Article December 10, 1949 Issue

WISDOM VERSUS SOPHISTICATION

[Of Special Interest to Young People]

SARAH ELEANOR PAINE

One of the most encouraging signs of these times is the increased demand for education. Today the colleges are crowded with young people eager for knowledge of one kind or another. Many adults are applying for instruction in the fine arts or in business or technical subjects.

Sometimes this desire for learning may be incited by no higher motive than the wish to better oneself financially or to have brighter prospects for one's family; in many cases, however, the aspiration is for a real education and its consequent broader service to mankind.

The word "education" is derived from the Latin educere—to lead forth; and true education does lead from darkness to light, from limited views to wider visions, from the personal to the universal. One of the definitions of education given by a dictionary is of especial interest: "The totality of the information and qualities acquired through instruction and training, which further the development of an individual physically, mentally, and morally." True education, then, includes much more than mere knowledge, or the possession of information, however necessary that may be. Genuine education should lead to wisdom, which is defined as "ability to judge soundly and deal sagaciously with facts, esp. as they relate to life and conduct." The search for wisdom is one of the great quests of all time. In what is considered one of the earliest books of the Bible, it is related that Job cried, "Where shall wisdom be found?" And later the "wise man" said (Prov. 8:11), "Wisdom is better than rubies," and (Prov. 3:13), "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding."

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

WISDOM VERSUS SOPHISTICATION

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access