If he
had lived a mere physical life and had had no resources of the mind upon
which to draw, his experience in the jail would have been most irksome.
But, being equipped with mental and spiritual resources, he could smile
disdain at prison bars, and proceed with his work in spiritual freedom.
Had he been dependent solely, or even mainly, upon food, sleep, drink,
and other contributions to his physical being for his definition of
life, then his whole life would have been restricted to the limits of
his cell; but the more extensive and expansive resources of his life
rendered the jail virtually nonexistent.
=Illustrations.=--It is possible, therefore, so to furnish the mind that
it can enjoy freedom in spite of any bondage to which the body may be
subjected. Indeed, the whole process of education has as its large
objective the freedom of the mind and spirit. Knowledge of truth gives
freedom; ignorance of truth is bondage. A man's knowledge may be
measured by the extent of his freedom; his ignorance, by the extent of
his bondage. In the presence of truth the man who knows stands free and
unabashed, while the man who does not know stands baffled and
embarrassed. In a chemical laboratory the man who knows chemistry moves
about with ease and freedom, while the man who does not know chemistry
stands fixed in one spot, fearing to move lest he may cause an
explosion. To the man who knows astronomy the sky at night presents a
marvelous panorama full of interest and inspiration, to the man who is
ignorant of astronomy the same sky is merely a dome studded with dots of
light.
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