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NOTES IN PASSING.
BY BERT.
Plato says, "For a mail to conS
elf-Control, quer himself is the first and
noblest of all victories, whereas
to be vanquished by himself is the basest and
most shameful of all things." From Plato to F.
W. Farrar is a far cry and yet these words of
Farrar seem to belong to the words of Plato.
"The self-conquered man sits, as it were, above
his brethren, on a sunlit eminence of peace and
purity, unblinded by the petty mists that dim
their vision, untroubled by the petty influences
that disturb their life." The way to this high
eminence is given by the apostle, "They that are
Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections
and lusts." That Plato thought the same
way is evidence that God has placed in every
heart a light which, if allowed to burn, will
guide him, if not into all truth, at least a longer
way into it than any have ever yet travelled.
Shelly, who says a good many
The Man things, says this:
Himself. "Man who would be, must rule the
empire of himself;
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111 air rnuot uc ou^iciiic, caiauusilJli^ UlS lliruilt*
On vanquished will, quelling the anarchy
Of hopes and fears, being himself alone."
That is to say, if a man would he himself he must
rule himself. And here again there is an agreement
with Paul who has many things to say
about the inner conflict in the human soul, and
the indispensable requisite of self-subjugation to
a true self-control. No man can be truly himself
who does not daily keep self under. Sensual
desires and carnal appetites hold us rivetted to
earth and the only way we can get away from
their tyranny is by exercising continual selfrenunciation
; by keeping the spirit in the foreground;
by complete submission to the will of
Christ.
It is related that a most
An Incident, shameful attack was made and
printed broadcast upon the
Emperor Joseph. The Emperor gave directions
that no pains should be spared to discover
the author. He was found and brought before
his sovereign who asked him, "Are you the
autnor or tins disgraceful writing?" holding up
a copy of the paper for his examination. The
man was obliged to confess that he was. "Your
pens are cut too sharp, I have others cut for you
of which you will make better use, I hope," said
the Emperor, handing him a package of quill
pens. The man received them with shame and
humility and was told he could go. Reaching
home he opened the package and found the pens
wrapped in a paper which proved to be an imperial
order for a pension. The Emperor had
learned that the man was in most destitute circumstances
and had taken this way to revenge
himself. Surely this was acting like a man, if
not what might have been expected from a king.
The occassion for struggle,
Conquer or and the necessity for struggle,
Be Conquered, like the poor, are always with
us. "Be not overcome of evil,
but overcome evil with good" is the apostolic injunction
whose very terms say plainly that we
are in a long and stubborn fight, a fight in which
there never was and never can be a drawn bat
tie. It is simply and plainly, "overcome, or be
overcome." It is like the old Ilighland chief of
whom we are told that on the eve of battle he
drew up his men and pointing to the enemy said,
"There they are, my lads; if ye dinna ding
them, they HI ding you." So the evil that oppresses'us,
no matter what its origin will overcome
us or we must overcome it. It will overeome
us if it leads to our taking the affair into
our own hands and trying to get even. We will
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SC
overcome it if we follow the example of the
Emperor Joseph and heap coals of fire upon the
heads of our opponents. We are by nature poor
judges of what we owe to others. We owe no
man to get even with him. "Owe no man anything,
but to love one another." No matter
what he does to you, no matter what he says
about you, no matter how mean and worthless ?
he is, you owe him love, and only love. Indeed
the meaner and more worthless lie is the more
his debtor for love are you. And in the practice
of this virtue we learn the art of self-control.
"LET ME ALONE!"
That earnest, active, successful pastor who
lately uttered his complaint to us about the
J 1 ~ C ^ * *
iiuuu ui papers, applications, requests, suggestions,
urgings to attend meetings, banquets, luncheons,
collations, pleadings for funds to carry
this, that, or the other effort or movement
through, comes to us again. So far from having
enjoyed relief, he seems to have been, of late,
more than ever overwhelmed. He is getting a
little angry, we fear. His tone is becoming decidedly
more vigorous. He is losing his patience.
He voices his feelings now in the words, "I just
wish they would let me alone!" He desires to
be courteous, for he is the soul of courtesy. He
wishes to be kind, for his heart is full of it. He
does not like to be regarded as unappreciative
and ungrateful towards those who would help
him to mend his ways or make himself more
useful and effective. Above all, he is very much
averse to being thought of as so bound up in his
own ways and methods as to appear to be unteachable.
