Part II. Those Things That Pertain To The Youth Himself.
Part II. Those Things That Pertain To The Youth Himself.
I.
Now, after the youthful mind, which is to be established in virtue, has been rightly molded through faith, the youth should, in consequence of this, order well and adorn beautifully his own heart. Then, after he is rightly and well-ordered within himself, he can also advise and assist other persons.
He cannot order his mind and prepare his heart better, however, than by engaging in the study of the Word of God, day and night. This he can do more skillfully and advantageously, when he thoroughly understands Hebrew and Greek; for he will succeed very poorly in gaining a clear and exact knowledge of the Old Testament, without the aid of the former, and of the New Testament, without the aid of the latter.
While we are instructing those who are well grounded in the elements of knowledge, I do not deem it proper to omit the study of the Latin language altogether, as this language is now being so generally used. Although it is less helpful to a clear understanding of the Holy Scriptures than the Greek or the Hebrew language, it is none the less useful for other purposes in active life. It often happens, too, that we come in contact with Latin scholars, in carrying on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Far be it from a Christian, however, to use the languages for mere pecuniary gain or pleasure; for they are a gift of the Holy Ghost.
The next language after the Latin, which we should endeavor to study, is the Greek. We should study it, as already stated, for reading the New Testament in the original; for I take the liberty to say that, as I understand the matter, it seems to me that the doctrines of Christ were not treated so carefully nor taught so purely from the beginning, by the Latin scholars, as they were, by the Greek scholars. For this reason, let the youth be led to the original Gospel language.2
The student of the Latin and Greek languages must see to it that he keep his heart in faith and innocence; for there are many things in these languages that have been studied to the detriment of the student, among which are wantonness, craftiness, a domineering and warlike spirit, useless and vain philosophy, and the like. If the mind be warned in due time, it can, like Ulysses, pass by these evils, untouched and unharmed. This will be the case; if the student, at the first warning of his conscience, says to himself: This you hear in order that you should take warning and flee from it, and not that you should accept it.
The Hebrew language I place last, because the use of the Latin is so general and the Greek naturally follows the Latin; otherwise I should have given the Hebrew the first place, and justly, too, because anyone who does not know the properties and the peculiarities of this language will find it a difficult task, in many passages, even among Greek scholars, to discover the real sense and natural meaning of the Scriptures. The object I have in view, however, is not to speak at great length of the languages.
With such preparation must he be equipped who would arrive at the inner meaning of this heavenly wisdom, to which no other can be compared, much less made equal. Let him, however, approach it in a humble spirit and thirsting after righteousness.
After he has penetrated thus far into the hidden things of God, he will find many examples to show him how to live righteously, first among which is Christ who is the complete and perfect pattern of all virtues. If he comes to know Christ fully, from the words and the works of the latter, he will so accept Him that in all his works, councils, and business relations he will endeavor to give proof of Christ's virtues, as far as it is possible for man in his weakness and frailty to do.
He will learn from Christ when to speak and when to be silent, each in its own time. He will be ashamed to speak, in his early youth, of those things which belong only to the conversation of men, when he learns that Christ did not begin to speak in public till he was thirty years old; therefore long after he had given proof of his mission, before the doctors in his twelfth year. Hence, rather than to put himself forward when he is very young, the youth will early seek to understand great things that are pleasing to God.
Now, just as the greatest ornament to a woman is to be silent, so, also, nothing is more becoming to a youth than to try faithfully to be silent for a certain time, until not only the understanding but also the tongue, each for itself and both together, are trained and work harmoniously together. I do not mean that youths shall be silent five years, as Pythagoras commanded his pupils; but I would restrain them from being too eager and hasty to speak, and unless it be to speak about useful or necessary matters, they should not speak at all.
If a youth is learning the art of expression from his teacher and if the latter has any defect or any disagreeableness in his speech, the youth should not imitate these unpleasant things in his teacher's speech. This hint is by no means to be regarded as being of little account; for we learn from the writings of the ancients that some imitated their masters not only in errors of speech, but also in the awkward movements of the body.
Any person can easily recognize slowness of speech or a stammering tongue; but I want to call attention to the fact that errors are made in the enunciation of words and in the tones of the voice, not mentioning the artistic qualities of the latter, as this is not the place to speak of them. These errors are made, when the speaker speaks too rapidly or too slowly, when his voice lacks force and its pitch is too low, when its force is too great and its pitch is too high, and when any speech whatsoever is delivered in a monotone and the visible expression is unchanged or otherwise not in accordance with the subject-matter of the speech. It has been observed that elephants, when they are by themselves, practice those things diligently, which they had failed to do before and had suffered punishment on that account. So, also, should every youth see to it that he practices diligently and at frequent intervals, in chaste facial expression, and in gestures which are so graceful that he will never clumsily swing his arms as if he were rowing.
These things he should regulate in such a manner that they serve the cause of truth instead of flattering his hearers; for how can a Christian heart endure the lascivious manners of some persons? I have no other object in view, when I want a youth to refine his manners, than that every one may be led thereby to free himself from external rudeness or unbecoming manners; because these are not uncertain signs of uncouthness or coarseness of character.
