LIFE AND LETTERS OF JOSEPH HARDY NEESIMA

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128 SEMINARY COURSE AT ANDOVER. ccadensed form. A nation or an individual shall need to be intelligent in order to be a good citizen. An intelligent citizen can be governed much better than an ignorant. But his intellect is not sufficient to control himself morally. If he has intellect only, and has not the moral principles, he will do more harm to his neighbor and society, than do them good. His sharpened intellect will he very much like a sharp knife. He may ruin his fellow creatures and also destroy himself. If such a ruinous person exert such a bad influence among his society, the hundreds and thousands of such will surely cause the ruin of a nation. Therefore there must be a moral principle to keep down such a ruinous intellect, for if a person has moral principle he can make right use of his intel­lect. Therefore the Japanese government must pro­vide some means, or allow some person, to teach moral principles to the people. Education only is not suffi­cient to make men virtuous ; neither intellectual nor moral philosophy is enough for it. I never knew any persons become virtuous by studying the philosophy of Plato or books of Confucius. But on the other hand there is a power in the Christian religion to make men free, vigorous, and virtuous. If a man loves >rirtue he indeed is a true man and does know how to take care of himself. If eaeh Japanese knows how to take care of himself, the government shall not need setting detectives here and there throughout the country. If the whole nation love truth and virtue they will govern themselves, nor give or cause much trouble to the government. 'J.'he strength of a nation is the strength of their virtue and piety. Some peo­ple make use of the Christian religion as a mere in­strumentality, but if so his religion is not a true one.

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