Oberlin tried to persuade the peasants of his parish to abandon
some of their old methods of agriculture; but the wiseacres
smiled and shook their heads. What should a mere pastor know
of such matters? Oberlin therefore resolved to appeal to their
eyes instead of their ears. There were two public paths through
his gardens, so he and his servant carefully brought the soil
into a high state of cultivation; and when the neighbors walked
along and marked how the pastor’s crops were twice as large as
their own, and saw the many strange vegetables growing, they
condescended to make inquiries as to how he did it. “No, it was
not done by angels in the night! God intended men to live by the
sweat of the brow, to use the reason which He had given them,
and so improve themselves and others.”--EDWARD GILLIAT,
“Heroes of Modern Crusades.”
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=Example, Living=--See RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.
=Example Nullifying Precept=--See INCONSISTENCY.