Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a universal man, a man who spoke to the aspirations of people of conscience everywhere, in every land. We honor him today for teaching us about justice, compassion, righteousness, and our duty to make the world a better place. Today, more than half a century after he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington in 1963, the dream seems far away. Many barriers have been broken, to be sure, but many still remain.
This
post contains Martin Luther King's views on education when he was 18 years old, a student at Morehouse College.
King makes a distinction between a person who is very smart and lacks any sense of morals or ethics, and a person who is educated to live a worthy life.
"We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate. The broad education will, therefore, transmit to one not only the accumulated knowledge of the race but also the accumulated experience of social living.
"If we are not careful, our colleges will produce a group of close-minded, unscientific, illogical propagandists, consumed with immoral acts. Be careful, "brethren!" Be careful, teachers!"
