Article November 10, 1923 Issue

Signs of the Times

with contributions from A. J. Gaynor Banks, D. M. Perley, E. W. Harb

[From the Modern Priscilla, Boston, Mass., September, 1923]

Individual thinking is essential to an advancing civilization. This does not mean that each succeeding generation should ignore the spiritual, mental, or material accomplishments of its predecessor. Far from it. Blessings untold would result if youth could learn to profit by the experience of age. But this need not involve blind, unthinking acceptance. Youth taught to think, and willing seriously to consider the things which age has learned, will move the world forward at a pace never yet recorded. So think things out for yourself—whether the question under consideration be political, economic, or religious. Starting with facts, all the facts available, and mindful of the experience of others, so far as you can learn it, form your own opinion. You will make mistakes, of course. But mistakes discovered and corrected are far preferable to unreasoning acceptance of other people's conclusions. The former promises character development, breadth of vision, growth. The latter leads to narrowness and stagnation. More than anything else, the world to-day needs men and women who think for themselves.

[From the Examiner, San Francisco, Calif., June 5, 1923]

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