Moral Leaders; A Handbook of Twelve Lectures (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905. Excerpt: ... SPIRIT OF THE COURSE. THE aim of this course is the study of a few out of that great number of moral leaders whose lives have been dedicated to the service of mankind. Such study is always profitable, since it deals with humanity in certain of its highest expressions, and considers the force that has been most active in moral evolution. We in America, however, need particularly to return to such study, since in democracies moral leadership is at once most necessary and most difficult to develop. Moreover, our time is one of vast and increasing mechanical organization, not only in industry and commerce, but in education and religion. The machinery has grown so complicated, the organization so farreaching, that individuals seem to count for nothing or only as cogwheels in the great machine. Yet it is true to-day as always that the moral capital of any nation is its earnest manhood and womanhood; and no other capital is even desirable unless it rest on this. Economic leadership in the end must rest on moral leadership; and that nation is hastening to ruin, even to commercial ruin, which exploits its manhood and womanhood (or worse its children) to increase temporarily its wealth. The need of the hour is men and women, strong, earnest, cultivated, consecrated to the service of the world. It is the study of moral leaders, who have been in the forefront of the advancing margin of life, perceiving the light of the dawning ideal while their fellows slept, proclaiming it and awakening the world to follow it, accepting martyrdom, if need be, that the world might grow through their sacrifice, --it is such study that brings home to us the worth of men and the need and opportunity for devoted social service. The men we shall study are widely different from each other i..