First Semester Newsletter
Upon the completion of our semester, I would like to express my gratitude to the students for their hard work, good behavior, and joyful but serious presence in the classroom, to the parents for their support and all they do to make it possible for the students to attend class, to those who graciously support us financially and faithfully pray for us, and to the women of the Woman’s Club of Cayce who allow us the use of their wonderful space.
This semester we learned from Angelina Stanford’s reflections on Gulliver’s Travels that, contrary to the contemporary slogan, “Knowledge is Power,” the purpose of education is not to gain power over others but to produce virtuous men and women. Swift challenged us to gain a proper perspective by learning from the ancients who, with their universal range, long search, much study, and true judgment, were able to enrich both themselves and others in their pursuit of goodness, truth, and beauty.
From Charles Dickens in Tale of Two Cites we learned the danger of “twisting humanity out of shape and sowing seeds of rapacious license,” and that the only hope of redemption, once the deadly seeds have been sown, is to look to Christ and give up self-love for self-sacrifice. From Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice we learned that first impressions are often mistaken, that the surface of manners can often be misleading, and that before we can see others correctly we must learn to overcome our own self-deceit. And from Mary Shelley in Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus we learned that forbidden things might not actually be good things, and that a desire for forbidden knowledge can become a “serpent that stings you.”
Praise be to God for the books read, lessons learned, songs sung, and friendships made, and may He be our portion and strength in the upcoming year.
Knowledge and Wisdom in Submission to God,
Chris M. Blackwell
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