Bethel University - Spire Yearbook (St Paul, MN)

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THE BETHEL HERALD 25 cation did not demand what is called intellectual labor.” This again stresses the importance of serving with all mental, physical and spiritual talents and abilities. This, and this alone makes possible the highest development of character, which in turn makes for a true, well rounded full-orbed life. Such a life we pray may be the result of the endeavor of the students of Bethel Institute as they go forth from the school, some never to return as students again and others to return at the opening of another school year. Let us take as our ideal of service the Master, who said, I am among you as he that serveth.” Luk. 22: 27. One verse of a recent writer. who passed on after a life of active service, reveals the secret to every Bethelite: “As I go through the valley, life makes clear Three radiant truths like torches for my mind: The road to knowledge is the road of prayer. The tranquil heart creates the listening ear. God tells his secrets but to souls resigned. So. patiently upon my way I fare, With emptied pitcher moving on my course, Knowing that I shall fill it at the source, As I go through the valley.” —E. W. W. V r hogt alskade samfundsman, I):r Knuimiel Schmidt, var larare i Semina riet, tills hans dod d. l$:e mars,'1921.

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24 THE BETHEL HERALD PRESIDENT’S CORNER At the close of the Spanish American War Major General Leonard Wood was offered a business position that would have yielded not less than forty thousand dollars a year. He declined it, choosing to continue a life that brought him into constant touch with human life, with opportunities to serve effectively the needs of men in the strenuous conflicts of life. This is not surprising when we read that he has said: “A motto for all Americans—‘I serve.’ Somewhere, each and everyone of us must serve the nation to the very best of our ability.” We cannot serve as we should till we catch a vision of the world’s need and our relation to it. No one can fully realize himself and his possibilities till he sees the vision and identifies himself with a world movement to accomplish the fulfillment of this vision. We have, save and preserve only that which we let go, give out and invest in the great world enterprise. The Christ we will not share we may not keep. Active resistless service in the truest and best sense will be possible only as it grows out of the season of meditation and prayer. “More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are men better than sheep or goats That nourish a blind life within the brain, If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer Both for themselves and those who call them friend.” ftlorto -d’ Arthur—Tennyson. Prayer makes possible spiritual vision to the eyes of the soul, who by trust in God depending upon His promise, launches out in faith and obedience to serve, lovingly, joyfully, tirelessly, as he himself would be served. Hence the highest type of service is that which draws from the deepest sources and rises to the highest level. The development of the body may make a splendid animal, the discipline of the mind may make a brilliant demon! To ignore or subordinate the spiritual nature is inhuman and unreasonable. Body, mind and spirit are indispensible to the highest development in man and hence to the most effective and fruitful service. This is not impossible, except as one considers one hundred per cent efficiency as the goal to be reached at the start. It is the abuse or rather misuse of the resources and powers nearest at hand that seemingly makes this goal unreachable. From figures furnished by the Secretary of Treasury it appears, that money spent in one year needlessly, if laid up for a rainy day or used for necessities, would accomplish marvelous results. The figures include what the American public spends for chewing gum, fifty million, candy one billion, ciga rettes 880 million, soft drinks, ice cream soda, etc. 330 million, perfumery and cosmetics 730 million, cigars 510 million, tobacco and snuff S00 million, furs 300 million, carpets and luxurious clothing 1 billion 500 million, toilet soaps 40ft million, or a sum total of six billion dollars in twelve months. The labor and capital employed in producing these luxuries might otherwise have been turning out necessities, clothes, food, fuel, shoes, houses. The luxury consumer is paying a higher price for his necessities because he is al normally consuming luxuries. Who are the innocent ones, not included in this class? Surely they are few. We should remember that capital, whether a few pennies or a few dollars or a larger sum, represents human thought, energy and labor. It is a part of us and what we inherited from our forbearers translated into coin. It is a vehicle for service either to the uplift or down throw of humanity. May we not be found guilty of the latter, otherwise we will not only injure our neighbor but limit ourselves and cut short our own career of usefulness. Garret P. Serviss says, that a person’s brains keep him young, or would do so if he exercised his brains—and no one will admit he hasn’t any brains or that he doesn't exercise them. “If your occupation consumes your bodily energies” he says, }D3 siieo uje.i(i .moA ouuj auics Dip ju puu.. no exercise or the least possible exercise, your chances for long life are not very good. It will be found in cases of remarkable longevity that the subjects were mentally active to a noticeable degree, even when their occupations and their status of edu-

