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Fundamentals of Christian Education
Physical health lies at the very foundation of all the student’s
ambitions and his hopes. Hence the pre-eminent importance of gaining
a knowledge of those laws by which health is secured and preserved.
Every youth should learn how to regulate his dietetic habits,—what
to eat, when to eat, and how to eat. He should learn how many hours
to give to study, and how much time to spend in physical exercise.
The human body may be compared to nicely adjusted machinery,
which needs care to keep it in running order. One part should not be
subjected to constant wear and pressure, while another part is rusting
from inaction. While the mind is tasked, the muscles also should have
their proportion of exercise.
The proper regulation of his habits of eating, sleeping, study, and
exercise, is a duty which every student owes to himself, to society,
and to God. The education which will make the young a blessing
to the world, is that which enables them to attain a true and noble
manhood or womanhood. That student who is studying hard, sleeping
little, exercising little, and eating irregularly of an improper or inferior
quality of food, is obtaining mental training at the expense of health
and morals, of spirituality, and, it may be, of life.
The young naturally desire activity, and if they find no legitimate
scope for their pent-up energies after the confinement of the school-
room, they become restless and impatient of control, and thus are led
to engage in the rude, unmanly sports that disgrace so many schools
and colleges, and even to plunge into scenes of actual dissipation.
Many of the youth who left their homes innocent, are corrupted by
their associations at school.
Every institution of learning should make provision for the study
and practice of agriculture and the mechanic arts. Competent teachers
should be employed to instruct the youth in the various industrial
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pursuits, as well as in the several branches of study. While a part of
each day is devoted to mental improvement, let a stated portion be
given to physical labor, and a suitable time to devotional exercises and
the study of the Scriptures.
This training would encourage habits of self-reliance, firmness, and
decision. Graduates of such institutions would be prepared to engage
successfully in the practical duties of life. They would have courage
and perseverance to surmount obstacles, and firmness of principle that
would not yield to evil influences.