In the District of Columbia stands the tall shaft of the Washington Monument. It was built as a memorial to the Father of his Country, a man who worked devotedly and untiringly to launch this young nation on its way to leadership in the world of nations.

George Washington worked well not only in Government affairs but also on his estate at Mount Vernon. There he built a beautiful, prosperous farm that provided food and clothing and shelter for his family and his workers. To do this, he studied his land, used the best seed, employed the best farming methods, and procured the best breed of animals obtainable. He was as good a farmer as he was general and President, and today his estate at Mount Vernon remains as a memorial to his skill, thought, and good judgment.

On a small island in an African port stands a monument to another kind of worker. Some nameless official was ordered to build a house for the lighthouse keeper on an area five hundred yards square. Since the island was so tiny, there was no room for a car, and no need for one. However, the plan that was selected contained a garage, and this official followed the plans to the letter, with no thought of utility. So there it stands today -- a vacant garage on an island where a car cannot be used -- a monument to a man who worked well but without exercising good judgment.

This man is an exmaple of those who work well with their hands but have not learned to think and plan. He had learned how to read a house plan and follow it, but he had not learned to think about the future use of the finished building. So today the garage stands as an idle monument to his lack of thought.

We smile at this man's poor judgment, but let's be sure we aren't following in his footsteps. Let's think about schoolwork. It is possible to go through the motions of studying without learning to think. You can learn to recite the multiplication tables like a parrot without relating them to the study of mathematics. You can even get a passing grade in arithmetic without learning to put such knowledge to work for you. I have known girls who have taken several home economics courses who had to hire someone to shorten a hem in their dress. And there are boys who have instruction in manual arts in school and even turned out some creditable-looking furniture, who can't mend a broken fence rail in their own back yard. They have learned to do only what they are asked to do, without thinking.

Let's seek knowledge so we may be "wise" and "prudent" workers, both for God and for man.