CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
=Literature.=--_Bryce_, Holy Roman Empire; _Guizot_, History of
Civilization; _Lord_, Beacon Lights; _Sheppard_, Fall of Rome; _Draper_,
Conflict between Religion and Science; _Clarke_, Ten Great Religions;
_Gibbon_, Decline and Fall of Roman Empire; _Laurie_, Rise of
Universities; _Stille_, Studies in Mediaeval History; _Arnold_, Essays
in Criticism; _Lecky_, History of European Morals; _Hegel_, Philosophy
of History; _Allies_, The Formation of Christendom; _Chateaubriand_, The
Genius of Christianity; _Azarias_, Essays Philosophical.
INTRODUCTION
Oriental civilization was based on the theory that the individual
belonged to the State, and could have no interest except that which was
bound up in the interests of the State. Christianity, on the other hand,
taught that while the individual has duties which he owes to the State,
and while he must look to the State for his protection, and for the
preservation of his material interests, he owes a higher allegiance
elsewhere, and no fetters can be placed on the aspirations or wants of
his own soul. In a word, Christianity taught the importance and worth of
the individual.
The great teachers, Confucius, Buddha, Socrates, Plato, had many
glimpses of truth, but Christ is truth itself. He discovered to the
world the final principle of the value of the human soul, and brought to
fruition the truth that "all men are equal before God." This thought
made human development possible; a new principle was introduced upon
which civilization could build and advance, and improve to the end of
time. Perhaps the highest test of civilization is found in the respect
shown to women. Measured by this test, the oriental nations have made
but little progress, as the position of woman with them is much the same
to-day as it was centuries ago. While this is true of each individual
nation, we have found among the nations themselves, as we have traced
the growth of civilization, steady improvement in the condition of
woman. Thus, in Athens and Rome, where we find the highest types of
ancient civilization, there was also the greatest respect for woman. In
no country of the East was it equaled. If the Jews are mentioned as an
exception, it must be admitted that the Jewish women held the highest
place among those of antiquity; but this eminence was given by the Jews
only to the women of their own race, and was by no means universally
accorded to womankind, as it is by the spirit of Christianity. If we
discover a greater respect for woman in Rome or Athens than in China or
India, it only shows the movement of civilization toward the west.
The coming of Christ marked a new era both in religion and education.
Let us look at some of the lessons which Christianity teaches.
1. _God is the common Father of all men._--This does not limit the
blessings of the world to the Jew and exclude the Gentile. All men of
whatever race or color may approach God as their Father, and all are
equal in his sight. This gives hope to all, and makes possible an
exercise of faith in the present and in the future life. It proclaims a
higher citizenship than that of the State, and demands allegiance first
of all to God.
2. _The universal brotherhood of man._--This principle sweeps away
castes, abolishes slavery, destroys class distinctions, and gives equal
rights to all men. It stimulates love for fellow-men, checks
selfishness, promulgates peace and good will, and implants the spirit of
the Golden Rule in the hearts of men.
3. _Marriage is a divine rite and husband and wife are equal._--Nothing
like this teaching had been practiced in the pagan world. Woman was
simply the servant, the creature, of man. She was to do his bidding, and
might be divorced for trivial cause, or for none. Man was supreme and
his will was law. The home in the Christian sense did not exist, because
the husband and wife were not one.
4. _Children are the gift of God._--This was a Jewish as well as a
Christian teaching. If children are the gift of God, the power of life
and death over them cannot rest with the father, as in China, Persia, or
Rome. It is the duty of the father to preserve them, teach them, train
them for this life, and prepare them for the life to come. Since the
children come from God, the pious parent must consider them as a sacred
trust which he does not neglect. Hence he must see to it that they are
properly educated.
5. _The central pedagogic truth of Christ's teaching is this: All
education is for the individual._ Oriental education had for its end the
interests of the State. Christian education has for its end the
interests of the individual. The State is the creature of man, and not
man the creature of the State. Man will create, and support, and
preserve the State for his self-protection and for his own good. The
highest ideal of the State is that in which the people rule, that which
furnishes the greatest liberty. This is the logic of Christianity, and
the logical conclusion of education. It is really for the individual.
The world has been slow to learn this lesson taught by Christ; but now
it is mastering it more thoroughly every day, as shown by the more
liberal forms of government, the broader interpretation of courses of
study, and the greater attention to the needs of the individual child.
All these teachings of Christianity have a direct educational meaning,
and suggest lessons for all humanity. For the school is not the only
contributor to the education of a people. Every truth that affects
mankind, every principle that touches the home or the State, has its
influence upon the life and character of the individual, and is,
therefore, an element in his education.
