,,the  ,,elements ,,of ,,character4     
,,by  ,,mary ,g4 ,,chandler4  ,an       
exclusively intellectual education      
leads1 by a very obvious process1 to    
hard-heartedness and the contempt of all
 moral influences4 ,an exclusively moral
 education tends to fatuity by the      
over-excitement of the sensibilities4   
,an exclusively religious education ends
 in insanity1 if it do not take a       
directly opposite course and lead to    
atheism4--,,edinburgh ,,review4   #ahed 
,,the ,,rev4 ,e4,h4 ,,sears1 ,,my       
,,former ,,pastor1   ,,under ,,whose    
,,spiritual ,,guidance ,,and            
,,instruction1 ,,my ,,mind ,,learned    
,,to ,,dwell ,,upon ,,religious ,,themes
 ,,with ,,pleasure1 ,,while ,,my ,,heart
 ,,found ,,peace ,,in ,,believing4      
,,this ,,volume ,,is ,,inscribed1 ,,as  
,a ,,tribute ,,of ,,grateful            
,,affection1 ,,by ,,the ,,author4       
,,contents4  ,,character4 ,,the ,,human 
,,trinity4 ,,thought4 ,,imagination4    
,,affection4 ,,life4 ,,conversation4    

,,manners4 ,,companionship4 ,,character4
    ,we have been taught1 consciously or
 unconsciously1 intentionally or        
unintentionally1 to seek rather what    
virtue gives than what virtue is2 the   
reward rather than the service1 the     
felicity rather than the life1 the      
dowry1 let me say1 rather than the      
bride4--,t4,t4 ,,stone4  ,his practice  
was of a more divine extraction1 drawn  
from the word of ,god1 and wrought up by
 the assistance of his ,spirit2         
therefore1 in the head of all his       
virtues ,i shall set that which was the 
head and spring of them all1 his        
,christianity2 for this alone is the    
true royal blood that runs through the  
whole body of virtue1 and every         
pretender to that glorious family1 who  
has no tincture of it1 is an impostor4  
,this is that same fountain which       
baptizeth all the gentle virtues that so
 immortalize the names of the old       
philosophers2 herein they are           
regenerated1 and take a new name and    

nature4 ,dug up in the wilderness of    
nature1 and dipped in this living       
spring1 they are planted and flourish in
 the paradise of ,god4 ,by ,christianity
 ,i intend that universal habit of grace
 which is wrought in a soul by the      
regenerating ,spirit of ,god1 whereby   
the whole creature is resigned up into  
the divine will and love1 and all its   
actions directed to the obedience and   
glory of its ,maker4--,,memoirs ,,of    
,,col4 ,,hutchinson1 ,,by ,,his ,,widow4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,the weakness and helplessness of   
humanity1 in relation to the fortunes of
 this life1 have been a favorite theme  
with philosophers and teachers ever     
since the world began2 and every term   
expressive of all that is uncertain1    
insubstantial1 and unstable has been    
exhausted in describing the feebleness  
of man's power to retain in possession  
the good things of this life1 or even   
life itself4 ,however firmly the hand of
 man may seem to grasp power1           

reputation1 or wealth2 however numerous 
may be the band of children or friends  
that surrounds him1 he has no certainty 
that he may not die friendless and a    
pauper4 ,in fact1 the most brilliant    
success in life seems sometimes to be   
permitted only that it may make the     
darkness of succeeding reverses the more
 profound4  ,weak and helpless as we may
 be in the affairs of this life1 there  
is1 however1 one thing over which we    
have entire control4 ,riches may take to
 themselves wings1 though honest        
industry exert its best efforts to      
acquire and retain them2 power is taken 
away from hands that seek to use it only
 for the good of those they govern2     
reputation may become tarnished1 though 
virtue be without spot2 health may      
vanish1 though its laws1 so far as we   
understand them1 be strictly obeyed2 but
 there is one thing left which          
misfortune cannot touch1 which ,god is  
ever seeking to aid us in building up1  
and over which he permits us to hold    

absolute control2 and this is           
,character4 ,for this1 and for this     
alone1 we are entirely responsible4 ,we 
may fail in all else1 let our endeavors 
be earnest and patient as they may2 but 
all other failures touch us only in our 
external lives4 ,if we have used our    
best endeavors to attain success in the 
pursuit of temporal objects1 we are not 
responsible though we fail4 ,but if we  
do not succeed in attaining true health 
and wealth and power of ,character1 the 
responsibility is all our own2 and the  
consequences of our failure are not     
bounded by the shores of time1 but      
stretch onward through the limitless    
regions of eternity4 ,if we strive for  
this1 success is certain1 for the ,lord 
works with us to will and to do4 ,if we 
do not strive1 it were better for us    
that we had never been born4  ,character
 is all we can take with us when we     
leave this world4 ,fortune1 learning1   
reputation1 power1 must all be left     
behind us in the region of material     

things2 but ,character1 the spiritual   
substance of our being1 abides with us  
for ever4 ,according as the possessions 
of this world have aided in building up 
,character1--forming it to the divine or
 to the infernal image1--they have been 
cursings or blessings to the soul4      
,before we can understand how ,character
 is to be built up1 we must come to a   
distinct faith in its reality2 we must  
learn to feel that it is more real than 
anything else that we possess2 for      
surely that which is eternal is more    
real than that which is merely temporal2
 it may1 indeed1 be doubted whether that
 which is merely temporal has any just  
claim to be called real4  ,many persons 
confound reputation with ,character1 and
 believe themselves to be striving for  
the reality of the one1 when the fantasy
 of the other alone stimulates their    
desires4 ,reputation is the opinion     
entertained of us by our fellow- beings1
 while ,character is that which we      
really are4 ,when we labor to gain      

reputation1 we are not even taking a    
first step toward the acquisition of    
,character1 but only putting on         
coverings over that which is1 and       
protecting it against improvement4 ,as  
well may we strive to be virtuous by    
thinking of the reward of heaven1 as to 
build up our ,characters by thinking of 
the opinions of men4 ,the cases are     
precisely parallel4 ,in each we are     
thinking of the pay as something apart  
from the work1 while1 in fact1 the only 
pay we can have inheres in the doing of 
the work4 ,virtue is its own reward1    
because its performance creates the     
kingdom of heaven within us1 and we     
cannot attain to virtue until we strive 
after it for its own sake4  ,a wisely   
trained ,character never stops to ask1  
,what will society think of me if ,i do 
this thing1 or if ,i leave it undone8   
,the questions by which it tests the    
quality of an action are1 whether it is 
just1 and wise1 and fitting1 when judged
 by the eternal laws of right2 and in   

accordance with this judgment will its  
manifestations ever be made4 ,if the    
mind acquires the habit of deliberately 
asking and answering these questions in 
regard to common affairs1 it acquires1  
by degrees1 distinct opinions in        
relation to life1 forming a regular     
system1 in accordance with which the    
,character is shaped and built up2 and  
unless this be done1 the ,character     
cannot become consistent and harmonious4
 ,it is never too late to begin to do   
this2 but the earlier in life it is     
done1 the more readily the character can
 be conformed to the standard of right  
which is thus established4 ,every year  
added to life ere this is attempted1 is 
an added impediment to its performance2 
and until it is accomplished1 there is  
no safety for the ,character1 for each  
year is adding additional force to      
careless or evil habits of thought and  
affection1 and consequently of external 
life4  ,it is not going too far to say1 
that ,character is the only permanent   

possession we can have4 ,it is in fact  
our spiritual body4 ,all other mental   
possessions are to the spiritual body   
only what clothing is to the natural    
body1--something put on and taken off as
 circumstances vary4 ,character changes 
from year to year as we cultivate or    
neglect it1 and so does the natural     
body2 but these changes of the body are 
something very different from the       
changes of our garments4  ,there is a   
transient and a permanent side to all   
our mental attributes4 ,take1 for       
instance1 manners1 which are the most   
external of them all4 ,so far as we     
habituate ourselves to courtesy and     
good-breeding because we shall stand    
better with the world if we are polite  
than if we are rude1 we are cultivating 
a merely external habit1 which we shall 
be likely to throw off as often as we   
think it safe to go without it1 as we   
should an uncomfortably fitting dress2  
and our manners do not belong to our    
,characters any more than our coats     

belong to our persons4 ,this is the     
transient side of manners4 ,if1 on the  
contrary1 we are polite from an inward  
conviction that politeness is one of the
 forms of love to the neighbor1 and     
because we believe that in being polite 
we are performing a duty that our       
neighbor has a right to claim from us1  
and because politeness is a trait that  
we love for its own inherent beauty1 our
 manners belong to the substance of our 
,character1--they are not its garment1  
but its skin2 and this is the permanent 
side of manners4 ,such manners will be  
ours in death1 and afterwards1 no less  
than in life4  ,in the same way1 every  
personal accomplishment and every mental
 acquisition has its transient and its  
permanent side4 ,so far as we cultivate 
them to enrich and to ennoble our       
natures1 to enlarge and to elevate our  
understandings1 to become wiser1 better1
 and more useful to our fellow-beings1  
we are cultivating our ,characters1--the
 spiritual essence of our being2 but    

these very same acquisitions1 when      
sought from motives wholly selfish and  
worldly1 are not only as transient as   
the clothes we wear1 but often as       
useless as the ornaments of a           
fashionable costume4 ,the ,character    
will be poor and famished and cold1     
however great the variety of such       
clothing or ornament we may put on4     
,when the mind has learned to appreciate
 the difference between reputation and  
,character1 between the ,seeming and the
 being1 it must next decide1 if it would
 build up a worthy ,character1 what it  
desires this should be2 for to build a  
,character requires a plan1 no less than
 to build a house4 ,a deep and broad    
foundation of sound opinions1 believed  
in with the whole heart1 can alone      
insure safety to the superstructure4    
,where such a foundation is not laid1   
the ,character will possess no          
architectural unity1--will have no      
consistency4 ,its emotions will be      
swayed by the impulses of the moment1   

instead of being governed by principles 
of life4 ,there is nothing reliable in  
such a ,character1 for it perpetually   
contradicts itself4 ,its powers1 instead
 of acting together1 like well-trained  
soldiers1 will be ever jostling each    
other1 like a disorderly mob4  ,the zeal
 for special reforms in morality that so
 strongly characterizes the present age1
 whatever may be its utility or its     
necessity1 may not be without an evil   
effect upon the training of ,character  
as a whole4 ,the intense effort after   
reform in certain particular directions 
causes many to forget or to overlook    
altogether the fact that one virtue is  
not enough to make a moral being4 ,it   
cannot be doubted that the present      
surpasses all former ages in its        
eagerness to put down several of the    
most prominent vices to which man is    
subject2 but it may be well to pause and
 calmly examine whether a larger promise
 is not sometimes uttered by the zeal so
 actively at work in society1 than will 

probably be made good by its results4   
,nothing can be worthy the name of      
,reform that is not based on the        
,christian religion1--that does not     
acknowledge the laws of eternal truth   
and justice1--that does not find its    
life in ,christian charity1 and its     
light in ,christian truth4 ,the tendency
 of reform at the present day is too    
often to separate itself from religion2 
for religion cannot work fast enough to 
satisfy its haste2 cannot1 at the end of
 each year1 count the steps it has      
advanced in arithmetical numbers4 ,the  
reformer asks not always for general    
growth and advancement in ,christian    
,character2 but demands special         
evidences1 startling results1 tangible  
proofs4 ,these things all have their    
value1 and the persons who strive for   
them doubtless have their reward2 but if
 the kingdom of heaven and its          
righteousness were first sought1 the    
good things so fiercely advocated and   
labored after by special reformers would

 be added unto them1 as naturally as    
flowers and fruits1 and the wealth of   
harvest1 are added to the light and     
warmth of the advancing year4  ,persons 
who devote themselves to one special    
branch of reform are apt to lose the    
power of appreciating any virtue save   
that one which they have selected as    
their own1 and which they seem to love1 
not so much because it is a virtue as   
because it is their virtue4 ,they soon  
lose all moral perspective1 and resemble
 him who holds some one object so       
closely before his eyes that he can see 
nothing else1 and cannot see that       
correctly1 while he insists that nothing
 else exists worthy of being seen4      
,there is ever an effort going on in the
 mind of man to find some substitute for
 that universal obedience to the laws of
 faith and charity which the ,scriptures
 demand2 and this temptation adapts     
itself specially to every different     
class of believers4 ,thus the ,jew1 if  
the higher requisitions of the ,law     

oppress him1 thinks to secure himself   
from its penalties by the exactness of  
his ritual observances4 ,the unfaithful 
,romanist hopes to atone for a life of  
sin by devoting his property to the     
,church1 or to charity1 when he dies4   
,the ,lutheran and the ,calvinist1 when 
false to the call of duty1 think to be  
forgiven their neglect of the laws of   
charity by reason of the liveliness of  
their faith4 ,so the modern reformer    
sometimes seems to suppose himself at   
liberty to neglect the cure of any of   
the vices that he loves1 because he     
fancies that he may take the kingdom of 
heaven by violence through his devotion 
to the destruction of some special vice 
which he abhors4 ,thus temperance is at 
times preached by men so intemperate in 
their zeal1 that they are unwilling to  
make public addresses on the ,sabbath1  
because on that day they are trammelled 
by the constraint of decency1 which     
prevents them from entering freely into 
the gross and disgusting details in     

which they delight4 ,we have the        
emancipation of negroes sometimes       
preached by men fast bound in fetters of
 malignity and spiritual pride4 ,we have
 the destruction of the ruling influence
 of the clergy inculcated by men        
dogmatic as ,spanish ,inquisitors4 ,we  
are taught that the doctrine of the     
inspiration of the ,scriptures is a mere
 figment1 by those who are firmly       
convinced that their own inspiration is 
perfect and unfailing4 ,the result of   
all this is the development of          
characters as deformed as are the bodies
 of victims to hydrocephalus or goitre2 
while1 in painful contrast to such      
victims1 these morally distorted        
patients bear about their deformities in
 the most conspicuous manner1 as if they
 were rare beauties4 ,so pagan nations1 
when they embody their ideas of         
superhuman attributes1 often construct  
figures having several heads or hands1  
or enormously enlarge some particular   
member of the frame1 fancying that they 

thus express ideas of wisdom or power   
more perfectly than they could by       
forming a figure whose parts should all 
present a symmetrical development4  ,it 
is not that reformers over-estimate the 
evil of any of the vices against which  
they contend2 for in the abstract that  
is impossible2 but that they            
under-estimate the evil of all other    
vices in relation to that one against   
which they arm themselves4 ,the tree of 
evil has many branches1 and the trimming
 away one of them may only make the rest
 grow more vigorously4 ,there can be no 
thorough progress in reform until the   
evil of the whole tree is perceived and 
acknowledged1 and the whole strength is 
turned to digging it up by the roots4   
,if a man devote himself actively to the
 reform of some special vice1 while he  
at the same time shows himself          
indifferent to other vices in himself or
 in his neighbors1 it is evident that   
his virtue is only one of seeming4 ,we  
are told that he who is guilty of       

breaking one commandment is guilty of   
all2 because if we disregard any one    
commandment of the ,lord habitually1    
persisting in the preference of our own 
will to his1 it is evident we have no   
true reverence for him1 or that we act  
in conformity to his commandments in    
other points only because in them our   
will happens not to run counter to his2 
and this is no obedience at all4  ,if we
 find men leaving no stone unturned in  
promoting the cause of temperance1 who  
do not hesitate to cheat and slander    
their neighbors1 temperance is no virtue
 in them2 but is the result of love of  
wealth1 or of property1 or of           
reputation1 or of the having no desire  
for strong drink2 because if a man      
abstain from intemperance from love to  
,god1 he will abstain from cheating and 
slandering from love to the neighbor4   
,he that loveth not his brother whom he 
hath seen1 how can he love ,god whom he 
hath not seen8  ,so1 too1 slavery is an 
enormous evil1 and it is very easy for  

one who dwells in the free ,states to   
cover with opprobrium those who hold    
slaves2 but if the abolitionist indulges
 in a violence of invective that compels
 one to fear that his heart is burning  
with hatred towards his ,southern       
brothers1 he stands quite as low in the 
moral scale as a cruel slaveholder1 and 
possibly lower than a kind one4  ,the   
intemperate1 and often malignant1       
violence with which men preach1 and lead
 on crusades1 against special vices1    
proves them ignorant of1 or indifferent 
to1 the significance of virtue as a     
whole4 ,it does not enter into their    
hearts to conceive of the beauty of that
 growth in grace which results in the   
complete stature of a man1--that is1 of 
an angel4 ,in their haste to produce    
great growth in some particular         
direction1 they overlook the fact1 that 
in precise proportion to such growth    
must be the dwarfing of the other       
members of the soul4 ,man was created in
 the image and likeness of ,god2 and he 

becomes truly a man only so far as1     
through the grace of ,god1 his whole    
being voluntarily assumes that          
resemblance to the ,all-perfect for     
which he was designed4 ,so long as he   
makes no effort to become regenerate1   
after he has arrived at an age to be at 
liberty to choose between good and evil1
 he turns himself more and more away    
from ,god1 and becomes less and less    
like him4 ,while in this state1 he may  
possess many seeming virtues1 may enjoy 
an untarnished reputation1 may win the  
love of many friends2 but is none the   
less the hollow image of that which     
should be the substance of a man4 ,he is
 following only the devices of his own  
heart1--seeking only the good things of 
this world2 and there is no virtue in   
anything that he does1 though he may    
seem to devote all that he has1 or all  
that he is1 to purposes of charity or   
reform4 ,man begins to be truly         
virtuous1--to be truly a man1 only when1
 relying on the strength of the ,lord to

 sustain his endeavors1 he begins to    
avoid sin because it is abhorrent to    
,god1 and to fulfil the commandments    
because they are the words of ,god4     
,then only he begins to form himself    
into the symmetrical figure of a man2   
and to become perfect after the manner  
in which the ,heavenly ,father is       
perfect4  ,the virtues all lock into    
each other4 ,they cannot stand alone4   
,like the stones of an arch1 no one of  
them can be wanting without making all  
the rest insecure4 ,that ,character     
alone is trustworthy in which each      
virtue takes its relative position1 and 
all are held in place and confirmed by  
the key-stone of a living faith in the  
great central fact1 that there is a ,god
 of infinite goodness and truth1 whose  
commandments are the laws of life in    
this world and the world to come4  ,we  
cannot religiously obey one commandment 
unless we desire to obey all1 because in
 order to obey one religiously we must  
obey it from reverence to the divine    

authority whence it emanates2 and when  
such reverence is aroused in the heart1 
it sends the currents of spiritual life 
to every member of the spiritual frame1 
permeating the whole being1 and         
suffering no disease to remain upon the 
soul4 ,he1 therefore1 who devotes       
himself to some one object of reform    
enters upon an undertaking involving one
 of the most subtle temptations by which
 man is ever assailed4 ,spiritual pride 
will lie in wait for him every moment1  
telling him how clean he is compared    
with those against whose vices he is    
contending2 and unless he is very strong
 in ,christian humility1 he will soon   
learn this oft-repeated lesson1 and will
 go about the world with the spirit of  
the ,pharisee's prayer ever in his      
heart1--,god1 ,i thank thee that ,i am  
not as other men1 intemperate1 a        
slaveholder1 a contemner of the rights  
of the weak4 ,i am not1 like many men1  
contented with fulfilling the common1   
every-day duties of life4 ,they are too 

small for me4 ,i seek to do great       
things2 and to show my devotion to thee 
by going armed with all the power the   
law allows1 to put down vice by force1  
and drive it from the face of the earth4
  ,there is a class of men who assume to
 be1 and are received by many as1       
philanthropists1 who appear to delight  
in detecting and publishing to the world
 the vices of their fellow-beings4 ,they
 seem to love to hate2 and to find1 in  
vilifying the reputations of those to   
whom they are opposed1 a pleasure that  
can be compared to nothing human2 but   
rather to the joy of a vulture as he    
gloats over1 and rends in pieces1 his   
carrion prey4 ,while reading or         
listening to the raging denunciations of
 such persons1 one is painfully reminded
 of the spirit that a few generations   
ago armed itself with the fagot and the 
axe in order to destroy those who held  
opinions in opposition to the dominant  
power4 ,the axe and the fagot have      
disappeared2 but1 alas for human nature6

 the spirit that delighted in their use 
has hot wholly passed away2 the flame   
and sword it uses now are those of      
malignity and hatred2 it does not scorch
 or wound the body1 but only burns and  
slays the reputations of those whom it  
assails4 ,forgetting that the ,lord has 
declared1 judgment is mine1 it hesitates
 but little to pass its condemnations   
upon those who differ from itself2 and  
if ,christian commandments are urged    
against it1 it passes them by with a    
sneer1 or openly sets them aside as too 
narrow and imperfect for the present    
age4 ,while shrinking from the dangers  
that lie in wait for those who devote   
themselves to one idea in morality or   
reform1 we should beware of falling into
 the opposite extreme of indifference on
 these same points2 and should be sure  
to give them their full share of        
consideration4 ,the ultra conservatism1 
that holds fast to existing customs and 
organizations merely because they are   
old1 or from the love of conservation1  

is quite as fatuous as the radicalism   
that would destroy the old merely       
because it is old1 or from the love of  
destruction4 ,he whose conscience knows 
no higher sanction or restraint than the
 ,statute ,book1 is not enough of a     
,christian to be a good citizen2 while  
he who does not respect the ,statute    
,book as the palladium of his country1  
is not a citizen worthy the name of     
,christian4 ,while striving to remain   
unbiased by the clamor of party1 or the 
violence of individuals1 we should with 
equal care avoid the opposite error of  
looking with approval1 or even with     
indifference1 upon usages or            
institutions whose only claim to our    
forbearance lies in laws or popular     
opinions whose deformity should be      
discovered1 and whose power should melt 
away beneath the light and warmth of a  
,christian sun4  ,true religious life   
consists in doing the will of ,god every
 moment of our lives4 ,his will must    
bear upon us everywhere and at all      

times4 ,where the mind is absorbed in   
some one object of reform1 this constant
 devotion to duty is almost1 if not     
quite1 impossible4 ,the mind becomes so 
warped in one direction that it loses   
the habit1 and almost loses the power1  
of turning in any other4 ,hence we      
rarely hear the word duty from the lips 
of the reformer4 ,he constantly descants
 upon rights or wrongs1 while duties    
seem forgotten4 ,thus we hear           
perpetually of the rights or of the     
wrongs of man or of woman1 of the       
citizen1 or of the criminal1 and of the 
slave2 but the duties of these classes  
seem to have passed out of sight4 ,now  
it is only when all shall fulfil their  
several duties that the rights of all   
can be respected2 and if peace on earth1
 and good-will towards men are ever to  
reign1 it must be when piety and charity
 shall go hand in hand1--when the human 
race shall unite as one to fulfil its   
duties towards ,god and towards each    
other4  ,violence of every kind springs 

from a desire to do one's own will4     
,egotism is the sure accompaniment of   
wrath4 ,the love of ,god never          
constrained any man to villify his      
brother4 ,he who is bent on the         
performance of duty1--who desires simply
 to do the will of ,god1 is firm as a   
rock1 but never violent4 ,he prays1 with
 the poet1--    ,let not this weak1     
unknowing hand1   ,presume thy bolts to 
throw2   ,and deal damnation round the  
land1   ,on each ,i judge thy foe4 ,he  
remembers that judgment belongs to ,god2
 and that the ,lord taught us to pray1  
,forgive our trespasses as we forgive   
those who trespass against us2 and      
surely none can hurl denunciation upon a
 fellow-sinner if from his heart he     
offers that prayer4  ,possibly the      
ground may be taken that we should      
forgive our own personal enemies1 but   
not the enemies of the ,lord1 against   
whom the reformer directs his wrath4    
,but is the arm of the ,lord shortened  
that he cannot avenge his own wrongs8   

and who among mortals is so pure or so  
strong that he may dare to say1 the     
,lord has need of him for a champion8   
,it is deemed just that a soldier should
 suffer severe punishment if he act     
without orders1 taking upon himself the 
authority of a commanding officer4 ,how 
much more is he worthy of condemnation  
who puts himself in place of ,god1 and  
under pretence of doing him service1    
presumes to transgress his explicit     
commands4  ,we are prone to fancy that  
when we are fond of talking about any   
object we are fond of the object itself2
 but this by no means follows of course4
 ,we may delight in talking about       
philanthropy while our hearts are       
burning with hatred1 or about temperance
 while intoxicated with passion1 or     
about abolitionism while we have no     
respect for the liberty of those around 
us1 and no comprehension of that liberty
 wherewith ,christ makes his children   
free2 and all this because we are       
working from the blind impulses of an   

unregenerate spirit4 ,when the spirit   
becomes regenerate1--taught of ,god1--it
 perceives the unity of virtue1 and can 
never again regard it as a dismembered  
fragment4 ,then it knows1 that to do    
wrong that good may come of it is       
striving to cast out ,satan by          
,beelzebub1--an effort that must surely 
fail4 ,then it feels that evil is really
 overcome only by good4 ,how different  
will be the reformatory zeal of this    
state of the spirit from that which     
preceded it4 ,formerly1 no sooner was   
the subject of reform mentioned than the
 neck stiffened and the head tossed     
itself backward with the excitement of  
pride and combativeness1 while the      
tongue poured forth whatever phrases    
anger might suggest4 ,now1 how different
 is the attitude and expression1 as with
 words of gentleness and love it strives
 to draw others to perceive the beauty  
of purity and justice4 ,formerly1 the   
whole effort of the mind was to compel  
others to come into agreement with      

itself2 now1 it strives to win them into
 harmony with ,god4 ,once1 it believed  
that indignation could be righteous2    
now1 it knows that anger and heavenly   
mindedness dwell far apart2 and1 if they
 approach each other1 one must perish4  
,if we would train character into       
genuine goodness1 we should observe     
whether evil in ourselves or others     
offends us because it is contrary to our
 own ideas1 or because it is opposed to 
the will of ,god4 ,if the former be the 
case1 we shall find ourselves angry2 if 
the latter1 we shall be sorrowful4 ,no  
one can be angry from love to ,god4     
,anger is in its very nature egotistic  
and selfish1 and has in it nothing of   
holiness4 ,penitence for sin is ever    
meek and humble1 and so is regret for   
the sins of others4 ,the moment we find 
ourselves angry1 either for our own sins
 or for the sins of others1 we may be   
sure there is something wrong in our    
state1 and we should stop at once to    
analyze our feelings1 and find where the

 trouble lies4 ,if we do this           
conscienciously1 we shall be sure to    
find some selfish or worldly passion at 
the root of the matter4 ,we shall find  
that something else than love to ,god   
excited our indignation4  ,if we find   
ourselves indulging1 habitually and with
 satisfaction in any one sin1 we may be 
sure that we have not true hatred for   
any sin2 for sin is hateful because it  
is contrary to the infinite wisdom and  
goodness of ,god4 ,if we abhor it for   
this reason1 we shall abhor all sin2 and
 if we find ourselves hating some sins  
and loving others1 we may be sure that  
we hate those which are repugnant to our
 own tastes1 and love those which are in
 conformity with them4 ,thus our measure
 of sin is in ourselves1 and not in     
,god2 and we are putting ourselves in   
place of ,god1--worshipping the idol    
self1 instead of our ,father in heaven4 
,the ,lord was very explicit in his     
teachings regarding the necessity of the
 denial of self2 but this is the last   

thing in which we are willing to obey   
him4 ,we profess to be willing and eager
 to do a great deal of good2 but when   
conscience tells us that we must do the 
will of ,god every moment of our lives1 
we turn away with a sorrowful           
countenance2 for there are many things  
in which we wish to follow our own wills
 without stopping to consult the will of
 ,god1 and we wish to believe that we   
can do this and yet be quite virtuous   
enough to insure salvation4 ,while the  
natural man is strong within us1 we are 
ever striving to serve ,god and mammon2 
but when the spiritual man is born1 we  
are willing to give up all else and     
follow the ,lord4 ,then1 we feel that we
 cannot be truly virtuous1 because we   
are1 in some points1 very scrupulous1   
while in others we are very indifferent2
 for we perceive that goodness is the   
harmonious development of the whole     
,character into accordance with the will
 of ,god4  ,so long as we labor for     
ourselves we shall be1 at best1 only    

special reformers1 and cultivators of   
special virtues2 but when we are ready  
to deny ourselves1 and to do the will of
 ,god1 all sin will become abhorrent to 
us1 and we shall grow in grace daily    
until we become perfected in that       
symmetrical form of man1 which is the   
image and likeness of ,god2 and every   
faculty of the heart and of the head    
will then be baptized into the name of  
the ,father1 of the ,son1 and of the    
,holy ,spirit4     ,,the ,,human        
,,trinity4  ,it is this trinity of      
man1--for man is the image of his ,god1 
in whom is the essential                
,trinity1--under which his whole        
character must be studied4--,,kinmont4  
,man being created in the image and     
likeness of ,god1 we must of necessity  
find in him a finite organization       
corresponding with the infinite         
organization of the ,creator4 ,in the   
,infinite ,divine ,trinity there are the
 ,divine ,goodness or ,love1 the ,divine
 ,truth or ,wisdom1 and the ,divine     

,operation or the manifestation of the  
other two in and upon the universe3 in  
other words1 the ,father1 ,son1 and     
,holy ,spirit4 ,in the human1 finite    
trinity1 we have1 corresponding with    
these1 ,affection1 ,understanding1 and  
,use1 or external life4 ,divinity being 
the embodiment of infinite order1 its   
parts act in a sequence of absolute     
perfection2 that is1 absolute love by   
means of absolute wisdom exhibits itself
 in absolute use4 ,speaking with        
exactness1 the word sequence is out of  
place in this connection1 because with  
the ,divinity1 love1 wisdom1 and        
operation are simultaneous2 but he has  
separated them in his ultimate          
manifestations1 and we are obliged to   
separate them in our analysis1 in order 
that they may in any degree come within 
the compass of human comprehension4     
,man1 in his primeval innocence1 was a  
genuine image and likeness of the       
,all-perfect ,divinity2 perfect after   
the same manner1 but on a lower plane4  

,there was then no antagonism between   
the creature and the ,creator2 and the  
finite naturally and joyfully obeyed the
 infinite2 for in obedience to the will 
of the ,heavenly ,father it found       
sustenance for the soul as manifestly as
 in meat and drink for the body4 ,the   
progress of time saw the creature turn  
from the love of ,god to the love of    
self1--from seeking the truth of ,god to
 seeking out its own vain imaginations1 
and from performing the orderly uses of 
a life of charity to all the disorderly 
indulgencies of selfish passion4        
,instead of worshipping the living ,god1
 man now invented idols representing his
 own evil passions1 and bowed before    
them in adoring admiration2 for the     
attributes wherewith he clothed them    
were fitting forces to stimulate his    
progress along the pathway he had       
chosen1 where life was made hideous by  
the lowering shadows of rapine and      
murder4  ,the first ,church1 represented
 by ,adam and ,eve1 is the general type 

of every ,church that has followed it1  
and of every unregenerate individual in 
those ,churches4 ,instead of looking to 
,god as the source of all wisdom1 there 
is ever the desire to eat of1 or make   
our own1 the fruit of the tree of       
knowledge1 that we may know of ourselves
 good from evil2 and that we may do of  
ourselves what seems to us right2 and   
instead of penitence for sin and an     
endeavor after reformation1 there is a  
striving to conceal our unfaithfulness4 
,the covering assumed by those who1 in  
,scripture1 stand as the parents of     
mankind1 is the perpetual type of the   
subterfuges we all invent to hide our   
disobedience from our ,god1 from our    
neighbors1 nay1 even from ourselves4    
,the primal image and likeness of ,god  
has become so defaced1 distorted1 and   
broken1 that it is often hard to find a 
remnant still testifying to its ,divine 
origin4 ,let us rise up from among these
 shattered fragments1 and contemplate   
for a while the means of bringing the   

poor1 fallen human nature into harmony  
with the divine2--let us develop1 if we 
can1 a system that may aid us in        
training our faculties1 so that the     
,affections shall be pure1 the          
,understanding wise1 and ,life the      
harmonious exponent of both4  ,in the   
attempt to restore our being to its     
original symmetry1 the intellectual part
 of the nature must not be cultivated at
 the expense of the affectional1 nor    
should the affectional be suffered to   
run riot with the intellectual4 ,love   
must be wise1 and wisdom must be        
affectionate1 or life will fail of its  
end4 ,external morality has no reliable 
foundation unless it be built on        
morality of thought and affection4      
,apart from these1 it is either the     
result of a happy organization that     
demands no disorderly indulgence1 or it 
is the figleaf garment of deceit1 put on
 by those who strive to seem rather than
 to be4  ,in the just training of       
,character1 if we first learn to        

understand the capacities and relations 
of ,affection1 ,thought1 and ,life1 and 
look within our own natures until we    
learn to comprehend how everything      
pertaining to our being belongs to one  
of these departments1 we shall better   
appreciate the difficulties to be       
overcome before we shall be willing to  
make everything that we do the honest   
outbirth of everything that we are4     
,pretence and hypocrisy1 subterfuge and 
falsehood1 will then disappear1 and life
 will become the adequate expression of 
symmetrical ,character4  ,the           
intellectual part of our being may be   
better understood if divided into two   
departments1 viz41 ,thought and         
,imagination1--the subjective and the   
objective4 ,thought can be lifted up    
into the ,affections1 and made manifest 
in ,life only through the medium of the 
,imagination4 ,thought is at first a    
pure abstraction1 a subjective          
idea1--something entirely within the    
mind1 and having no relation to         

conduct1--a seed sown1 but not          
germinated2 and while it remains thus it
 has no influence upon the ,affections4 
,if1 however1 it germinate1 the next    
step in its existence is to become an   
objective idea2 and now it has lost its 
abstract quality and become an image4   
,in its first state it is neither       
agreeable nor disagreeable to the mind1 
but so soon as it takes a distinctive   
form it becomes either pleasing or      
displeasing1 and is either cast away and
 forgotten1 or retained arid expanded by
 the ,affections1 whose office it is to 
cause ,thought to become a vital        
reality1 ready to show itself in the    
external life so soon as a fitting      
occasion calls for its manifestation4   
,thought is like water4 ,sometimes it   
glides over the mind as over a bed of   
rock2 neither softening nor fertilizing2
 but when it is made a possible reality 
by the ,imagination1 and a vital reality
 by the ,affections1 it is now like a   
stream1 flowing through rich farms and  

gardens1 fertilizing wherever it comes2 
and again1 like waterfalls1 furnishing  
power to set ideas in motion1 that shall
 give nutriment and warmth to the souls 
of millions4  ,the ,lord1 when he would 
condense religion into its narrowest    
compass1 commands us to love the        
,heavenly ,father with the whole heart  
and soul and mind and strength4 ,can    
this signify anything else than that    
,affection1 ,imagination1 and ,thought1 
in their whole strength1 or brought down
 into the ultimates of life1 must be    
consecrated to the ,divine ,creator of  
them all8 ,so ,st4 ,paul1 when he would 
sum up the whole ,christian system in a 
single phrase1 exclaims3 ,faith1 ,hope1 
,charity4 ,the greatest of these is     
,charity4 ,faith here expresses the     
religion of ,thought1 ,hope the religion
 of the ,imagination1 and ,charity the  
religion of the ,affections1 which is   
greatest of all because it is the       
vitalization of the other two4  ,every  
act that we voluntarily perform1 whether

 good or evil1 first entered the mind as
 an abstract ,thought2 it was then      
shaped by the ,imagination until it     
became a definite idea2 next1 it was    
claimed as a child by the ,affections2  
and lastly1 it was by the ,affections   
made to come out into a use of love or  
an abuse of hate4  ,many thoughts die in
 the mind without passing through all   
these stages4 ,we sometimes hear a      
sermon that fills our ,thoughts as we   
listen1 and yet we forget it all as we  
turn away from the church door2 for it  
went no deeper than our ,thoughts4 ,at  
another time1 what we hear goes with us 
to our homes1 haunts us through the     
week1 and perhaps is made a standard    
whereby to measure the virtues or the   
vices of our neighbors2 possibly even1  
we try ourselves by its rule1 and our   
consciences are roused to pierce us with
 the sharp pang of remorse4 ,all this1  
however1 brings no change over our      
lives4 ,here ,thought has passed into   
,imagination1 has become a reality to   

the mind2 but as yet the ,affections do 
not warm towards it1 and so it dies in  
the second stage of existence4 ,yet1    
again1 we listen to the voice of the    
preacher1 and his words abide in the    
soul until they quicken our ,affections1
 and as we muse the fire burns4 ,then   
are our eyes lightened to perceive how  
all that we have heard may become       
realized in life2 and warmed by the     
heavenly flame that has descended upon  
our altar1 our souls kindle with        
charity1 and we go forth to realize the 
hope that is within us in works of      
angelic use4  ,this process of the mind 
is not confined to the religious part of
 our being4 ,it goes on perpetually in  
our intellectual no less than our moral 
nature4 ,our success in using whatever  
we learn in every department1 the wisdom
 or the folly of everything we do1      
whether relating to intellectual1 to    
religious1 or to practical life1 depends
 on the faithfulness with which we apply
 these three powers to whatever is      

presented to them4  ,look in upon the   
assembled members of a school1 of any   
grade from primary to collegiate1 and   
you will see one set of pupils with     
stolid faces conning their tasks1 as if 
they were indeed tasks in the hardest   
sense of the term1 and then reciting    
them word for word1 in a monotonous     
tone1 as if their voices came from      
automata1 and not from living throats4  
,these are they who study only with     
their ,thoughts1 and whose ,imaginations
 and ,affections are untouched by all   
that passes through their minds4        
,scattered among the preceding another  
class may be found1 with quickly        
glancing eyes1 who seem all alive to    
everything they study1 who recite with  
earnest tones1 and whose faces are      
bright with expression4 ,here the       
,imagination is at work1 and everything 
the mind seizes upon stands there at    
once a living picture4 ,these are the   
brilliant scholars1 who carry off all   
the prizes1 and win all admiration4     

