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During the Revolutionary War, some Delaware Indian Chiefs brought three young people to General George Washington, asking that they be taught in American schools. General Washington responded:
“…You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention.”
(May 12, 1779. The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources: 1749-1799, “Address to Delaware Indian Chiefs”, (Bureau of National Literature and Art, 1907, ed., John C. Fitzpatrick)
This statement gives us great insight into the way Washington thought about several issues of our day: And his thinking was typical of all our Founders.
The statement reveals that America’s Founders believed their way of living was better than the natives of America. He reveals this when he says, “You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life…” America’s Founders believed that their way of life, based on the teachings of the Bible, was the best the world had ever seen up unto that time. They believed if Jesus Christ was the Creator of man, then his teachings would reveal the best way for man to live. That didn’t mean they couldn’t learn even more from their Creator and make their country even better. They most certainly believed that. But they did believe that a culture based on Christianity would bring more liberty and prosperity to individuals within it than any other type culture. Neither did it mean that they couldn’t learn certain things from the Indians. Continue reading
I’m amazed at how many people think we can’t live by law anymore. They say by their actions, if not their words, “You don’t have to keep any law. I determine the law for myself.” In other words, there is nothing “set in”, which is what the word law means. The boundaries for behavior shift depending on what the individual wants in a given situation. But is this good?
All thinking people agree that education is the key to what the next generation becomes. What a child learns before he is six years old is probably going to determine his methods of doing things for the rest of his life. It is simply impossible to over-estimate the value of teaching children what is right. Ben Franklin said of those who taught children,
“In 1492, Columbus sailed the Ocean blue.” Thus, children in America learned the little rhyme which firmly fixed in our minds who was responsible for the American continents being discovered. The last two generations haven’t learned that because some in what is called “higher education” circles didn’t want us to know who Columbus was. Many in those circles came to be ashamed of Columbus’ God because they were convicted by the mentioning of the Name of Jesus. Since Columbus was a devout man and often mentioned God and Jesus Christ, they tried to remove him from our history. Now that war against his name has reached new heights.
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