Above all things the mind must be firm in the truth and unmoved by evil influences. If this be the case, it can easily overcome the wild or awkward movements of the body. For example, let the youth refrain from wrinkling his forehead, or making a wry face, or twisting his mouth, or shaking his head, or swinging his hands to and fro. On the other hand, let all his movements be so under control as to indicate plainness, simplicity, and graceful modesty. Let this suffice in regard to speaking and remaining silent.
Arithmetic, surveying, and music, I think, no youth should neglect; but he should not spend too much time on these studies. Although they are very valuable to everyone who is skillful in their application and although he who never studies them suffers much from his ignorance, yet no one should become old in studying them; for if he does, he will not derive more benefit from them than does the man who walks back and forth simply to avoid being idle.
II.
Let every youth flee from intemperance as he would from a poison; for, in addition to the fact that it makes furious the body, which is of itself inclined to vehemence, it brings on premature old age; because the body becomes disordered from the beginning. From this it follows that, if the intemperate man becomes old at all and believes that he will find rest in his latter days, he will be deceived and will find nothing but disease. For it cannot be that he who has habituated himself to revel in wine does not, in the end, suffer from dangerous diseases. I refer to epilepsy, paralysis, dropsy, leprosy, and the like. So, then, if you desire to be old a long time, become old [wise] early.
One's food should be plain and simple; for why should a youth, whose stomach is strong and always ready for digestion, need to eat partridges, fieldfares, woodcocks, capons, venison, and like delicacies? Let him rather put off eating these things until he is old, when his teeth will be worn down, his palate and throat hardened from long use, his stomach weakened, and his body deprived of its vigor. Then he will need such food. How can one attain to old age and sustain his strength during the same, if, as a high-spirited youth, one gives himself up to indulgence in those things which old men need for bodily sustenance and enjoyment?
Hunger should simply be satisfied by eating, not driven away never to return. It is related of Galenus that he lived a hundred and twenty years, because he had never left the table, with his hunger satisfied. I do not mean to say that you shall starve yourself, but that you shall not become a slave to beastly appetite, against which life demands that you should struggle. I know very well that men sin by going to either extreme, namely, by becoming like wolves in ravenous appetite or by becoming unfit for work on account of being half starved.3
Nothing seems to me to be more foolish than to seek honor and praise, by wearing costly clothing. From such a point of view, the pope's asses could be respected and highly honored; for if they are strong animals, they can carry more gold, silver, and precious stones than the strongest man. Who would not be ashamed of parading his costly clothing, when he hears that the Son of God and of the Virgin Mary cried in the manger, not having more swaddling-clothes around Him than the Virgin Mary carried with her, as she was not prepared for a birth in such a place.
Those who put on strange or new clothing every day thereby show how fickle, or at least how effeminate and childish they are. Such persons do not belong to Christ. While they thus clothe themselves in rare attire, they let the poor suffer from cold and hunger. For this reason a Christian should beware of foolishness and extravagance in dress, as well as of any other evil.
When a youth begins to be fond of young ladies and falls in love with them, he should show how gallant and strong minded he is. Just as daring young knights test their strength and their arms in war, so it behooves the Christian youth to exert all his powers to overcome every temptation to foolish and unlawful love. If he nevertheless seeks the company of young ladies, let him beware of inordinate affection; and he should select the company of one whose manners and conduct he would be willing to endure through the varied scenes of wedlock. Let him pay attention to her, but his affectionate relation to her, as one chosen for marriage, must be pure and so true that, among all women, he will love no other.
Why need I forbid a Christian youth to love money and worldly honor, since these evils are also condemned among the heathen? No one who will serve covetousness will become a Christian, for this vice has not only ruined individual characters, but also well-fortified cities and powerful kingdoms. Covetousness will overthrow any government that comes under its sway. When this vice has taken possession of the mind, no good influence can affect it. Covetousness is a deadly poison and yet, sad to say, it has spread and has become very powerful among us. Only through Christ can we destroy this vice within ourselves, and we can do it if we very diligently and unceasingly follow Him; for what did He oppose more than this root of all evil?
The learning of chivalrous arts [ritterlicher Kuenste—Moerikofer] I do not condemn so strongly; but if I did not see that some rich youths even shun exercise and manual labor, through which much good would accrue to common life, I should judge otherwise [i. e., should prefer manual labor to these arts.—Fulda's Notes.]. It behooves a Christian, however, in so far as the common good and the peace of all will allow it, not to take up arms at all. Although David was not trained to use arms, yet the Lord God caused him to triumph over Goliath with a sling and He protected the unarmed Israelites from the overwhelming power of their enemies. In the same manner He will doubtless also help and protect us; but if it should please Him to do otherwise, He would arm our hands and train them for the conflict. If a youth, however, desires to become skillful in handling arms, let his only object be to prepare himself to fight for his country and to shield those whom God calls upon him to protect.
I would that all men, and particularly those who are set apart to preach the Gospel, felt as if they ought to live nowhere else except in the ancient city of Massilia, in which no one was received for citizenship, who had no trade which would enable him to make a living. Wherever we would carry out this thought, idleness, which is a fruitful source of all wantonness, would be driven away; and our bodies would become much healthier, stronger, and better fitted to endure hardships.4