,there is still a third class1 of a     
calmer aspect4 ,its members may not     
shine so brightly1 but there is more    
warmth in their rays4 ,they will not    
learn so much nor so rapidly as those of
 the second class1 but their whole being
 is permeated by what they know4 ,they  
are constantly studying the relations of
 the things that they learn to each     
other and to life2 and are endeavoring  
to form themselves in accordance with   
the rationality they thus acquire2 for  
their ,affections have fastened         
themselves upon it1 and it is therefore 
becoming a part of their being4  ,when  
these three classes of pupils become men
 and women1 and go forth into the       
various walks of life1 the first1 if    
they attempt any handicraft1 are the    
botchers and bunglers1 who bring little 
more than their hands to anything that  
they do2 and who1 therefore1 do nothing 
well4 ,they are the dead weights of     
society1 that must be helped through    
life by their more active neighbors4 ,if

 they are scholars1 they are collectors 
of facts1 which they pile up in their   
memories as a miser heaps his gold1 for 
no end but the pleasure of heaping4     
,they make physicians without resource1 
lawyers without discernment1 preachers  
who dole out divinity in its baldest and
 heaviest forms4  ,those of the second  
class are always better in theory than  
in practice2 for with them zeal ever    
runs before knowledge4 ,they will       
delight in telling how a thing should be
 done1 but will find it very difficult  
to do it themselves4 ,a blacksmith of   
this class will tell with great         
exactness how a horse should be shod1   
but if trusted to perform that office1  
ten to one the poor animal will go      
limping from his hands4 ,so a carpenter 
of the same class will be full of plans 
and fancies that he will wish to carry  
out for the benefit of his employers2   
but his work1 when completed1 though    
perhaps elegant and ornamental1 will    
probably be inappropriate in appearance1

 and not adapted to the use for which it
 was intended4 ,from this class come    
inventors of machines that are never    
heard of after they get into the        
patent-office1 schemers and speculators 
whose plans end in ruin1 boon           
companions1 brilliant talkers1 sparkling
 orators1 elegant and ornate poets who  
sing blithely for their own day and     
generation1 preachers and statesmen who 
are ever led away by ,utopian and       
millennial dreams2 in short1 men who may
 shine while they live1 but are seldom  
remembered when they die4  ,the third   
class are men of mark in whatever walk  
of life they are found2 --men to be     
relied upon for whatever they may       
undertake4 ,they are men who can produce
 in ,life what their ,understandings    
know and imagine2 or1 rather1 who know  
how to select from their stores of      
,thought and ,imagination whatever may  
be realized in ,life4 ,if they are      
mechanics1 their work is the best of its
 kind1 and precisely adapted to the use 

for which it was intended2 if they are  
machinists1 their inventions are those  
that ameliorate the condition of        
society2 if merchants or speculators1   
they do not run after bubbles2 if       
devoted to intellectual pursuits1 they  
are divines whose thoughts thrill the   
souls of men for centuries1 founders of 
new schools of philosophy1 lawgivers1   
and statesmen who are remembered with   
gratitude as the fathers of nations1    
poets whose words are destined to live  
so long as the language in which they   
write is spoken1--nay1 who shall cause  
their language to be studied ages after 
all who spoke it have passed from the   
face of the earth4  ,the women who      
belong to these several classes are     
characterized in like manner1 though    
their more retired lives prevent them   
from displaying their traits so         
conspicuously4 ,those of the first class
 are dress-makers whose work never fits1
 milliners whose bonnets look as if they
 were not intended for the wearers1     

servants who do nothing rightly unless  
the eye of their mistress is upon them1 
teachers whose pupils are taught as if  
they were beings without life or reason2
 and in their highest relations1 as     
wives and mothers1 they are those with  
whom nothing goes as it should1 whose   
daily lives are but a succession of     
mistakes and catastrophies1 whose       
husbands never find a comfortable home  
to which they may return for repose     
after a day of toil1 whose children are 
dragged up1 not brought up4  ,in the    
second class are servants who have a    
quick perception of what is to be done1 
and who make all that is directly       
apparent to the eye look well1 but a    
closer observation shows many an unswept
 corner and neglected duty2 dress-makers
 and milliners whose work is ornamental1
 tasteful1 and becoming1 though the     
ornamentation is apt to be too great for
 the value of the material1 and the work
 will now and then come in pieces for   
lack of being thoroughly finished2      

teachers who infuse brightness and      
quickness into their scholars1 but whose
 instructions are more showy than solid4
 ,in their housekeeping they understand 
putting the best foot foremost1 and     
making a great deal of ornament where   
there may be but little of anything     
else2 but they lack the practical skill 
that makes a housekeeper successful in  
the essentials that constitute comfort4 
,they will seek to make their children  
accomplished ladies and gentlemen1 who  
will be agreeable in society1 rather    
than well-trained men and women1 capable
 of meeting the duties and emergencies  
of life4  ,the third class of women are 
the reliable ones1 wherever they may be 
found4 ,they do everything they attempt 
well1 because there is a sense of       
fitness and propriety in them which is  
disturbed by things badly done1 and     
which gives them an almost intuitive    
faith1 that if a thing is worth doing at
 all1 it is worth doing well4 ,they are 
not eye-servants1 but faithful in all   

things4 ,thoroughness pervades whatever 
they do1 in all departments of life4    
,they are not satisfied with making a   
dress or a bonnet that is becoming1     
unless it is well finished and          
appropriate4 ,they are the thorough     
teachers who are willing to have their  
schools examined every day in the year1 
who seek to know the capacities of their
 pupils1 and to educate them            
accordingly4 ,they are the mothers whose
 children are obedient and trained for  
the uses of life no less than for its   
pleasures2 the wives whose husbands are 
happy in their homes if they are capable
 of being happy anywhere4  ,when we     
contemplate these three classes of human
 beings1 we perceive that only one of   
them can be said to lead successful     
lives4 ,two classes1 and both of them   
painfully numerous1 fail4 ,the question 
rises to the mind with fearful          
solemnity1 were they created for this   
end1--created to fail8 ,can we for a    
single moment believe that a ,father of 

infinite justice and mercy ever created 
one individual among his children1 an   
accountable being1 neither insane nor   
idiotic1 and yet so imperfect that he   
must fail8 ,surely it were blasphemy to 
hold such an act possible4 ,infinitely  
various are the works of his hand in the
 forms of humanity1 as in every other   
department of the universe1 but even so 
manifold are the varieties and degrees  
of service which he prepares for every  
one to do4 ,there is a place and a use  
for every one1 and whoever fails of     
finding a place and a use fails1 not    
because he was created incompetent1 but 
because he refuses to cultivate the     
powers wherewith he is endowed4         
,indolence and selfishness1 the moth and
 rust of ,character1 are corroding and  
devouring the delicate organization of  
the internal man1 which can retain the  
wholeness and brightness of its powers  
only by constant use4 ,we are weak and  
useless1 not because we were created to 
be so1 but because we do not listen to  

the voice of conscience when it tells us
 to serve the ,lord with all our        
strength1 in the very place where we now
 are1 and at the very time that now is4 
,it is not because the power of growth  
is not in them that our talents do not  
multiply1 but because we fold them in a 
napkin of indifference1 and bury them in
 the earth of our lower nature4         
,understanding and ,affection are within
 us all1 and if they do not develop into
 a life of use1 into a ,character that  
will fit us for heaven1--and this is    
what we should always keep before our   
minds as the only genuine success1--it  
is because we have not striven as we    
might and ought4  ,understanding and    
,affection are within us all1 differing1
 not in kind1 but only in degree2 and   
they are constantly at work1            
involuntarily if we do not voluntarily  
assume their control4 ,in the little    
child they work as involuntarily as the 
heart beats and the lungs respire2 but  
so soon as the child is old enough to   

begin to know the difference between    
right and wrong1 the action of these    
powers should begin to be voluntary2    
should begin to be under the guidance of
 conscience4  ,some persons call these  
powers into voluntary action from       
motives of mere worldly wisdom4 ,every  
one does so who places some object      
before himself1 and cultivates his      
powers with a special view to attain    
perfection therein4 ,the pickpocket1 the
 gambler1 the housebreaker1 must do it  
before they can attain skill in their   
depravity4 ,the worldling does it who   
follows an honorable profession with all
 his heart and soul and mind and        
strength1 seeking only such rewards as  
,mammon bestows upon his votaries4      
,whether all these are to be successful 
in attaining the rewards they seek1 is a
 matter of entire uncertainty2 for      
,providence permits or withholds worldly
 success in a way that we cannot        
anticipate1 nor but imperfectly         
understand4 ,we may bear the heavy yoke 

of ,mammon until it wear into the very  
marrow of our bones1 and yet gain       
nothing but poverty and disgrace4 ,they1
 however1 who by a voluntary action of  
the powers endeavor to become perfected 
in the stature of ,christian men and    
women1--who seek first the kingdom of   
heaven and its righteousness1 using all 
things of this world only as rounds of  
that ladder whose summit is in the      
heavens1 even while its base rests upon 
the earth1 are sure of the reward they  
seek2 and the yoke that they bear will  
grow more light and easy with each      
revolving year4  ,there are many persons
 who seem to belong by turns to each of 
the three great classes that have been  
described4 ,these exercise their powers 
involuntarily4 ,they cannot be depended 
upon1 for they are not balanced         
,characters4 ,if they happen to like    
what they are doing1 or happen to feel  
in the mood of doing it1 they will do it
 well2 otherwise1 they do not care how  
badly their work is performed1 if it    

only can be got through with4 ,they have
 not waked to the consciousness that we 
have no right to do anything badly1     
because whenever we do so we impair our 
own faculties1 and thereby diminish our 
powers of usefulness2 while1 if the act 
concerns any one beside ourselves1--as  
almost all acts do1--we are wronging our
 neighbor4  ,many persons are so        
fortunate1 women especially almost      
always so1 as to have enough employment 
placed before them by the circumstances 
of their position1 without any effort of
 choice on their part1 to occupy their  
time1 and to train their faculties4     
,those who are not thus set to work by  
circumstance should be governed in the  
selection of their employment by their  
own inclination and talents4 ,what we   
love to do we can learn to do well1 and 
our work will then be agreeable to us4  
,many persons are governed in the choice
 of employment for themselves or for    
their children by a stronger            
consideration for what is honorable in  

the eyes of the world than by talent or 
taste4 ,thence it often results that    
persons fail ever to fulfil the duties  
they have chosen in a way to be         
satisfactory to any one beside          
themselves1 perhaps not even to         
themselves4 ,if they have sufficient    
force of ,character to do well in spite 
of not doing what they like1 they are   
still never so happy as they would have 
been had inclination been consulted4    
,where the heart is really in the       
employment1 work is not a burden1 but a 
natural and pleasant exercise of the    
powers2 and it becomes comparatively    
easy to serve the ,lord with all the    
strength4  ,those who are not           
constrained to work1 should remember    
that a life of idleness cannot be a life
 of innocence2 for the idle cannot serve
 the ,lord4 ,a life that does not       
cultivate one's own capacities1 and aid 
either in supplying the wants or        
cultivating the capacities of some one  
beside self1 is no preparation for      

heaven2 for the heavenly life is one of 
perpetual advance1 because of untiring  
use4  ,there is no station in life where
 there is not a constant demand for the 
exercise of charity4 ,we cannot be in   
company an hour with any person without 
some such demand presenting itself to   
us4 ,the daily intercourse of life      
places it constantly in our power to    
make some person more or less happy than
 he now is1 and accordingly as we may   
choose between these two modes of action
 we are fulfilling or setting aside the 
law of charity4  ,no class of human     
beings bears a more heavy weight of     
responsibility than that which is placed
 beyond the necessity of effort2 and    
there is none whose position has a      
stronger tendency to blind it to the    
calls of duty4 ,although every gift     
bestowed upon us by providence1 whether 
of mind1 body1 or estate1 is but another
 talent1 for the employment of which we 
must be one day called to account1 yet  
these added talents too often excite in 

us a feeling of superiority which       
induces us to demand that others should 
minister to us1 and causes us to forget 
that he who would be greatest must be so
 by doing more and greater services than
 others1 and not by receiving them4     
,persons whose position places them     
beyond the need of effort1 would do well
 to select some special study or        
employment to occupy and develop their  
mental life1 and save them from the     
inanity1 ennui1 and selfishness that are
 sure to follow in the footsteps of     
idleness4 ,poverty of mind is rendered  
all the more prominent and disgusting if
 accompanied by external wealth2 and to 
such a mind wealth is but a means to    
folly1 if to nothing worse4  ,neither   
wealth nor poverty1 neither strength nor
 weakness1 neither genius nor the want  
of it1 neither ten talents nor one1 can 
excuse any human being from training his
 faculties in a way to develop them to  
the utmost1 and forming them into a     
symmetrical whole1 the type of a true   

humanity4  ,in the following essays it  
may seem to the reader that there is    
contradiction in treating each power of 
the mind as though its perfect training 
resulted in the upbuilding of a perfect 
,character2 but the union between these 
capacities is so intimate that one      
cannot be rightly trained unless all the
 others are trained at the same time4   
,we cannot think wisely unless we       
imagine truly1 and love rightly1 as well
 as warmly4 ,we cannot love rightly     
unless we think justly1 and imagine     
purely2 nor can we imagine purely unless
 we love that which is pure4 ,we cannot 
do all this unless we live out what we  
think1 imagine1 and love2 for the inner 
life always acts narrowly and           
superficially unless it be widened and  
deepened by an efficient external life4 
,what we do must follow closely in the  
footsteps of what we know1 if we would  
arrive at breadth and depth of          
knowledge4 ,so fast as we put in        
practice what we know we shall be able  

to receive more knowledge4 ,we are told 
by the ,lord that our knowledge of truth
 shall be enlarged in proportion as we  
are obedient to the divine will4 ,if any
 man will do his will1 he shall know of 
the doctrine4  ,the ,divine attributes  
act simultaneously and equally always   
and everywhere1 while the triune        
manifestation is a merciful adaptation  
of these attributes to the comprehension
 of fallen humanity4 ,were humanity     
truly regenerate1 the action of its     
capacities would be simultaneous and    
homogeneous4 ,even in its present state 
these capacities are so interlaced that 
one cannot act strongly without inducing
 some action in the others2 just as in  
the physical frame the brain1 the heart1
 and the lungs can no one of them act   
unless all act in some degree2 while in 
perfect health all act in the fulness of
 perfect harmony1 no one organ rendering
 itself prominent by being more full of 
vitality and activity than another4     
,disease alone renders us conscious of  

the action of any one vital organ1 and  
our moral diseases having destroyed the 
harmonious action of our moral powers1  
thereby rendering it impossible for us  
to appreciate the ,divinity in the full 
harmony of unity1 we have been          
mercifully permitted to attain to such  
knowledge as is possible to us through  
manifestations of the ,divine attributes
 in trinity4 ,in proportion as our      
faculties are trained to act in harmony 
we shall become unconscious of their    
separate functions2 and in the same     
proportion we shall become capable of   
looking upon the ,divinity in the       
99       99       99       99       99  
,,thought4    ,it is the grandeur of all
 truth which can occupy a very high     
place in   human interests1 that it is  
never absolutely novel to the meanest of
   minds3 it exists eternally by way of 
germ or latent principle in the   lowest
 as in the highest1 needing to be       
developed1 but never to be              
planted4--,,de ,,quincey4  ,many persons

 seem to suppose that the power of      
,thought1 or at least the power of      
thinking to any purpose1 is a natural   
gift1 possessed by few1 and unattainable
 by the many4 ,this idea is a very      
pernicious error1 for one of the traits 
by which the human being is             
distinguished from the brute is the     
possession of this power2 and the       
progress that every human being may make
 in learning to think well has no limit 
but the universal one of finite         
capacity4  ,the distinction made between
 thoughtful and thoughtless persons is  
commonly one of intellect alone2 it     
should be quite as much one of morality4
 ,considered intellectually1 a          
thoughtless person cannot be successful 
in any but the very lowest walks of     
life4 ,he brings nothing but his hands  
to what he does4 ,if these be strong1 he
 may dig1 perhaps1 as well as another   
man1 but he can never make a good       
farmer2 he may use the axe or the hammer
 to good purpose1 but he can never      

become a master-workman4 ,if he attempt 
anything more or higher than what his   
hands can do under the guidance of      
another's brain1 his effort is sure to  
be followed by confusion and failure4   
,viewing a thoughtless person in a moral
 light1 he cannot be religious1 he      
cannot be virtuous1 and1 unless by      
accident1 he cannot even be externally  
moral4 ,he may1 perhaps1 perceive that  
the grosser forms of wickedness are to  
be avoided1 but he can have no          
comprehension of the danger involved in 
the little vices of everyday life2 and  
cannot understand how every one of these
 vices1 small as it may seem1 contains  
within itself the germ of some one of   
those great and shocking sins forbidden 
in the commandments4 ,he will1          
therefore1 without compunction1 go on   
committing these small sins until the   
habit of evil becomes so fixed1 that1 if
 he does not end by committing great    
ones1 it is more frequently from lack of
 temptation than from any worthier      

reason4  ,the thoughtless person can    
never be depended upon for anything4 ,we
 never know where to find him1 or what  
he will do in any particular position or
 relation of life4 ,all we can          
anticipate of him is1 that he will      
probably do something bad1 or silly1 or 
improper2 accordingly as the act may    
bear upon morality1 sense1 or manners4  
,before going further1 let it be        
understood that a thoughtless person is 
not one without ,thought4 ,a human being
 without ,thought is an impossibility4  
,most1 if not all1 idiots think4 ,it is 
the lack of coherency1 purpose1 and     
effort in ,thought that induces the     
habit of mind commonly known as         
thoughtlessness4 ,without ,thought1     
,imagination1 and ,affection1 one could 
not be a human being4 ,mankind differ   
from each other1 not in kind1 but in    
degree4 ,it is the low degree of        
activity in either of these great       
divisions of the human mind that causes 
one to seem thoughtless1 unimaginative1 

or without affection4 ,the end of all   
training should be to develop each one  
of these faculties so that it shall     
coperate with the others1 and all as    
fully as possible4 ,a just balance of   
power is the first requisite1 and       
constant increase of it the second2 just
 as in the physical frame we ask1 first1
 for just proportion1 and1 as the       
product of this1 for strength4  ,it is  
often said that no kind of sense is so  
rare as common sense2 and this is true1 
simply because common sense is          
attainable by all far more1 and is a    
natural gift far less1 than most other  
traits of character4 ,common sense is   
the application of ,thought to common   
things1 and it is rare because most     
persons will not exercise ,thought about
 common things4 ,if some important      
affair occurs1 people try then to think1
 but to very little purpose2 because1   
not having exercised their powers on    
small things1 their powers lack the     
development necessary for great ones4   

,hence1 thoughtless people1 when forced 
to act in an affair of importance1      
blunder through it with no more chance  
of doing as they should than one would  
have of hitting a small or distant mark 
at a shooting-match1 if previous        
practice had not given the power of     
hitting objects that are large and near4
  ,the thoughtless person perpetually   
acts and speaks as if it were of no     
consequence what is said or done4 ,if   
any one venture to suggest a different  
mode of speech or action1 the reply is  
pretty sure to be1 ,o1 it is of no      
consequence6 ,as if an immortal being1  
to whom a few short years of probation  
had been given1 the use or abuse of     
which must give character to an eternity
 to come1 could do or say what would    
have no consequence6 ,let any one bring 
distinctly before himself the great     
truth that we stand ever in the presence
 of the ,almighty1 stewards of his      
bounty1 children of his love1 and could 
it be possible for him to believe that  

it is of no consequence how that love is
 returned1 and how that bounty is used8 
,every word1 every act of our lives1 is 
either a use or an abuse of his bounty1 
a showing forth either of our love for  
or our indifference to him4 ,therefore1 
every word and act has a consequence1   
ending not with the hour or day1 but    
stretching forward into eternity4 ,let  
this truth be admitted to the mind1 and 
who could dare to be thoughtless4 ,who  
would not wish to return the infinite   
love poured out upon us1 by consecrating
 all that we have and all that we are to
 the service of the ,infinite ,father8  
,when this consecration takes place1 all
 pure aspirations fill the heart1 while 
the mind is ever thinking what is the   
best way in which the will of the ,lord 
may be done4 ,thoughtlessness has no    
longer an abiding-place1 for the mind   
now perceives that it must be about its 
,father's business1 and ,thought becomes
 a delightful and invigorating exercise1
 instead of the wearisome effort it     

seemed before4  ,if the mind hold to its
 integrity1 without relapsing into its  
former state of blind indifference to   
its high vocation1 the cultivation of   
the power of ,thought will go on        
steadily and surely1 and the mind will  
become constantly more and more         
clarified from all folly and silliness4 
,when a person brings everything        
habitually to the standard of right and 
wrong1 he gradually learns to judge     
wisely of whatever subject he may hold  
under consideration1 provided he does   
not seek for that standard in his own   
mind1 but in the mind of the ,lord1 as  
he has given it to us in the ,word of   
eternal life4 ,when this standard is    
sought only in the human mind1 nothing  
is fixed or permanent1 and discord      
abounds in society much as it would if  
the length and breadth of the fingers of
 each individual were to be substituted 
for the standard inch and foot of the   
nation2 but if the ,bible be honestly   
and humbly received as the standard by  

which to judge of right and wrong1      
mankind would ever abide in brotherly   
love and harmonious union4 ,the element 
of discord is not in ,god's work1 but in
 the mind of man2 and man becomes truly 
wise and capable of concord only so far 
as1 forgetting the devices of his own   
understanding1 he becomes a recipient of
 the truth that descends to him from on 
high4  ,it may be objected that the     
,bible has been the fruitful source of  
contention and war2 and some may suppose
 it cannot therefore be a standard of   
union to the world2 but it should be    
remembered that1 when it has become a   
cause of dissension1 it has been by the 
perversion of man1 who has separated    
doctrine from life1--has put asunder    
that which ,god joined4 ,no contention  
has ever risen in the world regarding   
religious life1 but many and terrible   
ones regarding religious doctrine       
separated from life2 and it is perfectly
 apparent1 that1 had those who were     
engaged in them1 looked to religious    

life with the same earnestness they did 
toward doctrine1 all these dissensions  
must have ceased4 ,christian life is1 as
 it were1 a building1 of which faith is 
the foundation4 ,the foundation is      
subservient to the superstructure1 and  
should be strong and well laid2 but has 
no value excepting as it is the support 
of a worthy building4 ,the ,lord is very
 explicit in all his teachings on the   
subject of life1 and it is hardly       
possible that any one could faithfully  
study his words1 and then exalt abstract
 doctrine into the place that belongs of
 right to ,christian life4  ,whoever    
studies the direct teachings of the     
,lord1 recorded by the ,evangelists1 and
 makes them the rules of his ,thoughts1 
must necessarily be wise4 ,everything   
connected with daily life1 if his mind  
be really permeated with these          
teachings1 takes its proper place before
 him4 ,he sees what has a transient1 and
 what a permanent value1--what is merely
 temporal1 and what eternal2 and so     

learns to appreciate the relative value 
of all things4 ,everything that occurs  
becomes a subject for his thoughts to   
work upon1 and while working in heavenly
 light his mind grows in wisdom day by  
day4 ,this action of ,thought will not  
be confined to events as they occur     
around him1 but whatever is read1 all   
the events of the past1 all art and     
science1 are brought under the same     
analysis4 ,the thoughtless person reads 
merely for the amusement of the moment1 
remembers little of what he reads1 and  
that little to no purpose4 ,a fact is1  
to such a man1 a mere fact standing by  
itself1 and having no relation to       
anything else4 ,however much he may     
read1 the thoughtless man can never be  
instructed4 ,he is of those who1 seeing1
 perceive not1 and who1 hearing1 do not 
understand4 ,the thoughtful person1 on  
the contrary1 reads everything with a   
purpose4 ,his mind works upon what he   
reads1 and he is instructed and made    
intelligent1 even though he may see only

 with the light of this world4 ,his     
intelligence will1 however1 be very     
different and very inferior in degree to
 that of the man who looks at objects in
 the light of heaven4 ,he will measure  
things by an uncertain1 varying         
standard1 and will appreciate things    
only according to their temporal value4 
,he will1 therefore1 never become truly 
wise4 ,with those whose minds are       
nurtured by the words of the ,lord1     
everything is judged by the standard of 
eternal truth4 ,whatever is learned is  
digested by the thoughts1 and so the    
powers of the mind are strengthened and 
enlarged4 ,thus the mind becomes        
constantly more and more wise4 ,the     
merely intellectual man has the desire  
to become wise1 but his eye is not      
single1 and therefore his mind is       
obscured by many clouds1--the dark      
exhalations of worldliness4 ,when a man 
fixes his eye upon the ,lord he is      
filled with light1 and sees with a      
clearness of vision such as can be      

gained from no other source4  ,the      
cultivation of ,thought lies at the root
 of all intellectuality1 while it       
elevates and enlarges the sphere of the 
,affections4 ,affection is above        
,thought1 but it is sustained and       
invigorated by its influence4 ,thought  
being the foundation upon which         
,affection is built1 the strength1      
permanence and reliability of ,affection
 must depend on the solidity and justice
 of the underlying ,thought4  ,the mind 
may be stored with the most varied and  
extensive knowledge1 and yet be neither 
improved nor adorned thereby4 ,robert   
,hall once remarked of an acquaintance1 
that he had piled such an amount of     
learning upon his brain1 it could not   
move under the weight4 ,it is little    
matter whether the amount of learning be
 large or small2 the brain is only      
encumbered by it1 unless it has taken it
 into its own texture1 and made it by   
,thought a part of itself4 ,some persons
 love facts as a miser loves gold1      

merely because they are possessions2 but
 without any desire to make use of them4
 ,a fact or thought is just as valuable 
in itself as a piece of money4 ,gold and
 silver are neither food1 nor raiment1  
nor shelter2 but we value them because  
through their means we can obtain all   
these4 ,so facts and thoughts are       
neither rationality1 nor wisdom1 nor    
virtue1 and their value lies in their   
being mediums whereby we may obtain them
 all4  ,undigested learning is as       
useless and oppressive as undigested    
food2 and as in the dyspeptic patient   
the appetite for food often grows with  
the inability to digest it1 so in the   
unthinking patient an overweening desire
 to know often accompanies the inability
 to know to any purpose4 ,thought is to 
the brain what gastric juice is to the  
stomach1--a solvent to reduce whatever  
is received to a condition in which all 
that is wholesome and nutritive may be  
appropriated1 and that alone4 ,to learn 
merely for the sake of learning1 is like

 eating merely for the taste of the     
food4 ,the mind will wax fat and        
unwieldy1 like the body of the gormand4 
,the stomach is to the frame what memory
 is to the mind2 and it is as unwise to 
cultivate the memory at the expense of  
the mind1 as it would be to enlarge the 
capacity of the stomach by eating more  
food than the wants of the frame        
require1 or food of a quality that it   
could not appropriate4 ,to learn in     
order to become wise makes the mind     
active and powerful1 like the body of   
one who is temperate and judicious in   
meat and drink4 ,learning is healthfully
 digested by the mind when it reflects  
upon what is learned1 classifies and    
arranges facts and circumstances1       
considers the relations of one to       
another1 and places what is taken into  
the mind at different times in relation 
to the same subjects under their        
appropriate heads1 so that the various  
stores are not heterogeneously piled up1
 but laid away in order1 and may be     

referred to with ease when wanted4 ,if a
 person's daily employments are such as 
demand a constant exercise of the       
thoughts1 all the leisure should not be 
devoted to reading1 but a part reserved 
for reflecting upon and arranging in the
 mind what is read4 ,the manner of      
reading is much more important than the 
quantity4 ,to hurry through many books1 
retaining only a confused knowledge of  
their contents1 is but a poor exercise  
of the brain2 it is far better to read  
with care a few well-selected volumes4  
,there is a strong tendency towards     
superficial culture at the present day1 
which is the natural result of the      
immense amount of books and periodicals 
constantly pouring from the press1 and  
tempting readers to dip a little into   
almost everything1 and to study nothing4
 ,much is said of the pernicious        
consequences arising from lectures and  
periodicals1 as though a short account  
of anything must of necessity be a      
superficial one2 but this is far from   

the truth4 ,a quarto volume on one theme
 may be entirely superficial1 while a   
lecture or review-article on the same   
theme may contain the whole gist of the 
matter4 ,prolixity is oftener           
superficial than brevity4 ,books are    
superficial if they relate only to the  
outside of a subject1--if they describe 
only its husk2 and the reverse1 if they 
give its kernel4 ,many an able          
review-article contains the kernel of a 
whole volume1 and if the pleased reader 
of the review goes to the book itself1  
expecting to enjoy that in a degree     
proportionate to its size1 he will often
 find he has got nothing but a dry husk 
for his pains4  ,those who have little  
time for books1 but who wish really to  
know many things1 can accomplish a great
 deal by being careful to hunt for meats
 rather than for shells and husks2 for  
though the outsides of things make a    
great show1 and can be displayed by the 
pedant to great advantage before those  
who are superficial as himself1 they    

contain no healthful nutriment for the  
mind4 ,take1 for instance1 the study of 
botany4 ,let a person master the whole  
vocabulary of the science1 and know the 
arrangement of its classifications so   
well that he can turn at once to the    
description of any plant he may find4   
,let him do this until1 like ,king      
,solomon1 he knows every plant by name1 
from the hyssop on the wall to the cedar
 of ,lebanon2 but if at the same time he
 knows nothing more about them than the 
name1 his knowledge of botany is        
entirely superficial1 though he may have
 spent a vast deal of time and labor in 
its acquisition4 ,let another person    
have studied the physiology of plants   
till he has learned all that has yet    
been discovered of their curious and    
beautiful structure1--till he           
appreciates as far as mortals may the   
,divine wisdom1 that even in the        
formation of a blade of grass transcends
 not only all that man with all his     
pride of science and mechanical skill   

can perform1 but goes far--we cannot    
even guess how far--beyond all that     
human intellect can comprehend2 and     
still more if the mind of this student  
be lifted upward in adoration as he     
learns1 he is the true botanist1 though 
he may have studied far less1 if we     
count by time1 than his superficial     
brother4  ,so it is with all the        
sciences4 ,the kernel is what nourishes 
the mind1--the knowledge of what ,god   
has created1 and not the mere power of  
repeating the classifications and       
vocabularies that man has invented to   
describe these creations3 not that these
 also have not an eminent use2 but still
 it is one that should always be        
esteemed secondary in all our studies4  
,so1 too1 it is with history4 ,one may  
have all the important dates1 names1 and
 facts of the world's history at the    
tongue's end1 and yet be none the wiser2
 for such knowledge is but the surface  
of history4 ,to know history well1 is to
 have so arranged its facts in the mind 

