Intellectual Knowledge 97 



Intellectual Knowledge 



There are many to-day who regard intellectual 

 ignorance as the sole enemy of mankind. Educate the 

 people, they say, to an increased perception of the true 

 meaning of the physical phenomena of life, and all will 

 be well. These would appear to be persons of only 

 one idea. That man's control over the physical 

 enemies of his life has increased, as advance in intel- 

 lectual knowledge has lessened his fears of the unknown, 

 goes without saying. But man has to deal with more 

 than physical enemies alone. The most powerful and 

 insidious enemies of his life are yet before him to be 

 met, combated, and overcome. Intellectual educa- 

 tion alone will not overcome them. On the contrary, 

 intellectual education by itself, without some restrain- 

 ing influence that shall really restrain, only goes to 

 render these enemies more formidable to the general 

 well-being. The advance in physical knowledge to-day 

 with its discoveries of exciting stimulants, powerful 

 drugs, and high explosives, puts it in the power of 

 educated demons to work havoc amongst large num- 

 bers of their fellowmen. Unless some adequate moral 

 and self-restraining influence be found, society will 

 find itself ultimately compelled to exterminate these 

 assailers of the social organism. The true enemies of 

 the future to be overcome, therefore, are not alone the 

 physical enemies of life, not alone intellectual ignorance, 

 but the selfish passions in each individual man's heart, 

 enemies like anger, lust, lying, revenge, hatred, envy, 



