Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

is the great purpose of life. It is the work of parents and teachers, in
educating the youth, to cooperate with God's plan. Every ability,
every attribute with which the Creator has given us, is to be used for
His glory and for the uplifting of others.
If this principle were given the attention it deserves, there
would be a radical change in some current methods of education.
Instead of appealing to pride and selfish ambition, teachers would
try to awaken love for goodness, truth, and beauty. The student
would not seek to excel others but to fulfill the Creator's purpose
and receive His likeness. Instead of being driven by the desire to
exalt self, which dwarfs and dishonors the mind, the student would
be directed to the Creator.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the
knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10). The
goal of the teacher's work should be to impart this knowledge and to
mold the character in harmony with it. The psalmist says, "All Your
commandments are righteousness"; and "through Your precepts I
get understanding." (Psalm 119:172, 104). Through the Bible and
the book of nature we are to gain a knowledge of God.
The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects on which it
dwells. If occupied only with trivial matters, it will become dwarfed
and weak. If never required to grapple with difficult problems, it
will almost lose the power of growth. The Bible has no rival as an
educating power. It came fresh from the fountain of eternal truth,
and a divine hand has preserved its purity through all the ages. It
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