that it may be contemplated as a        
continuous exhibition of ,god's         
providence4 ,it is to study the         
succession of events1 not as separate   
units1 but as links of one vast chain1  
on every one of which is inscribed a    
phrase discoursing of the progress of   
the human race1 and showing the growth  
of man in the complex1 from infancy to  
adolescence4 ,further than that1 we can 
hardly venture to believe the race has  
yet advanced4 ,thus studied1 history is 
the noblest of all sciences1 since it   
treats of the highest of ,god's         
creations2 but studied as a mere        
congeries of facts1 all sciences are    
alike worthless2 and from the mousings  
of the mere antiquarian to the dredgings
 of the student of the shelly coverings 
of the ,mollusca1 all end in naught4    
,when a person's employment is one that 
does not require a constant exercise of 
the thoughts1 there is the greater need 
of a constant supply of nutritious food 
for the mind1 that it may be growing all

 the time by reflection1 and thus be    
saved from falling into a morbid state1 
such as too often results from long     
confinement to an occupation demanding  
little exertion of its powers4 ,the     
farmer at his plough1 the mechanic at   
his bench1 the seamstress at her needle1
 and a host of others1 too often suffer 
the thoughts to wander into realms of   
morbid egotism and discontent1 when1 if 
they would turn them upon moral or      
intellectual themes1 they might be      
growing wiser and better every day4  ,it
 may be objected1 that those who are    
obliged to work hard through the whole  
week cannot1 on the ,sabbath1 take      
enough intellectual food to last them   
for ,thought during the week4 ,every    
person can1 if he will1 find time for a 
chapter in the ,bible every day1 and    
therein lies wisdom1 that all humanity  
combined can never exhaust1 and which   
ever opens richer stores the more it is 
wrought upon4 ,then the human race are  
everywhere around us1 and every         

individual is a volume to be read4 ,we  
are vexed1 and perhaps tormented1 by the
 vices or foibles of those with whom we 
are thrown in contact4 ,let us not stop 
in vexation1 but study our own hearts1  
and see if there is not some kindred    
vice or foible in ourselves that perhaps
 troubles our friends quite as much as  
this disturbs us2 for it is often the   
case that our own vices1 when we meet   
them in others1 are precisely those     
which irritate us most2 and we are      
almost always more irritable through our
 vices than through our virtues4 ,again1
 we find persons exciting our admiration
 through their virtues4 ,let us not stop
 in cold admiration1 but reflect how we 
may engraft similar virtues upon our own
 souls4 ,it is deep and earnest ,thought
 alone that can teach us to know        
ourselves1 and without this knowledge we
 are in constant danger of cherishing   
repulsive vices such as we should abhor 
in others1 and of neglecting the culture
 of virtues such as in others we esteem 

indispensable4 ,society at large1 too1  
is around us1 and domestic circles1 with
 all their complex relations1 their     
jarring discords1 or their heavenly     
harmonies2 and all are full of food for 
,thought4 ,the true and the false1 the  
right and the wrong1 are everywhere1 and
 the highest wisdom is to be able to    
distinguish one from the other4 ,he who 
has spent his whole life in intellectual
 pursuits may1 in this greatest         
wisdom1--the only wisdom that belongs to
 eternity equally with time1--be the    
veriest fool2 while he who has patiently
 and prayerfully and obediently studied 
no book but the ,bible may be so taught 
of ,god that he shall possess all that  
man while on earth can possess of this  
highest wisdom4  ,it is beautifully said
 by ,william von ,humboldt1 that exactly
 those joyful truths which are the most 
needful to man--the holiest and the     
greatest--lie open to the simplest1     
plainest mind2 nay1 are not unfrequently
 better1 and even more entirely1 grasped

 by such a one1 than by him whose       
greater knowledge more dissipates his   
thoughts4 ,these truths1 too1 have this 
peculiarity1 that1 although they want no
 profound research to attain to them1   
but rather make their own way in the    
mind1 there is always something new to  
be found in them1 because they are in   
themselves inexhaustible and endless4   
,while the ,bible is left to us1 while  
human beings surround us1 while our own 
souls are to be cleansed1 renewed1 and  
saved1 we miserably deceive ourselves if
 we think we lack material for ,thought4
 ,we are thinking perpetually1 whether  
we will or no1 and let us look to it    
that we think to some good purpose4 ,how
 much ,thought is worse than wasted in  
planning how wealth1 which too often    
profiteth not1 may be acquired1 while   
the true riches that the ,lord is ever  
offering for our acceptance are         
forgotten6 ,how often are the ,thoughts 
poisoned with envying the lands of one's
 neighbor1 while one's own soul is lying

 an uncultivated waste4 ,how often is   
the mind cankered with vexation at the  
intellectual achievements of an old     
schoolmate1 whom in school days we never
 deemed wiser than ourselves1 when all  
that has wrought the present difference 
between us is1 that he thought and      
strove while we dreamed and loitered4   
,in its purely religious action1        
,thought is the fountain of that ,faith 
which forms the base of ,st4 ,paul's    
trinity of the primal elements of       
,character1--the foundation upon which  
hope and charity are to be elevated4    
,how important1 then1 is it that this   
foundation should be wisely laid6 ,many 
persons think much in relation to       
religious subjects from the love of     
metaphysical reasoning2 while their     
lives are not influenced by the         
doctrines they profess4 ,this is an     
abuse of ,thought1 one of its fruits is 
bigotry4 ,the more strongly a man       
confirms himself in any doctrine that he
 does not apply to life1 the more       

elevated he becomes in his own          
estimation1--the more puffed up with    
spiritual pride1--the more full of      
contempt and hatred towards those who   
disagree with him4 ,with such persons1  
purity of life is as nothing compared   
with faith in a certain set of dogmas4  
,there are some who think much of the   
vices of life1 but always in relation to
 their neighbors1 and thereby engender  
that form of bigotry called misanthropy4
 ,both these classes misuse the faculty 
of ,thought1 making it subserve the     
purposes of contempt and hatred and     
debasing narrow-mindedness1 instead of  
ministering to ,christian love1 that    
hopeth all things of its brother1 and   
judges as it would be judged4  ,the more
 we study human nature out of ourselves1
 and in the light of the ,understanding1
 the less we love it2 but the reverse   
takes place when we study our own hearts
 at the same time that we study the     
characters of our fellow-beings1 and    
both in the light of ,christian truth4  

,we cannot hate our fellow-beings while 
we perceive that we are all of one      
family1--while we feel our own weakness 
and sinfulness2 and we cannot despair of
 human nature while we believe that     
,infinite ,wisdom has become its        
,redeemer and ,saviour4  ,if ,thought be
 strongly turned towards religious      
subjects1 the mind must necessarily form
 to itself many doctrines which will be 
its true creed1 whatever external form  
of ,church creed it may avow1 or even if
 it disavow all creeds4 ,at the present 
day1 it is not uncommon to hear creeds  
spoken of with contempt1 as the effete  
remains of a past age2 and the remark is
 often made1 that it is of no           
consequence what a man believes if he do
 but lead a good life4 ,the religious   
opinions we hold constitute the morality
 of our internal life2 and it is        
difficult to understand how internal    
morality can be of no consequence1 while
 external morality is of so much4 ,it   
would seem that external morality is but

 a mask1 unless it truly represent the  
internal morality4 ,still it is not     
surprising that many superficial        
observers should be found ready to      
express their aversion to creeds1 when  
we consider the abuses into which       
,churches and ,governments have rushed  
in their efforts to establish and       
maintain their favorite dogmas2 or when 
we observe how the bigoted supporters of
 creeds become blinded to every other   
consideration1 and learn to look upon   
life as of little importance when       
compared with doctrine4 ,it was probably
 in contemplation of such bigotry that  
the ,apostle exclaims1 ,show me thy     
faith without works1 and ,i will show   
thee my faith by my works4 ,this saying 
is often quoted in defence of the idea  
that faith is of no consequence compared
 with works2 but this is no logical     
deduction from the text4 ,i will show   
thee my faith by my works expresses no  
disregard or undervaluing of faith1 but 
asserts the great truth that faith      

becomes a living reality only when it   
forms itself into works4 ,the quality of
 works depends1 not on the works        
themselves1 but upon the faith that     
inspires them4 ,for instance1 three men 
of equal wealth may each give the same  
sum of money to some charity4           
,externally the act is the same in each 
individual1 yet the common sense of the 
very same persons who a few moments     
before may have asserted that faith is  
nothing1 and works everything1 does not 
hesitate to estimate it in a totally    
different manner4 ,one of the donors has
 made up his mind that ease is the only 
good4 ,he has taught himself to believe 
that it is wise to avoid all trouble1   
and to give rather than make the effort 
of resisting importunity2 and he gives  
because he carries this belief into     
effect4 ,another is an ambitious man1   
who believes that power and the good    
opinion of society are the best among   
good things2 and he gives to obtain the 
praise of men and the influence in      

society which follows praise4 ,the third
 believes that the first good of life is
 making others happy1 and with          
systematic benevolence examines every   
claim upon his bounty1 and1 if he finds 
it worthy1 never dismisses it           
unsatisfied4 ,it was the faith within   
the act that gave this distinctive      
quality to the three donations4 ,the    
first put his faith in ease1 the second 
in the opinion of the world1 and the    
third in doing good to the neighbor2 and
 the common sense of the community      
judges the actions accordingly4 ,all the
 actions of life range themselves under 
one or other of the three heads         
represented by these gifts2 namely1 the 
love of self1 or ease2 the love of the  
world1 or ambition2 and the love of the 
neighbor1 or true charity4 ,every man is
 probably governed in turn by each of   
these loves2 but in every man one of    
them takes the lead and dominates over  
the other two2 and just in proportion as
 he gives himself up to the dominion of 

one of these loves and rejects the sway 
of the others he leads a consistent     
life4 ,society may assert that life is  
everything1 and faith nothing1 when it  
talks abstractly2 but its common sense  
ever shows more wisdom by transferring  
the quality of the motive to the act1 as
 often as it finds any clew to the      
knowledge of motive4 ,of course1 society
 makes many blunders in these judgments1
 because it reads the heart of man very 
imperfectly2 but the nature of man leads
 him constantly to attempt penetrating  
the heart before forming his opinion of 
an action4  ,there is no need of        
restricting the word creed to the forms 
of faith adopted by particular churches4
 ,whatever a man believes is his creed1 
and every man has a creed1 however much 
he may be opposed to forms of faith2 and
 this creed is the rule of his life1    
however strongly he may assert1 and     
however implicitly believe1 that faith  
is of no importance4 ,take1 for         
instance1 a man who devotes his whole   

energies to the pursuit of riches from a
 conviction that they are the greatest  
good this world affords4 ,if he have    
large caution1 he will take care not to 
break the laws of the land2 but         
everything short of that he will do to  
attain his loved object4 ,perhaps he has
 large love of approbation2 he will then
 be a little more cautious1 and will do 
nothing that can injure his reputation  
as a gentleman2 at least unless he      
believes that what he does will not be  
known in society4 ,perhaps1 however1 he 
has neither of these restraining traits1
 and is of a violent disposition2 he    
will then be ready to rob or murder1 if 
such means seem to promise to give him  
his desires4 ,shall we say this man has 
no creed1 when his faith in the value of
 riches impels him to devote body and   
soul to the acquisition of gain8 ,does  
not his creed run thus3 ,i believe in   
gold as the one great good1 and for this
 will ,i sacrifice all else that ,i     
possess4 ,and does not his life and     

death devotion to this creed put to     
shame the feeble efforts of many of us  
who believe that we devote ourselves to 
more worthy ends8  ,so it is with those 
who employ themselves exclusively in the
 attainment of intellectual wealth4     
,faith that this is the one great good  
incites them to unwearied labor1--causes
 them to forget food1 sleep1 friends1   
everything1 in order that they may      
acquire abundant stores of learning2 and
 all because they have taken as their   
creed1 ,i believe that learning is      
better than all beside1 and for this    
will ,i labor day and night4  ,so it is 
with the ambitious man4 ,who labors more
 devotedly than he2 ever keeping his    
creed in mind1 ,i believe that power and
 reputation are above all other         
possessions1 and to gain them ,i will   
sacrifice time1 labor1 truth1 and       
justice4  ,so it is with every man and  
every woman the world over4 ,the        
slothful even--those who seem impelled  
to nothing--refrain from effort because 

they put their faith in idleness as the 
one thing above all others desirable4   
,mankind are possessed of ,understanding
 no less than ,affection2 and by this1  
their inherent nature1 they are         
compelled to believe no less than to    
love4 ,it is vain to talk of cultivating
 the ,affections that charity may be    
perfected in humanity1 and at the same  
time omit all care of the faith4 ,the   
mind will and must believe so long as it
 continues to think2 and it is as unsafe
 to leave it without cultivation as to  
abandon the heart to the instruction of 
chance4 ,the question is not1 shall we  
or shall we not adopt a creed2 for      
however strongly we may resist1 we      
cannot refrain from holding one2 but1   
what creed shall we adopt8 ,accordingly 
as we answer this question so will the  
measure of bur wisdom be both here and  
hereafter4  ,the human race may1 in this
 respect1 be divided into three         
classes1--those who adopt good creeds1  
those who adopt evil creeds1 and those  

who1 too indolent or too heedless       
distinctly to adopt any rule of life1   
spend their days in vascillating between
 the two2 but the latter1 by reason of  
the greater tendency to sin than to     
holiness inherent with the human race1  
tend1 year by year1 more and more       
decidedly towards the evil4  ,it is     
impossible that any person should lead a
 consistent life unless a creed be      
adopted and steadfastly acted upon2     
because unless one holds distinct       
opinions in relation to life and duty1  
one is drawn hither and thither by      
impulse and passion1 as the mind's mood 
varies from time to time1 so that the   
words and actions of to-day will be     
often in direct opposition to those     
which were yesterday1 or which will be  
to-morrow4  ,in order to lead a life    
worthy an immortal being1 a child of    
,god1 the first step to be taken is to  
come to a distinct understanding of what
 one wishes to be and to do4 ,the       
biographies of those who have           

distinguished themselves in the world1  
either for goodness or for greatness1   
frequently show that in early life they 
adopted certain modes and directions of 
effort1 and have attained to eminence by
 steadily persevering in one direction4 
,among the papers of these persons1     
written rules have been found which they
 have laid down for themselves as       
creeds1 and in harmony with which they  
have built up their ,characters2 and    
herein lies the secret of their success4
  ,the living in accordance with such   
creeds will not insure greatness or     
distinguished reputation1 because after 
all our efforts1 no one can be sure of  
worldly and external success4 ,events   
which it was impossible to provide for1 
or even to foresee1 will often confound 
the best preparations of humanity1      
because the providence of ,god overrules
 all the events of life1 according to   
the eternal dictates of infinite wisdom 
and mercy1--a wisdom that knows when it 
is best for us to succeed and when to   

fail in our wishes and endeavors1 and a 
mercy which1 looking to our eternal     
welfare1 sometimes makes us sorrowful   
here that we may the more rejoice       
hereafter4  ,perhaps the cause which    
most frequently prevents the adoption of
 a creed is the failing to recognize the
 seriousness of life in this world4 ,few
 persons can be found so senseless or so
 reckless as not to recognize the       
seriousness of death4 ,probably few     
could look upon the solemn stillness of 
the lifeless human countenance without a
 feeling of awe at the thought that ere 
long their day too must come when the   
beating of the busy heart shall cease1  
and the now quick blood shall stay its  
course1--when the hand shall lose its   
cunning and the brain its power4 ,such  
impressions are too often transitory1   
passing away with the object that awoke 
them1 because persons do not stop to    
consider why it is that solemnity and   
awe pervade the presence of death4 ,if  
they did1 they would feel that this     

solemnity was reflected upon life1 and  
life would became to them serious as    
death4 ,both would be serious1 but      
neither sorrowful2 for then death would 
lose its terror and would be looked     
forward to simply as the beginning of   
eternal life4 ,the solemnity of life    
lies in the fact that it is a           
preparation for eternity2 and the       
solemnity of death in the fact that the 
preparation is over and the eternity    
begun4 ,in all this there is no cause of
 sadness1 but infinite cause for        
thoughtful seriousness4  ,when the true 
solemnity of life is comprehended1 and  
the ,character is moulded in accordance 
with the ideas that in consequence      
possess the soul1 a growth of the whole 
nature is induced that prevents all the 
repulsive characteristics of old age4   
,too often old age is utterly           
disagreeable through the indulgence of  
ill-temper1 fretfulness1 and selfish    
indifference to the wishes and pleasures
 of the young4 ,such traits of          

,character could never possess us if the
 true import of life were comprehended1 
and the ,character formed in harmony    
with its teachings4 ,a ,character that  
grows in grace daily must become more   
and more beautiful and attractive with  
advancing years4 ,each day1 as it finds 
it better fitted for heaven1 must find  
it less sullied by the imperfections of 
earth4  ,we sometimes see persons       
discontented and peevish because they   
are old1--because they feel that they   
must soon pass away from the earth4     
,could this be1 if they believed that   
life on earth was only a preparation for
 an eternal life in heaven8 ,could they 
shrink with aversion at the thought of  
death if they believed it to be the     
portal of heaven8 ,the follies and the  
vices1 the weariness and the sadness1   
the discontent and the moroseness of    
life1 all spring from the want of a just
 conception of its relations and its    
value1 such as can be attained only by  
calm1 deliberate reflection1 out of     

which wise opinions evolve1 and are     
gradually shaped into a creed such as   
forms the bone and muscle of a wise and 
noble ,character4  ,evil is ever the    
result of the abuse of some good2 for   
nothing was created evil4 ,the narrow   
creeds of various churches1 by which    
men's souls have been unworthily bound1 
have sprung from the falsification of   
the fact that man requires faith in     
truth that he may be able to lead a life
 of goodness4 ,had the makers of these  
creeds gone directly to the ,bible for  
their materials1 instead of looking into
 their own minds1--had they been content
 to accept the ,ten ,commandments given 
to the ,jewish1 or the ,two given to the
 ,christian ,church1 much mischief might
 have been avoided2 but1 not satisfied  
with the simplicity and directness of   
,god's word1 they built up creeds from  
their own minds1 not as guides to a holy
 life1 but as chains to compel the minds
 of other men into harmony with their   
own4 ,just in proportion to the energy  

with which they strove to impress       
themselves upon the people through these
 creeds was their indifference to that  
life' of holiness which should be the   
end of all creeds4  ,the centuries that 
have passed since the ,christian        
dispensation was proclaimed have many of
 them been darkened even to blackness by
 insane endeavors to write creeds of    
man's devising1 in letters of fire and  
blood1 upon the nations4 ,the day for   
such deeds has passed away from most    
lands calling themselves ,christian2 and
 now men are inclining to rush into the 
opposite extreme1 and to mistake        
licentiousness in belief for liberty of 
conscience4 ,such an extreme naturally  
follows the opposite one that preceded  
it2 but out of the anarchy of faith that
 now prevails the providence of ,god4   
will surely1 in his own good time1 lift 
up his children into the liberty        
wherewith those who obey him are made   
free4 ,then will it be understood that  
the truth is not a chain to bind the    

soul1 but a shining light illuminating  
all the dark places of the earth1 and   
pouring into every soul that worthily   
receives it a living warmth1 that shall 
clothe the whole being with the         
beautiful garments of heavenly charity4 
,then shall it be seen that all true    
creeds are contained within the two     
commandments of the ,son of ,god4 ,thou 
shalt love the ,lord with all thy heart 
and soul and mind and strength2 and thy 
neighbor as thyself4   ,,imagination4   
,imagination rules the                  
world4--,,napoleon4  ,imagination is the
 mediatrix1 the nurse1 the mover of all 
the several parts of our spiritual      
organism4 ,without her1 all our ideas   
stagnate1 all our conceptions wither1   
all our perceptions become rough and    
sensual4--,,feucht ,,ersleben4          
,imagination is that power of the mind  
by which it forms pictures or images    
within itself4 ,thought is but a        
shapeless1 lifeless entity1 until       
,imagination moulds it into form4 ,we   

cannot bring what we know out into life 
until ,imagination presents it to the   
,affections as a possible reality4      
,thought is an uncreative power1 and    
gives form to nothing4 ,imagination is a
 more positive power1 and can impart    
form to everything in thought4 ,thought 
acts subjectively1 while ,imagination is
 more objective in its operations4      
,thought is1 by itself1 a pure          
abstraction3 passing into the           
,imagination it becomes a possible      
reality1 and in the ,affections a vital 
reality4 ,the ,affections cannot love or
 hate anything while it is a mere       
,thought2 but when it becomes an image1 
it is at once an object either of       
attraction or repulsion4 ,thought1      
therefore1 can be lifted up into the    
,affections1 and then be made manifest  
in life1 only through the medium of the 
,imagination4  ,it has been remarked by 
a celebrated writer1 that all great     
discoverers1 inventors1 and             
mathematicians have been largely endowed

 with ,imagination4 ,it might with equal
 truth have been added1 that all        
successful persons in every department  
of life are endowed with an ,imagination
 commensurate in power with that of the 
other faculties4 ,to the mechanic in his
 shop1 no less than to the student in   
his cell1 is it requisite that he should
 be able to form a distinct image in his
 mind of whatever he wishes to perform4 
,so the teacher1 the preacher1 and the  
parent labor in vain unless there is    
clearly imaged in their minds the end to
 be attained by education and           
discipline4 ,it is idle to seek for     
means to accomplish anything until there
 is a distinct image in the mind of the 
thing that is to be done4 ,if there be  
such a thing as an airy nothing1 it is a
 thought before ,imagination has given  
it a local habitation and a name4 ,when 
,shakespeare said it was the office of  
the poet to carry on this               
transformation1 he announced one of     
those great general facts which are     

equally true of every other human being4
 ,it is in degree1 and not in kind1 that
 one man differs from another4 ,in this1
 the poet is but the type of what every 
human being must be1 if he would be     
anything better than a dead weight in   
society1 incapable of success in any    
department of life4  ,let no one fold   
his hands supinely1 and say1 ,i have no 
,imagination2 and therefore1 if this    
doctrine be true1 my life must be a     
failure4 ,you may possibly have but one 
talent while your neighbor has ten1 but 
you are just as responsible for the     
cultivation and enlargement of your     
endowment as your neighbor for his4 ,had
 the parable been reversed1 and had he  
who was endowed with five talents hidden
 them in the earth while he who had one 
doubled his lord's money1 the           
condemnation and the acceptance would   
likewise have been reversed4 ,unless a  
man be so far idiotic that he is not an 
accountable being1 we blaspheme the     
goodness of ,god1 if we say there is    

nothing he is capable of doing well4    
,the action of the ,imagination may be  
best illustrated by example4 ,previous  
to the days of ,columbus1 many          
sea-captains believed that there was a  
,western ,continent2 but their belief   
was a cold faith1 existing only in      
,thought4 ,when the ardent mind of      
,columbus received the same belief1     
,imagination speedily formed it into a  
reality of such distinctness that faith 
changed to hope1 and then ,affection    
brooded upon it until his whole being   
was absorbed by the determination that  
he would be the discoverer of this      
unknown world4 ,the image of this land  
was a pillar of cloud by day and a      
pillar of flame by night1 leading him   
onward in spite of every discouragement 
and disappointment4 ,others might lose  
their courage1 or die of weariness by   
the way2 but his was that deathless     
enthusiasm that knows neither despair   
nor doubt4 ,to this intense ,imagination
 the world owes a new continent1 and it 

is to such ,imaginations that it owes   
almost1 if not quite1 all the great     
discoveries and inventions that have    
ever been made4 ,there are those who    
love to believe that such things are in 
the main the result of accident2 but it 
is only to the thoughtful and the       
imaginative that accident speaks4 ,to   
the dull and the indifferent it is      
utterly dumb4  ,what is life but one    
long chain of accidents1 if by accident 
we understand all that falls out without
 our own intention or volition4 ,we     
cannot control these accidents4 ,there  
is a power above circumstance and       
accident that controls them1 as         
gravitation controls the motions of     
material things4 ,we can only turn them 
at our will1 and make use of them1 as   
the machinist turns the power of        
gravitation to serve his purposes4      
,quick-witted persons are those who have
 the power of rapidly seeing the        
relations of things in every-day        
life1--whose ,thoughts grasp1 and whose 

,imaginations shape with dextrous       
rapidity1 the little accidents of the   
hour1 and turn them to advantage4       
,persons of resource are those who have 
a deeper ,thought1 a more earnest       
,imagination2 and who can therefore lay 
hold of great principles1 and unusual   
circumstances1 with a power adequate to 
meet great 'emergencies1 and to make use
 of great opportunities4 ,if we trample 
sluggishness and indifference under our 
feet1 if we do with a will whatever we  
undertake1 determining to do it as well 
as we possibly can1 we shall become     
quick-witted in small works1 and full of
 resource in large undertakings4  ,the  
,imagination is often talked of as if it
 were a useless part of our being1 which
 should be put down and discouraged as  
much as possible2 as if the ,creator had
 endowed us with a power we did not     
need4 ,so imaginative persons are spoken
 of with contempt1 and here there is    
more justice2 for1 in common parlance1  
to be imaginative means to have the     

,imagination developed out of all       
proportion with the other powers4 ,this 
is1 perhaps1 quite as bad as to have an 
insufficiency4 ,what we should desire is
 a balance of powers4 ,imagination      
should not run away with ,thought and   
,affection1 but neither should it lag   
behind them4 ,all must act harmoniously 
and equally in a symmetrically developed
 ,character4 ,they are like the three   
legs of a tripod2 and if either is      
longer or shorter than the others1 or   
worse still1 if no two are alike in     
length1 the tripod must be an awkward   
and useless piece of lumber1 instead of 
the graceful and useful article for     
which it was intended4  ,whatever is to 
be done1 from the discovery of a        
continent to the making of a shoe or a  
loaf1 can be done well only by a person 
of ,imagination4 ,go to a shoemaker and 
tell him exactly what you wish for a    
shoe1 and it is your imagination that   
gives you the power of telling him so   
that he can understand your wishes4     

,every one can think1 ,i want a pair of 
shoes1 but one must have ,imagination to
 know what kind of shoe one wants1 and a
 clear1 distinct ,imagination to be able
 to describe it intelligibly to another4
 ,suppose you have this1 and have told  
the shoemaker what you desire4 ,now1    
whether the man sends home to you a pair
 of misfits1 quite different from those 
you ordered1 or a pair just such as you 
want1 depends in no small degree on his 
powers of ,imagination4 ,any man can    
think enough to fasten materials        
together into the form of a shoe1 and to
 make them vary in size according to a  
regular gradation of numbers2 but this  
is all he can do unless he exercises his
 ,imagination4 ,unless the image of a   
shoe1 as you hold it in your            
,imagination1 was transferred distinctly
 to the ,imagination of the other1 you  
will look in vain to find it translated 
into a material reality4 ,so it is with 
your cook4 ,she cannot make a nice loaf 
of bread1 or prepare a dinner properly1 

by merely thinking as she works4 ,the   
idea of a light loaf or of a well-cooked
 dinner must be distinctly in her mind1 
or you will eat with a disappointed     
palate4  ,it is needless to multiply    
examples here4 ,we have but to look     
around us and see them everywhere4      
,works of ,imagination1 of course1 come 
in for their share of opprobium from    
those who1 instead of striving to       
regenerate all the universal            
characteristics of humanity1 would cut  
off and cast from it all those traits   
with which they least sympathize4 ,in   
spite of their opposition1 the mountain 
of fiction grows higher and higher every
 day1 and the multitude throng its      
pathways to gather that food for the    
,imagination that is rarely given it in 
other compositions4 ,let the moralist   
talk and write against this as he may1  
it will be of no use1 for the mass of   
human minds will never take an interest 
in any book that does not address itself
 to the ,imagination4 ,from the         

beginning of the world until now1 no    
teacher and no writer was ever popular  
unless he addressed himself1 in part at 
least1 to the ,imagination of the world4
  ,when the ,father of ,history read his
 nine books before the ,greeks at the   
,olympic ,games1 and the people hung    
hour after hour and day after day upon  
his words1 it was not merely because he 
glorified their victories that they     
listened with delight1 but because he   
told the story with such vividness that 
every hearer beheld the on-goings of the
 tale pictured in his own ,imagination4 
,it was no dull recital of dry facts1   
the mere bone and muscle of ,history    
that he offered them1 but the living    
story1 the warm blood pulsating through 
it all1 and every nerve instinct with   
life1 ,in our own day1 if the historian 
would forget the so-called dignity of   
,history1 which is but another name for 
lifelessness1 and after having filled   
his mind with a clear1 bright image of  
what he would relate1 would present his 

story vividly to the ,imagination of the
 reader1 we should have no more         
complaints of the dulness of ,history4  
,who ever found ,irving or ,prescott    
dull8 and yet they are accurate and     
faithful as the most stately and        
oracular4 ,the carping critic may sneer 
at them because they are not            
philosophical and profound2 but to have 
been read with delight by thousands who 
would never have reached a second       
chapter had they been other than they   
are1 may well satisfy their ambition1   
and make them careless of the opinion of
 the critic4 ,such writers belong to the
 ,republic of letters1 not to that      
literary ,oligarchy which insists that  
books should be written according to    
certain conventional rules which have   
been manufactured in the closet1 instead
 of looking at the wants of the human   
mind1 and then addressing themselves to 
those wants4  ,the class of minds that  
crave instruction for its own sake must 
always be very small2 and it is this    

class alone that will read books in     
spite of their lack of imaginative      
power4 ,authors have no right to        
complain that their wise books lie      
unread by the multitude1 if they persist
 in overlooking the nature of the human 
mind1 and addressing themselves to what 
they think it ought to be instead of    
what it really is4 ,they expatiate      
admiringly upon the simplicity and      
vividness of the style of ,herodotus1   
and upon the classic taste of the       
,athenian public in appreciating him2   
and then1 forgetting that the public of 
our own day are quick to admire the same
 traits1 turn to their desks and write  
their histories as unlike as possible to
 him whom they have been praising4  ,the
 same repulsive want of ,imagination too
 often characterizes ,theology and      
,metaphysics1 and prevents mankind from 
receiving the instruction from works on 
these topics that they need4 ,in the    
early days of man's history1 ,religion  
and ,philosophy addressed themselves to 

the ,imagination1 and then the people   
listened to their teachings2 but        
gradually these heaven-born teachers    
turned more and more away from          
,imagination and towards ,thought1--lost
 themselves in abstractions1 dried up1  
withered1 and changed into ,theology and
 ,metaphysics2 and then the people      
turned wearily away from their words2   
and were they to blame8 ,they wanted    
bread1 and only stones were given to    
them4 ,the multitude would not have     
followed the ,lord1 and listened with   
admiring wonder to his instructions1 had
 they not been addressed to the         
,imagination4 ,infinite ,wisdom clothed 
itself in parables1 that the people     
might be instructed1 and the people     
thronged to hear4 ,the truths of        
,philosophy and ,religion are of an     
interest more universal to humanity than
 the truths of all other science1 for   
the first is to know one's self1 and the
 second to know one's ,god2 and yet the 
majority of teachers cover them with    

such a body of technicalities and       
abstractions1 that it is vain for the   
mass of mankind to endeavor to penetrate
 to the soul within4  ,if the clergy of 
the ,protestant ,church would spend more
 strength in illustrating the ,infinite 
,wisdom contained in the parables of the
 ,lord1 and less in amplifying the      
abstractions of ,st4 ,paul1 they would  
gather around them bands of listeners   
far more numerous and more devout than  
those that now attend their             
ministrations4 ,it was one of the grand 
mistakes of that ,church1 at its first  
separation from the ,romish1 that1 in   
its terror of the worship of material   
images1 it passed into the opposite     
extreme of the worship of abstractions4 
,this is one reason why ,protestantism  
has made no advance in ,europe since the
 death of the first ,reformers1 and why 
there is so little vital religion among 
the races by whom it was adopted4  ,much
 has been done of late to render the    
natural sciences familiar and attractive

 to the popular mind1 by lectures and   
books that bring them within the        
comprehension of all3 and it is to be   
hoped1 that1 beginning thus with the    
material parts of the universe1 mankind 
may be gradually led from matter to     
mind1 from science to religion4 ,the    
forms of external things are easily     
reproduced in the mind as images1 and   
this is why natural science addresses   
itself more readily to the mind than any
 other branch of learning4 ,when men    
learn to look within1 and perceive that 
the things of the mind are as genuine   
realities as the objects of the external
 world1 ,philosophy will become         
attractive2 and when the preacher warms 
,theology into ,religion by abandoning  
the technicalities of abstractions for  
the living realities of piety towards   
,god and charity towards the neighbor1  
he will rejoice in a listening audience4
  ,the amount and the quality of that   
which we call originality1 creative     
power1 or genius1 is entirely dependent 

upon the activity1 force1 and integrity 
of the ,imagination4 ,talent belongs to 
,thought1 and works only with facts and 
ideas as others have done before4 ,it   
may be skilful1 sensible1 and faithful1 
but it can walk only in the old1 beaten 
tracks4 ,it can classify and arrange1   
but it can never discover or invent4    
,talent can understand and admire the   
mechanical powers2 ,genius puts them in 
harness1 and makes them traverse land   
and sea to do his bidding4 ,talent loves
 to gaze on the fair forms of nature1   
and depicts them upon canvas with skill 
and truth1 neither adding to nor        
subtracting from its model4 ,genius     
seizes upon the hints that nature gives1
 and without being false to her1 makes  
use only of that which helps to make up 
the beautiful1 the sublime1 or the      
terrible2 showing the power that is     
within nature rather than nature        
herself4 ,talent sees life as it is1 and
 so describes it1 if it ventures into   
the domain of literature4 ,genius sees  

life as it is capable of being1 and     
hence comes poetry and romance1         
depicting heroes and heroines1 monsters 
and fiends1 types rather than           
representatives of the human race4      
,talent perceives only the actualities  
of things1 ,genius their possibilities4 
,talent is content with things as they  
are1 while ,genius is ever striving to  
bring out latent capacities in whatever 
it deals with4 ,if true to its higher   
impulses1 ,genius is ever striving to   
come nearer the first good1 first       
perfect1 and first fair2 if false1 it   
degrades and deforms everything it      
touches4  ,mankind differ from each     
other in degree1 but not in kind4 ,by   
his power of thinking1 a man has talent2
 by his power of imagining1 genius4     
,quick-wittedness is genius in its      
lowest form1--genius applied to material
 life in its daily ongoings4 ,the power 
for resource in emergencies is genius in
 a higher form4 ,invention--the putting 
together with an adequate purpose two   

