Article #15 - Ignorance/Calamaties/Learning

[Much of the ink in the following paper is too faded to be legible.]

            Most all branches of study ?? and unentertaining to the ?? and they do not become interesting untill [sic] we have made some advancement in them, the greatest difficulty ?? to be to make a fair commencement but it is the resolute will, and ?? determination to master difficulties

that makes the accomplished student or the ablest man; More ?? the more a person learns the more he finds to learn; by what little instruction we have we know that many of our calamaties [sic] are caused by ignorance and the nearer we arive [sic] to perfection in the knowledge of the laws of our being the more certain will we be that all accidents, poverty, sickness, and suffering,

vice and all the evils resulting from intemperance and slavery and ?? are caused by the violation of natural law. It is now generally believed that there is a cause for all things and by finding out the cause of sickness and suffering of man we may ?? it and thus by causation we will ?? something to do until the whole human race are brought to a state of perfection.

            Man may boast that ?? yes, alas, how little ?? this ?? godlike element, how few ideas men

possess and those few are almost choked up with passion, what discouragement it must be to the philanthrophist [sic] to see the mind of man so rude and uncultivated and such a slow progress being made in its improvement and well founded may be his discouragement, when he observes that man after having learned the path to virtue neglects to walk therein.

            Now let no one hang back and say that his mind is too feeble to be benefited by exertion or to benefit others, but all must hand in hand to the battle field, and if each one will but work steadily onward through this life, he can say in the evening shade of old age, while looking back

over the past, “My work is done.”

                        Jabez Baily