Goshen College - Maple Leaf Yearbook (Goshen, IN)

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1910 GOSHEN COLLEGE RECORD. 151 PROPHETS IN JOSEPHUS W. SHANK, A. B. flVlajor Subject Englishl The moving spirit of all civilization has its rise in the minds of noble human characters. Every line of progress Whether it be in religion, science or in any movement of worth must be planned in the im.agin,ation of a few individuals before it can become a part of civilized life. The man who feels the throbbing pulse of humanity and interprets her needs into living thoughts, becomes the true prophet of inspiration to the world. Such a man lives in a superior atmosphere, above the petty concerns of ordinary men, and gives to his fellows loftier ideals for human life. He is to his own, gen- eration, in an intellectual and moral sense, what the prophets of sacred lit- erature were to their people in the mysterious secrets of religion. Among no class of thinkers is the prophetc spirit more strongly develop- ed than among the literary masters of LITERATURE all ages. Every generation produces her rare geniuses tlo whom we may give the disinctive title Prophets of Literature . They produce literature which contains nobler ideals for hu- manity ,keener percepntions regarding human life and more perfect interpretations of God and the uni- verse than the World 'has even known. They open to humanity a new uni- verse, which is beautiful and satisfy- ing to the aspiring nature of souls. In thought, in character and in life they are superior to men of their own times. for this reason we Consider their mes- sages pr0p'hetie in, nature. These in- spired thinkers are not those who pos- sess a narrow horizon of interests and toil for the satisfaction of selfish de- sires but tlhose who are urged to ex-- press themselves by a purer motive from within-a motive, whose origin can not be fully interpreted which. in the words of the poet, are related to a 'Sense sublime of something far more deeply interfused Whose dwelling is the light of setting sunsu. The true prophet of literature can not, Cnor does he wish toj discover the. exact origin of his message. It comes to him during his best moments in a garb of mistery when the great throbbing world is pressing upon his soul, when his mortal being is blended with the living spirit of the universe, when his strongest desire is for the betterment of his brother man and for the purifi- cation of his own soul. His message Hows into expression because it is a part of himself. lt becomes blendefl with every thought and every longing

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GOSHEN COLLEGE RECORD UNL 12111 Wl1at 1S needed 15 an educatxon wh1ch w1ll recogmze bofth these phases and VVll1Cl'L w1ll endeavor t st11ke a happy 1'1'1CCl1l.lH1 by mak1ng p10 V1blOl1 for the pract1cal and ut1l1tar1an but wh1ch w1ll never sacrnice the lllgllel to tl1e lower but more than ev er w1ll endeavor to keep al1ve those cultuxal and moral elements, w1h1c1'h make for a strong character and a l1fe that 1S really worth l1v1ng But the CHTCICHCY of educatlon to produce men of CL1ltL11C and strong 111Cl1V1Cll1E1l cha1acter may be curtaxled 11ot only by placmg too much empha RIS upon the ut1l1tar11an but also by a IIHTIOYVHCSS and prejuchce wh1ch w1ll not perm11t the prese1ntat1on of the whole truth fa1rly and open m1ndedly lh1s IS a COI1Cl1t1011 to w1h1ch the small college may too eas1ly become subject l:Cll1C21t'101'1 should g1VC freedom and 1ndependence 1n thought and act1on lt 1nust put one upon h1s own feet and enable l'11l'l1 to th1nk and act for lnmsclf It 1S not enough merely t1o th1nk the thoughts of g1eat 1T11I'1ClS afte1 them, lt IS not enlough merely to mutate the deeds of noble men and women lt IS only as we thmk and '1c1t fO1 Ol11S6lVCS that we can come 1l'l'EO the lnghest good for ourselves and render the most genume and ef l'lL1C1'1t soc1al serv1ce EClllCat101l should 10'1VC that freedom wlhlch lb to be found 1n the order1ng of one s 1111161 l1fe 111 such a Way that the hrgh cst poss1b11l1t1es 'md potent1al1t1es of the 111Cl1X1ClLl3l shall be able to express lhemselx es An CClL1CE:1ll1011 to do tlus must be 111016 th1an 11'lblf1'LlC'E1011 made to SQUHIC w1th prec1once1ved 1deas The mtellectual stagnat1on of the m1ddle ages caused by SCl1Ol3b'C1C1S1'1'1 and the ClOg'ITlH.l11S1T1 of the church of Rome stands as a perpetual warnmff agamst any such procedure Educa l11011 must be 1based upon a fearless Ll11llJ1HS6Cl presen1tat1on of the whole tru1th as lt IS found m sc1ence 1n h1s toly 111 l1terature Only as the truth lb thus presented can educat1on 'uve a man power to Judge the relat1ve val ues of hfe VV'l'l1Cl1 alone can place hrm 111 POSSCSSIOH of hnnself and g'1VC l'111Tl 1I'1Cl1V1ClL1El.l fxeedom and a strong mdependent, x1r1le character Whatever CClLlCEl.t1lO112l.l standards we may set up It must always be remem bered that the most magmncent thnn1g about lxfe IS cha1acter The educa H011 Wl'l1Cl1 w1ll accomphsh the most for the 11'1Cl1Vl1ClL12ll and for SOCIETY 1S that educatuon 'Vvllluh teaches not merely to know and to do but also to be The college wh1ch performs the h1ghest 1T11SS1OlH IS not the one VVl11Cl'l stands only for the 1ntens1ty pract1cal H.1'lClLllI1l1lZ3.1'13.1l H01 the one VVl'11Cl1 places emphas1s upon scholarslnp for mere scl1olarsh1ps sake nor yet the one wh1ch on account of narrowness and b1gotry w1ll not present the whole truth but the one wh1ch bel1ev1ng equallx 111 the p1act1cal and placmg just as lngh an 6Sl111'I'1dt6 upon scholar Slllp can at the same l1l'1lC see beyond these thmgs and employ them VV1ll'l openness and W1'EllOL1ll 1D1'CjL1Cl1CC O1 lJ1gOtI'y as stepp1ng stones to a luoher accomphshment the ordermof of hfc 1n 'che paths of excellence and beauty and the attamment of a character cultured broadm1nded sympathetn' actxve 1nd encur1nU cultured enough to see beauty 1n hoemg Conn and wash mg d1shes as well as 1n play1ng golf or the p1ano cultured enough to see SLlI'1Sl'l11'lC not only 1n VIVCTS l2'l13.t move fContmuecl on page l74 , Q I 150 . J . . I . I -I I I I I . . I 1 1 1 1 b I I. . . I , I -I I 1 1 1 I I1 I .O . 1 I .III - 1 1 1 1 1 1 - I 1 1 '1 I 1 . . F . . . . . . . . . . T l ' ' l I - 1 , I .I '1 1' - 1 ' . ' ' 1 1 1 ' . , . ' - ' I : ' 1 I ' ' 1 'l , 6 1 1 1 1 1 ' 1 I ' - - I I 1 U . . . . ' 5 I I I 1 I I I . . ' 1 1 1 . ' I 1I I I - I- I. . I. .I I I. II I ' . a Y 1 1 ' 1 1 1 7 I 1 ' 1 ' 1 1 ' 1 1 1 - 1 1 . . . - I . I I , I I I 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 Ig Q1 1 1 I 1 11 1 1 I 1 1 - 1 I - . . . 1 . I , , , . I 1 I I I 1 1 I ' 1 '1 1 1 I- . I ' '1 ' 1 ' 1 1 I 1 1 1 ' ' , 1 I I' ' - I 1 1 1 ,, . . . . . ' ' ' 1 1. 1 ' 1 1 1 ' 1 1 I 1 I I ' I I ' . . : . I . I I I I I I . .I . 1 . '1 1 ' 1 'A . 1 ,1 c l ' c ' I ' ' X A I 1 - 1 I 1 1 ' 1 I 1 ' 71 I 1 . . D1 1 I 1 1 1 - ' ' 1 1 c ' ' 1 I 1 1 ' 1 1' 1 . 1 1 I , I I I . . . 1, 1 1 Ik . . . . i1 I I C ' ' 1 1 1 ' 1 1 1'1 . 1 I - 1 ' 1 1 ' 1 ' . I 1 1 , C . 1 I I - I . I I I . ' . 1 1' 1 1 ' 1 .1 ' I. 5 I ' V1 I. I I . .I I ' .5 ' , ' ' 1 ' . 1 . . 1 I I 1 1 I 1 1 1 15 1 V A . ' 1 ' -1 I 4 1 1 1 A . . . . I 1 . .I . I - 1 . c 1 1 1 1 1 ' - s 1 7 f 1 . ' ' 1 I J 1 -1 2 ' 7 I I A I 1 . ' , 1 ' .T c . 6 , L . . , 1 ' .1 - rc . . ' l 1 1 l 1 ' ' - . ' 1 '1 ' U . . . . 1 X 1 I I 1 I 1 1 1 '1 1 1 '. 1 U ' 1 . c ' -I I 1 1 1 '