things or ideas that never went together
 before--is genius in another form4     
,admitting that men differ from each    
other1 not in kind1 but in degree1 the  
question arises1 ,are all men capable of
 an equal degree of development8 ,this  
may best be answered by comparison4 ,all
 men are alike in the general           
conformation of their bodies2 all have  
the same number of physical organs1     
designed for the same purposes4 ,the    
relative power of these organs is1      
however1 very different in different    
individuals4 ,one has a fine muscular   
frame1 and delights in exercises of     
physical strength1 while effort of the  
brain is a weariness to him4 ,another   
has a finely developed brain1 and       
delights in intellectual labor1 while   
his strength of muscle is hardly        
sufficient for the absolute needs of    
life4 ,one has the digestion of an      
ostrich1 while another lives only by    
painful abstinence2 and so on with      
indefinite variety4 ,we know that much  

may be done by well-directed effort to  
overcome the weaknesses and             
imperfections of the body2 but still    
there is a limit to this1 and all men   
cannot be strong and healthy alike4 ,so 
it is with the powers of the mind4 ,all 
men have the same number of             
powers1--this constitutes their         
humanity2 but the relative force of     
their development varies in each        
individual4 ,we know that a determined  
will works wonders in overcoming the    
defects of the body1 and it can do more 
in overcoming the defects of the mind1  
because the spiritual body of man is far
 more docile and flexible to the will   
than the natural body2 but there must be
 limitations here likewise3 still1      
progress is eternal1 and no man can tell
 beforehand of how much he is capable4  
,in cultivating the powers of the mind1 
the first step is to admit distinctly to
 one's self the fact of human           
responsibility2 to feel that we are     
stewards to whom the ,lord has intrusted

 certain talents1 and that we are       
responsible to him for the use we make  
of them4 ,indolence will perhaps tell us
 that we are of very little consequence1
 and that it is not worth while for us  
to trouble ourselves about developing   
our understandings2 that it is vanity in
 us to suppose that we can be of much   
use in the world2 that we have but      
little leisure1 and may as well amuse   
ourselves with books and society2 for we
 need recreation1 wearied as we are with
 the cares of life4 ,let us answer each 
of these excuses by itself2 and first1  
we are of so little consequence4 ,if the
 tempter take this form to slacken your 
efforts1 tell him you are one of ,god's 
children1 and therefore1 by your        
birthright1 of eternal consequence2 that
 he who is faithful in the least things 
thereby proves his capacity for being   
faithful in much1 and that by showing   
your willingness to serve the ,lord in  
the small things of life1 you are       
fitting yourself for serving him in     

large things1 if not in this world1 yet 
in the world to come4 ,moreover1 is not 
every one of the highest consequence to 
himself2 and is not the least of human  
beings as much interested to save his   
own soul as the greatest8 ,then1 as to  
use in this world1 you are responsible  
to the fullest extent of your abilities 
for the influence you exert in your     
sphere as entirely as is the greatest of
 human beings in his4 ,no one is so     
small that he brings no influence to    
bear upon the social circle2 no one so  
insignificant that he does not exert an 
influence1 even by the expression of his
 countenance1 though he may speak no    
word4 ,where can we find a circle that  
is not shadowed1 as by a cloud1 if one  
countenance appears within it darkened  
by sullenness1 ill-humor1 or discontent8
 ,where one that is not warmed and      
cheered1 as by a sunbeam1 if one enters 
it whose features glow with good-humor1 
contentment1 and satisfaction8 ,then    
does not the command to love our        

neighbor make us even responsible for   
the expressions our faces wear8 ,in     
relation to the plea for recreation and 
amusement1 it can readily be shown how  
these may be made subservient to a true 
and high cultivation of the             
understanding4 ,while few are slow to   
admit our accountability in all that    
relates to the cultivation of the       
,affections1 many seem to suppose1 that 
in what relates to the ,understanding we
 may1 without wrong1 follow our own     
inclinations4 ,this opinion comes from a
 false estimate of the nature and uses  
of the ,understanding4 ,if considered as
 a mere receptacle for ,latin and       
,greek1 ,mathematics and ,metaphysics1  
,science and ,literature1 we may1       
without moral turpitude or virtue1      
abstractly considered1 follow our own   
inclinations2 but the ,understanding    
will all the time be growing either     
stronger or weaker1 wiser or more       
foolish1 whether we study them or       
whether we let them alone4 ,this action 

of the ,understanding cannot go on      
without influencing the ,affections4    
,the one is as much the gift of ,god as 
the other1 and each alike demands a     
healthful nutriment4 ,an ,understanding 
whose attributes are ignorance and folly
 can never promote a healthful growth of
 the ,affections4  ,it has been already 
said that the ,understanding of a great 
majority of human beings can be reached 
only through its imaginative side4      
,every one who is accustomed to children
 knows that this is universally true of 
them4 ,tell a child an abstract truth1  
and it falls dead upon his ear2 but     
illustrate the same truth in a little   
story1 and he is quick to estimate its  
justice4 ,this continues true of most   
persons during their whole lives1 so    
that it is vain to attempt touching     
their minds in any other way than by    
presenting them with some image         
illustrating the truth inculcated4      
,those who are capable of receiving an  
abstract truth without such an image are

 frequently so from the fact that the   
moment such a truth is presented to     
their ,understanding1 their ,imagination
 is prompt to furnish the corresponding 
image4 ,unless this is done either by   
the speaker or the listener1 the truth  
is apt to be only a useless piece of    
lumber stored away in the thoughts4 ,the
 whole secret of the fascinating power  
of the novelist lies in his telling us  
of all that is most interesting to      
humanity1 and presenting everything to  
the mind in images4  ,most persons have 
so many duties to perform1 that they    
have little time for voluntary          
employment1 and then they want          
recreation1 which1 if they read1 they   
say they can gain only through works of 
,imagination4 ,there is nothing to      
object to in this1 if such works be well
 selected and read wisely4 ,there are   
many bad ways of reading novels2 but    
there are two to be especially avoided2 
firstly1 vitiating the ,affections by   
reading impure novels2 and secondly1    

weakening the powers of the             
,understanding by glancing through      
novels merely for the sake of the story4
 ,to read novels of doubtful or bad     
morality is as likely to corrupt the    
,affections as to associate with low and
 wicked companions4 ,there is an        
abundant supply of pure and noble       
compositions of this sort on which the  
,imagination may feed without fear4 ,if 
it morbidly craves the licentious       
pictures that come from the pen of such 
writers as ,ainsworth or ,george ,sand1 
its longings should be resisted as      
steadfastly as those which incline us to
 the gaming table or other scenes of    
licentious indulgence4 ,on the other    
hand1 the danger to the ,understanding  
from skimming novels is far too much    
overlooked4 ,it is not recreation1 but  
dissipation1 not a renewal1 but a       
destruction1 of the powers to read in   
this way4 ,if you would be benefited by 
what you read1 learn to read critically4
 ,look at the characters1 and see if    

they be natural and well drawn2 observe 
the morality1 and see if it be true or  
false2 examine the style1 and see if it 
be good or bad1 graceful or awkward1    
distinct or vague4 ,novel-writing is one
 of the fine arts1 and by looking upon  
it as such1 you may cultivate your taste
 and discrimination to an extent you    
little dream of4  ,imagination is the   
marriage of ,thought and ,affection1 and
 the ,fine ,arts are its first-born     
children1 and represent humanity in all 
its phases more fully and truly than any
 other department of art or science4    
,what we know as the useful arts1 which 
are born of man's love for physical ease
 and pleasure1 are of comparatively     
modern date2 but history goes not back  
to the time when the mind of man first  
took delight in fashioning and admiring 
the products of the fine arts4 ,many    
suppose them ,god-given and coeval with 
the birth of man4 ,music1 painting1     
sculpture1 poetry1 and romance are the  
five departments of the fine arts4 ,when

 these are studied and loved merely for 
amusement1 they are of little or no use2
 if they are made vehicles for filling  
the mind with impure and evil images1   
they are shocking abuses2 but if they   
subserve pure and holy purposes1        
elevating the soul towards all that is  
beautiful and good1 they are true       
,apostles of the ,word4 ,their          
ministrations are almost if not quite   
universal4 ,it would be hard to find a  
human being whose soul is not stirred by
 one or other of them4  ,comparatively  
few persons have it in their power to   
enjoy the delight and the refining      
influence that are derived from the     
highest exhibitions of skill in those   
departments of the fine arts that       
address themselves to the eye and the   
ear2 but poetry and romance1 the most   
intellectual and the most varied of them
 all1 are accessible to every one4 ,as  
those blessings that are far off and    
difficult to be attained are usually    
those which are most highly prized1 we  

often find persons sighing for the      
culture to be obtained from music1      
painting1 and sculpture1 and overlooking
 or undervaluing the higher culture to  
be derived from poetry and romance4 ,the
 best gifts of ,heaven are always those 
which are most universal4 ,let any one  
read the plays of ,shakespeare1 the     
poems of ,milton1 and the novels of     
,scott carefully and critically as he   
would study a gallery of pictures1 and  
he will find his taste refined and      
elevated as much as it could be by a    
visit to the ,vatican4 ,the genius of   
these authors is to the full as high and
 noble and original as that of ,raphael1
 ,angelo1 or ,titian4 ,the means of     
culture are not far-fetched and         
dear-bought4 ,they lie around us        
everywhere1 and to make use of them is a
 luxurious recreation of the mind4 ,what
 mother1 wearied and worn by the cares  
of maternity1 what laborer1 exhausted   
with toil1 what student1 faint with     
striving for fame1 but would be         

refreshed and renewed for the warfare of
 life by forgetting it all for a little 
while in the realms of the ideal world8 
,the common1 vulgar misuse of           
novel-reading by the silly1 the         
empty-headed1 and the corrupt1 should   
not blind us to its benefits4 ,there are
 those who in music1 painting1 and      
sculpture find only nutriment for       
sensuality and impurity4 ,shall we1     
therefore1 deny to all1 and banish from 
the world the refining ministrations of 
beauty in form and color and sweet      
sounds8 ,as justly may we wage war upon 
the wayside flowers because the children
 are now and then tardy at school from  
stopping to gather them4 ,the ,creator  
could never have strown beauty broadcast
 upon the face of the earth if it had no
 use4 ,the very abundance of this       
nutriment offered to our love of beauty 
is evidence of its value2 the very fact 
that we can abuse this love so fearfully
 is proof of its capacity for elevated  
usefulness4  ,reading good works of     

,imagination in the thoughtful way that 
has been described will be very likely  
to rouse an action in the mind that will
 make it crave something more solid2 and
 all should learn1 if possible1 to love 
instructive books4 ,the brain that is   
overtasked by muscular labor--for the   
nervous energy of the brain is exhausted
 by physical effort as well as by       
mental--is the only one that is         
excusable for refreshing itself only    
with images from the ideal world4 ,there
 are ,sabbaths of rest to all sometimes1
 when opportunity may be found to gain  
something of a more nutritious quality2 
when1 through biography we may learn to 
know some good and great character that 
will ever after stand in the mind an    
image of excellence to cheer us on our  
way1 and make us feel with joy that     
there is power in us to do likewise2 or 
perhaps some book of science that will  
enlarge our ideas of the wisdom and     
goodness of the ,creator of us all4 ,it 
should ever be remembered1 that those   

whose minds are empty of images of      
goodness and truth are1 almost of       
necessity1 constantly becoming more and 
more full of images of evil and         
falsehood4 ,jealousy1 envy1 discontent1 
and love of scandal1 are among the      
earliest products of an idle1 empty     
mind4 ,we are not1 however1 dependent   
upon1 books for the means of cultivating
 the ,imagination4 ,there is a training 
of this power within itself1 a morality 
of ,imagination1 that daily life compels
 us to observe if we would be practical1
 moral beings4  ,the first requisites in
 a healthy1 well-developed ,imagination 
are truth and distinctness4 ,to those   
who deem ,imagination but another name  
for fiction and falsehood1 it may seem a
 contradiction in terms to talk of a    
true ,imagination2 but it is not so4    
,works of fiction charm us always in    
proportion as they seem true1 and it is 
the morbid ,imagination only that       
delights in falsehood4 ,we sometimes see
 persons who1 without apparent intention

 of falsehood1 seem incapable of        
speaking the truth4 ,if they relate a   
circumstance that has passed under their
 own observation1 or describe anything  
that they have seen1 they add here and  
diminish there1 distort this and give a 
new color to that1 in such a manner that
 the hearer receives an impression of   
nothing as it really is4 ,if there seem 
to be no malicious or evil design in all
 this1 such persons are commonly called 
very imaginative2 they should be called 
persons of unregulated1 unprincipled    
,imaginations4 ,they do not bring       
,imagination under the sway of          
conscience1 and their power of          
appreciating the truth will grow less   
and less until ,imagination becomes a   
living lie4  ,visionary persons form    
another class of those who do not       
regulate ,imagination by the laws of him
 who is truth itself4 ,with these1      
,imagination is as false in relation to 
that which is to come1 as with the last 
described in relation to that which has 

already been4 ,in their plans of life   
they reason from fancy instead of from  
fact1 and their ,imaginations are filled
 with fantastic visions of things       
impossible1 instead of the clear1 bright
 images of that1 which may rationally be
 expected to come to pass4 ,such persons
 perpetually wasting their powers by    
trying to do so many things that they   
can do nothing well1 or by striving to  
do some one thing that is impossible2   
thus rendering themselves comparatively 
useless in society1 and often even      
mischievous4 ,to avoid this error1 it is
 needful to go back perpetually to      
,thought in order to obtain a solid     
foundation for ,imagination to build    
upon4 ,as ,imagination passes to and fro
 between ,thought and ,affection1 it    
must remember that it is a messenger    
from one to the other1 and must not     
invent tales on the way1 and so deceive 
,affection into acts of folly4 ,the     
facts of the message must be precisely  
such as ,thought gave them1 while their 

costume may be such as ,imagination     
would have it4 ,thus the ,affections    
will be roused to action in proportion  
as the eloquence of the ,imagination is 
more or less intense1 ,when it speaks in
 words that burn1 if it speak from      
itself1 it will rouse the ,affections to
 wild fanaticism2 but if it speak from  
,thought1 it will waken enthusiasm in   
the heart1 such as shall bear it        
steadfastly onward in the path of duty1 
without haste and without rest4         
,distinctness of ,imagination may be    
cultivated by carefully observing things
 we wish to remember1 and then calling  
up their forms before the mind's eye1   
and endeavoring to describe them just as
 they are1 in words1 by writing1 or by  
drawing2 and then reexamining to see    
where we have erred1 and correcting our 
mistakes4 ,if this be done from a       
genuine love of truth1 the ,imagination 
will soon become accurate and           
trustworthy4 ,in reading1 strive to     
bring what is read before the mind's    

eye1 and so impress it upon the memory  
in images4 ,this process quickens the   
power of memory1 and enables it to      
retain much more than it otherwise      
could4 ,if the writer be imaginative1 it
 is easily done2 but if not1 we must    
strive to make up for his deficiencies  
by our own efforts4 ,reading history and
 travels1 constant reference to maps and
 pictures fixes facts upon the memory   
simply by transferring them to the      
,imagination4 ,memory is not a faculty  
by itself4 ,what we only think about we 
remember feebly2 what we image in our   
minds we remember much more strongly2   
what we love we never forget while we   
continue to love it4  ,in cultivating   
the ,imagination1 we must be sure to    
allow ,thought to go with it hand in    
hand2 remembering that the two together 
make up the ,understanding4 ,we must be 
careful to search conscientiously for   
true thoughts before allowing           
,imagination to shape them into forms4  
,in order to find the truth1 we must    

love it for its own sake1 and must seek 
it with straightforward earnestness1    
because we believe it needful to the    
building up of ,character4 ,if we seek  
it from any less worthy motive1 our     
sight will become morbid1 we shall lose 
the power of knowing it when it is      
found1 and shall be liable to mistake   
for it some miserable falsehood4 ,if we 
allow ,imagination too much liberty1    
zeal will run before knowledge2 if we   
allow it too little1 knowledge will run 
before zeal4 ,in the former1 case we    
shall be liable to fanaticism2 in the   
latter1 to sluggishness4 ,in the former 
case we shall be ready to undertake to  
do anything that attracts us1 whether we
 know how to do it or not2 in the       
latter1 we shall not be willing to try  
to do what we might4 ,the lack of       
,affection prevents us from desiring to 
do a thing1 the lack of ,imagination    
makes us think we cannot do a thing1 the
 lack of ,thought of course makes it    
impossible to do a thing2 for we cannot 

do a thing till we know that it is to be
 done4  ,in our religion1 ,thought gives
 us faith1 ,imagination gives us hope1  
and ,affection gives us charity4        
,religion does not become a personal    
matter to us until it takes the form of 
hope4 ,while it is simply a thing of    
thought it is cold1 barren faith1 and we
 care nothing for it2 but when          
,imagination touches it1 faith is       
changed to hope1 and we begin to        
perceive that religion is a thing to be 
desired in our own persons4 ,religious  
fear1 too1 is the child of ,imagination4
 ,devils believe and tremble1 because   
they hate goodness4 ,angels believe and 
hope1 because they love it4  ,every one 
has within his mind an imaginary heaven1
 within and around which all cherished  
images arrange themselves1 according as 
they are more or less dear4 ,we should  
search our minds1 and learn what are the
 attributes of our heaven1 if we would  
know whether we are tending towards the 
true heaven that is prepared for those  

who order their lives aright4 ,we shall1
 if we do this1 be sure to find that    
there are certain images rising very    
often in our minds1 into which our      
thoughts seem to crystallize when       
disturbed by no interruption from       
without2 and these4 images make up all  
that we believe of heaven2 they are the 
kingdom of heaven within us4 ,we may1   
with our lips1 acknowledge faith in a   
pure heaven wherein dwelleth            
righteousness2 but unless our ideas fall
 habitually into forms of purity1 there 
is no genuine faith in such a heavenly  
kingdom4 ,we truly believe only in what 
we love4 ,we may learn from books and   
from instructors a great deal about the 
science of goodness1 and may talk of    
such knowledge until we fancy that we   
should be happy in a heaven where       
goodness reigned triumphant2 and yet we 
may be entirely deceived in this fancy1 
and our hearts may all the while be     
fixed on things so entirely apart from  
the true heaven1 that nothing could make

 us more miserable than the being forced
 to dwell within its gates4 ,if we would
 test the quality of our faith1 we must 
watch the images and pictures that rise 
habitually before our mind's eye in our 
hours of reverie2 for they faithfully   
represent the secret affections of the  
heart4 ,if these images are forms of    
purity and goodness1 it is well with us2
 the kingdom of heaven is truly there2  
but if they represent only forms of     
things that belong to this world1 if    
dress and equipage and social           
distinction haunt our longings1 if      
visions of pride1 vain-glory1 and luxury
 are ever prompt to rise1--visions that 
belong only to the love of self and of  
the world1--visions that do not beckon  
us onward to the performance of duty1   
but only entice us with the allurements 
of sensuality and self-indulgence2 or   
still worse1 if discontent1 envy1 and   
malice darken the temple of ,imagination
 with their scowls1 the kingdom of      
heaven is far from us as the antipodes4 

,this imaginary heaven that selfishness 
and worldliness have built up within us 
is in truth but an emanation from hell4 
,we may talk of heaven1 and observe its 
outward forms all our lives while       
harboring this demoniacal crew within2  
and we shall grow ever harder and colder
 with intolerance and bigotry under     
their influence2 nor can we ever have   
that joy in heavenly hope that belongs  
to those whose hearts cleave to all that
 is pure and true1 and whose souls are  
therefore filled with the imagery of    
virtue4  ,we cannot expect1 in this     
life1 to attain to a state of           
regeneration so entire that no images of
 evil shall ever come to our souls2 but 
we may hope to become so far advanced   
that we shall not welcome and entertain 
them when they come2 but shall recognize
 them at once as often as they appear1  
and drive them from us4 ,this much1     
however1 we cannot do with our own      
strength1 for that is weakness2 but if  
we strive1 looking ever to the ,lord1   

whose strength is freely given to all   
who devoutly ask his aid1 we shall be   
armed as with the flaming sword of      
cherubim1 turning every way to guard the
 tree of life4    ,,affection4   ,love  
is the ,life of ,man4--,,swedenborg4    
,with the heart man believeth unto      
righteousness4--,,st4 ,,paul4   ,the    
,affections are the most interior of all
 the attributes of man1--they are in    
fact his spiritual life4 ,the           
acquisitions of the ,understanding truly
 appertain to man only when the         
,affections have set their seal upon    
them4 ,we may store our memories with   
knowledge and wisdom gathered from every
 source1 but until they are grasped by  
the ,affections they do not belong to   
us2 for till then they do not become    
part and parcel of ourselves4 ,so long  
as we merely know a thing we make no use
 of it4 ,the facts of knowledge1 as they
 lie in the ,understanding1 may exhibit 
a rank growth of thoughts and images2   
but though flowers may adorn them1 they 

will all perish barrenly2 while1 if the 
warmth of the ,affections is thrown upon
 them1 the rich clusters of fruit       
speedily appear2 not only affording     
present delight1 but promising to be the
 parents of numerous offspring yet to   
come4  ,the ,affections cannot be       
analyzed and comprehended with the same 
kind of distinctness with which we      
comprehend ,thought and ,imagination2   
because that which belongs to the       
,understanding can be expressed or      
described in words1 and in that form be 
passed from one to another2 while the   
,affections exist only in forms of      
emotion that cannot be distinctly       
translated into words4 ,a glance of the 
eye or a touch of the hand often        
transfers an emotion from one mind to   
another with a facility and clearness of
 which words are incapable4 ,there are  
no things we believe so completely as   
those which we feel to be true1 yet     
there are none about which we reason so 
imperfectly4  ,the motive-power in man  

is ,affection4 ,what he loves he wills1 
and what he wills he performs4 ,our     
,character is the complex of all that we
 love4 ,we often think we love traits of
 ,character that we cannot possess2 but 
we deceive ourselves4 ,all that we truly
 love we strive to attain1 and all that 
we strive after rightly we do attain4   
,the cause of self-deception on this    
point is1 that we think we love a       
certain trait of ,character when we only
 love its reward2 or that we hate other 
traits when we only hate their          
punishment4  ,the passionate man        
perceives that his ungoverned temper    
causes him trouble1 and occasions him to
 commit acts of injustice1 and to say   
things for which he is afterwards       
ashamed2 and he exclaims1 ,i wish ,i    
could acquire self-control2 but alas6 a 
hasty temper is natural to me1 and ,i   
cannot overcome it4 ,tell such a man    
that he is just what he loves to be1 and
 he will deny it without hesitation2 and
 yet the love of combating and of       

overcoming by force are the darling     
loves of his heart2 and when he fancies 
that he is wishing to overcome these    
propensities1 he is thinking only of the
 worldly injury his temper may occasion 
him1 and not of the hatefulness of anger
 in itself4 ,so soon as we begin to hate
 anger for its own sake we begin to put 
it away2 but while we only hate the bad 
consequences of anger we cleave to its  
indulgence4 ,so it is with indolence4   
,we know1 perhaps1 that we are indolent1
 and we perceive that this vice stands  
in the way of our attaining to many     
things that we desire1 and we believe   
that we wish to become diligent1 when we
 are steadfastly loving a life of       
indolence1 and wishing not for          
diligence1 but for its rewards4 ,what we
 suppose to be dislike of indolence is  
only dislike of the consequences that   
indolence brings in its train4 ,so the  
drunkard sometimes goes to his grave    
cheating himself with the idea that the 
lust of the flesh binds and enslaves    

him2 and that he really loves the virtue
 of temperance1 while in truth he is    
loving sensual indulgence with all his  
heart4 ,possibly temperance reformers   
might be more successful in reclaiming  
such slaves from their sin if they would
 talk less of the punishments the       
drunkard brings upon himself in the     
shape of poverty1 and disease1 and      
shame1 and enlarge more upon the moral  
degradation to his own soul which he    
fastens upon himself both for this life 
and the life to come4  ,we are all of us
 perpetually liable to gross            
self-deception by thus transferring in  
fancy our love or our hate for the      
consequences of vices or virtues to the 
vices or virtues themselves4 ,if we made
 this transfer in fact1 we should at    
once set about gaining the one and      
putting away the other2 but so long as  
we believe that sin dwells within us    
without our consent and approval we     
become daily more and more the servants 
of sin4  ,we not unfrequently see a very

 poor family having an intense desire   
for education1 and their poverty1       
instead of putting its acquisition out  
of their reach1 seems only to stimulate 
their ardor of pursuit4 ,one half of    
their time will perhaps be spent in the 
most arduous labor in order to procure  
the means of obtaining the aid of books 
and teachers to enrich the other half2  
and no self-denial in dress or physical 
indulgence seems painful1 when weighed  
against the pleasure of increasing the  
means of education4 ,here is genuine    
love of learning1 and the result of its 
efforts will prove the truth of the old 
adage1 ,where there is a will there is a
 way4 ,this family is acting out its    
life's love understandingly and with    
fixed purpose4  ,perhaps in the very    
next house to this is another family of 
not nearly so small property4 ,they too 
profess great love of and desire for    
education2 but there is no corresponding
 effort4 ,they must dress with a certain
 degree of gentility1 and they must not 

make an effort to earn money by any     
means that would seem to lower their    
standing in society2 and1 moreover1 they
 are indolent1 and the effort that the  
denial of physical indulgences requires 
seems insupportable to them4 ,the       
parents of this family will often be    
heard lamenting that their children     
cannot have an education2 and if one    
should venture to indicate the          
possibility of their obtaining one for  
themselves as their neighbors are doing1
 they will reply that their children    
have not strength to struggle along in  
that way1 or that they are too proud to 
get an education in a way that would    
seem to place them in point of social   
rank below any of their fellow-students4
 ,this family are acting out their      
life's love just as thoroughly1 though  
not as understandingly1 as the other4   
,they do not desire education from love 
for it1 but because it would give them a
 certain standing in society1 and not   
having the means of indulging vanity in 

this direction1 they turn to dress and  
idleness1 as easier signs of what is    
vulgarly called gentility4 ,still these 
persons would deem you unjust and unkind
 if you told them they were living in   
ignorance because they had no true love 
for education2 and they would hardly    
deem you sane should you tell them that 
the ,character of every human being is  
the sum and continent and expression of 
all that he best loves4  ,we cannot     
truly love anything that we do not      
understand1--anything that has not a    
distinct existence in our thoughts and  
imaginations2 and all of ,character that
 we love and can clearly image to       
ourselves we can bring out into life4   
,the ,affections are the children of the
 ,will1 and if the ,will be determined  
and steadfast1 there is no limit but the
 finiteness of humanity to the progress 
in whatever is undertaken4 ,when we love
 ardently1 all effort seems light       
compared with the good we expect to     
derive from the possession of that which

 we love4 ,if we become weary and faint 
by the way1 it is because we lack       
intensity of love4  ,in reading the     
lives of distinguished men1 we find     
that1 in the pursuit of whatever has    
raised them above the mass of men1 they 
knew no discouragement1 acknowledged no 
impossibility4 ,we read of travellers   
who1 to satisfy a burning curiosity for 
discovery1 pass through peril and       
fatigue that is fearful for us even to  
think of2 and yet they1 so intense was  
their love for what they sought1        
encountered all with a determination    
that made suffering and danger          
indifferent1 nay1 almost acceptable to  
them4 ,so the inventor labors1 year     
after year1 through poverty and         
privation1 compensated for all by the   
anticipation of the satisfaction that   
will be his when his darling object is  
attained4 ,so the student1 the          
philanthropist1 the statesman1 labors in
 like manner1 lighted by thought1       
cheered by imagination1 warmed by love4 

,needful as may be the light and the    
cheer1 it is the warmth only that can   
give life4 ,we may know and imagine1 and
 yet perform nothing2 but when love is  
wakened1 performance becomes a necessity
 of our being2 and every sacrifice of   
momentary pleasure we make in order to  
obtain the fruition of our desires is   
not only without pain1 but it is sweet  
as self-denial to a lover1 if perchance 
he may give pleasure thereby to the     
object of his passion4 ,it is the merest
 self-delusion for any one to sit still 
and say1 ,i love this or ,i love that   
trait of ,character2 but it is not in my
 powder to gain it4 ,they who love do   
not sit still and lament4 ,love is ever 
up and doing and striving4 ,they who sit
 still and lament1 love the indulgence  
of their own indolence better than aught
 else1 and what they love they attain4 4
  ,it is of course impossible that all  
should become distinguished by the      
efforts they may make in life2 and this 
is not what we should aim at in the     

training of ,character4 ,to be          
distinguished implies something         
comparative1--implies1 if we aim after  
becoming so1 that we seek to be superior
 to others4 ,this is not an aim that can
 be admitted in ,christian training4    
,character is something between us and  
our ,god1 and every thought we admit    
that savors of rivalry or emulation in  
our efforts degrades them1 and takes    
from them the sanctity that can alone   
insure success4 ,the moment that finds  
us saying1 ,i am glad that ,i am better 
than my neighbor1 or even1 ,i desire to 
be better than ,i wish to see him1 that 
moment finds us destitute of a true     
conception of ,christian charity4 ,we   
cannot attain to a healthy growth of    
,character until1 smitten by the beauty 
of excellence1 we worship its perfection
 in our ,lord and ,saviour1 and with    
hearts fixed on him1 strive1 trusting in
 his aid1 to be perfect even as he is   
perfect4 ,in this effort we must shut   
out from our hearts every emotion that  

cannot be admitted into our prayers to  
him for light and strength4 ,are we     
sorrowful that our neighbor is gaining  
upon the way faster than ourselves1 let 
us remember that this emotion is        
virtually a prayer that his strength may
 be lessened for our sake2 and let us   
change it as quickly as we can to a more
 earnest longing after our own growth1  
without comparing ourselves with any    
human being4 ,elation1 if we think we   
have passed another in the race1 is a   
vice of the same character as envy at   
another for surpassing us4 ,such envy   
and such elation are children of that   
pride of heart that shuts the door on   
all brotherly love4 ,it is that vice by 
which ,cain fell1 and so far as we admit
 it into our bosoms we voluntarily      
become the children of ,cain4  ,the     
,lord tells us to seek first the kingdom
 of heaven and its righteousness1 and   
that all other good things shall be     
added unto us4 ,we cannot suppose he    
meant by this that the reward of virtue 

was to be found in houses and lands1 or 
worldly wealth of any kind1 although he 
enumerated these things in the promise2 
for we know that these are1 perhaps1 as 
often possessed in abundance by the     
basest of men as by the most virtuous4  
,how1 then1 are we to understand this   
promise8 ,to seek the kingdom of heaven 
and its righteousness is to serve the   
,lord with all the heart1 and soul1 and 
mind1 and strength2 and the rewards     
appropriate to such service surely      
cannot be counted in silver and gold4   
,these may adorn the happiness that     
virtue gives2 but they cannot constitute
 it4 ,he who labors simply for the love 
of wealth is content if he obtain the   
reward he seeks2 but he who labors to   
obtain the fully developed character of 
a man1--the image and likeness of       
,god1--if he attain nothing beyond      
wealth1 would feel such reward to be    
only a mockery of his desires4 ,such    
labor lifts us above the happiness      
external possessions can give1 and      

bestows upon us a wealth that the world 
cannot take away4 ,he who wishes to     
serve ,god acceptably1 cultivates all   
his capacities to the best of his       
ability1 in order to increase his power 
of leading a useful life1 and is        
therefore constantly adding to himself  
possessions that can never leave        
him2--rational and spiritual possessions
 which1 in relation to our internal     
life1 correspond to worldly possessions 
in relation to our external life1 and   
were therefore signified in the         
parabolic language of the ,lord4  ,when 
the philosopher of old lost the library 
he had been all his life-long           
collecting1 he exclaimed1 ,my books have
 done me little service if they have not
 taught me to live happily without them4
 ,he had made their contents his own by 
diligent study1 and no power could take 
this from him1 and they had made him    
wise by their instructions1 so that he  
could possess his soul in patience under
 external losses of any kind4 ,the man  

who studies books1 though he may not own
 a volume1 makes them his own far more  
completely than the bibliomaniac who    
spends a fortune in filling his library 
with choice editions of works life is   
not long enough to read4 ,so it is with 
works of art4 ,he who can most truly    
appreciate them is he who really owns   
them4 ,one man will fill his house with 
pictures and statues and all beautiful  
works of art1 because the possession of 
such things gives distinction in        
society4 ,he collects them1 not because 
he loves art1 but because he loves      
himself2 and values them precisely in   
proportion to the sums of money they    
have cost him4 ,those among his visitors
 who love art for its own sake1 and have
 learned to appreciate such things      
justly1 have a pleasure incomparably    
more interior and profound in gazing    
upon them than he who rejoices in having
 paid large sums of money for them2 and 
surely no one of such visitors would    
exchange his power of appreciation for  

the others external possession of them4 
,who1 then1 is the true owner1 if not he
 who feels most delight in contemplating
 them1 and who has the most delicate    
perception of all their shades of       
beauty8  ,in the highest of all         
enjoyments of the eye1 that which we    
derive from the contemplation of        
external nature1 the man whose soul is  
most deeply thrilled by its beauty1     
whose heart rises in worship as he gazes
 upon the mountains in their calm       
sublimity1 and remembers how the ,lord  
frequented such heights for prayer1 and 
who wanders beneath1 the shadows of the 
woods1 feeling that the groves were     
,god's first temples1 this man surely   
has the kingdoms of the earth in closer 
possession than he who holds thousands  
of acres in fee4  ,whatever possessions 
we can name1 whether external or        
internal1 whether of the heart1 the     
head1 or the hand1 it is love by which  
we truly hold them4 ,nothing is ours    
that we do not love1 and through love we

 obtain possession of all that our      
hearts crave4  ,the love1 however1 that 
is so strong to obtain must be no       
superficial sentiment1 but an inward    
passion of the heart4 ,so long as we    
live in thought and imagination we are  
very apt to mistake mere sentiment for  
love2 but the difference will show      
itself so soon as we begin to act4      
,sentiment is soon wearied by labor and 
difficulty in its pursuit of mental     
attainment1 soon disgusted by squalor or
 offended by ingratitude in its attempts
 at benevolence1 soon discouraged by the
 hardness of its own heart when it      
endeavors to acquire self-control1 or to
 gain such virtues as seem in the       
abstract lovely and delightful4 ,in     
short1 sentiment wants a royal road to  
whatever it strives to reach4 ,love1 on 
the contrary1 is too much in earnest to 
be dismayed by any impediment4 ,it will 
not stop half-way and make excuses for  
its short-comings4 ,it rests not in its 
course until it has gained what it      

seeks2 and then it rests not long1 for  
all true love grows by what it feeds on1
 and every height of excellence we reach
 does but enlarge the field of vision   
and show us new countries to be won4    
,admitting love to be1 indeed1 this     
intense and all-pervading power1 and the
 very life of our souls1 the importance 
of training ourselves to love only that 
which is pure and true at once becomes  
manifest4 ,the heights of heaven are not
 farther from the depths of hell than   
are the results that come to us if we   
seek the pure and the true from those   
which inevitably occur when the choice  
falls upon the impure and the false4    
,let no one think to dwell in safety    
because he has not deliberately said to 
himself1 ,i choose the impure and the   
false2 for if the pure and the true be  
not deliberately and voluntarily chosen1
 the heart out of its own inherent      
selfishness and worldliness will        
unconsciously sink gradually1 but       
surely1 into the impure and the false4  