He simply wishes to be left alone,
to work out his destiny and his church's, in his
own way, from his own knowledge of the people
and conditions, in earnest reliance upon the help
of his Lord and the presence of the Spirit. And
especially does he wish to be the chooser of his
own teachers. He has had a flood of advice from
wiseacres poured upon him. He is growing tired
of professional and peripatetic self-appointed
unasked guides, helpers and advisers, usually
with a "consideration" attached, or a movement
to contribute to. He is especially opposed to
somebody everlastingly "organizing" him, a fee
attached of course, as if organization of itself
will move things. And he is especially vehement
against being traduced, if he conscientiously
declines to go into everything that comes along,
as an intractable, unpractical, "out of the procession"
preacher who does not know his own
or his people's best interests.
Outside advice, suggestions, and appeals from
the church's regularly appointed agencies are
well and good. These are an essential and fundamental
part of our system. One cannot do
without them. The pastor Whose plea this article
echoes never thinks of turning a deaf ear
to them, the proper calls and suggestions of the
Church itself, throngh her authorized executive
agencies, or shows to us or to any one the slightest
impatience with them. "What he objects to
are the voluntary agencies, the outside organizations,
the movements and machinery and methods
of people who think they know better how
to attend to his business than he knows himself.
These are the things that tire him.
We publish the plaint, and wonder if our
friend is alone. We are inclined to think there
are others!
Tf the love of God once shed abroad in the
heart begins to grow cold and duty irksome, then
begin to work for God. Choose some line of
work, either in the chnrch or ont, which will be
helpfnl to yonr fellows, beneficial to the chnrch.
or nsefnl to the kinprdom, and assnredly the
warm enrrent* of lore will beprin to flow again
and dnty. -which seemed so irksome, will become
again a pleasure and a song.
) U T H [ January *1, 1312
PROFANITY IN BOOKS.
Profanity is bad anywhere. It partakes of
the nature of crime. It is a direct and formal
challenge to God in the exercise of his moral
government. An insult to the dignity of one of
God's own ministers in the realm of state or of
religion would not be so pronounced a challenge
of God's right to govern as the overt, audible
profaning of his name in direct violation of his
command. It is not only disobedience of moral
law, it is a wanton, wilful insult to the person, or
persons of Deity. Of the ten commandments
that which forbids profanity and that which forbids
idolatry are the two which have warnings
and penalties attached. Yet it is said that in the
highest circles of society as in the lowest, profanity
is fashionable with both men and women.
Let us quote some passages from a writer on
this subject who drives straight at it with his
gloves off, Mr. W. H. Jordan in the New York
Observer-. "The profane swearer flourishes best
in loafing places, in saloons and joints, in de
pots as also in so-called high society." "In his
eternal habitation the swearer will be branded
by the devil as ' my cheapest fool.' The swearer
proclaims abroad his vulgarity and paucity of
thought. Slang, extravagant speech, and language
punctured with profanity, reveal the untrained,
uncultured, unkempt mind. Men know
from the character of the stream that the source
is corrupt. It shocks as well as disgusts. It
cheapens and weakens manhood."
It is charged that profanity is a national vice,
not exclusively, but preeminently so. A Canadian
secular editor has inaugurated a crusade
against it and a Canadian religious journal in
sustaining him, boldly denounced American profanity
as specially revolting to those who retain
any appreciable reverence for sacred things. So
unbearable has the thing become in Washington
City that a branch of the "Holy Name Society,"
recently sought to arouse public sentiment
against the vice, by a public demonstration. The
Christian League of Philadelphia has been constrained
to publicly protest against profanity
on the stage. Our people may yet realize that,
"Because of swearing the land mourneth."
Let us quote further. A specialist in science,
Prof. Lounsberry says scientifically: "Profanity
is a brain test. The practice of swearing is
especially characteristic of rude and imperfect
civilization. With the advance of true culture
profanity declines." Another writer: "Profanity,
if not the worst, is the most wanton and
indefensible of vices." What will be the fate
of the swearer when he shall give account of
every idle word. "Perdition has already placed
a mortgage on his mental, moral, sniritual. t*m
poral and eternal capital." "It is time for selfrespecting
people to begin a crusade against this
cheapening, inexcusable vice until home and
street, store and playground, shop and office,
shall be cleansed of this pernicious, soul-destroying
vice."
The best of periodical literature is free from
tbis taint. It regards profane language as an
outrage on pure thought and speech. Even reports
of crime in the daily press indicate rather
than record the loathsome language of the profane.
Books written fof educational purpose, "
for social and moral uplift, written to communicate
real intelligence from one mind to another,
to promote reputable economic, social or
moral ideals, are free from the taint. Authors
of such volumes would feel degraded by the
introduction of such lanpruafce in their pases. A
repntable reading pnblic would not hold them
emiltless for sneb an offence. The faitbfnl historian,
the reporter of evidence before criminal
court* are usually chary of the vulgar, vicious
lancmaere of the slums.
But the romancer, the mane or woman who