His methods were not to deal with forms and theories, representations and speculative philosophy, full of doubt, but with facts and things, thus leading the mind to research, and to a thoughtful consideration of active forces and eternal principles. In brief, God so provided in the true system of education that man would of necessity be brought to the highest plane of thought and action, his heart be filled with an abundance of peace and joy, and his soul be kept from evil.
On the other hand, the second system of education was introduced by the originator of all evil. Scarcely had time begun before it was deceitfully thrust upon mankind. In this system the central theme was to be self; the text-books, unnumbered volumes filled with traditions and myths, theories, doctrines, scientific speculations, suppositions and vain philosophies. All these were intended to benumb the intellect, and lead away from a knowledge of God, thus bringing destruction to the soul. This plan was cunningly and deceitfully to falsify truth, to substitute error for truth, and to beget in all a desire for position and power. It was designed to require the greatest amount of work and time for the least amount of knowledge. The mind was to be kept continuously engrossed with forms and rules, and questions of little worth, so as to leave no room nor time for subjects of vital and eternal importance. The object was not to enlighten and elevate mankind in reality, but in appearance only, thus presenting a dangerous counterfeit of the true.
Thus, then, these two great systems of education were founded not by man, but by higher powers; the first, true, ennobling, and divine; the other, false, selfish, and enslaving. How far, and by whom, they have been adopted and followed, the history of nations, both ancient and modern, plainly tells us. All methods of instruction ever arranged have been founded upon the principles of one or the other of these two systems; and strange to say, from the day of the first deceitful lesson in Eden until the present time, mankind has almost universally chosen the latter.
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