,there is no half-way resting-place for 
humanity between good and evil4 ,we are 
always sinking1 unless we are rising2   
going backward1 unless we are pressing  
forward4  ,much is said of the truth and
 purity of childhood1 and they are very 
beautiful1 for the angels that care for 
children do continually behold the face 
of the ,heavenly ,father1--do stand     
perpetually within the sphere of        
absolute truth and purity4 ,but soon the
 child slips the leading-strings of its 
guardian spirit1 and comes into its own 
liberty2 and now1 unless it freely      
chooses to follow with willing and      
constant step in the same path wherein  
it has thus far been led1 it will wander
 from side to side1 increasing at each  
turning the distance that separates it  
from the way of life1 until at last it  
may wander so far that it loses the     
desire and even the memory which might  
lead it to return4 ,vicious propensities
 will1 perhaps1 begin to show           
themselves2 and in the hardened and     

shameless youth it will be hard to      
recognize any trace of the innocence of 
infancy4 ,but1 perhaps1 instead of      
viciousness1 carelessness is developed1 
and youth is brightened by gayety1      
amiability1 and ready generosity4       
,occasional derelictions from truth and 
honor find ready apologists among       
friends1 because the boy or the girl is 
so good-hearted2 but a closer inspection
 readily shows that the goodness of     
heart is very superficial1 that the left
 hand is often unjust while the right is
 generous1 that a lie is no offence to  
the conscience1 if it be a good-natured 
one1 and in short that very little      
dependence can be placed on the         
uprightness that has no firmer base than
 good-heartedness4 ,young persons of    
this sort are sometimes led away to     
commit some act so base that their eyes 
are opened to the dangers that beset the
 path in which they are travelling1 and 
in sorrow and dismay they turn to seek  
the way of innocence whence they had    

wandered4 ,too often1 however1 the      
carelessness of youth passes into the   
indifference of adult life and the      
callousness of old age4 ,what can be    
more revolting than an old age cold1    
hard1 and selfish8 ,yet this is the     
natural and almost unavoidable result of
 a youth that does not fix its heart in 
unwavering love upon truth and          
purity1--whose aspirations are not for  
those things which cannot grow old1 and 
which the world can neither give nor    
take away4 ,a heart filled with love for
 excellence can never grow old2 for it  
will go on increasing in all that is    
lovely and gracious so long as it lives2
 and where there is perpetual growth of 
the faculties there can be no decay4 ,we
 grow old1 not by wear1 but by rust2 and
 we can never become the prey of rust   
while our faculties are kept bright by  
the power and the exercise of earnest   
love4 ,the fleshly body must grow old   
and die1 for it is of the earth earthy2 
but it is by our own weakness and       

indolence if our spiritual body ever    
gathers a wrinkle on its brow4 ,when the
 fleshly body drops from us1 what must  
be our shame and our despair if we rise 
in a spiritual body deformed with evil  
passions1 or corrupt with the leprosy of
 sin4 ,too many1 alas6 spend all their  
energies in feeding and clothing and    
sheltering the natural body1 leaving the
 spiritual body hungry and naked and    
cold4 ,we sometimes hear wonder         
expressed that a mind thus starved has  
become super-annuated and doating1 while
 the body still carries on its functions
 with vigor2 but had the body been      
treated with a similar neglect1 it would
 have long before returned to the dust4 
,the growth of the spiritual body should
 be continuous from the cradle through  
eternity2 and seldom can any other      
reason1 than our own neglect1 be        
assigned for its disease or decay4 ,the 
bread of life is perpetually offered for
 its support1 and if it refuses to eat1 
its death is on its own head4  ,infants 

who pass into the spiritual world before
 they are touched by a taint of earth   
are1 probably1 through the absence of   
all evil in those who are suffered to   
approach them1 trained into a purity of 
,affection that fills their whole being 
with its genial warmth1 descending1 or  
raying out1 into all the imaginations of
 the soul and all the thoughts of the   
mind4 ,thus they serve ,god in the order
 which the ,saviour commanded1 with all 
the heart1 and soul1 and mind4 ,they1   
however1 who remain long on earth1      
almost without exception1 have the order
 of their nature so reversed1 that their
 powers must be converted to the right1 
in the order of ,st4 ,paul1 ascending   
from the lowest to the highest2 or1     
which is the same thing1 passing from   
the outmost to the inmost4 ,the lowest  
and most external part of the being must
 be made obedient to the laws of ,divine
 ,order1 and on this as a foundation    
must the higher and internal nature be  
built up1 until it forms a sanctuary2   

and upon its altar shall fire from      
heaven descend so often as a gift is    
offered4  ,the practice of external     
vice1 just in proportion to its         
grossness1 incapacitates us for         
perceiving what is true or loving what  
is good4 ,by vice is not meant crime    
such as exposes us to punishment by the 
law of the land1 but sins against the   
laws of ,god1 that bring their own      
punishment with them1 by defacing the   
image of ,god in the soul4 ,there is    
always need of searching the heart to   
find if we have committed crimes against
 the soul2 for the laws of the land deal
 only with the excessive derelictions   
from right which we cannot ignorantly   
commit4 ,we may1 however1 go on         
unconsciously in the commission of great
 sins until our hearts become hardened  
against all emotions of heavenly        
affection1 and our eyes blinded so that 
we cannot distinguish the difference    
between darkness and light4 ,if we would
 avoid this fearful condition1 we must  

often go to the ,gospels1 and place the 
words of the ,lord1 in their various    
teachings1 especially as they come to us
 from the ,mount1 as it were in judgment
 over against us1 and reading verse by  
verse1 fathom the depths of our hearts1 
and confess whether we are guilty or no4
 ,would we escape such guilt1 we must   
study these instructions again and      
again1 until1 as ,moses commanded of the
 laws of the elder ,scripture1 they     
shall be with us when we sit in our     
homes1 or walk by the way1 or lie down1 
or rise up4 ,and we shall bind them for 
a sign upon our hands1 and they shall be
 as frontlets between our eyes4 ,and we 
shall write them upon the posts of our  
houses1 and upon our gates4  ,when we   
place the words of the ,lord in judgment
 over against us1 and feel compelled to 
acknowledge our unfaithfulness to their 
requirements1 there is danger of our    
falling into despair through the        
consciousness that is thus forced upon  
us of our want of love for the law of   

the ,lord4 ,the indulgence of our own   
wills is so sweet to us1 that we cannot 
see how it is possible that the yoke of 
the ,lord can ever become easy to our   
stiffened necks4 ,we feel as though an  
obedience that did not spring from true 
love could not be called obedience1 nay1
 was almost a sin2 for it seems to savor
 of hypocrisy4 ,in this state of mind1  
our only refuge is in that faith which  
,st4 ,paul tells us is the substance of 
things hoped for1 the evidence of things
 unseen2 and then1 unless this faith be 
strong enough to make us obey1 though   
not from love1 yet from a simple belief 
that at any rate obedience is better    
than disobedience1 our state is wretched
 indeed4 ,our rationality tells us that 
obedience is naught unless we love to   
obey1 but an inward conviction of the   
soul--may we not call it the voice of   
,god8--entreats us1 saying1 this do1 and
 thou shalt live4 ,if1 in the ardor of  
our faith1 we can forget our            
rationality1 and cry1 ,lord1 ,i believe2

 help thou mine unbelief2 and if we     
force ourselves to do that which we are 
commanded1 though at first it may appear
 to us an act purely external and dead1 
we shall soon find1 that1 if planted in 
darkness1 it is still a living seed1 and
 the ,lord will water it till it shall  
spring into a growth of beauty that our 
hearts will cleave to with delight4     
,the first obedience of the soul that   
has entered upon the way of regeneration
 is hardly less ignorant than that of   
the little child who obeys his parent   
without comprehending the use or        
propriety of his commands2 and1 like    
that of the little child1 it consists in
 abstaining from doing that which is    
wrong1 rather than in doing that which  
is right4 ,as the child grows older1 he 
can look back upon those commands and   
understand them2 and then he is filled  
with gratitude and love towards his     
parent for putting them upon him4 ,so he
 who seeks to love the ,lord must obey  
first1 and understand afterward1--must  

keep the commandments ere he can know   
the doctrines1--must abstain from doing 
wrong before the ,lord can implant in   
his heart the love of doing right4  ,in 
the first stages of regenerating life we
 think we love the ,lord1 although we   
know that we do not love our            
fellow-beings as we ought2 and we cannot
 comprehend the truth1 that he who does 
not love his brother1 whom he has seen1 
cannot love the ,lord1 whom he has not  
seen2 and we think it is much easier to 
be pious towards ,god than to be        
charitable towards men4 ,if our faith is
 strong enough to induce us to obey the 
external commandment of doing as we     
would be done by1 the affection of true 
brotherly love by degrees grows up      
within us1 we know not how1 for the     
spirit of ,god has breathed upon us when
 we were not aware2 and then we perceive
 how imperfect was the love we bore to  
the ,lord1 when we had not learned to   
feel that the attribute which awakens   
true love for him is the perfect love he

 bears towards each one of us1 and that 
we can appreciate this love only so far 
as we imitate it by feeling willing to  
do all the good we can to every         
neighbor1 without distinction of person1
 after the manner in which he causes the
 sun to shine and the rain to fall alike
 upon the evil and upon the good4  ,to  
live thus in charity with all men is not
 to do external acts of benevolence     
indiscriminately to all1 without respect
 of person4 ,there is a common1 but     
erroneous1 idea in the world1 that      
simply to give is charity4 ,to live what
 many esteem a life of charity1 that is 
a life of indiscriminate giving1 is     
often to pay a bounty upon idleness and 
improvidence1 and to furnish the means  
of vicious indulgence4 ,while           
remembering the command to give to those
 who ask1 we must not forget the        
prohibition against casting pearls      
before swine4 ,to give good things to   
those we have reason to suppose will    
abuse them is as wrong as to withhold   

our gifts from those who would use them4
 ,to give ignorantly1 when we know not  
the value of the claim upon our         
benevolence1 is at best but a negative  
virtue1 and we should bear in mind that 
everything we bestow upon the unworthy  
is so much abridged from our means of   
aiding the worthy4 ,many persons seem to
 suppose that charity consists entirely 
in alms-giving1 while this is only its  
lowest form4 ,kind deeds and kind words 
are as truly works of charity as        
pecuniary gifts1 and we do not lead     
lives of charity unless we are as ready 
with those in the home circle and in our
 social relations as with these among   
the poor4 ,god shows his love to his    
children by providing them with         
sustenance for the body1 for the        
intellect1 and for the affections1 and  
if we would resemble him1 we must show  
our love to the neighbor by being always
 ready to minister to the wants of those
 around us1 in whatever form they may   
arise4  ,we are told to give even as we 

receive1 and we are also told that we   
are stewards of the ,lord2 that is1 that
 all our gifts are held in trust from   
him2 and we must use them in such a way 
that at his coming he may find his own  
with usury4 ,true charity never         
impoverishes4 ,in outward possessions it
 would be hard to find a man who has    
made himself poor by acts of            
benevolence1 for a just and wise        
benevolence is almost sure to be        
accompanied by an orderly development of
 the faculties such as in our country   
makes prosperity almost certain4 ,in    
intellectual attainments most persons   
are familiar with the fact1 that there  
is no way by which we can so thoroughly 
confirm and make clear in our own minds 
anything that we know1 as by imparting  
it to another4 ,in all that relates to  
the affectional part of our being1 none 
can doubt that we grow by giving4 ,the  
more we love1 the more we find that is  
lovely2 and it is only in proportion as 
we love that we can learn to comprehend 

that ,god is infinitely powerful by     
reason of his infinite love4 ,if we     
would make our one talent two1 or our   
five talents ten1 the best way to do it 
is by giving of all that we have to     
those who are poorer than ourselves4    
,every person has within him three      
planes of life1 which constitute his    
being1 and which1 during the progress of
 regeneration1 are successively         
developed2 viz41 the natural1 the       
spiritual1 and the heavenly4 ,with those
 who lead an externally good life on the
 natural plane1 that is1 who act more   
from the impulses of a kind disposition 
or a blind obedience than from the light
 of ,christian truth1 charity consists  
merely in supplying the natural wants of
 the neighbor by making him more        
comfortable in his external condition2  
and this is well1 for there is little1  
if any1 use in trying to improve the    
inner man while the outer is bowed down 
with want or squalid with impurity4     
,this is the basis of the higher planes 

of charity1 the first in time1 though   
lowest in degree4 ,there are those who  
think lightly of this form of charity1  
because it is lowest in degree1         
forgetting that it is absolutely        
essential as a basis for everything that
 is higher4 ,this truth may be          
illustrated by the duties of the parents
 of a family4 ,it is easy to perceive   
that the highest duty of parents is the 
spiritual training of their children1   
that the second is to give them an      
intellectual education1 while the third 
and lowest is to feed and clothe and    
shelter their bodies4 ,this duty towards
 the body1 although lowest in degree1 is
 first in time2 and ministering to the  
wants of the natural bodies of their    
children1 that they may grow up strong  
and healthy1 is the first duty to be    
performed in order to insure1 so far as 
possible1 a trustworthy basis on which  
to build up their spiritual bodies4 ,it 
should1 however1 be distinctly kept in  
mind that this is only the lowest plane 

of parental duty1 and that to rise no   
higher is1 as it were1 to lay a solid   
foundation with labor and expense1 and  
then leave it with no superstructure1 a 
monument of folly4  ,from this class of 
charitable persons come those who found 
institutions and lead reforms having in 
view the amelioration of the physical   
condition of the human race4 ,in        
regarding this as the lowest class1 no  
disrespect towards it is intended1 for  
it is absolutely essential as a basis to
 the higher2 but this foundation should 
be recognized as such by the founder in 
order that he may adapt it to the       
superstructure1 and not elaborate the   
former at the expense of the latter4    
,the parent may squander his means upon 
fine clothes and sumptuous fare until he
 has nothing left for the intellectual  
education of his children2 the ,state   
may build palaces for the physical      
comfort of its paupers and criminals1   
until there is nothing left in the      
treasury to construct schoolhouses and  

colleges for the mental training of its 
virtuous children2 the philanthropist   
may so bestow his charities that the    
recipient will learn to feel that it is 
the duty of the rich to support the     
poor1 and so become a pauper when he    
might have been a useful citizen4  ,with
 those whose brotherly love is of the   
second1 or spiritual1 degree1 charity is
 founded on the love of right1 the love 
of giving to all their just due4 ,those 
of the first class will1 perhaps1 deem  
those of the second cold1 yet a close   
observation will show that in the end   
more good is done to society through the
 efforts of the latter than of the      
former4 ,where the generosity of the    
first would reform the condition of a   
miserable neighborhood1 by giving the   
sufferers food and raiment and shelter1 
the justice of the second would say all 
men should have the means of acquiring a
 support for themselves1 and his efforts
 would be turned to providing           
employment1 and encouraging a spirit of 

industry among the poor4 ,where the     
first would build almshouses and        
hospitals1 the second would build       
factories and workshops4 ,the first     
would lavish all that he had in direct  
gifts to the poor1 and then have nothing
 more in his power to do for them1 while
 the second1 by husbanding his resources
 at first1 would be able presently to   
place them beyond the need of aid4 ,the 
first will be so generous today that it 
will be hard for him to be just         
tomorrow1 while the second1 by doing    
only justice now1 gains power to bring  
about the most generous results         
hereafter4  ,this second degree of      
charity or brotherly love should not    
ignore or contemn the first1 but build  
itself upon it4 ,justice must not forget
 mercy4 ,the poor must not be suffered  
to starve before work can be provided   
for them1 or they be taught to do it4   
,one ,christian virtue does not destroy 
that which lies beneath it1 but rises to
 its true height by standing upon it4   

,we do not pull away the base of a      
structure because we wish its top to be 
more elevated4  ,the third1 or heavenly1
 degree of charity results from love to 
the ,lord4 ,this is the highest possible
 form of charity1 and through its       
development man is brought into         
connection with the highest heavens4    
,the first form of charity comes in     
great measure from a love of self4 ,we  
obey its impulses because of our own    
personal distress at witnessing the     
distress of others2 and where           
unrestrained by higher principle1 these 
impulses often compel us to be unjust   
today because we were over-generous     
yesterday4 ,the second form of charity  
results from true brotherly love1 that  
leads us to restrain impulse because    
principle puts it in our power to do so 
much more for those who need our aid4   
,the third form is the fruit of love to 
the ,lord4 ,it is warmer than the first 
and wiser than the second4 ,it develops 
the whole power of man1 both rational   

and affectional1 by leading him to the  
eternal source of all power1 whence     
cometh down to us all capacity to think 
and to love4 ,quickened by love to the  
,lord1 we shall perpetually feel that we
 are his stewards1 and while we are     
filled with gratitude towards him1 as   
the giver of every good thing we        
possess1 we shall equally be filled with
 desire to give even as we have         
received1 good measure1 running over1   
and shaken together4 ,then we shall     
feel1 that1 if we would lead lives of   
true charity1 it must be by imitating   
the ,lord1 who showed forth his love    
towards his children1 first by giving   
them the earth and all that it contained
 as an inheritance2 secondly1 by giving 
them the ,word of his divine truth to   
teach them the way in which they should 
walk2 and thirdly1 by coming in person  
to show them the reality of a divine    
life4 ,finitely imitating this infinite 
example1 as we advance in the           
regeneration of our ,affections1 we     

shall first give of our external        
possessions from the love of giving1 and
 from a desire to make ourselves happy  
by seeing others so4 ,next1 we shall    
give from the knowledge of truth that is
 in us1 working with such wisdom as we  
possess1 to help others to make         
themselves happy4 ,finally1 love to ,god
 will lead us to perceive that charity  
in the highest degree is the leading a  
good life2 and that he who is pure and  
holy and faithful is a living form of   
charity4 ,while this state does not     
destroy1 but fills full the two         
preceding ones it will perhaps diminish 
rather than increase the general action 
of the life upon society1 because its   
tendency is to increase our earnestness 
in the performance of the immediate     
duties of life that are included in the 
family circle1 and in all that relates  
to the particular occupation of the     
individual4 ,this is the natural result 
of an interior love to the ,lord2 for   
this makes us feel his immediate        

presence in all the circumstances of    
daily life1 and so causes us to look    
upon the duty that lies nearest as that 
one which the ,lord wishes us to perform
 first2 and till that is done1 prevents 
our seeking out duties more remote and  
less apparent4  ,in studying the        
material manifestations of the ,divine  
,love and ,wisdom1 we find that the     
perfection of each minutest part is a   
type of the perfection of the great     
whole4 ,so in the material works of man1
 every whole thing approaches perfection
 just in the degree that its several    
parts are perfect2 and it is vain to    
labor for great results while we        
overlook minute details4 ,so in life1   
society can never be a virtuous and     
happy whole until each individual1 in   
his special vocation1 fulfils every duty
 pertaining to his station4 ,if we would
 perform our quota of the great whole1  
we must1 each in his place1 fulfil the  
duties that lie around us2 and we must  
beware how we go out of our way in      

pursuit of duty1 unless we are confident
 that we are not neglecting1 or perhaps 
trampling upon1 a duty that lies        
directly in our path4  ,there is        
especial danger1 at the present day1    
that many of us may need to be warned   
like the scribe of old1 wearied with his
 task-work1 not to seek great things for
 ourselves4 ,as ,baruch murmured because
 he must again and again write out the  
words of ,jeremiah1 so we cry out       
wearily at the daily recurring duties of
 life1 and would fain seek some great   
thing whereby to show forth our devotion
 to the truth4 ,this is because our love
 to the ,lord is not yet strong enough  
to regenerate our ,affections4 ,in      
proportion as this is accomplished1 duty
 will become lovely to us1 because it is
 what the ,lord sets before us to do4   
,we all know how pleasant it is to do   
the will of those whom we most love on  
earth1 and so would it be supremely     
delightful to us to do our duty if we   
had a similar love for our ,father in   

,heaven4  ,as the little coral insect1  
obeying the blind instinct of its       
nature1 adds particle to particle1 and  
builds a house for itself at the same   
time that it helps to construct a       
continent2 so we1 obeying the voice of  
,god1 in every little duty1 performed   
not grudgingly1 but with the heart1 are 
adding something to our eternal         
mansions1 and helping to enlarge the    
bounds of heaven4     ,,life  ,thou     
shalt not respect the person of the     
poor1 nor honor the person of the       
mighty3 but in righteousness shalt thou 
judge thy neighbor4--,,leviticus xix4   
#ae4  ,there is but one thing of which  
,i am afraid1 and that is               
fear4--,,montaigne4    ,work6 and thou  
shalt bless the day1   ,ere thy task be 
done2   ,they that work not1 cannot     
pray1   ,cannot feel the sun4    ,worlds
 thou mayst possess with health   ,and  
unslumbering powers2   ,industry alone  
is wealth--   ,what we do is ours4      
99       99       99       99       99  

,thought1 ,imagination1 and ,affection1 
combined harmoniously1 constitute a     
symmetrical ,character1 and they should 
manifest themselves in an external ,life
 of corresponding symmetry4 ,the        
external ,life will always fall short of
 the internal1 because we can always    
imagine a degree of excellence beyond   
that which we have reached1 let our     
efforts be earnest and active as they   
may2 and the more we advance in         
,christian progress1 the wider will the 
vista open before us of that which we   
may yet attain4 ,as we ascend the       
heights of worldly knowledge1 in        
whatever department1 the horizon widens 
at every step2 and we always know that  
the horizon1 distant as it may seem1 is 
only an imaginary limit to that which   
may be known4 ,the shallow student1 in  
the inflation of self-conceit1 may fancy
 that his own narrow valley is the limit
 of the universe2 but the wise man knows
 that limitation belongs only to his own
 organization1 and not to the universe  

of ,god4 ,so in the training of         
,character1 we may go on in our         
progress1 not only through time1 but    
through the measureless periods of      
eternity1 and yet we know that we can   
never reach that perfection of          
development which belongs to the        
,all-perfect4  ,among the insane        
dreamers of the earth1 those are found  
who deem themselves enjoying light      
sufficient to live lives of perfection1 
even in this dim morning twilight that  
lies around us on earth2 but it is their
 bat-like vision which takes for noonday
 that which1 were their eyes couched1   
would seem to them but darkness visible4
 ,he who fancies that he leads a perfect
 life is but a dreamer concerning things
 of which he has no true knowledge4     
,perfection is1 nevertheless1 the object
 at which we should patiently and       
steadfastly aim1 and the loftiness of   
the mark1 unattainable though it be1    
will shed an ennobling influence on     
those who strive4 ,the mass of human    

beings aim at nothing higher than to be 
as virtuous as1 or a very little more so
 than1 their neighbors2 and are often   
more than contented when they think they
 have reached the low mark at which they
 aim4 ,to compare ourselves with our    
fellow-beings is always dangerous1 and  
leads to envyings1 rivalries1 pride1 and
 vainglory4 ,in all our aims1 the       
absolute should be our only mark4 ,if in
 intellectual pursuits we strive only to
 know as much as our neighbors for the  
sake of decency1 or to know more than   
they for the gratification of pride1 or 
for the pursuit of wealth or honor1 we  
shall never reach so high a point as if 
we studied without ever stopping to     
compare ourselves with any one2 but     
worked right on1 incited simply by the  
desire of knowing all that our          
capacities and opportunities would      
enable us to acquire4 ,working thus1 we 
should go on our way rejoicing1 our     
hearts embittered by no envyings1       
inflated by no conceit4 ,comparing what 

we know with that which we do not know1 
we could never become vain of our       
acquirements1 for we must always feel   
that what we know is but the beginning  
of that which remains to be learned4    
,so in ,life1 if we compare our own     
lives with the lives of our neighbors1  
we shall be envious and jealous1 or else
 self-conceited and proud2 and our      
efforts will probably soon slacken1 and 
then cease2 and then we shall begin to  
go down hill1 at the very moment1       
perhaps1 when we are taking credit to   
ourselves for our rapid1 or our         
finished1 ascent4 ,if1 on the other     
hand1 we compare our lives with that    
absolute perfection which the ,lord sets
 before us as our model1 we shall incur 
the danger of none of these vices2 and  
though the greatness of our task may    
well cause us to work in fear and       
trembling1 we shall ever be cheered by  
the consciousness that the ,lord worketh
 within us both to will and to do4      
,when our characters take form in       

external ,life1 ,thought must give us   
discrimination1 ,imagination must give  
us courage1 and ,affection must give us 
earnestness2 then our external nature   
will be the transparent medium through  
which the internal nature will shine1   
with a lustre undiminished by the       
opacity which is sure to dim its        
radiance when dulness1 fearfulness1 or  
indolence inheres with the external     
nature2 for then it forms a husk to     
hide1 instead of a medium to display1   
the workings of the inner being4  ,the  
powers that have been treated of in the 
preceding essays are sometimes found to 
work well so long as they work upon     
abstractions2 but so soon as they are   
required to work upon the daily ,life1  
they fail of reaching so high a point of
 excellence as we think we had reason to
 anticipate4 ,this results from the want
 of either discrimination1 courage1 or  
earnestness2 and the inner nature cannot
 be thoroughly trained until these      
faculties are so developed by its       

life-giving power1 that their weakness  
ceases to interfere with its movements  
when it seeks to manifest itself in     
external ,life4  ,thought can           
discriminate abstractions long before it
 can discriminate facts in their        
relations with ,life4 ,it can reason    
logically of the true and the false in  
the realms of the mind long before it   
can tell the right from the wrong with  
correctness and readiness in the daily  
ongoings of events4 ,to discriminate    
justly here1 we must be able to         
dissipate the mists with which the love 
of self and the love of the world       
obscure the way in which we tread2      
hiding that which we ought to love1 and 
displaying in enlarged proportions the  
things that we do love1 until reason    
loses all just data1 and accepts        
whatever passion offers as foundation   
for its judgments4 ,persons thus misled1
 often think they really meant to walk  
steadfastly in the right path1 and that 
they are not responsible for having     

wandered into the wrong4 ,they call what
 they have done an error of judgment1   
and rest content in the belief that     
their intentions were good1 and         
therefore they are not to blame4 ,this  
may be true1 for to err is human1 and   
none but the ,all-wise can be sure of   
always judging rightly4 ,still1 when we 
know that we have done wrong through an 
error of judgment1 we should carefully  
examine and see if we might not have    
avoided this mistake had we been more   
careful in our investigation of         
facts1--more conscientious in our       
process of adopting our opinions4 ,if we
 thus catechized our past errors1 we    
should probably find1 that1 in a large  
proportion of cases1 our error sprang   
from some cause we might have           
prevented1--from carelessness1 from     
blindness caused by the desire to       
gratify our own wishes1 or from         
indolence2 in fact1 that what we fancied
 sprang from an error of judgment only1 
had a much deeper root1 and drew its    

nourishment from undisciplined          
,affections4  ,in training the faculty  
of discrimination1 the work we must set 
before ourselves is to learn the        
relative value of principles1 of        
persons1 and of things2 and in order to 
do this1 we must look upon them in their
 relations with time and with eternity4 
,we must learn to value and to judge    
from laws of absolute right1 and not    
from the expediencies of the hour4      
,protestants quote with horror the      
,romish maxim1 that1 for a just cause1  
it is lawful to confirm equivocation    
with an oath1 yet the same principle    
lurks within their own bosoms1 inciting 
many a well-intentioned soul to do evil 
that good may come of it4 ,the two      
maxims are twin sisters1 and children of
 the father of lies4 ,persons who think 
they have delicate consciences not      
unfrequently tell what they call small  
lies1 or lies of expediency1 in order   
that some good may come of it1 which    
they esteem so great that it            

overbalances the evil of the falsehood4 
,this class of persons is very numerous1
 and of all degrees1 running from the   
mother who deludes her child into being 
a good boy by the promise of punishment 
or of favor that she has no intention of
 bestowing1 to the juror who swears to  
speak the truth1 and then affirms that a
 guilty man is innocent1 fancying that  
it is less a sin for him to commit      
perjury than for the powers that be to  
commit what he calls oppression1        
injustice1 or legal murder4 ,this       
willingness to commit one sin1 in order 
to prevent our neighbor from committing 
another1 is a form of brotherly love we 
are nowhere enjoined to practise2 it    
springs from an overweening self-love1  
that believes itself too pure to be     
contaminated by a small sin1 while it   
forgets that a wilful disobedience of   
one commandment is in its essence       
disobedience towards the whole law4 ,all
 who do evil that good may come of it1  
in any department of life1 belong to    

this same class of persons4 ,they ever  
look upon the sins of their neighbors   
with a sharper eye than they turn upon  
their own2 and ever hold themselves in  
readiness1 by righteous indignation1    
intemperate zeal1 and wisdom beyond1    
that which is written1 to do battle for 
the ,lord with weapons he has forbidden 
us to use1 and to set the world in order
 by means and principles in direct      
opposition to his laws4  ,no one could  
be guilty of such sins who possessed a  
discriminating sense of right and wrong2
 such a sense as is derived from        
receiving the teachings of the ,lord in 
simplicity of heart1 and never presuming
 to set aside his commandments in order 
to place our own in their stead4 ,his   
commands to refrain from doing evil are 
explicit1 and without reserve1 and he   
who ventures to call in question their  
universal application is sharpening a   
weapon for the destruction of his own   
soul4  ,the commands of the ,lord are   
infinite principles1 and in their       

natural and simple deductions cover all 
the acts of ,life having any moral      
bearing1 from the greatest to the least2
 and it is not the wisdom1 but1 the     
foolishness1 of man1 not his depth1 but 
his shallowness1 that endeavors to limit
 their significance and their           
application4 ,we shall find that our    
vain attempts to do this occasion almost
 all our errors of judgment4 ,the       
testimony of the ,lord is sure1 making  
wise the simple1 and he who is          
implicitly guided by it can alone walk  
surely2 for he only has an unfailing    
guide in his endeavors to distinguish   
accurately between right and wrong4  ,if
 we learn to discriminate principles    
wisely1 our next step is to apply a     
similar action of the thoughts to       
persons2 and here again it is to the    
laws of absolute good and evil we must  
look for light4 ,we must learn to       
respect persons for what they are1 and  
not for their position1 their           
reputation1 or their worldly            

possessions4 ,if we are really aiming to
 train our own characters in accordance 
with the laws of absolute right1 we     
shall be likely to respect in others the
 attributes we seek in our own persons4 
,in all other efforts1 there is too     
often envy and jealousy among those who 
strive2 but with those who seek true    
excellence1 whether intellectual or     
moral1 for its own sake1 and not from   
love of the world1 there is always pure 
brotherly love2 and a perpetual delight 
is experienced in the contemplation of  
excellence wherever it is found4  ,in   
our estimate of the relative value of   
things1 the same laws are called into   
action4 ,if we would value them aright1 
we shall seek first those which aid us  
in improving and educating our          
characters1 or which enlarge our powers 
of usefulness1 and be comparatively     
indifferent to things which are         
external1 and contribute only to the    
pleasure of the hour4  ,true            
discrimination may be defined as the    

faculty by which we justly estimate the 
value and the relations of principles1  
of persons1 and of things2 and so far as
 we attain to it1 the power of wise     
,thought is ultimated in ,life4         
,courage1 the buoyant child of          
,imagination1 is the next faculty which 
we must duly cultivate1 if we would use 
the talents ,god has bestowed upon us to
 the best advantage4 ,it is common to   
look upon courage as a natural          
endowment1 and few persons seem to be   
aware that it is a moral trait we are   
bound to cultivate4 ,yet when we        
consider how the want of courage        
interferes with our powers of           
usefulness1 we cannot doubt that        
conscience should have force to make    
brave men and women of us all4 ,in the  
various relations of life there is      
nothing that so paralyzes the powers as 
fear4 ,they who are the subjects of fear
 are slaves1 let their position or their
 endowments be what they may4 ,the want 
of courage in practical life brings     

failure1 casualty1 and even death1 in   
its train3 intellectually1 it robs us of
 half our power2 morally1 it puts us in 
bondage to our fellow-beings2 and       
religiously1 it leaves us without hope4 
,hope and fear are alike children of the
 ,imagination2 but how different is     
their aspect6 ,fear walks through the   
world with abject gait1 searching       
constantly after something of which it  
may be afraid2 for1 like all the other  
faculties1 it perpetually demands food1 
and if it finds it not in the world     
around1 imagines it in the world within4
 ,few persons1 perhaps none1 are fearful
 in every department of life2 but almost
 every one is so in some particular     
relations4 ,just so far as we succumb to
 fear1 we lose the control of our       
powers1 and lie at the feet of          
circumstance instead of cooperating with
 it1 and making it subserve our benefit4
 ,hope1 on the contrary1 finds cause for
 joy everywhere1 and when surrounded by 
gloom sees1 in imagination1 the dawn    

