William Jennings Bryan was once asked to suggest the motto for a graduating class. His response was, "Evergreen," and this caused the members of the class to be offended. But "Evergreen" is a good motto for a graduating class, and for ministers also, for the evergreen is a symbol of life, and where there is life there is growth.
The instructed scribe introduced in our Saviour's parable, brought forth out of his treasure things new as well as old. The work of the minister should always be attended by "a freshness like the dewy fields" as the re-suit of constant intellectual growth and daily communion with God. "A minister should never think that he has learned enough, and may now relax his efforts. His education should continue throughout his lifetime; every day he should be learning, and putting to use the knowledge gained." —"Gospel Workers," p. 94.
Herrick Johnson, in his book, "The Ideal Ministry," very aptly suggests a common cause of failure in life: "Indolence in the study arrests mental growth, and leads finally to intellectual apathy if not atrophy. No amount of natural gift can be a substitute for persistent mental activity."
The Ministerial Reading Course provides an excellent means of putting into our minds the best thoughts of the best writers on. the best themes. This annual Reading Course study will widen the vision and deepen the experience of any man who pursues it, and it will also point the way to an ever-widening field of study, which is a necessary continuation of our education.
