The richness of the uncultivated soil shows itself in the rankness and luxuriance of the weeds which it produces. The soil, then, must be cultivated, if we expect to reap a harvest of any value. So with the mind. The intellectual plow and rake must be used, and the good seed introduced. Knowledge must be imparted.
~Edward Wilmot Blyden, “Hope for Africa”
Flag raising ceremony at Ricks Institute |
The students at Ricks Institute are
taking their end-of-the-term exams this week. The days of this week begin like
all others in the school year: at 7:30 a.m. the students line up by academic
grade facing the flag pole; selected seniors hoist the flag of the Republic of
Liberia and lead the student body in the pledge of allegiance, the Ricks school
ode, and the national anthem; students file in to the auditorium for a brief
time of devotion that includes a hymn, a prayer (both student-led), and some
reflective thoughts from a member of the staff or a visitor; finally, the
announcements of the day are spoken.
As “theologian in residence” at Ricks
Institute from mid-January through early March, I have the assignment to offer
reflective thoughts each morning this week. I've chosen to focus attention on
the aphorisms and parables that bring Matthew’s sermon on the mount to a close.
We took up Matthew 6.19-24 with the emphasis upon choosing value that lasts and
being single-minded. We took up the images of “the narrow gate” and “the wide
gate and broad road” in Matthew 7.13 and 14. We also accepted the challenge
from nature that teaches “a good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree
cannot bear good fruit” from Matthew 7.15-20. We will end our week with
attention to the importance of doing (Matthew 7.23) and the parable of the
foundations (Matthew 7.24-27).
(I especially am looking forward to Friday.
Liberia has recently emerged from the wet season and the lesson of the hard
rain on soft ground will be fresh in the minds of the students.)
For this week, as is the case for all exam
weeks, there is a respite of half-an-hour between the announcements of the day
and the beginning of the exam periods. Perhaps it was the anticipation of the
exams themselves or the knowledge that they would get a short break that has
made the students so attentive this week. Perhaps the work of the “intellectual
plow and rake” has been effective this school year. For whatever reasons, the
students have been attentive.
Even in the midst of the demands of the week,
two eleventh grade young women made an appointment to talk with me this
afternoon. Onell and Carina are bright and energetic. They are part of the
interview staff for the Ricks Institute Press Club. Their assignment was to
interview the visitor. On Friday this week they will report to the student
body.
Our conversation is what reminded me of
Blyden’s line about the “intellectual plow and rake.” Onell and Carina asked
good questions about values, my perception of progress in Liberia, how the
Ricks students are doing at Mercer, and why I keep coming back to Liberia. It
was clear to me that not only have these young woman benefited from the
“intellectual plow and rake,” they also have begun learning how to use them.
Does school have a military component to it? The picture you've posted looks like it might.
ReplyDeleteAlso, are you the "Rick" in the institute's name?
Scott
Hi, Scott.
ReplyDeleteNo, there is no military component to Ricks. And, no, I am not the Rick in Ricks.
Ricks was founded in 1887. An initial gift of 500 acres of arable land was provided by a freed slave by the name of Moses Ricks. He is the Ricks in Ricks.