that must come even after the blackest  
night1 and is buoyed up by the          
remembrance1 that1 though sorrow may    
endure for a night1 joy cometh in the   
morning4 ,where fear sees nothing but   
the black clouds that threaten coming   
storms1 hope looks through them to the  
bow of promise4 ,hope is the internal   
principle of true courage4 ,st4 ,paul1  
in his beautiful description of charity1
 tells us that it hopeth all things2 and
 we may easily perceive how it must be  
so1 for the external form of charity is 
love to the neighbor1 which leads us to 
hope all things for our fellow-beings2  
while its internal form1 which is love  
to ,god1 must lead us to hope all things
 for ourselves4 ,the devils believe and 
tremble because they hate ,god2 the     
devout believe and hope because they    
love him4  ,let us consider courage     
specially in its four principal         
relations1--physical1 intellectual1     
moral1 and religious4  ,physical        
courage1--the courage of practical      

life1--though it seems the lowest form  
of this virtue1 is perhaps quite as rare
 as either of the others4 ,there is     
abundance of fool-hardiness1 of brutal  
rashness1 indifferent to all            
consequences1 in the ,world2 but very   
little of that calm1 self-possessed     
courage that leaves to one the full use 
of his faculties in the midst of danger1
 and allows him to act wisely1 even when
 meeting death face to face4 ,the only  
sure foundation for this form of courage
 is unshrinking trust in the overruling 
power of ,god1--a trust that shall make 
us feel his providence ever clasping its
 arms about us in all the circumstances 
of life1 causing us ever to bear in     
mind1 that he who watches the fall of   
the sparrow cannot permit us to perish  
or to suffer by chance4 ,this trust will
 give us power to meet the prospect of  
death with calmness1 let it threaten in 
what form it may1 whether the summons   
come in the crash of the shattered car1 
the bowlings of the ocean-storm1 the    

flash of the lightning1 or the quiet of 
our own chamber4 ,we shall feel that the
 hand of ,god is in1 or over1 them all2 
and when danger threatens1 our faculties
 will rather be quickened than          
diminished by the consciousness1 that1  
in times of emergency1 if we look to    
him1 he will be the more abounding in   
pouring his grace upon us to supply our 
need4 ,calm1 self-possessed courage     
comes to us the moment we lean upon ,god
 for strength2 while we are rendered    
helpless by fear1 or rash by arrogance1 
if we look only to ourselves4  ,there   
are those who would feel that they were 
passing away by the will of ,god1 if    
disease came to them with slowly wasting
 hand1 and would meet his will1 coming  
in that form1 with meekness and         
patience2 perhaps1 with willingness3 and
 yet were they called to die by sudden  
casualty1 would pass into eternity1     
shrieking with terror4 ,much of this    
fear of sudden death is a mere physical 
passion1 arising from a mistaken idea   

that there must be great pain in a death
 by violence2 and some even1 in spite of
 the direct teaching of the ,lord to the
 contrary1 look upon such a death as a  
manifestation of the wrath of ,god      
against the individual4 ,yet there is1  
in fact1 much less suffering in most    
deaths by casualty than by prolonged    
disease2 while in many such there is    
probably entire freedom from suffering4 
,the mercy of ,god1 no less than his    
power1 is everywhere1 and in all forms  
of death1 no less than in life2 and were
 our love for him as universal as his   
for us1 we could no more fear while     
remembering that we are in his hands1   
than the infant fears while clasped to  
its mother's breast4  ,the possession of
 this trust in ,god1 because it makes   
one calm in all positions and under all 
emergencies1 is the surest of all       
safeguards against danger4 ,how often1  
in the shocking records of disaster by  
land and water1 is the loss of life     
directly traceable to the want of that  

true courage that retains               
self-possession everywhere1 and under   
all circumstances1 giving the power to  
ward off threatening danger1 even when  
it seems most imminent and irresistible4
 ,in pestilence1 the terrified are the  
first to fall victims to the scourge1   
while none walk so securely as those who
 possess their souls in quietness4      
,intellectual courage1--the courage of  
thought--comes second in the ascending  
scale4 ,as physical courage gives us the
 ability to use our faculties with the  
same freedom in the most imminent danger
 as we should with no alarming          
circumstance to excite us1 making us as 
it were to rise above circumstance1 so  
intellectual courage gives us the power 
to think with independence1 just as we  
should if we did not know the opinion of
 another human being upon the subject   
which engages our thoughts4  ,persons   
having an humble estimate of their own  
abilities are apt to take their         
opinions1 without reserve1 from those   

whom they most respect1 without making  
any effort on their own part to judge   
for themselves between truth and        
falsehood4 ,if this were right1 it would
 take all responsibility in relation to 
matters of thought from this class of   
persons2 yet every human being must be  
responsible for the opinions he holds4  
,we cannot excuse ourselves by saying we
 took our opinion from another1 and it  
is his fault if it be false4 ,each one  
must be prepared to answer for his own  
opinions1 just as he must be responsible
 for his own actions4  ,persons of a    
combative disposition take just the     
opposite course from this1 and adopt    
opinions merely because they are opposed
 to some particular person or to some   
class of persons4 ,such persons fancy   
themselves very independent1 and        
announce their opinions with a movement 
of the head1 that seems to say1 ,you see
 ,i am afraid of nobody1 and dare to    
think for myself4 ,there is1 however1   
quite as little independence in adopting

 an opinion because somebody else does  
not think so1 as in accepting it because
 he does4 ,independence of thought is   
thinking without any undue regard to the
 opinion of any one else1 one way or the
 other4  ,a third class of persons1     
having large love of approbation1 is    
very numerous4 ,these are unwilling to  
express any opinion in conversation     
until they have ascertained the views of
 the person they address2 cannot tell   
what they think of a book until they    
know what the critics say2 and seem to  
have no idea of truth in itself1 but    
look merely to please others by changing
 their opinions as often as they change 
their companions4 ,there are many       
authors of this class who1 in writing1  
strive only to please the vanity of the 
reader by presenting him with a         
reflection of his own ideas2 and whose  
constant aim is to follow public        
opinion1 instead of leading it4 ,they do
 not care whether the ideas they        
promulgate are true or false1 if they   

are but popular2 and if they fail to    
please1 are filled with chagrin1 and    
sometimes have even died of despair4  ,a
 fourth class of persons1 possessed of  
strong self-esteem1 arrive at           
independence of thought through pride of
 intellect1 and this is even more       
dangerous than to depend upon others for
 our opinions2 for of all idolatry1     
there is none so interior and hard to   
overcome as the worship of self4 ,if we 
would arrive at truth of opinion1 we    
must be independent of our own passions 
and prejudices no less than of our      
neighbor's4 ,there is but one source of 
truth1 and whoever believes that he     
finds it elsewhere is an idolater4 ,the 
,lord has declared1 ,i am the way and   
the truth and the life2 and it is only  
through him as the way that we can find 
the truth1 and we seek it through him   
when we love it because he is the truth1
 and so seek it for its own absolute    
beauty and excellence1 desiring to bring
 it out into life4  ,look where we may  

along the pages of history and the      
records of science1 it is the devout men
 who have been the successful           
promulgaters of new ideas and searchers 
after truth4 ,the scoffer and the       
infidel make great boasts of their      
progress through their independence of  
,scripture2 but in a little while a     
devout man follows in their footsteps   
and proves that their deductions are    
false1 and that even their observations 
of facts were not to be trusted4        
,scoffers and infidels come1 promising  
to set the world in order by subverting 
governments2 but though they are quick  
to pull down1 they have no power to     
build up2 and it is only when the devout
 man comes1 that the reign of anarchy   
and misrule ceases4  ,common1 daily life
 is the epitome of history4 ,the devout 
man is the only one whose opinions are  
trustworthy2 and just so far as we      
become truly devout will the scales that
 hinder us from seeing the truth fall   
from our eyes4 ,if the eye be single1   

looking to the ,lord alone1 unbiassed in
 its gaze by the thousand-fold passions 
of earth1 the whole body shall be full  
of light4  ,moral courage1 the third    
phase of this virtue1 is that faculty of
 the soul by which we are enabled to    
act1 in all the social relations of     
life1 with perfect independence of the  
opinions of the world1 and governed only
 by the laws of abstract propriety1     
uprightness1 and charity4 ,it gives us  
power to say and to do whatever we      
conscienciously believe to be right and 
true1 without being influenced by the   
fear of man's frown or the hope of his  
favor4 ,this is very difficult1 because 
the customs and conventionalisms of     
society hedge us about so closely from  
our very infancy1 that they constrain us
 when we are unconscious of it1 and lead
 us to act and to refrain in a way which
 our better judgment would forbid1 did  
we consult its indications without being
 influenced by the world4  ,it was a    
saying of a wise man1 that he who fears 

,god can fear nothing else2 and there is
 certainly no healthy way in which we   
can be delivered from that fear of the  
world which destroys moral courage1 but 
the learning to fear1 above all things1 
failing to fulfil our duty before ,god4 
,if we would have moral courage1 we must
 accustom ourselves to feel that we are 
accountable to ,god1 and to him only1   
for what we do4 ,there is a spurious    
moral as well as intellectual courage1  
the offspring of pride and arrogance1   
that pretends to independence in a      
spirit of defiance of the opinion of the
 world2 but this will never give us the 
power to act wisely1 for wisdom is ever 
the twin sister of charity that loves   
the neighbor even while differing from  
him in opinion4 ,true courage of every  
kind is perfectly self-possessed1 but   
never defiant4 ,a spirit of defiance    
springs from envy or hate if it be      
honest1 and from a consciousness of     
inferiority if assumed2 and is sometimes
 only a disguise self-assumed by fear1  

when it seeks to be unconscious of      
itself4 ,true moral courage results from
 the hope that we are acting in harmony 
with the laws of eternal wisdom4 ,fear  
of every kind is annihilated by a living
 hope that the ,lord is on our side4    
,if we would test the quality of our    
moral courage1 we must ask ourselves1 is
 it defiant8 is it disdainful8 is it    
envious8 does it hate its neighbor8 or  
are its emotions affected in any way by 
the opinion of the world8 ,if we can    
answer all these questions in the       
negative1 we must go a step farther1 and
 ask if we have gained a state of       
independence of our own selfish         
passions1 as well as of the world2 for  
our most inveterate foes1 and those     
before whom we cower most abjectly1 are 
often those that dwell within the       
household of our own hearts4 ,if the    
love of ease or of sensual indulgence   
rules there1 we need to summon our moral
 courage to a stern strife1 for there is
 no conquest more difficult than over   

the evil affections that are rooted in  
our sensual nature4 ,wise and good men  
have gone so far as to believe that this
 conquest is never entire in this world2
 that the allurements of indolence and  
the gnawing of sensual cravings are     
never quieted save when the body        
perishes4 ,it is1 however1 difficult to 
believe that passions exist in the body 
apart from the soul1 and if not1 there  
can be no absolute impossibility of     
conquest1 even in this world4 ,if this  
may be attained1 it must be through the 
building up of a true moral courage1    
that shall fight believing that the     
sword of the ,lord is in the hand of him
 who strives1 trusting in that eternal  
strength which is mighty even as we are 
weak4  ,religious courage develops      
naturally in proportion as the growth of
 moral courage becomes complete4 ,fear  
is nowhere so distressing as in our     
relations with our ,creator4 ,that which
 is by nature best becomes worst when it
 is perverted2 and as the blessed hope  

to which1 as children of ,god1 we are   
all born heirs1 is in its fulness an    
infinite source of joy and blessing to  
the soul1 so when it is reversed and    
perverted into fear1 it becomes the     
source of unspeakable misery1 sometimes 
resulting in one of the most wretched   
forms of insanity4  ,the morbid state of
 the mind which induces this distressing
 passion is the result of a peculiar    
form of egotism1 which leads the        
thoughts to fasten upon one's own evils 
so entirely that the mind ceases to     
recognize1 or even to remember1 the     
long-suffering patience and mercy of the
 ,heavenly ,father4 ,a more common1 but 
less painful form of this fear is the   
result of vagueness in one's ideas of   
the ,divine character and attributes4   
,the clear and rational views which     
,swedenborg has given of the ,divine    
,providence is undoubtedly the reason   
why religious melancholy is almost never
 found among the members of the ,new    
,church4 ,the peace in believing1 which 

is almost universal among this class of 
,christians1 is a subject of remark     
among those who observe them1 wherever  
they are found2 and this arises1 not    
merely from their not looking upon ,god 
as an enemy and avenger who demands a   
perfect fulfilment of the letter of the 
law1 or infinite punishment for sin1    
either personally or by an atoning      
,saviour2 but from the possession of a  
distinct idea1 imaged in their minds1 of
 the nature and the quality of the      
,divine ,providence4 ,where there is a  
tendency to any kind of fear1 nothing   
increases it more than the want of a    
distinct idea of the thing or person    
feared2 because the ,imagination1 which 
is always quick with the timid1 is      
almost sure to create something within  
the mind far more fearful than anything 
that really exists4 ,the greatest boon  
mankind ever received through a brother 
man was the doctrine first promulgated  
by ,swedenborg1 that ,god has respect   
even to our good intentions2 and that he

 casts out none who sincerely desire to 
be of his kingdom4 ,if one distinctly   
believes this doctrine1 there is no     
rational ground in the mind for fear2   
because the very fact of our desire for 
salvation--provided we understand       
salvation to be a state of the mind1 and
 not a mere position in a certain       
place1--or something pertaining to our  
internal1 and not to our external1      
nature--makes it impossible that we     
should fail of attaining it4  ,if one is
 oppressed with religious fear1 the way 
to escape from it is to use every       
endeavor to attain a clear and distinct 
idea of the ,divine character1 and to   
strive to bring one's self into harmony 
with it2--to think as little as possible
 about one's own sins1 and to train the 
thoughts to dwell upon the ,divine      
perfections1 and cultivate an ardent    
desire to imitate them4 ,it is necessary
 to think of one's self enough to       
refrain from the commission of external 
sins1 and just so far and so fast as we 

put away sin1 the ,lord will implant the
 opposite virtue in its place1 provided 
we put the sin away from love to him1   
and not from any selfish or worldly     
motive4 ,this state of active           
cooperation with the ,lord is something 
very different from that into which one 
falls who is the subject of religious   
fear1 and cannot exist in company with  
it4 ,the religious coward can only      
overcome his fear by remembering that   
,god is not a tyrant who demands        
impossibilities of his slaves1 but a    
,father of infinite love1 who would make
 his children eternally happy2 and who1 
in order that they may become so1 gives 
them every means and every aid that they
 will receive4 ,he must not suffer his  
heart to sink within him by thinking of 
his own weakness1 but must elevate it by
 thinking of the infinite power of him  
who has called us to salvation4 ,above  
all things1 he must not fall into       
reveries about himself1 but seek to     
forget self in the active performance of

 duty4  ,the performance of duty1 the   
fulfiling of use1 which1 rightly        
understood1 is the universal panacea    
against all the troubles and sorrows of 
this life1 is too often a fearful       
bugbear in the eyes of those who        
understand it not4 ,this subject1       
however1 brings us to the third and last
 topic to be discussed under the head of
 ,life4 ,the love of duty1 to be        
effectual or real1 must be earnest2 for 
earnestness is the certain result of    
living ,affection4 ,through this1 all   
our other powers and faculties ultimate 
themselves in external ,life4           
,earnestness is the exact opposite of   
indolence4 ,it is the external motive   
power1 just as ,affection is the        
internal motive power1--the body1 of    
which ,affection is the soul4 ,without  
earnestness1 all our other powers come  
to naught1 and we live in vain2 with it1
 our other endowments become alive1 and 
ready to impress themselves upon the    
external world4 ,indolence is a rust1   

corroding and dulling all our faculties2
 earnestness1 a vitalizing force1       
quickening and brightening them4 ,by    
earnestness1 alone1 can we climb upward 
in that progress which1 begun in time1  
pauses not at the grave1 but passing    
through the portal of death1 goes       
eternally on in the same direction which
 we chose for ourselves here1 ever      
approaching more nearly to the ,divine  
perfection1 whose life is the unresting 
activity of infinite love4 ,by          
indolence1 we sink ever lower and lower1
 and through a continuous process of    
deterioration1 grow each day more unfit 
for the heavenly life1 which all but the
 abandoned1 and perhaps even they1 fancy
 they desire1 even when refusing to use 
any of the means whereby it may be      
gained4  ,in the circle of man's evil   
propensities1 no one1 perhaps1 is a more
 fruitful mother of wretchedness and    
crime than the propensity to indolence4 
,it is a common saying1 that the love of
 money is the root of all evil2 but that

 root often runs deeper1 and finds its  
life in indolence1 which incites those  
under its dominion to seek money through
 unlawful means4 ,the desire for money  
impels most men to constant effort1 and 
there is no reason for attributing a    
stronger desire to him who steals or    
defrauds than to him who labors         
steadfastly1 every day of his life1 from
 early dawn to eve2 yet we praise the   
latter1 and condemn the former4 ,it is  
not1 then1 the love of money that we    
condemn1 but the desire to attain it by 
vicious means2 and such desire results  
from a hatred for labor1 which is the   
only legitimate means by which it may be
 gained4 ,money in itself is but dead   
matter1 serving only as a minister to   
some end beyond2 and the simple desire  
for it is neither good nor bad3 the end 
for which it is desired elevates the    
desire itself to a virtue1 or degrades  
it to a vice2 and the means which we    
adopt for obtaining it1 and the purposes
 to which we apply it1 make it either a 

blessing or a curse4  ,every possession1
 whether moral1 intellectual1 or        
physical1 is the legitimate reward of   
labor wisely and earnestly applied2 and 
for these rewards the virtuous are      
content to labor without repining1 and  
to them1 not only the rewards1 but the  
labor itself1 is blessed4 ,the vicious1 
on the contrary1 desire the rewards1 but
 hate the labor by which they should be 
gained4 ,they1 therefore1 accordingly as
 they belong to different classes of    
society1 simulate virtues which they do 
not possess1 pretend to acquirements    
they have been too idle to gain1 or     
strive after wealth by any means1 rather
 than patient industry and honest       
effort4  ,it is not the vicious alone   
who fail to perceive that labor is a    
blessing from which a wise man can never
 fly4 ,the curse applied to ,adam1 ,in  
the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat    
bread1 has led many to suppose that     
originally the wants of the human race  
were supplied without any exertion of   

its own1--that in the garden of ,eden   
there was enjoyment without effort1     
possession without labor4 ,even in the  
pulpit1 labor is sometimes spoken of as 
a curse pertaining only to life in this 
world1 from which we shall be delivered 
in the life to come4 ,nothing can be    
farther from the truth4 ,employment is  
the life of every soul1 from the ,most  
,high down to the least of his children4
 ,they only who are spiritually dead1 or
 sleeping1 ask for idleness4 ,it is man 
fallen who looks on labor as a curse1   
not man walking with ,god in the garden 
of ,eden2 and to man1 when he has       
fallen1 labor is indeed a curse1 for his
 soul is so perverted that he knows not 
the true nature and qualities of a      
blessing4  ,man1 resting in thought or  
feeling1 is at best a useless           
abstraction2 he becomes truly a man only
 when his thoughts and feelings come    
forth into life1 and impress themselves 
on outward things4 ,if he fail to do    
this1 the rust of idleness eats into all

 his powers1 till he becomes a useless  
cumberer of the ground2 the world loses1
 and heaven gains nothing when this     
mortal puts on immortality4 ,such a     
being is dead while he lives--a moral   
paralytic4 ,his capacities are as seed  
cast upon a rock where there is no      
earth4  ,god works incessantly4 ,his eye
 knows no closing1 his hand no          
weariness4 ,the universe was not only   
built by his power1 but is sustained    
every moment by his inflowing life4 ,if 
he were to turn from it for a single    
instant1 all things would return to     
chaos4 ,man1 created in the image and   
likeness of ,god1 resembles him most    
nearly when the life influent from ,god 
which fills his soul1 flows forth freely
 as it is given1 quickening with its    
powers all that comes within the        
influence of his sphere4  ,there is an  
old proverb that tells us1 ,idleness is 
the devil's pillow2 and well may it be  
so esteemed1 for no head ever rested    
long upon it1 but the lips of the evil  

spirit were at its ear1 breathing       
falsehood and temptation4 ,the          
industrious man is seldom found guilty  
of a crime2 for he has no time to listen
 to the enticings of the wicked one1 and
 he is content with the enjoyments      
honest effort affords4 ,it is the       
vicious idler1 vexed to see the fortunes
 of his industrious neighbor growing    
while he is lounging and murmuring1 who 
robs and murders that he may get        
unlawful gain4 ,it is the merry1        
thoughtless idler who1 to relieve the   
nothingness of his days1 seeks the      
excitement of the wine-cup and the      
gaming-table4 ,it is the sensual idler1 
whose licentious ear is open to the     
voice of the tempter as often as his    
track crosses the pathway of youth and  
innocence4  ,not only by reason of the  
external1 palpable rewards which labor  
brings is it to be considered a         
blessing2 but every hour of patient     
labor1 whether with the hands1 or in    
study1 or thought1 brings with it its   

own priceless reward1 in its direct     
effects upon the ,character4 ,by it the 
faculties are developed1 the powers     
strengthened1 and the whole being       
brought into a state of order2 provided 
we do all things for the glory of ,god4 
,but1 exclaims the impatient heart1     
wearied with the cares of daily life1   
how can all this labor for the          
preservation and comfort of the merely  
mortal body1 this study of things which 
belong merely to the material world1    
subserve in any way the glory of ,god8  
,it is by these very toils1 worthless   
and transitory as they may seem1 that   
the ,character is built up for eternity2
 and so to build up ,character is the   
whole end for which the things of time  
were created4 ,no matter how small the  
duty intrusted to our performance1 by   
performing it to the best of our        
abilities we are fitting ourselves to be
 rulers over many things1--to hear the  
blessed proclamation1 ,well done1 good  
and faithful servant2 enter thou into   

the joy of thy ,lord4  ,we are prone1 at
 times1 to feel as though we were not   
placed in the right niche2 and that1 if 
we were differently situated1 and       
occupied with employments more worthy   
our capacities1 we should work with     
pleasure and assiduity2 but our present 
duties are so much beneath us1 it seems 
degrading to spend our time and thoughts
 upon them4 ,here is a radical error of 
judgment1 for it is not a high or low   
duty that degrades or elevates man1 but 
the performing any duty well or ill4 ,it
 is as true as it is trite1 that the    
honor or shame lies in the mode of      
performance1 not in the quality of the  
duty4 ,we all1 perhaps1 know and say1   
and yet need to be reminded1 that a bad 
president stands lower in the scale of  
being than a good town officer2 a wicked
 statesman1 let him occupy what social  
position he may1 fills a lower place    
than a conscientious slave who          
faithfully fulfils the duties of his    
station4  ,the first ,church1           

represented by ,adam1 fell because it   
ceased to look to the ,lord as the      
source of all life and light1 and looked
 only to itself for all things4 ,it thus
 lost all conception of the legitimate  
aim of life4 ,seeking only the enjoyment
 of the present moment1 labor seemed a  
dire calamity2 for the eternal end of   
labor1 that is1 the development of the  
powers of the soul1 so as best to fit it
 for the performance of heavenly uses1  
passed out of the knowledge of man1 and 
he learned to look forward to heaven as 
a place of idle enjoyment2 toiling      
sorrowfully through this world1 in the  
sweat of his face1 for bread that1 when 
attained1 gave him no true life4 ,to eat
 bread in the sweat of the face         
signifies by correspondences1 to receive
 and appropriate as good only that which
 self may call self-produced and        
self-owned2 and to turn away with       
aversion from that which is heavenly4   
,this is precisely what we all do when  
we shrink from1 or despise1 any labor   

which duty demands at our hands4 ,the   
,lord places us in that position in life
 which is best adapted to overcome the  
evil dispositions of our nature1 and to 
cultivate our souls for heaven4 ,perhaps
 we have capacities that would enable us
 to perform duties that would be        
considered by the world of a higher     
character2 but perhaps1 on the other    
hand1 we have vices that the ,lord is   
striving to overcome by placing us in   
this very position which so frets and   
disgusts us4 ,if we will but remember   
that the mercy and love of the ,lord    
strive to bless us by fitting us for    
heaven1 and not by making us eminent in 
the eyes of men1 we shall probably find 
it much easier to comprehend why we are 
placed as we are in this world4 ,when we
 torment ourselves by thinking of the   
inappropriateness of our position in    
this world1 we are always viewing our   
position with regard to this world only1
 and therefore all things are dark to   
us4 ,when we look humbly to the ,lord1  

and seek to find out the eternal ends of
 his providence in the circumstances of 
our lives1 gradually the scales pass    
from our eyes1 and at last we go in     
peace1 seeing4  ,beside the education of
 our powers and faculties1 employment is
 a blessing in helping us to bear the   
severest trials of this life4 ,when     
bereavement or disappointment overwhelms
 the soul with anguish1 so that this    
world seems only the dark habitation of 
despair2 when we cannot see the bow of  
promise in the black cloud that darkens 
our horizon2 when we feel that we are   
without ,god in the world1--and there   
are few if any human beings who have not
 found themselves at some time in such a
 state1--then1 as we hope by the grace  
of ,god ever to escape from this        
despair1 we should fly idleness as we   
would fly the dagger or the poisoned    
cup2 and though grief be tugging at the 
heart-strings1 though our eyes are      
blinded with tears1 we should set       
ourselves diligently about doing        

something that may help to make others  
happy1 and let no duty go unperformed2  
and it will not be long ere the dimmed  
eyes shall begin to see the glow of the 
sunshine above1 and the earth radiant   
with beauty below2 while1 so far from   
being deserted of ,god1 we shall feel   
that sorrow has brought us more         
distinctly than ever before into his    
presence4    ,the path of sorrow1 and   
that path alone1   ,leads to the land   
where sorrow is unknown4  ,what are the 
employments of heaven we cannot know    
with any particularity4 ,swedenborg     
tells us that the angels are constantly 
performing uses2 but what these uses are
 we are not distinctly told4 ,we know   
that they correspond in some way to the 
employments of earth2 but really to     
understand them probably transcends our 
capacities while we remain in the flesh4
 ,the conscientious performance of the  
material and finite uses of this life is
 the only means by which we can prepare 
ourselves for the spiritual and eternal 

uses pertaining to the heavenly kingdom2
 uses which probably serve to comfort1  
nourish1 and strengthen the soul in     
eternity1 as on earth the corresponding 
uses serve the wants of the body4  ,in  
the spiritual world the spiritual body  
is fed1 clothed1 and sheltered in much  
the same way1 to appearance1 as is the  
material body in the natural world2 but 
all the surroundings of the spirit      
correspond to the state of each         
individual being1 and are the direct    
gift of the ,lord4 ,all the arts and    
trades of this life do not exist in the 
other1 but as these arts and trades1 as 
well as everything else in this world1  
exist only through their correspondence 
with something in the other world1 it   
follows that all the occupations of this
 life have not similar1 but             
corresponding1 occupations in the other4
 ,the end of life in this world is to   
fit the soul for entering upon the      
heavenly life1 and the end of life in   
heaven is perpetual advancement in      

spiritual graces and perfections2 for no
 angel1 even in the highest heavens1 has
 reached a degree of perfection so high 
that he can go no further4 ,the end of  
heavenly life thus being infinite1 the  
effort and employment of that life must 
be ceaseless4 ,in speaking of ceaseless 
effort1 it must not be understood that  
this resembles at all the wearying labor
 of a slave1 or that there is anything  
oppressive or forced about its          
performance2 for this could only be     
anticipated with dread4 ,heavenly       
employment must be full of life and joy1
 bearing us upward like the wings of a  
skylark1 as he bathes in the sunlight of
 the upper ether1 and carols forth his  
joy4 ,there will undoubtedly be a       
variety1 too1 in heavenly employment1   
corresponding with our varying states1  
and making tedium impossible4 ,this may 
be illustrated by imagining what would  
be a perfect mode of spending a day in  
this world4 ,we wake in the morning     
refreshed by repose1 and as we look     

forth at the sun our spirits rejoice in 
the beauty of the wakening day1 and rise
 toward the heavenly throne in prayer   
and praise4 ,we set about the           
performance of our daily duties1 and    
,christian charity toward those for     
whose happiness or benefit1 whether     
physical or intellectual1 we exert our  
powers1 makes us faithful in whatever we
 do1 that it may be done to the best of 
our ability2 and our effort is lightened
 by the consciousness of duty done from 
pure and upright motives4 ,if we go     
forth for refreshment1 communion with   
nature and the ,god of nature fills our 
souls with peace1 while the fresh air   
gives new life to the frame4 ,when the  
duties of the day are over1 and the     
family circle collects around the       
evening lamp1 reading or conversation   
awakes the powers of the heart and the  
intellect1 and draws more closely the   
bonds of the domestic affections4 ,we   
retire for the night1 and ere composing 
ourselves to sleep1 we collect our      

thoughts1 reflect upon the events of the
 day1 examining what we have done well  
or ill1 and prepare by wise resolutions 
for future effort4 ,we slumber1 and the 
repose of all our powers renews our     
strength for the coming morrow4 ,through
 the whole of this twenty-four hours1   
employment has been constant4 ,there has
 been labor of the hands1 labor of the  
head1 conversation1 thought1 prayer1    
sleep4 ,every part of the being has been
 called into exercise2 there has been no
 weariness from labor1 and no idleness2 
but every moment of this whole day has  
added its quota towards promoting the   
growth of the whole being2 and this is a
 heavenly day4 ,the more perfectly we   
can make the occupations of our days    
thus combine for the growth of our      
being1 the better we are preparing      
ourselves for the days of heaven4  ,as  
the progress of the heavenly life will  
be infinite1 the wants of our spiritual 
natures must likewise be infinite4 ,the 
heavenly life must be a life of         

charity1--a life in which every soul    
will strive to aid every other to the   
utmost2 and the charities of heaven must
 strengthen and comfort the soul in a   
manner corresponding to the aid material
 charities effect in this world4 ,let it
 constantly be borne in mind1 that      
charities are duties well performed1 of 
whatever kind they may be1--as well the 
faithful fulfilment of an avocation as  
the aiding of a suffering fellow-being4 
,charity is but another name for duty2  
or rather duty becomes charity when we  
perform it from genuine love to the     
,lord and to the neighbor2 and whoever  
leads a life of charity in this world is
 fitting himself to perform the higher  
charities that will be required of him  
in heaven4  ,the true end and highest   
reward of labor is spiritual growth2 and
 such growth brings with it the most    
exalted happiness we are capable of     
attaining4 ,this happiness is the       
kingdom of heaven within us2 and it is  
the certain and unfailing reward1 or    

rather consequence1 of a life of true   
charity4 ,it is not difficult1 by       
intellectual thought1 to perceive the   
truth of this doctrine2 but this is not 
enough4 ,we must elevate our hearts into
 a wisdom that shall make us not only   
perceive1 but feel and love this truth4 
,until we can do this1 we do not truly  
believe1 though we may think we do4 ,if 
we fret and murmur2 if we are impatient 
and unfaithful2 if1 when we plainly see 
that our duty lies in one path1 we yet  
long to follow another2 if we know that 
we cannot leave our present position    
without dereliction from right1 and yet 
hate or despise the place in which we   
are2 if we repine because ,god does not 
give us the earthly rewards we fancy we 
deserve1 though we well know he promises
 only heavenly ones2 if we do habitually
 any or all of these things1 we may know
 that our faith is of the lip1 and not  
of the heart1--that the life of charity 
is not yet begun within us4 ,such       
repinings1 such cravings as these do not

 belong nor lead to the heavenly        
kingdom4  ,he who thinks wisely can     
never live a life of idleness1 and where
 there is excessive indolence of the    
body there is never healthy action of   
the mind4 ,a life of use is a life of   
holiness2 and a life of idleness is a   
life of sin4 ,he who performs no social 
use1 who makes no human being happier or
 better1 is leading a life of utter     
selfishness2 is walking in a way that   
ends in spiritual death4 ,in the parable
 of the sheep and the goats1 the ,king  
condemns those on the left hand1 not    
because they have done that which was   
wrong1 but because they have omitted    
doing that which was right4  ,no human  
being in possession of his mental       
faculties is so incompetent that he can 
do nothing for the benefit of those     
around him4 ,one prostrate on a bed of  
sickness might seem1 at first glance1   
incapable of performing any use2 and    
yet1 not unfrequently1 what high and    
holy lessons of patient faith1 of       

unwavering piety1 are taught by such a  
being1--lessons that can never die out  
from the memory of those who minister at
 the couch of suffering4 ,when the body 
lies powerless1 and the hand has lost   
its cunning1 when even the tongue is    
palsied in death1 how often has the eye1
 still faithful to the heavenly ,master1
 by a glance of holy peace performed the
 last act of charity to the bereaved    
ones whom it looks upon with the eye of 
flesh for the last time4 ,so long as    
life remains to us our duties are       
unfinished3 ,god yet desires our service
 on earth1 and while he desires let us  
not doubt our capacity to serve4 ,even  
for one in the solitude of a            
prison-cell1 when acts of charity become
 impossible1 the duty of labor is not   
taken away4 ,one may still work for the 
,father in ,heaven1 though sitting in   
darkness1 and with manacled limbs4 ,to  
possess the soul in patience1 to be     
meek1 forgiving1 and pious1 are duties  
amply sufficient to tax the powers of   

the strongest4 ,there is no room for    
idleness even here4  ,to work is not    
only a duty1 but a necessity of our     
nature1 and when we fancy ourselves     
idle1 we are in fact working for one    
whose wages is death4 ,the question is  
never1 ,shall we work8 but1 ,for whom   
shall we work8 ,whom shall we choose for
 our master8 and our happiness here and 
hereafter must depend on the answer we  
give to this question4 ,we may not      
deliberately put and deliberately reply 
to this question in stated words2 but   
our whole lives answer it in one        
long-continued period4 ,those who labor 
steadfastly1 with no end in view but the
 acquisition of worldly1 perishable     
advantages1 answer it fearfully2 but    
theirs is not a more desperate reply    
than comes from the idler and the       
slothful4 ,wherever there is activity   
and force there is hope2 for though now 
flowing in a wrong direction1 the stream
 may yet be diverted into channels that 
shall lead to eternal life4 ,where there

