Nappanee High School - Napanet Yearbook (Nappanee, IN)

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their cost or history, are pernicious if used with evil intent. The value of every art depends not on its ingenuity but upon its rational and benevolent service. The value of all knowledge is not in the gratification of curiosity but in the better ideas of justice and mutual helpfulness. It has been said that It is now the fashion to describe all origins, processes, and results as an evolution: this word is made to mean almost an infinite variety of theories in science, philosophy, religion, and statesmanship. It is a sort of “fad in modern learning: we have an evolution of everything from a tooth pick to a solar system: men have quit writing histories: they now write evolutions. I’ndoubtedly there are great processes in the material world and great movements in social life which may be conveniently described as an evolution. Rut in so far as these movements are in the direction of happier homes and nobler lives, they are conditioned in an involution of Intelligence and holy endeavor. The conquest of this world for righteousness is the achievement of human minds, hearts and hands inspired, guided and strengthened by the Holy Spirit of the ever living and ever loving Hod. We can not expect that all crime will be blotted out in a day: we can not hope that tomorrow will bring relief to every sufferer. The earth must continue for a season to bear many wrongs and sorrows, but we are sure a lietter time is coming. It may be the bad are becoming worse, but the good are more Intelligent, more practical and more useful in their goodness. It is a sign of a strong mind to be courageous and helpful: the true purpose of life is to deliver men from the bondage of fear: not only the distracting fear of tlie Infinite Hod but the fear of everything that Cod lias made. A true faith leads men to rejoice not only in the kindness of their Creator, but i also In the beneticenee of U His works. All the forms and forces of the material world have been created and are still controlled in the spirit of good will. Let us not be provoked into skepticism or indifference by examples of cant or hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is no more an argument against true religion than treason is an argument against true patriotism. Every relation in life which has been disgraced by the unfaithful hasalso been honored by the loyal and true. Let us not Ox our gaze on characters below us lest we fall to their level but study the strong and the useful and seek to enter their ranks. What do we see In history? The men who have been most sincere in their love of God have been most practical in their love of man. If we fashion our lives after tlie plan of ttie Great Teacher, if we remember we arc created in His image, that we are endowed with God given powers, than we are commissioned to bring the universe In subjection to His will In order that this planet may be made Into one harmonious whole we shall live lives that are worth while and we can say with Vandyke: •• We are glad of life because it gives us the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars: to be contented with our possessions, but not satisfied with ourselves until we have made the best of them: to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness and to fear nothing except our cowardice: to be governed by our admirations rather than by our disgusts: tocovet nothing that is our neighbor's except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manner: to think seldom of our enemies, often of our friends and every day of Christ: and to spend as much time as we can, with body and with spirit In God's out of doors—these are little guide-posts on the foot-path to peace.