and what creed was taking the place of the old theological tangle? what interpretation was sanderson putting upon this ever-new teaching of christ in the world, that he was stripping so steadily out of its irrelevant casings of dogma and superstition? i cannot do better in answer to that than quote from one of his latest sermons, a sermon delivered on the reassembly of the school at the opening of a new school year.

'the fundamental instinct of life is to create, to make, to discover, to grow, to progress. every one in some form or other has experience of this joy of creating; the joy of seeing the growth, the building, the change, the coming. the instinct of those in authority has recognised—without[pg 93] perhaps knowing it—the love to create, when they devised punishment—the treadmill, prisons, routine, all thwarting that free creative impulse to the point of torture. or on a minor scale the trivial school stupidities and idlenesses of 'lines'; detentions without labour or sacrifice or both; or even the cheap and easy physical punishment. such punishment, if not all inflicted punishment, springs out of the distinctive protective aim of slavery. creative life comes slowly.

life, this beautiful, creative life, comes slowly through the ages, but it comes. slowly mankind is emerging out of slavery into the beautiful freedom of creative life. slowly mankind is realising the natural desire, the instinctive natural urge, the essential need for life—of each individual to be free. free—i.e. free to strive, to endeavour, to reach onwards, to create, to make, to beget. the economic freedom of the individual has been slowly escaping throughout history. it burst into a new vigorous life through the hammering blows of the french revolution. during the last century or more this principle of freedom has been changing our political relationships and values. this economic escape may be said to have reacted[pg 94] on science, and the modern developments of evolution have benefited by the spreading change in the temper of mind, and by the influx of workers and creative thinkers from the enslaved order.

and this raises a large question which i have in mind this morning. every one can see to-day the immensity of the problems before the world. it does not need much reflection, or foresight, or knowledge, to see that the organisation of the intercourse of races is hurrying on to becoming a dangerous problem. as has been said, and as any one i think with powers of sight can see, it is in a large sense a race between education and catastrophe. and the question we in schools have to ask is, can we in schools be outside all this? can we confine our work, our play, our necessary work, our necessary play, to the recognised, traditional work or play of schools? we here think not. we believe that schools should move on towards becoming always a microcosm of the new world. a microcosm, and experiment, of the standards of value, of the commandments, the statutes and judgments, of the organisation, of the visions and aims of a coming world. we must not get into our heads that these are[pg 95] theoretical things, it may be pure idealistic sort of things, or, it may be new and dangerous things. they are none of these things—they can be expressed in very everyday, homely, matter-of-fact things and in the doing of our ordinary work. of course they do mean thought, a tendency to believe, a faith in boys—and they do mean labour, and sacrifice—as they are called or thought of at first—until both pass on into the beautiful life.

such aims and urges become terrific powers for prolonging the life of man; and as the stream of life goes on it becomes more and more like a vast river moving slowly forward with great power, receiving more and more of tributaries, slowly, strongly, surely flowing on "unto the estuary that enlarges, and spreads itself grandly as it pours its waters into the great ocean of sea."

but the beginnings are here: and here boys must find themselves in the great stream of true life. they must find themselves in the land of the great vision, of faith, of service. no beating or marking of time here. no easy static state. no satisfaction with conventional static comfort. here they will join in this great world-life. they[pg 96] came from their homes to join the great world-life here. even these tiny boys here will feel that something is before them that matters, something of true life and true intent. they will get the germs of life from some of those things we are perpetually trying to do, and never succeeding in doing. they will catch the contagion of effort. for learning is not our object here, but doing. they may learn things in a deadly static way, they may learn much in a static way and gain nothing of life. not here, i hope. no, the germs of life come from the spirit; from the incessant travail of the soul; from high intent; they come from the burning desire to know of the things that are coming into the world....'