 is no activity1 where all the faculties
 of the soul are sunk in the lethargy of
 indifference1 as well may one hope to  
find living fountains gushing forth into
 fertilizing streams amid the sands of  
the ,african desert4 ,the man of science
 tells us that living springs exist     
beneath these sands1 and that artesian  
wells might bring them to the surface2  
and so in the inmost nature of man1     
however degraded he may be1 ,swedenborg 
tells us there is a shrine that cannot  
be defiled1 through which heavenly      
influences may come down into his life1 
and yet save him1 if he will receive    
them ere he passes from this world2 but 
when sloth has become habitual and      
confirmed1 there is almost as little    
room for hope that this will ever take  
place as that artesian tubes will ever  
make the ,saharan desert a region of    
fertility4  ,the kingdom of evil is     
readily attained4 ,we have but to follow
 the allurements of the passions1 and we
 shall surely find it2 we have but to   

fold our hands1 and it will come to us4 
,with the kingdom of eternal life it is 
not so4 ,that is a prize not easily won4
 ,faithful1 untiring effort1 looking    
ever toward eternal ends2 a constant    
scrutiny of motives1 that they may be   
pure and true2 an earnest1 heartfelt1   
determined devotion to the heavenly     
,master1 to whose service we have bound 
ourselves by deliberate choice1 can     
alone make sure for us what we seek4    
,for a long time this may require labor 
almost painful1 but if we persevere1 our
 affections will gradually become at one
 with our faith1 the heavenly life will 
become habitual1 so as to be almost     
instinctive2 and when the celestial     
kingdom is thus established within us1  
no place will be left for weariness1 or 
doubt1 or pain1 or fear4 ,,conversation4
  ,he who sedulously attends1 pointedly 
asks1 calmly speaks1 coolly answers1 and
 ceases when he has no more to say1 is  
in possession of some of the best       
requisites of man4--,,lavater4  ,the    

common fluency of speech1 in many men1  
and most women1 is owing to a scarcity  
of matter and a scarcity of words2 for  
whoever is master of a language1 and has
 a mind full of ideas1 will be apt1 in  
speaking1 to hesitate upon the choice of
 both2 whereas1 common speakers have    
only one set of ideas1 and one set of   
words to clothe them in2 and these are  
always ready at the mouth2 so people can
 come faster out of a church when it is 
almost empty1 than when a crowd is at   
the door4--,,swift4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,of all the       
physical powers possessed by man1 there 
is none so noble as that of speech2 none
 that distinguishes him so entirely from
 the brute2 yet how few there are who   
seem in any adequate degree to          
comprehend its power and value1 or who  
ever pause to reflect upon the          
sacrilegious abuse to which it is often 
degraded4  ,language is ,thought and    
,affection in form1 as works are        
,thought and ,affection in life4 ,by    

language we receive the word of ,divine 
,revelation1 and by language we approach
 the ,divine ,author of all things in   
prayer4 ,by language we are made happy  
in social life1 through interchange of  
thought and feeling with our            
fellow-beings4 ,by language1 man is made
 lord of the terrestrial world4 ,by     
language1 the wisdom of past ages       
becomes an inheritance for the whole    
earth1 instead of perishing with each   
possessor2 and thus man advances from   
age to age1 through the experience of   
the past1 instead of being obliged to   
work out all the wisdom he gains by his 
own individual effort4  ,this is the    
bright and beautiful side of language2  
but on the other hand is a dark and     
hideous side1 when language becomes the 
foul and poisonous medium through which 
the folly1 the vice1 and all the moral  
deformities of humanity1 are spread     
abroad through the world1 and handed    
down through the ages4 ,the same medium 
that serves as a vehicle for heavenly   

truth is the tool of the scoffing       
infidel2 it is formed into prayer by the
 saint1 and into blasphemy by the       
sinner4 ,alternately1 it serves the     
purest and holiest uses1 or the vilest  
and most atrocious abuses2 now formed to
 the sweet breathings of heavenly       
charity1 and anon to the harsh          
utterances of malignant hate4  ,these   
distinctions are wide and clear1 and    
easily perceived by the most obtuse or  
indifferent observer2 but these         
distinctly marked varieties pass into   
milder shades as they are exhibited in  
common ,conversation1 and then a nicer  
observation is needful to detect the    
varieties of hue that color language    
when used in the every-day forms of     
society4  ,the habitual use we make of  
language is the result of our own       
characters1 and it reacts upon them4 ,it
 likewise acts upon those who are about 
us with an unceasing power1 repelling or
 attracting all whom we approach4 ,every
 human being exerts a perpetual         

influence on every other human being1   
with an activity as universal as that of
 gravity in the material world2 and     
language is one of the most efficient   
means of this influence4 ,viewed in the 
light of these truths1 common           
,conversation becomes an object of      
serious consideration2 and the mode of  
sustaining it worthy of the deepest     
thought and of the most careful         
watchfulness4  ,between the malignity of
 a fiend and the charity of an angel    
there is a long interval of inclined    
plane1 and those who walk there may seem
 a company so mixed that they cannot be 
separated into two distinct bands2 but  
every individual of the throng is       
looking toward one or the other         
extremity1 and either ascending or      
descending in his course4 ,conversation 
is the outbirth of our thoughts and     
affections1 and it shows their quality  
in the most direct manner possible4     
,actions are said to speak louder than  
words1 and to the appreciation of our   

fellow-beings our lives are much truer  
and fuller expositions of our internal  
natures than our ,conversation2 but     
before ,god1 always1 and before our own 
consciences if we really look at        
ourselves1 the insincere words that     
deceive our fellow-beings stand         
unmasked1--the deformed exponents of the
 falsehood of the soul4 ,we can         
therefore understand the character of   
our neighbor better by his actions than 
by his words2 but to understand our     
neighbor is of little importance        
compared with understanding ourselves2  
and is chiefly useful because a         
comparison of individuals aids us in    
comprehending our own natures4 ,we can  
understand ourselves by our own words if
 we will take the trouble to consider   
them dispassionately1 and analyze the   
thoughts and affections whence they     
spring4  ,so little honesty is believed 
to exist in ordinary ,conversation1 that
 the saying of a witty courtier1 that   
language is the instrument whereby man  

conceals his thoughts1 has almost passed
 into a proverb4 ,the question1 in which
 direction is the man walking who wraps 
duplicity about himself as his constant 
garment1 needs no answer2 for all must  
know that the ,divine ,being1 whose form
 is truth1 hateth a lie4  ,the first    
element in ,conversation should be      
sincerity4 ,not the blunt and harsh     
sincerity sometimes met with1 which is  
made the cloak of self-esteem and       
bitterness2 for that is an evil of the  
same nature as the malice and hatred    
that show themselves in active1 outward 
injury towards the neighbor4 ,when      
excited by pride or anger1 the tongue   
needs a bridle no less than the hand2   
and when the heart can utter itself     
truly only in the forms of such         
passions1 silence is its only safeguard4
 ,in speaking of the follies or vices of
 others1 sincerity should be tempered by
 a ,christian charity1 which1 while it  
does not gloss over vice1 does not dwell
 upon it needlessly1 nor take a         

malicious pleasure in spreading it      
abroad1 nor indulge self-complacency by 
dilating upon it1 to give the idea that 
one is superior to such things4  ,if    
such motives are allowed to have sway1 a
 person soon becomes confirmed in the   
habit of gossiping1--a habit that       
degrades alike the intellect and the    
heart4 ,the soul of gossip is a         
contemptible vanity that imagines       
itself1 or at least would have others   
imagine it1 superior to all that it     
finds of evil and absurdity in the      
characters of those whom it passes in   
review4 ,a very little observation will 
serve to show any one that everybody    
sees his neighbors' faults1 while very  
few open their eyes upon their own2 and 
that not unfrequently a person condemns 
with the utmost vehemence in others     
precisely the same follies and vices in 
which he himself habitually indulges4   
,those who study their own characters   
with most care1 and who best understand 
themselves1 are apt to say least of the 

characters of their neighbors2 they find
 too much to do within themselves1 in   
curing their own defects1 to have time  
or inclination to sit in judgment upon  
the defects of others4  ,it is          
impossible to indulge habitually in this
 vice without weakening the powers of   
the intellect4 ,the heart never suffers 
alone from the indulgence of any wrong  
passion4 ,the intellect and the         
affections ever sink as well as rise    
together4 ,where the love of gossip     
becomes a confirmed habit1 the mind     
loses its power of accurately           
appreciating the value of               
,character1--of distinguishing truly    
between the good and the bad4 ,the power
 of discrimination is weakened and      
impaired1 so that no confidence can be  
placed in the opinions of the mind in   
relation to ,character or ,life4 ,in    
addition to this1 we must bear in mind  
that all the mental power we bestow in  
criticizing and ridiculing our          
fellow-beings is just so much taken from

 our mental strength1 which we might    
have applied to some useful intellectual
 exercise4 ,the strength of the mind is 
no more indefinite than that of the     
body4 ,we have but a certain limited    
amount2 and all that we apply to idle or
 bad purposes is just so much abstracted
 from the good and the useful4  ,sarcasm
 is a weapon we are almost sure to find 
constantly used by the gossip2 and      
whether it be shown in the coarse       
ridicule of the vulgar1 or the keen     
satire of the refined1 it springs ever  
from the same source1 and is directed to
 the same end2 as surely as the clumsy  
war-club of savage lands was invented   
from the same impulse and wrought with  
the same intent as the graceful blade of
 ,damascus4 ,its source is vanity1 its  
end to make self seem great by making   
others seem little4 ,it is a weapon     
that1 however skilfully wielded1 always 
cuts both ways1 wounding far more deeply
 the hand that grasps it than the victim
 it strikes4 ,of all the powers of wit1 

sarcasm is the lowest4 ,there is nothing
 easier than ridicule2 nothing requiring
 a weaker head1 or a colder heart4  ,the
 sincere lover of truth will never be   
found habitually indulging either in    
gossip or sarcasm2 for those who are    
addicted to these vices never tell a    
story simply as they heard it1 never    
relate a fact simply as it happened4 ,a 
little is added here or left out there  
to give the story a more entertaining   
turn or the satire a keener point4 ,as  
the habit grows stronger1 invention     
becomes more ready and copious1 till at 
length truth is covered up and lost     
under an accumulation of fiction4       
,there is a very common form of         
insincerity used by a class of          
well-meaning but injudicious persons1   
who1 rather than wound the feelings of  
their friends1 conceal the truth from   
them1 sometimes by prevarication and    
sometimes by positive falsehood2 doing  
wrong1 that1 as they imagine1 good may  
come of it2 as though an evil tree could

 by any possibility bear good fruit4    
,another class of persons converse as   
though the chief sin of ,conversation   
were the wounding the self-love of those
 to whom they speak1 by expressing any  
difference of opinion from them4 ,thus  
they are continually temporizing1 and   
often contradicting themselves1 and     
exhibiting a cowardly meanness of       
spirit1 which is one of the most        
contemptible of all the varied forms of 
duplicity4  ,there is a common form of  
embarrassment resulting in a hesitation 
of speech1 which often springs from a   
want of genuine sincerity4 ,the speaker 
is fancying what others will think of   
his remarks1 instead of fixing his mind 
entirely on the subject of discourse4   
,in this divided state1 his mind loses  
half its power1 and he utters himself in
 a manner satisfactory neither to       
himself nor to his hearers4 ,no doubt   
hesitation in speech sometimes arises   
from want of verbal skill2 but probably 
a very large proportion of persons      

suffering from this difficulty would    
soon cure themselves if they would      
steadfastly speak what they believe to  
be truth1 just as it rises in their     
minds1 and without stopping to think    
what will be thought of their opinions  
or words by those who listen to them4   
,next after truth1 reverence is perhaps 
most important if we would order our    
,conversation aright4 ,many indulge in a
 frivolous mode of speech in speaking of
 the most sacred subjects2 which1 though
 it may spring from nothing worse than  
thoughtlessness1 cannot fail to exert a 
baneful influence on the ,character1 and
 diminish1 perhaps destroy1 the little  
respect for things holy still cleaving  
to the heart4 ,this same irreverence    
shows itself in another form1 in        
speaking of the calamities suffered by  
others1 turning that into a jest which  
is to those under discussion cause of   
the most bitter anguish2 and though the 
speakers probably would not for any     
consideration have their words come to  

the ears of those spoken of1 they still 
do not hesitate to make food for mirth  
out of death or sin1 poverty or         
misfortune1 in a way little short of    
inhuman4 ,the indulgence of this habit  
falls back upon the soul of the         
perpetrator1 wounding deeply1 if it does
 not kill1 all the finer sensibilities  
of the nature2 drying up the fountains  
of sympathy1 and making the heart hard  
and callous4  ,akin to reverence1 and   
probably springing from it1 is purity2  
which shows itself by a careful         
avoidance of everything profane1        
obscene1 coarse1 or in any way offending
 delicacy1 either in word1 tone1 or     
suggestion4 ,this purity cannot be too  
much insisted upon2 for its opposite    
poisons the fountains of the heart1     
defiling the temple which should be a   
dwelling-place for the ,holy ,spirit4   
,delicacy and refinement are too often  
looked upon merely as the elegant       
ornaments of polished life4 ,they       
should1 on the contrary1 be esteemed    

essentials in the ,christian ,character2
 ,everything leaning towards profanity1 
obscenity1 or indelicacy is utterly     
incompatible with ,christian purity of  
heart4 ,low attempts at wit1 that hinge 
on vulgarity1 are a common form of this 
vice2 and those who indulge their       
propensities in this direction1 are     
laying the foundation for general       
grossness of ,character1 such as they   
would now1 perhaps1 shrink from with    
horror2 but towards which they are none 
the less surely tending4  ,we are told1 
that for every idle word we speak we    
shall give an account at the day of     
judgment2 for by our words we shall be  
justified1 and by our words we shall be 
condemned4 ,this has seemed to many a   
very hard saying1 and while some persons
 try to explain it away1 others turn    
from it as too hard either to explain or
 to receive4 ,when1 however1 we reflect 
on what words really are1 we perceive   
that this heavy accountability clings to
 them of necessity1 as effect to cause4 

,man was created the image and likeness 
of ,god1 and when we find points hard of
 comprehension in the character or      
relations of man1 we may often gain much
 light by taking a corresponding view1  
so far as our finite powers permit1 of  
the ,divine ,being4  ,the ,scriptures   
are the ,divine ,word2 that is1 the     
verbal exponent of the ,divine ,mind2   
while the world around us is the        
material exponent of the same ,mind4    
,speech and life in humanity correspond 
to these two modes of expression of the 
,divinity4 ,when imperfectly understood1
 they almost of necessity seem to       
contradict each other2 but it is only   
then4 ,the unity of the ,word and ,works
 of ,god is becoming constantly more    
apparent as man advances in the         
knowledge of both4 ,each helps to       
explain the other1 and it is only by a  
knowledge of both that the character and
 attributes of ,god can be justly       
comprehended4 ,a little consideration   
will show that the speech and life of   

man in like manner combine to exhibit   
the character and qualities of the soul 
within1--that they harmonize with each  
other1 and that therefore of necessity  
by our words no less than by our works  
we must be justified or condemned before
 the ,all-seeing ,one4  ,many suppose1  
that because we1 in our short-sighted   
views1 are so often misled by the words 
of our fellow-beings1 they are not true 
pictures of ,character4 ,we should1     
however1 remember that it is not before 
short-sighted man that we are to be     
judged by our words1 but before the     
omniscient ,god4 ,to his ear our words  
have a very different significance from 
that which they bear to our             
fellow-beings4 ,we should recollect1    
that the falsehood which may make it    
impossible for us to judge righteous    
judgment of our fellow-beings stands    
before the ,lord only as a falsehood2   
and that1 in whatever form it comes1    
from the courteous white lie--as man    
dares to call it--of polished society1  

to the double-dyed blackness of         
malignant hypocrisy1 ,god sees only the 
varying shades of dissimulation2        
springing1 in whatever form1 from a     
deep-running undercurrent of selfishness
 and worldliness4 ,we may be deceived   
into believing words are genuine when   
they are not so2 but every disingenuous 
word uttered is1 before ,god1 the image 
and likeness of the duplicity that      
reigns within4 ,to us they may seem the 
beautiful garments that envelop purity  
and truth2 but to him they are the foul 
and flimsy veils that strive to conceal 
the soul's deformity4  ,man1 in the     
pride of his artifice1 often exults     
because he has outwitted his neighbor by
 his lying words1 while all the time he 
has far more outwitted himself4 ,he has 
degraded his own soul1--set upon it a   
foul mark that can be washed out only by
 the bitter tears of penitence1 and yet 
holds his head aloft in fancied         
superiority over his fellows1 while     
before ,god and the angels he stands    

like ,cain1 with the mark of sin        
impressed upon his forehead4  ,that man 
should be condemned for lying words all 
will admit1 but when men converse idly1 
or without any particular thought one   
way or the other as to what they are    
saying1 they are apt to suppose that no 
especial moral character belongs to the 
words they utter4 ,such1 however1 is far
 from the truth4 ,man is never so       
sincere as in his idle moments4 ,his    
words are then the simple outporings of 
his affections4 ,it has been often said1
 that one can always measure the        
refinement of any person by watching his
 language and deportment in his moments 
of sportiveness4 ,it is quite as easy to
 judge of other traits of ,character    
when the mind is thrown off its guard at
 such moments4 ,idle words1 more        
apparently than any other1 are genuine  
manifestations of ,character4 ,it is in 
them that the heart1 out of its         
abundance1 speaketh4 ,the ,conversation 
of a true ,christian is characterized in

 his hours of gayety1 no less than at   
other times1 by truth tempered with     
love1 made clear and steadfast by       
simplicity1 and clothed with reverence  
and purity4  ,the trait of ,conversation
 we would next consider is              
courtesy1--,christian courtesy4 ,this is
 nothing more nor less than carrying out
 the law of charity2 the doing as we    
would be done by4 ,it is to recognize   
the fact that others have a right to    
talk as well as ourselves2 and also a   
right to expect us to listen to what    
they say as attentively and respectfully
 as we would wish them to listen to us4 
,we should not merely hold our tongues  
when others speak1 but should           
scrupulously attend to what they say4 ,a
 person who affects politeness1 although
 he remains silent while another speaks1
 yet does so with an air that plainly   
shows he is paying no attention to what 
is said1 and is waiting with impatience 
for the moment when he can hear himself 
talk4 ,this sort of listening is a mere 

pretence put on by the conceited and    
overbearing when they wish to pass for  
persons of polite manners2 but in       
reality it is an insult rather than a   
courtesy to listen in this way4 ,to     
listen with true courtesy1 one should   
feel and show1 not only a willingness1  
but a desire to know what another has to
 say1 should follow attentively all that
 he says1 and should then reply with due
 consideration for what has been said4  
,it is a remark often made1 that after  
an argument between two or more persons1
 each individual is more strongly fixed 
in his previous opinion than he was     
before4 ,this result is often consequent
 upon the want of true courtesy4 ,the   
parties to an argument1 absorbed in     
admiration of their own opinions1 seek  
not to become wiser through discourse1  
which should be the end sought in all   
,conversation of an argumentative or    
discussive character1 but seek only to  
draw attention to their own views and   
opinions2 until that which should be    

,conversation degenerates into a mere   
war of words1 in which each party       
strives to talk down1 rather than to    
convince1 the other4 ,in such wordy     
warfare charity has no part2 but pride  
and combativeness hold entire dominion  
over the soul4 ,he who comes off        
conqueror may exult in his own power2   
but he has overcome1 not because reason 
was on his side1 but because his        
combativeness was stronger than that of 
his opponent2 and he exults in that     
which is in reality his shame4 ,the     
moral and the intellectual natures      
suffer together in such contests4 ,the  
mind fastens itself upon the prejudices 
and opinions it has chanced to adopt1   
loving them merely because they are its 
own1 and seeks no longer to advance in  
the acquisition of truth2 while the     
heart1 inflated with egotism1 has no    
abiding-place for charity4 ,let charity 
rule in a discussion1 and how different 
is the result4 ,each party then strives 
to aid the other in discovering the     

truth1 and at the close of the          
,conversation each has made some advance
 in the knowledge of truth4 ,the ideas  
of both have become more clear and      
rational1 and their minds have acted    
with far more power1 because they have  
been given exclusively to the object    
under consideration instead of being    
divided between the object and          
self-love4 ,in the one case1 the parties
 are like two horses harnessed together 
contrariwise1 and each striving to go   
forward by pulling the other back2 while
 in the other1 they travel amicably and 
fleetly1 side by side1 toward the       
fountain of truth4  ,next after courtesy
 comes simplicity1 which may be defined 
as forgetfulness of self4 ,there is     
nothing more fatal to agreeable         
,conversation than thinking perpetually 
of one's self4 ,young persons1 on first 
going into society1 are very apt to fall
 into the error of supposing that all   
eyes and ears are fixed upon them1 to   
observe how awkwardly or how gracefully 

they move1 and how well or how ill they 
converse4 ,this is the result of a      
mental egotism combined with love of    
admiration1 and usually produces awkward
 diffidence or absurd affectation4 ,too 
often the first weakness is overcome1 or
 covered up1 most unwisely1 by          
exchanging bashfulness for impertinent  
boldness2 while the vanity and          
self-consciousness of the second very   
rarely result in manners or             
,conversation either sensible or        
agreeable4 ,to overcome these defects1  
wisely1 requires a strong effort4 ,they 
should be radically subdued by learning 
to ask one's self1 ,am ,i doing what is 
right and proper8 instead of1 ,what will
 people think of me8 ,it is no easy task
 to learn to do this habitually1 because
 there is involved in it a radical      
change of ,character4 ,it is to learn to
 be1 instead of to seem4 ,in the first  
state1 we are absorbed by the idea of   
what we seem to others2 while1 in the   
second state1 we are occupied with the  

idea of what we really are1 without     
regard to the opinion of anybody1 but   
guided strictly by the abstract law of  
right4 ,in the first state1 we are      
embarrassed by the complexity of our    
wishes and aims4 ,we wish to please     
everybody1 and we strive to ascertain   
what will be agreeable to the various   
tastes of those with whom we converse4  
,thus we have no constant landmark1 no  
unvarying compass to guide us on our    
way2 and we are drawn hither and        
thither1 as we try now to please one    
person and then another4 ,let our wishes
 and aims but become simple1 and we walk
 steadily and surely in the light4 ,in  
the complexity of our desires we were   
slaves2 but in their simplicity we      
become free4 ,complexity strives        
perpetually after reputation1 and is    
always advancing either in the direction
 of servility or of arrogance1 according
 as self-esteem or the love of          
admiration predominate in the mind of   
the individual2 and advancing years find

 it ever deteriorating in all the best  
elements of ,character4 ,simplicity1 on 
the contrary1 deals with what is1 and   
not with what seems to be1 and is ever  
seeking growth in goodness and truth2   
and therefore each added year finds it  
growing in all the graces of improving  
manhood or womanhood4 ,complexity grows 
old in mind no less than in body4 ,its  
moral being is scarred and wrinkled by  
selfishness and worldliness1 and its    
intellect dried up and withered by      
narrow views and unworthy aims4 ,in its 
old age there is nothing genial or      
lovely1 and in its death one could      
almost believe that soul as well as body
 perishes4 ,simplicity improves in mind 
as it grows old in body4 ,there are no  
wrinkles on the brow of its sunny       
spirit2 there is no withering of its    
intellect4 ,its life1 in time1 is a     
perpetual advance in all that is        
gracious and intelligent1--a steady     
ripening for eternity1--and its death is
 but a birth into a fuller and more     

perfect life4  ,in ,conversation1       
complexity adapts itself artfully to    
others1 in order to gratify its own     
selfishness4 ,it humors the selfishness 
and whims of those to whom it speaks1 in
 order to gain consideration from them1 
or to make use of them in some way for  
its own advancement4  ,simplicity1 on   
the contrary1 adapts itself artlessly to
 others1 because it is full of charity2 
and therefore desires to make others    
happy4 ,its words are the overflow of   
genial thought and kindly affection2 and
 all hearts that hold aught in common   
with it open and expand before its      
influences as plants start at the touch 
of spring4 ,it is not so much the words 
uttered that produce this effect1 as the
 pleasant and kindly way in which they  
are said2 for this throws a grace and an
 attractive charm about the most        
commonplace objects of its              
,conversation4  ,intellectual brilliancy
 in ,conversation dazzles and delights  
the imagination2 but it does not touch  

the heart4 ,simplicity1 on the contrary1
 always impresses itself upon our       
feelings with a power that is all the   
more strong because we cannot analyze it
 by our intellect4 ,we talk with a      
person of simplicity about the common   
occurrences of the day1 and find        
ourselves1 we know not why1 more gentle1
 refined1 and happy than we were before4
 ,we are refreshed as by drinking from a
 pure and undefiled fountain of sweet   
waters2 refreshed as mere intellectual  
power cannot refresh us2 refreshed as no
 book can refresh us4 ,there is a       
harmonious completeness in the whole    
being of simplicity1 a directness and   
honesty in all it says and does1 a grace
 beyond the reach of art1 in all its    
manifestations more potent1 because more
 internal in its effects1 than anything 
can ever be that is born merely of the  
intellect4 ,there is no affectation1 no 
straining for effect in simplicity4 ,all
 is natural and genuine with it4 ,its   
wit is never forced1 its wisdom is never

 stilted2 nor is either ever dragged in 
for mere display4 ,with the simple1     
,conversation is like a brook flowing   
through a beautiful country1 and        
reflecting the varied scenes through    
which it passes in all their grace and  
beauty4  ,another important trait in    
,conversation is the correct use of     
words2 and the effort after this cannot 
fail to exert a beneficial influence on 
the mental powers4 ,in order to speak   
correctly1 one must observe with        
accuracy and think with justness2 the   
endeavor to do this increases our love  
for the truth and our capacity for      
perceiving it4 ,much of the falsehood in
 the world is the result of carelessness
 in observation or phraseology4 ,we     
often hear two persons give an account  
of something they have seen or heard1   
and are surprised at the discrepancies  
between the two narrations4 ,probably   
neither person intended to deceive2 but 
both saw or heard carelessly1 and so are
 incompetent to describe accurately2 and

 probably1 also1 neither has cultivated 
the habit of speaking correctly1 as that
 habit is not apt to be found united    
with carelessness of observation4 ,such 
persons would1 perhaps1 look upon this  
sort of carelessness as a venial        
offence2 but it is not so4 ,anything    
that interferes with1 or diminishes the 
capacity for1 perceiving or speaking the
 truth is of importance1 and should     
never be passed over lightly4 ,god is   
truth no less than love1 and every      
variation from the truth is a sin       
against him4  ,if we find we have       
related any fact or described any object
 incorrectly1 it is not enough that we  
apologize for the error by saying we    
though it was so4 ,such an error should 
impress us as a thing to be repented of1
 and we should try to ascertain why and 
how it was that we fell into it1 and it 
should put us on our guard2 that we may 
be more accurate in future4  ,inaccuracy
 of speech often arises from a desire to
 tell a good story1 resulting from the  

love of admiration or from an           
ill-trained imagination4 ,the speaker   
colors1 exaggerates1 and distorts       
everything he relates1 carefully        
conceals all the facts on one side of a 
question1 and enlarges upon those of the
 opposite side with compensating        
fulness4 ,it is no uncommon thing to see
 this carried to such an extent that it 
is idle to give credence to anything the
 person says2 the more especially as    
such a person very rarely stops with    
mere distortion of the facts of a story4
 ,as the habit increases1 invention     
supplies new facts and details to make  
out all the parts desired1 till the     
listener finds it impossible to separate
 the true from the false1 and the       
speaker is as unable to distinguish his 
own inventions from the original facts2 
for when the habit of speaking the truth
 is neglected1 the capacity for         
perceiving it is gradually lost4  ,in an
 intellectual point of view1 the correct
 use of words is of the utmost          

importance1 if one would speak well4 ,to
 attain this1 it is necessary to have a 
distinct idea of the meaning of words1  
and then to endeavor to use such words  
as truly express the ideas of the mind4 
,the use of pet phrases and words is    
entirely at war with correctness in this
 respect4 ,with some persons1 everything
 is pretty1 from ,niagara ,falls to the 
last new ribbon2 while others find1 or  
rather make1 everything nice1 splendid1 
or glorious4 ,it would be esteemed an   
insult to the understanding of any      
person to suppose that the same idea or 
emotion could be aroused in his mind by 
the sight of the sublimest work of      
nature as by a trifling article of      
dress2 yet if he use the same term to   
describe it in each instance1 he        
certainly lays himself open to such an  
imputation4 ,want of thorough education 
is an inadequate excuse for follies of  
this sort1 because common sense combined
 with far less knowledge than may be    
acquired in a common school is more than

 sufficient to enable every one to use  
his native tongue with sufficient       
propriety to save him from being        
ridiculous4  ,there is one specious gift
 which is almost sure to mislead those  
who are largely endowed with it1 and    
that is fluency4 ,we listen with pain to
 one who speaks hesitatingly and with   
difficulty1 and who is obliged to search
 his memory for words that will         
correctly represent his thoughts2 but   
if1 when the words come1 we find they   
really tells us something worth waiting 
for1 we feel far less weariness than in 
following the unhesitating flow of words
 that are but empty sound4 ,there is    
always peculiar ease and pleasure in the
 exercise of a natural talent1 and those
 naturally possessed of fluency must of 
course find it hard to restrain the tide
 of words that is perpetually flowing up
 to the lips2 but if they desire to     
converse agreeably1 the effort must be  
made1 and self-denial must be attained4 
,the benefit derived by an over-fluent  

talker from self-restraint will be quite
 commensurate with the effort1 no less  
than with the added pleasure of the     
listener1 for he will gain in the power 
of accurate thought every time that he  
resists the inclination to utter an     
unmeaning sentence4  ,a clear and       
distinct utterance is another faculty   
that should be cultivated1 for the      
effect of an otherwise interesting      
conversation may be seriously impaired1 
and perhaps destroyed1 by a slovenly or 
indistinct articulation4 ,every word and
 syllable should receive its due        
quantity of sound1 yet without drawling 
or stiffness2 while the voice should be 
so modulated as to be heard without     
effort1 and yet the opposite fault of   
speaking too loud is avoided4  ,correct 
pronunciation is a very desirable       
accomplishment1 though somewhat         
difficult to attain in its details1     
authorities are so various2 but probably
 the most comprehensive rule that can be
 observed is1 as far as possible to     

avoid provincialisms4 ,a person's       
pronounciation can hardly be elegant if 
it reveal at once of what ,state or city
 he is a native2 while freedom from     
local peculiarities is of itself a      
promise of good pronunciation1 as it    
shows either that the individual has    
taken pains to weed out such            
peculiarities1 or that he has been bred 
among those who have done so4 ,the      
pronunciation of the best scholars in   
every part of our country is very       
similar1 while the difference becomes   
more and more strongly marked between   
the inhabitants of the various ,states  
of the ,union as we descend in the scale
 of education4  ,finally1 do not fear to
 be silent when you have nothing to say4
 ,do not talk for the mere sake of      
talking4 ,to sit silently and           
abstractedly1 as if one were among but  
not of the company in which one may     
chance to be1 is discourteous2 because  
it implies a fancied superiority1 or an 
unkind indifference4 ,good manners      

require that in company one should be   
alive to what is going on1 but this does
 not imply the necessity of always      
talking4 ,there is1 almost always1 in a 
mixed company1 some ,conversation to    
which a third person may listen without 
intrusion2 but if this should not happen
 to be the case1 it is far better to    
wait until something occurs that gives  
one an opportunity of talking to some   
rational purpose1 than to insist that   
one's tongue shall incessantly utter    
articulate sounds whether the brain give
 it anything to say or no4 ,this sort of
 purposeless talking exerts a positively
 injurious influence upon the mind1 by  
leading it into the too common error of 
mistaking sound for sense1 words for    
ideas4  ,before quitting this important 
subject1 there is a general view to be  
taken of it in its universal bearings   
upon ,character1 which places it among  
the most important branches of a wise   
education4  ,the true signification of  
education1 according to one derivation  

of the word1 is the bringing or leading 
out of the faculties4 ,the best educated
 person is not he who has stored up in  
his memory the greatest number of facts1
 but he whose faculties have become most
 strengthened and perfected by what he  
has learned4  ,there are several studies
 pursued in our schools and colleges1   
such as ,greek1 ,latin1 and             
,mathematics1 rather because they are   
looked upon as a kind of gymnastics1    
whereby the mental faculties in general 
are educated1 or developed and          
invigorated1 than because they bring a  
direct practical benefit to life2 for of
 the numbers who exercise their         
faculties upon them1 while in the       
schools1 not one in ten makes any direct
 use of them afterwards4 ,these studies 
require expensive books and teachers1   
and a greater amount of time than can be
 given by the majority of men and women2
 and moreover they cultivate the        
intellect without doing anything for the
 heart4 ,without in any degree          

questioning or undervaluing the great   
and varied benefit derived to the mind  
from these studies in added accuracy1   
strength1 and richness1 there is still  
room for wonder that ,conversation1 both
 as a science and an art1 has no place  
in our systems of education2 since its  
practice is a daily necessity to all1   
while its power1 when wielded with      
skill1 is second to none other that is  
brought to bear upon the social circle4 
,our young girls are nearly all of them 
taught music with great expenditure of  
money1 time1 and labor2 but whether we  
look to the cultivation of actual       
talent1 to the improvement of           
,character1 or to accomplishment as a   
means of making ourselves agreeable in  
society1 how profitably could a part of 
this time and labor be employed in      
acquiring the power and the habit of    
accurate language1 agreeable modulation1
 distinct utterance1 and courteous      
attention2 and it can hardly be doubted 
that a person who possesses the power of

 conversing well finds and gives more   
pleasure in society than a person       
skilled to an equal degree in music4    
,conversation has1 indeed1 this         
advantage over all school studies2 in   
order to obtain its best requisites no  
books are needed beyond such as are     
accessible to all1 while its best       
teachers are the suggestions of common  
sense1 and the conscientious love of the
 true and the good4 ,still1 there are   
few persons whose efforts would not be  
crowned with a higher success if aided  
by the criticism and the guidance of a  
competent instructor4 ,those who are    
competent to self-instruction in this1  
as in all other accomplishments1 are    
exceptional examples1 and it may be     
doubted if even these might not have    
reached a higher excellence1 aided by   
the suggestions of another mind4        
,properly cultivated1 ,conversation     
would have an influence in developing   
the whole being1 of a kind and degree   
that could hardly be over-estimated4 ,in