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152 GOSHEN COLLEGE RECORD. JUNE desire of his heart. Should he fail to express the ideas which spring up so spontaneously, his life would be filled with bitterness. He would cry in the words o'f Jeremiah: 'fHis words are in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, I am weary with forbear- ing and I can not stay . The libraries of our land are full of the life messages of conscientious authors. These numerous volumes treat of every conceivable topic with- in the range of human thought. Only a c-hoice few, however, are destined to live for the satisfaction of subsequent generations. Naturally the question arises: XVhat is the reason that so few literary productions are of univer- sal value? The most simple answer is, that only a few authors are real prophets of literature, only a few have found the secret power which is nec- essary to produce living messages. This power is not a superficial magic, which may be sought and used for sel- fish purposes, but it is an internal power which springs from a large grasp upon life and from a motive of service to humanity. The litera- ture which lives is created in the best moments of its author, and from the his soul. VVhen a pro- from, such a motive a source its contents will make an aplpeal to the lives of men, it will possess an inherent force that moves and strengthens the waver- ing characters of those who hear, and it will live continuously as a valuable contribution to human progress. The purpose of a truly conscientious author is of the purest nature. He is primarily concerned, not about tlhe fin- ancial and aesthetic value of his pro- purest light in duction spring and from such ductions, but about the contribution he is making to the serious needs of mankind. He aims to reproduce ideas which have lifted his own soul to a more satisfactory plane of life and which to him seem necessary for the development of a fully rounded char- acter. Sometimes, however, it is im- possible for him to analyze his mo- tive. Ideas piess upon him with mar- velous imperative. They have burned themselves into his being and are clamoring presistently for expression. He feels their force in his soul and only knows that they are valuable to himself. He can not determine the extent of their value to other men. His hand seems to be ilmpelled by a hidden force and he writes words of marvelous and passionate power. Finally his manuscript is complete but he hardly knows the process through which it came into form.. His production is also published and he is overwhelmed with surprise when the literary world hails him as a genius. Again we ask where is the secret of that mysterious power? For an an- swer we must fathom the mental pro- cesses of that mind and determine the spiritual forces which called those thoughts into expression. VV'hether an author has a definite purpose in mind, where he aims tio satisfy some special need of hufmanity or whether hewrites from a mysterious impulse the sub- lime thoughts that press upon him, his work may have the same significant value to the world. The purpose hbvvever, must be blended with a liv- ing message and only then will the author's name be placed among the masters of literature, llfhen we endeavor to analyze the