Living Fountains or Broken Cisterns: An Educational Problem for Protestants

A thoughtful exploration of how education has shaped nations, this work looks back to the foundations of learning in the Judeo‑Christian tradition and traces its influence through the Reformation. Written by a college president at the turn of the twentieth century, it blends historical narrative with a clear moral purpose, asking listeners to consider why the “fountain of living waters” has been replaced by “broken cisterns” in modern society.

The author surveys the educational systems of the world’s great cultures, showing how true learning once stood side‑by‑side with the church and helped forge republican ideals. He argues that the current weakening of Protestant churches and the drift from democratic principles are rooted in a loss of proper, faith‑based instruction, and he calls for a renewal grounded in biblical wisdom.

Rich with quotations from historic thinkers and organized with a handy index, the book invites listeners to reflect on the enduring link between faith, education, and civic life, and to imagine how a return to those principles might strengthen tomorrow’s generations.