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26 THE BETHEL HERALD Teologiska Seminariets Avdelning “Segern, som liar overvuanit varlden, v r tro”. 1 John 5: 4. AUGUSTINUS ERIC N. LINDHOiLM Bland livstcckningar aga vi ett enastAen-de verk — en sjalvbiografi, mojligen den forsta som nAgonsin skrivits ,ocli som an-nu sklljer slg frAn alia de dvriga uti det att den ar stalld till Gud. Uti denna livsteck-ning se vi den store kyrkofadcrn och lara-ren Augustinus, bojd i stoftet, samtalande med Gud under det att ban solar sig uti hans karlek, omedveten om att bans ord uppfAngas av nAgot manniskobra. Dessa “be-kannelser”, skrivna uti hans fyratio-fjarde dr, hade som avsikt, enligt hans egna ord, uti en senare skrift, att ‘Ware sig de han-visa till min ondska eller till min godhet, prisa den rAttvise och gode Guden, och eg-ga mamtiskan till att, i sinne och hjarta, narraa sig honom.” FrAn dessa “Bekannelser”, ehuru mycket saknas som vi slculle on ska att veta, skola vi soka att framplocka nAgot som mAlar for oss denne man valsignelserika liv: Aurelius Augustinus foddes den 13de november Ar 354, i Tagaste, en liten oan-senlig by i Norra Afrika, i provinsen Nu-midien, icke lAngt frAn den, en gAng val-kanda staden, Hippo Regius. FrAn sin hedniske fader Patricius, arvde Augustinus en lidelseful natur, som blev honom till mycken skada; men frAn sin adolt gudfruk-tiga moder Monica, arvde han en djup och innerlig langtan till Gud, som foljde honom igenom de stormiga ungdomsAren, och som sedermera fann uttryck uti dessa sko-na ord: “Du liar skapat oss for Dig sjalv, och vArt hjarta ar oroligt till dess att det vilar i Dig. Denna langtan, och denna vordnad for Gud, fastan undantrangd, foljde honom under skoltiden i Madaura och Kartago, under hans resor till Milano och -Rom, pA hans vandring igenom de varldsliga lustarnas dunkla labyrint, igenom alia Manikeismens, Akademismens och Platonismens irrlaror, till dess att Den Helige Ande, igenom Ambrosii prediknin-gar, och en troende moders ivriga boner, verkade uti den trettio-tre-Arige ynglingen den underbara forandring, varigenom han blev till sA stor valsignelse for en efter-varld. SAsom en rent ung gosse borjade Augustinus att idka studier, men han pirn inner sig senare, att han redan under denna tid borjade att ga pA sina egna vagar. Han borjade att tala osanning bAde for sina la-rare, sAval som for sina foraldrar, och be-gick aven smAstolder uti hemmet, sarskilt i matvaror. Uti sina lekar var han under denna tid ingalunda ett exempel, och hans egna ord darom aro betecknande: “Ofta under leken,” sager han, “sokte jag segern pA ett oarligt satt, ty jag var sjalv beseg-rad av ett tomt begar efter att vara fram- •stAende..........och under det jag blev blottstalld, foredrog jag att grala hellre an att giva efter.” Vid sexton Ars Alder blev det nddvandigt for Augustinus att avbryta sina studier i grammatik och retorik, som han pAborjat i den narbelagna staden Madaura, emedan hans foraldrar for tillfallet voro i mycket knappa omstandigheter. Fadern, som redan tidigt lagt marke till sonens stora be-gAvning, sokte att sA snart som mojligt skaffa medel for att Ater 6'anda honom till skolan, denna gAng till Kartago. Om sin faders villighet att uppoffra for sin skol-bildning, sager Augustinus, “Utover sina tillgAngar, brukade han utrusta sin son med allt som behovdes for en lAng resa for studiernas skull. MAnga, som voro lAngt mera valbargade, gjorde ej nAgot 6Ad ant for sina barn.” Betecknande til-lagger han: “Men denne samme fader frA-gade aldrig efter huru jag tillvaxte infor Dig; sA l nge jag kunde tala med ledig-het.” Under tiden som foraldrarna hollo pA att repa sig pA det ekonomiska, gick Augustinus fAfang, och utsattes for mAn-ga frestelser till synd. AngAende denna tid sager han sjalv: “Det onda begarets