Florida Southern College - Interlachen Yearbook (Lakeland, FL)

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2»- } . -;.» U U-.:}; 4 vs Tke Meaning of tke Seal COLLEGE seal is but an endeavor to give some indication in a visible sym- bol of the ideals of the school. In planning the seal for Southern College, the highest ideals of Christian education were kept in mind. The Roman numer- als at the bottom of the seal denote the i,ear 1906, the year in which Christian education, as it is represented by Southern College, became firmly established in this state by the incorporation of the Florida Conference College into Southern College. The outer rings of the seal are the symbols which show the heart of its meaning — the shield and the cross of stars. The shield, from time immemorial, has represented a faith which protects the soul from evil, that unshakable faith in Jesus Christ and His divine mission upon which the college is founded. The stars blazoned upon it represent hope. On the one hand, because the cross is the symbol of the supreme event in the life and suffering of Christ ; on the other hand, because one of the brightest constellations in the southern sky is that of the Southern Cross. This symbol was placed upon the banner of the Southern Confederacy, beneath which our forefathers shed their blood in defense of the right as they saw it. Southern College clings not only to the best concep- tions of American idealism, but also to the noblest ideals of the Old South. The three words of the motto are in Latin — Lux, Sapientia, Lex — Light, Wis- dom, Law. Light is placed first because no knowledge is possible without light. Wis- dom is placed next because it is by means of illumination that the soul grows in wis- dom. Law is placed last because there is no real law, except that which is born in the human soul from light and wisdom. Such law is, indeed, as one with love, or charity, the supreme Christian virtue. Upon this firm and abiding basis, has Southern College been founded, and to these high ideals has it been dedicated. A glance at the seal should mean that the symbol brings to one ' s mind a visible indication of the noble ideals that are represented by Chris- tian education.