The natural consequence of these principles is that education must be
universal. Every child must be fitted for the duties of life, both for
his own sake and for the sake of the State of which he is a part. As an
individual, he must work out his destiny, and to make this possible in
the broadest and best sense from the Christian standpoint both mind and
heart must be developed. As a member of the State he must assume duties
in public affairs which require the possession of superior intelligence.
This is particularly true in free governments which are the logical
product of the spirit of Christianity. While the idea of universal
education had its beginning with the Christian era, we shall see that
many centuries elapsed before it reached its fulfillment. There were
many serious and almost insurmountable obstacles against which the early
Christians had to contend, and these made progress necessarily slow. Let
us look at some of these obstacles.
=Their Poverty.=--The early Christians were almost without exception
poor. Christ appealed to the poor and lowly, and chose his disciples
from among them. The acknowledged followers of the Nazarene had to face
confiscation of property, persecution, death. Homeless and without
protection they wandered about, and had neither the opportunity nor the
right to acquire property. They, therefore, had little means to apply to
the education of their children. They could neither establish schools
nor employ teachers; they could give only such instruction as the
limitations of their poverty, their misery, and their fear permitted.
Consequently, only the most meager training could be secured, and that
almost wholly in religious matters.
=Their Own Ignorance.=--Chosen as they were from the lowly ranks of
life, many of the early Christians were ignorant. Most of them were
servants and slaves, who had been converted from paganism, and who did
not possess even the rudiments of education. They had to be instructed
in the rites and ceremonies of the Church, and in the practices and
requirements of their new belief. Unlettered as they were themselves,
they could scarcely undertake to educate their children. It is marvelous
that under these conditions any attempt was made to do it; yet we find
that great pains were taken even in the early centuries of the Christian
era to perform this duty toward those who were regarded as gifts of God
and heirs of salvation.
=Their Small Number.=--Even when free from persecution and under
comparatively happy conditions, they were so scattered and so few in
number, as well as so poor, that to maintain schools was almost an
impossibility. They would not permit their children to attend the pagan
schools, as they feared moral and intellectual contamination. The only
safety, especially for the converts from paganism, was in being
"separate from the world" about them. So where their numbers were
sufficient they established schools of their own. But in many
communities they could not do this; hence they could only teach their
children at home.
=Opposition of the Rulers.=--Rome ruled the world, and her highways, her
commerce, her military expeditions, and her mighty enterprises furnished
excellent means for the spread of Christianity. But while Rome had many
religions, adopted from her conquered peoples, Christianity was so
different from these that the rulers were readily brought to regard the
Christians with suspicion. Humility, returning good for evil, refusal to
avenge, were contrary to the Roman spirit. Therefore many persecutions
followed, which disturbed the life of the Christians so as to make
impossible the work of educating their children.
=Lack of Christian Literature.=--The early Christian Fathers fully
realized the dangers that surrounded their children. To come in contact
with pagan schools, or even with pagan literature, they felt to be
dangerous. How easy it would be for pagan converts to fall away, or even
for others not pagan, attracted by popular influences. For Christianity
was not yet popular. Hence the only safety of the converts lay in
totally abstaining from the use of pagan literature. Here was introduced
a discussion that affected the Church and educational progress for
centuries, and caused learned men when converted to abjure their
favorite authors who had furnished the material for their education in
their early years. Having no literature of their own, and condemning the
use of pagan literature, the Christians found it hard to overcome the
obstacles which stood in the way of Christian education. As a result,
almost the only things taught to children were certain parts of the
Bible, and the rites and duties of the Church.
=Other Difficulties.=--New ideas do not readily take hold of the world.
Men naturally cling to the old and tried, and are not easily turned to
new thoughts and practices. The teachings of Christ were so radically
new that men were slow to adopt them. Their acceptance involved a change
of habit, the abandonment of customs not before regarded as evil, the
yielding up of social caste, the humbling of the individual. Herein
existed a most serious obstacle to the establishment of Christian
education.
These are a few of the great difficulties that had to be met, many of
which were not overcome for centuries. We shall see, as we trace the
development of education, how the new ideas which had their birth with
the Christian era struggled for recognition, how they have become
established, how they have brought great blessings to mankind, how they
have aroused ambition and awakened hope, and how they give promise of
still greater advancement in times to come. The boundless field thus
opened to mankind, and the knowledge of how to enter and possess it,
constitute the world's great inheritance from Christ. But to know how to
appreciate and use this inheritance, we must study the slow and painful
growth of these new educational ideals from the Christian era till the
present time.