 its exercise1 ,thought and ,affection  
have full play1 while all the stores of 
,memory and the wealth of ,imagination  
find ample field for display4           
,conversation is so comprehensive in its
 manifestations and necessities1 that it
 can reach its perfection only through  
the development of the whole being1     
moral as well as intellectual2 and it   
will constantly become more finished in 
proportion as this development becomes  
more complete4 ,its universality1 its   
hourly necessity1 should impress us with
 its value2 for the mercy of the ,lord1 
as it gives light and air1 sunshine and 
shower1 seedtime and harvest1 in short1 
all the essentials of physical          
development to the whole human race1 so 
it supplies to all the power and the    
essential means for disciplining and    
cultivating the whole ,character4       
,,manners   ,there is something higher  
in ,politeness than ,christian moralists
 have recognized4 ,in its best forms1 as
 a simple1 out-going1 all-pervading     

spirit1 none but the truly religious man
 can show it2 for it is the sacrifice of
 self in the little habitual matters of 
life1--always the best test of our      
principles1--together with a respect1   
unaffected1 for man1 as our brother     
under the same grand destiny4--,c4 ,l4  
,,brack4  ,manners are what vex or      
soothe1 corrupt or purify1 exalt or     
debase1 barbarize or refine us1 by a    
constant1 steady1 uniform1 insensible   
operation1 like that of the air we      
breathe in4--,,burke4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,manners 
are the most external manifestation by  
which men display their individual      
peculiarities of mind and heart2 and    
unless used artificially to conceal the 
true ,character1 they form a transparent
 medium through which it is exhibited4  
,it has been sarcastically asserted1    
that few persons exist who can afford to
 be natural2 and it is probable that if 
the human race were to allow their      
manners to be perfectly natural2 that   

is1 were they to allow all the passions 
of the soul to display themselves       
without restraint in their manners1     
social intercourse would become         
insupportable4 ,among the merely        
worldly1 the difference between an      
ill-bred and a well-bred person is that 
the former displays his discomfort1     
ill-humor1 or selfishness in his        
,manners1 while the latter conceals them
 all under a veil of suavity and        
kindness4 ,selfishness prompts the one  
to be rude1 and the other to be         
hypocritical1 and each is alike unworthy
 of commendation4  ,manners are the     
garments of the spirit2 the external    
clothing of the being1 in which         
,character ultimates itself4 ,if the    
,character be simple and sincere1 the   
,manners will be at one with it2 will be
 the natural outbirth of its traits and 
peculiarities4 ,if it be complex and    
self-seeking1 the ,manners will be      
artificial1 affected1 or insincere4     
,some persons make up1 put on1 take off1

 alter1 or patch their ,manners to suit 
times and seasons1 with as much         
facility1 and as little apparent        
consciousness of duplicity1 as if they  
were treating their clothes in like     
fashion4 ,if an individual of this class
 is going to meet company with whom he  
wishes to ingratiate himself1 he puts on
 his most polished ,manners1 as a matter
 of course1 just as he puts on his best 
clothes2 and when he goes home1 he puts 
them off again for the next important   
occasion4 ,for home use1 or for         
associating with those about whose      
opinion he is indifferent1 no matter how
 rude the ,manners1 or how uncared for  
the costume4 ,perhaps the rudeness may  
chance to come out in some overt act    
that will not bear passing over in      
silence1 and then the perpetrator utters
 an excuse me1 that reminds one of a    
bright new patch set upon an old faded  
garment4 ,not that such a patch is      
unworthy of respect when worn by honest 
poverty1 and set on with a neatness that

 makes it almost ornamental4 ,this is   
like the excuse me of a truly1 well-bred
 man1 apologizing for an offence he     
regrets2 while the excuse me of the     
habitually rude man is like the botched 
patch of the sloven or the beggar1 who  
wears it because the laws of the land   
forbid nakedness4  ,the fine lady of    
this class may be polished to the last  
degree1 when arrayed in silks and laces 
she glides over the rich carpets of the 
drawing-room2 and yet1 with her servants
 at home1 she is possibly less the lady 
than they2 or worse still1 this fine    
lady1 married1 perhaps1 to a fine       
gentleman of a character similar to her 
own1 in the privacy of domestic life    
carries on a civil war with him1 in     
which all restraint of courtesy is set  
aside4  ,there is so much undeniable    
hypocrisy in the high-bred courtesy of  
polished society1 that among many       
religious persons there has come to be  
an indifference1 nay1 almost an         
opposition1 to ,manners that savor of   

elegance or courtliness4 ,if1 however1  
,christian charity reign within1        
rudeness or indifference cannot reign   
without4 ,one may as well look for a    
healthy physical frame under a skin     
revolting from disease1 as for a healthy
 moral frame under ,manners rude and    
discourteous2 for ,manners indicate the 
moral temperament quite as accurately as
 the physical temperament is revealed by
 the complexion4 ,selfishness and       
arrogance of disposition express        
themselves in indifferent1 rude1 or     
overbearing ,manners2 while vanity and  
insincerity are outwardly fawning and   
sycophantic4 ,if ,christian charity     
reign in the heart1 it can fitly express
 itself only in ,manners of refinement  
and courtesy2 and the ,christian should 
not be unwilling to wear such ,manners  
in all sincerity1 because the worlding  
assumes them to serve his purposes of   
selfishness4 ,worldly wisdom ever pays  
,virtue the compliment of imitation2 but
 that is no good reason why ,virtue     

should hesitate to appear like herself4 
,the best ,manners possible are the     
simple bringing down of the perfect law 
of charity into the most external       
ultimates of social life4 ,until        
,character tends at all times1 and in   
all places1 and towards all persons1 to 
ultimate itself in ,manners of thorough 
courtesy1 it is not building itself upon
 a sure foundation4 ,the ultimates of   
all things serve as their basis and     
continent2 therefore must true charity  
of heart be built upon and contained    
within true charity of ,manner4  ,when  
we are in doubt regarding the value of  
any particular trait of ,character1 we  
can generally find the solution of our  
difficulty by working out an answer to  
the question1 ,how does it affect our   
usefulness in society8 ,there are three 
modes in which we express ourselves     
towards those with whom we come in      
contact in the family and social        
relations of life1--,action1            
,conversation1 and ,manners4 ,the       

importance of ordering the first two of 
these expressions aright can hardly be  
doubted by any thinking being2 but that 
conscience has anything to do with      
,manners would probably be questioned by
 many4 ,let us ascertain the moral      
bearing of ,manners by the test just    
indicated4  ,what effect have our       
,manners upon our usefulness as social  
beings8 ,conversation is in general the 
expression of our thoughts2 much more   
seldom do we express our affections in  
words4 ,manners1 on the contrary1 are   
the direct expression of our affections4
 ,they are to ,action what tone is to   
,conversation4 ,many persons may be     
found who make use of falsehood in their
 ,conversation1 but very few who can lie
 in the tones of their voice4 ,so many  
persons can act hypocritically1 but     
there are comparatively few whose       
,manners are habitually deceitful4 ,our 
words and actions are more easily under 
our control than our tones and manners2 
because the former are more the result  

of ,thought1 while the latter are almost
 entirely the result of ,affection4     
,although few persons are distinctly    
aware of this difference1 every one is  
powerfully affected by it4 ,there is no 
physical quality more powerful to       
attract or to repel than the tones of   
the voice2 and this power is all the    
stronger because both parties are       
usually unconscious of it2 and so       
mutually act and are acted upon1 simply 
and naturally1 without effort or        
resistance4 ,thus conversation often    
owes its effect less to the words used  
than to the tones in which they are     
uttered4 ,an unpalatable truth may come 
without exciting any feeling of         
irritation or opposition from one who   
speaks with a tone of voice expressive  
of the benevolent affections1 and       
produce much good2 while the very same  
words1 uttered in a tone of asperity or 
bitterness1 may exasperate the hearer1  
and be productive only of harm4 ,it has 
already been said1 that ,manners bear   

the same relation to life that tone     
bears to conversation2 and a good life  
loses great portion of the power it     
might exert over those who come within  
the influence of its sphere if it       
ultimate itself in ungracious or        
repulsive ,manners4 ,in the old ,english
 writers we often find persons          
characterized as ,christian gentlemen or
 ,christian ladies2 and courtesy seems  
formerly to have been clearly understood
 to be a ,christian virtue4 ,our        
conflict with1 and our escape from1 the 
aristocracy and privileges of rank of   
older nations has caused a reaction1 not
 only against them1 but also against the
 external politeness which was connected
 with them1 and which was1 and is too   
often1 though certainly not always1     
false and hypocritical2 and thus the    
growth of republican principles has had 
the effect to diminish the respect once 
entertained for good ,manners1 and the  
mass of our countrymen seem to look upon
 politeness as an antiquated remnant of 

a past age1 which the present has       
outgrown as entirely as wigs and        
hoop-petticoats4 ,it is1 however1 a     
curious feature in the change1 that at  
no previous time have the titles of     
gentleman and lady been so universally  
and pertinaciously assumed as at the    
present4 ,the rudest even are resentful 
at being called simply men or women1    
while they unconsciously show the       
weakness of their claim to a higher     
title by denying it to those who they   
assume are no better than themselves4   
,the often-repeated anecdote of the     
,yankee stage-driver who asked of the   
,duke of ,saxe ,weimer1 ,are you the man
 that wants an extra coach8 and on being
 answered in the affirmative1 said1     
,then ,i am the gentleman to drive you1 
is an illustration of what is going on  
continually around us4 ,a large         
proportion of the members of one half of
 society stands in perpetual fear that  
those in the other half do not esteem   
them gentlemen and ladies2 and yet it   

seldom seems to occur to them to        
substantiate their claim to the coveted 
title by that cultivation of good       
,manners1 which can alone make it theirs
 of right4  ,the artificial ,manners and
 laws of social life are so overloaded  
with conventionalisms1 and a knowledge  
of these is so often made a test of     
good-breeding1 that much confusion of   
opinion exists regarding the requisites 
that constitute the true gentleman and  
lady4 ,these titles belong to something 
real1 something not dependent on the    
knowledge and practice of               
conventionalisms that change with every 
changing season1 but to substantial     
qualities of ,character which are the   
same yesterday1 to-day1 and to-morrow4  
,the foundation of good ,manners is the 
sincere acknowledgment that we are all  
children of one great family1 all one   
band of brothers1 each having a right to
 receive from the rest all the          
consideration and forbearance that can  
be given him without diminishing the    

portion that belongs to the others4 ,the
 rich complain of the envy and jealousy 
of the poor1 and the poor murmur because
 of the arrogance and haughtiness of the
 rich2 yet if those among the two       
classes who are guilty of these vices   
were to change positions1 they would    
change vices too2 for arrogance in the  
possessor and envy towards the possessor
 of wealth are but differing phases of a
 love for wealth based on the love for  
that consideration in society which it  
gives1 and not for the power it yields  
of added usefulness4  ,the ill-bred     
fashionist sails haughtily into the shop
 where she obtains materials for her    
adornment1 and with a supercilious air  
purchases her ribbons and laces of a    
sulky girl1 who revenges herself for not
 being able to wear the costly gauds by 
treating as rudely as she dares the     
customer who can2 and as they look upon 
each other1 the one with scorn1 and the 
other with envious hate1 we see in both 
only the very same littleness of        

feminine vanity1 which in its           
narrow-minded silliness believes that   
the first requisite of a lady is costly 
garments4  ,it would be a great mistake 
to suppose that in our higher society   
there are no good ,manners1 none that   
are really good in essence and purpose1 
as well as in form2 and it would be an  
equal mistake to suppose1 that in all   
society of lower caste there is either a
 want of true refinement or an envy and 
distrust of all that is above it2 but it
 is also true that there is a magic     
circle known as genteel1 and a perpetual
 antagonism prevails here between those 
who are within and those who desire     
admittance1 but are refused2 as there   
are literary circles where contentions  
and envyings arise between pedantic     
scholarship and assuming ignorance4     
,the ill-breeding so often complained of
 in the intercourse between the         
different classes of society1 and by    
none more indignantly than those who    
exercise it most1 results from the      

factitious value set upon the externals 
of life by those who estimate them in   
proportion as they give distinction     
among men1 and not as they increase the 
means of happiness and usefulness in    
this world1 and so prepare us for the   
usefulness and happiness of the world to
 come4  ,those among the poor1 the      
ignorant1 and the vulgar1 whose hearts  
are burning with envy and hatred2 and   
those among the rich1 the learned1 and  
the fashionable1 who are rendered       
arrogant and supercilious by their      
possessions1 are alike unconscious of   
the true worth of the blessings that    
excite the covetousness of the one class
 and the exultation of the other4 ,each 
party values man for his possessions1   
and not for the use that he makes of    
them2 for what he has1 and not for what 
he is4 ,where this is the case1 mutual  
aversion ultimating itself on both sides
 in acts of discourtesy1 will ever keep 
alive a spirit of antagonism among the  
various classes of society2 and this    

will disappear in proportion as society 
becomes sufficiently ,christianized to  
perceive and acknowledge that every     
human being is worthy of respect so far 
as he fulfils the duties of his station2
 and that we cannot be discourteous even
 towards the evil and the unfaithful1   
without indulging feelings of pride and 
disdain that are incompatible with      
,christian meekness4  ,in the social    
intercourse of equals1 and in domestic  
life1 ill-temper1 selfishness1 and      
indifference1 which is a negative form  
of selfishness1 are the principal       
sources of ill-breeding4 ,where the     
external forms of courtesy are not      
observed in the family circle1 we are   
almost sure to find perpetually         
recurring contention and bickering4     
,rudeness is a constant source of       
irritation2 because1 however little the 
members of a family regard politeness1  
each will have his own way of being     
rude1 and each will probably be         
disgusted or angry at some portion of   

the ill-breeding of all the rest4       
,rudeness is always angular1 and its    
sharp corners produce discomfort        
whenever they come in contact with a    
neighbor4 ,politeness presents only     
polished surfaces1 and not only never   
intrudes itself upon a neighbor1 but is 
rarely obtruded upon2 for there is no   
way so effectual of disarming rudeness  
as by meeting it with thorough          
politeness2 for the rude man can fight  
only with his own weapons4              
,indifference of ,manner exhibits a     
disregard for the comfort and pleasure  
of those around us1 which1 though not so
 obtrusive as rudeness1 shows an egotism
 of disposition incompatible with       
brotherly love4 ,if we love our neighbor
 as ourself1 we cannot habitually forget
 his existence so far as to annoy him by
 neglecting to perform1 the common      
courtesies of life towards him1 or      
interfere with what he is doing by not  
perceiving that we are in his way4  ,if 
we would be thoroughly well-bred1 we    

must be so constantly4 ,it is not very  
difficult to distinguish in society     
between those whose manners are assumed 
for the occasion and those who wear them
 habitually4 ,the former are apt to     
forget themselves occasionally1 or they 
overact their part1 or if they succeed  
in sustaining a perfect elegance of     
deportment that is really pleasing as an
 effort of art1 they always want the    
grace of naturalness and simplicity     
which belongs to the ,manners of those  
who have made courtesy and refinement   
their own by loving them4 ,it is only   
when we act as we love to act1 that our 
,manners are truly our own4 ,if we      
cultivate the external forms of         
politeness from an indirect motive1 that
 is1 from the love of approbation1 or   
from pride of character1 it is the      
reward we love1 and not the virtue2 and 
if we gain this reward1 it is only      
external and perishable2 and is of no   
benefit to our character1 but the       
reverse1 for it ministers only to our   

pride4 ,if1 on the contrary1 we         
cultivate politeness with simplicity1   
because we believe it to be a virtue1   
and love it for its own sake1 we are    
sure of the reward of an added grace of 
character1 which can never be taken from
 us1 because it is a part of ourselves2 
and though we may enjoy the external    
rewards if they come1 we shall not be   
disturbed if they do not2 because these 
were not the motives that induced our   
efforts4  ,politeness1 where it is loved
 and cultivated with simplicity for its 
own sake1 gives a repose and ease of    
action to the moral being which may be  
compared to the comfort and satisfaction
 resulting to the physical frame from   
habits of personal cleanliness4 ,the    
moral tone is elevated and refined by   
the one1 as the animal functions are    
purified and renewed by the other4  ,as 
in civil life liberty to the whole      
results from the subjection of the evil 
passions of all to legal enactments1 so 
in social life every individual is free 

and at ease in proportion as all the    
rest are subject to the laws of         
courtesy4 ,ease and freedom are the     
result of order1 and it is as incorrect 
to call rude ,manners free and easy1 as 
to call licentiousness liberty4 ,no man 
is truly free who allows his sphere of  
life to impinge upon that of his        
neighbor4 ,fluids are said to move      
easily because each particle is without 
angular projections that prevent it from
 gliding smoothly with or by its        
companions2 and in like manner the ease 
of society depends on the polish of each
 individual4 ,if the units of society   
seek their own selfish indulgence1      
without regard to the rights of the     
neighbor1 the whole must form a mass of 
grating atoms in which no one can be    
free1 or at ease4  ,indifference1       
ill-temper1 selfishness1 envy and       
arrogance1 all positive vices1 are the  
characteristics that ultimate themselves
 in ill-manners4 ,rudeness is1 as it    
were1 the offensive odor exhaled from   

the corrupt fruit of an evil tree2 and  
he who would be a branch of the true    
vine must remember1 whenever he is      
tempted to do a rude thing1 that he will
 never yield to such temptation unless  
there is hidden somewhere upon his      
branch fruit that should be cut off and 
cast into the fire4  ,the ,christian    
gentleman and lady are such because they
 love their neighbor as themselves2 and 
to be a thorough ,christian without     
being a gentleman or lady is impossible4
 ,wherever we find the rich without     
arrogance1 and the poor without envy1   
the various members of society          
sustaining their mutual relations       
without suspicion or pretension1 the    
family circle free from rivalry1        
fault-finding1 or discord1 we shall find
 nothing ungentle1 for there the spirit 
of ,christianity reigns4 ,he who is pure
 in heart can never be vulgar in speech1
 and he who is meek and loving in spirit
 can never be rude in manner4           
,,companionship4     ,learn to admire   

rightly2 the great pleasure of life is  
that4 ,note what   the great men        
admired2 they admired great things3     
narrow spirits admire   basely1 and     
worship meanly4--,,thackeray4           
,according to the temper and spirit by  
which it is influenced1 prayer   opens  
or shuts the kingdom of life and peace  
on the soul of the   supplicant1        
elevating him either to a closer        
conjunction with the ,lord   and his    
angelic kingdom1 or plunging him into a 
more deplorable depth   of separation1  
by immersing him into association with  
the lost   spirits of                   
darkness4--,,clowes4           99       
99       99       99       99  ,man was 
not born to live alone1 and it is only  
in and through the relations of the     
family and the social circle that the   
better parts of his nature can be       
developed4 ,solitude is good            
occasionally1 and they who fly from it  
entirely can hardly attain to any high  
degree of spiritual growth2 but still in

 all useful solitude there must be a    
recognition of some being beside self4  
,he who turns to solitude only to brood 
over thoughts of self1 soon becomes a   
morbid egoist1 and it is only when we   
study in solitude in order to make our  
social life more wise and true that our 
solitary hours are blessed4  ,man really
 alone is something we can hardly       
imagine4 ,he becomes cognizable almost  
entirely through his relations with ,god
 and with his fellow-men4 ,heathen      
philosophy sought to make man wise by   
withdrawing him from the passions and   
affections that move him when associated
 with his fellow-men1 in order that he  
might devote himself to the study of    
abstract truth4 ,christian philosophy   
teaches that truth owes its sanctity to 
the ,divine ,love1 which alone gives it 
,life2 and that by leading a life of    
love we acquire the power of            
understanding the truth4 ,philosophy is 
a dead abstraction until piety and      
charity fill it with the breath of life4

  ,the offices of piety belong in great 
part to solitude1 and the offices of    
charity to society2 but the principle of
 ,companionship is involved in both2 for
 piety associates us with ,god as       
charity associates us with man4  ,all   
,companionship involves the idea of both
 giving and receiving4 ,in the offices  
of piety1 in proportion as we give a    
worship that is earnest and heartfelt1  
is the warmth and clearness of the      
influx of heavenly love and wisdom that 
we receive4 ,in the offices of charity1 
our love is warmed and our wisdom       
enlightened in proportion as we         
disinterestedly seek the true happiness 
of those whose lives come within the    
sphere of our influence1 guided1 not by 
blind instinct1 but by an enlightened   
,christianity4 ,thus the quality and    
quantity of what we receive from        
,companionship depends on the quality   
and quantity of what we give4  ,there is
 no surer test of ,character than the   
,companionship we habitually seek2 for  

we always prefer the society of those   
who administer to our dominant love4    
,some seek the society of their         
superiors1 others of their equals1 and  
others1 again1 of their inferiors2 and  
the members of each class are actuated  
in their choice by very various motives4
 ,thus1 among the first class are found 
the ambitious1 who seek their superiors 
because they fancy themselves elevated  
by the reflection of the attributes they
 admire2 the proud1 who fancy themselves
 degraded by association with their     
inferiors2 and the humble1 who seek to  
be advanced in goodness1 in knowledge1  
or in refinement through intercourse    
with those who excel4 ,on the other hand
 are those who seek their inferiors from
 the vanity that demands admiration as  
its daily food1 or the pride that feels 
itself oppressed in the presence of a   
superior1 or the philanthropy that loves
 to give of its stores to those less    
endowed than itself4 ,the middle class  
may be actuated in their choice by the  

love of sympathy in their pursuits1 or  
by a kind of indolence that is disturbed
 by whatever differs much from itself4  
,there is less purpose and vitality in  
this class than in either of the others2
 but merely a desire to float with the  
surrounding current1 whithersoever it   
may tend4  ,the constituents of society 
are so varied in quality1 that it would 
be very difficult for any one to        
associate exclusively with a particular 
class2 and it may be doubted if we have 
a right to seek to do so4 ,the variety  
in social life is adapted to develop the
 various qualities of the human soul far
 more perfectly than they could be if   
the different classes of humanity were  
entirely separated in their walks4 ,all 
should be willing to give as well as to 
receive1 and to this end all should be  
willing to associate in a spirit of     
brotherly love with their superiors or  
their inferiors without any feeling     
either of servility or of elation4 ,we  
may seek the society of our superiors in

 order to enrich ourselves1 and that of 
our inferiors in order to give freely   
even as we have received2 while with our
 equals we alternately give and receive1
 for no two persons are so similarly    
endowed but that each may gain by       
associating with the other4 ,in truth1  
whichever way the balance may incline1  
none ever give without receiving1 and   
none can receive without giving4  ,no   
,companionship is wise that does not    
involve the principle of growth4 ,if the
 influence of our associates does not   
make us go forward1 it will surely cause
 us to go backward4 ,if we are not      
elevated by it1 we shall certainly be   
degraded4 ,two persons cannot associate 
and either party remain just as he was  
before2 and if we would find in society 
an element of growth1 we must seek for  
all that is elevating in whatever       
circles we move2 for it is not confined 
to any particular circle or class1 but  
waits everywhere for the true seeker4   
,blessed are the meek1 for they shall   

inherit the earth1 said the ,lord1      
teaching as never man taught2 and it is 
in proportion as we walk meekly with our
 fellow-men that our capacities become  
capable of receiving1 to their fullest  
extent1 the influx of goodness and truth
 that should be the end of social       
intercourse4 ,nothing obstructs our     
receptivity so much as that egoism of   
thought and affection which keeps self  
perpetually before the mind's eye1 and  
to this egoism meekness is the direct   
opposite4 ,meekness implies             
forgetfulness of self4 ,there is nothing
 servile about it1 but it pursues its   
way in pure simplicity1 forgetting self 
in its steadfast devotion to what it    
seeks4 ,egoism pursues its aims from    
love of self and of the world1 and      
confides in its own strength for        
success4 ,meekness pursues its aims from
 the love of excellence1 and confiding  
in the strength of the ,lord4 ,the first
 love is dim of sight1 and often        
satisfies itself with the shadow of what

 it seeks1 while its strength is too    
feeble to grasp the higher forms of     
excellence4 ,the second love is full of 
light1 because its eye is single2 it can
 be satisfied only with substance1 and  
its endeavors know no limit1 because its
 strength comes from ,him who never     
fails nor wearies4  ,meekness is always 
ready to receive of the excellence it   
seeks1 through whatever medium it can be
 obtained2 while egoism is perpetually  
hindered in its advancement by its      
unwillingness to owe it to any source   
out of self4  ,similar results follow in
 giving as in receiving4 ,meekness gives
 in simplicity from love to the         
neighbor1 and feels as great pleasure in
 imparting from its stores as in        
receiving additions to them1 because the
 pleasure it imparts is reflected back  
upon itself1 making all its good offices
 twice blessed4 ,egoism is twice cursed1
 as all that it receives and all that it
 gives perpetually adds to its love of  
self2 for it values what it possesses   

because it is its own1 and imparts to   
others because it enjoys a feeling of   
superiority over the recipient of its   
possessions4 ,meekness builds itself up2
 egoism puffs itself up4 ,to meekness   
,companionship is a perpetual source of 
healthful growth2 while to egoism it    
furnishes food only to supply the       
demands of a morbid enlargement1        
destructive to all manly and womanly    
symmetry4  ,society at large1 according 
as we walk in it in a spirit of meekness
 or a spirit of egoism1 thus serves to  
develop and expand our powers1 or to    
narrow and degrade them more and more   
continually4 ,to the casual observer1   
the difference in the advancement of the
 two classes may not in early life be   
apparent4 ,the forth-putting pretension 
of egoism may indeed cause it to seem   
the more rapidly advancing character of 
the two2 but the progress of years will 
widen the separation between their      
paths1 till it shall be seen as a great 
gulf1 of which the opposite sides have  

naught in common4 ,advancing age will   
show the egoist narrow-minded and       
overbearing1 peevish and fault-finding2 
while he who pursues his even course1   
walking in ,christian meekness with his 
fellow-men1 will in old age exhibit     
ever-enlarging charity and              
ever-expanding wisdom1 and his gray     
hairs will seem like a crown of glory4  
,it may seem almost needless to speak of
 the danger to ,character that is       
involved in seeking the ,companionship  
of the worthless or the evil- disposed4 
,can one handle pitch and not be        
defiled8 ,yet the usages of society are 
so disordered1 that the possession of   
wealth1 family distinction1 or personal 
elegance1 though accompanied by         
ignorance1 folly1 or even dissoluteness1
 is sometimes a surer passport into what
 is termed good society than the best   
culture of mind and heart1 where        
external advantages have been denied4   
,when we value mankind according to     
their external advantages1 our moral    

standard is as false as the drawing upon
 a ,chinese plate4 ,we have no true     
moral perspective4 ,our ideas of right  
and wrong are confused and imperfect1   
and in danger of becoming corrupt4 ,we  
laugh at the stupidity of the poor      
,chinaman in his attempts after beauty  
in art1 while in morals we are quite as 
stupid as he4 ,believing ourselves wise1
 we are fools4 ,it is very hard to      
escape being unduly influenced by the   
opinions of society2 but the more       
earnestly we seek true excellence for   
ourselves1 the more easily we learn to  
value true excellence in others1 and1 to
 overlook the opinions of the world4    
,the more independent we become of      
opinion1 the better will be the         
influence we exert upon society1 as well
 as that which we receive from it in    
return4  ,if the influence of our       
,companionship with those whom we meet  
in general society and in the daily     
avocations of life be important1 far    
more so is that which comes to us       

through the friends whom we select from 
the world at large as best adapted to   
minister to our happiness2 and in       
proportion as they are near and dear to 
us will their influence be strong and   
deep4  ,the choice of friends is        
influenced by an equal variety of       
motives1 and of a similar nature as     
those that lead to the selection of the 
social circle4 ,there is often no better
 foundation than selfishness for what   
passes current in the world for ardent  
friendship4 ,the selfish and worldly    
love from selfish and worldly motives1  
and doubtless they receive their reward2
 but if we would derive the advantages  
to ,character that result from a wise   
,companionship1 we must select our      
friends without undue regard to the     
opinions of the world1 and impelled by a
 desire for moral or intellectual       
advancement4 ,falsehood and fickleness  
in friendship result from its being     
built upon merely selfish or            
circumstantial foundations4 ,when built 

upon mutual respect and affection1 it   
contains no element of decay or change2 
and they who trust to any other         
foundation have no right to complain if 
their confidence is abused and          
disappointed4  ,persons sometimes       
suppose themselves the fast friends of  
others1 when their affection is merely  
the result of benefits received directly
 or indirectly2 and if these benefits   
are withheld1 their supposed friendship 
is dissipated at once1 or perhaps       
changed to enmity4 ,such a friendship is
 merely circumstantial1 and has no just 
claim to the name4 ,mere juxtaposition1 
the habit of seeing each other every    
day1 is often sufficient to produce what
 the parties concerned esteem           
friendship1 and to occasion the freest  
interchange of confidence4 ,the         
slightest change of circumstance1 a few 
miles of separation1 an inadvertent     
offence1 a trival difference of opinion1
 a clashing of interests1 are1 any one  
of them1 sufficient to bring such an    

intimacy to an end1 and to cast reproach
 upon the sacred name of friendship1    
when friendship had never existed       
between the parties for a single moment4
  ,genuine friendship can exist only    
between persons of some elevation of    
moral character1 and its strength and   
devotion will be commensurate with the  
degree of this moral elevation4         
,truthfulness1 frankness1               
disinterestedness1 and faithfulness are 
qualities absolutely essential to       
friendship1 and these must be crowned by
 a sympathy that enters into all the    
joys1 the sorrows1 and the interests of 
the friend1 that delights in all his    
upward progress1 and1 when he stumbles  
or falls1 as all at times must1         
stretches out the helping hand1 not     
condescendingly nor scornfully1 but in  
the simplicity of true charity1 that    
forgives even as it would be forgiven1  
and is tender and patient even where it 
condemns4 ,in such a friendship there is
 no room for rivalry1 weariness1        

distrust1 or anything subversive of     
confidence4 ,with the selfish and the   
worldly1 such a connection cannot exist1
 because with them rivalries and        
clashing interests must arise2 for it is
 only among the seekers after excellence
 that there is room for the             
gratification of the desires of all4    
,neither can it exist between the false1
 for falsehood shuts the door upon      
confidence2 nor with the morally weak1  
the foolish1 or the idle1 for they weary
 of each other even as they weary of    
themselves4  ,of all earthly            
,companionship1 there is none so deeply 
fraught with weal or woe1 with blessing 
or with cursing1 as the ,companionship  
of married life4 ,after this            
relationship is formed1 although the    
threads still remain the same1 the whole
 warp and woof of the being are dyed    
with a new color1 woven according to a  
new pattern4 ,character is never the    
same after marriage as before4 ,there is
 a new impetus given by it to the powers

 of thought and affection1 inducing them
 to a different activity1 and deciding  
what tendencies are henceforth to take  
the lead in the action of the mind2     
whether the soul is to spread its wings 
for a higher flight than it has hitherto
 ventured1 or to sit with closed        
pinions1 content to be of the earth1    
earthy4 ,all are interested1 even       
strangers1 ,in hearing of the           
establishment of a newly married pair in
 what relates to the equipage of        
external life4 ,far more interesting    
would it be if we could trace the mental
 establishing that is going on1 as old  
traits of character are confirmed or    
cast aside1 and new ones developed or   
implanted4  ,this union1 so sacred that 
it even supersedes that which exists    
between parent and child1 should be     
entered upon only from the highest and  
purest motives2 and then1 let worldly   
prosperity come or go as it may1 this   
twain whom ,god has joined1 not by a    
mere formal ritual of the ,church1 but  

by a true spiritual union that man      
cannot put asunder1 are a heaven unto   
themselves1 and peace will ever dwell   
within their habitation4  ,in proportion
 as a true marriage of the affections   
between the pure in heart is productive 
of the highest happiness that can exist 
on earth1 so every remove from it       
diminishes the degree of this happiness 
until it passes into the opposite1 and  
becomes1 in its most worldly and selfish
 form1 a fountain of misery1 of a       
quality absolutely infernal4  ,amid the 
disorder and imperfection reigning in   
the world1 it is not to be supposed that
 a large proportion of marriages should 
be truly heavenly4 ,in order to arrive  
at this1 both parties must be of a      
higher moral standing than is often     
reached at an age when marriage is      
usually entered upon2 but unless the    
character of each is inclined heavenward
 there is no rational ground for        
anticipating happiness1 except of the   
lowest kind4  ,many persons of a        

naturally amiable disposition enjoy what
 may seem a high degree of happiness1   
through their sympathy with each other  
in worldliness and ambition2 but such   
happiness is not of a kind that can     
endure the clouds and tempests of life4 
,it is nourished only by the good things
 of this world1 and1 if it cannot obtain
 them1 is converted into the greater    
wretchedness because the being who is   
dearest in life shares this             
wretchedness4 ,when1 on the contrary1   
things heavenly are those most highly   
prized and earnestly sought1 each party 
helps to sustain the other in all       
earthly privations and disappointments2 
for each is looking beyond and above the
 trials of earth1 and each is in        
possession of a hope1 nay1 a fruition1  
that cannot be taken away1 and which is 
dearer than all that is lost4 ,with     
them1 to suffer together is to rob      
suffering of half its weight1 and almost
 all its bitterness4 ,whatever earthly  
deprivation may befall them1 the kingdom

 of heaven is ever within their souls4  
,the ,companionship of our fellow-beings
 is not confined to the living men and  
women around us1 but comes to us1       
through books1 from all nations and     
ages4 ,wise teachers stand ever ready to
 instruct us1 gentle moralists to       
console and strengthen us1 poets to     
delight us4 ,scarce a country village is
 so poor that there may not be found    
beneath its roofs the printed words of  
more great men than ever lived at any   
one period of the earth's history4  ,we 
are too apt to use books1 as well as    
society1 merely for our amusement2 to   
read the books that chance to fall into 
our hands1 or to associate with the     
persons we happen to meet with1 and not 
stop to ask ourselves if nothing better 
is within our reach4 ,it may not be in  
our power to associate with great living
 minds1 but the mental wealth of the    
past is within the reach of all4 ,we    
boast much that we are a reading people1
 but it may be well to inquire how      

intelligently we read4 ,the catalogues  
of books borrowed from our public       
libraries show1 that1 where the readers 
of works of amusement are counted by    
hundreds1 the readers of instructive    
books are numbered by units4 ,in        
conversation1 it is not uncommon to hear
 persons expressing indifference or     
dislike to whole classes of books1--to  
hear ,travels denounced as stupid1      
,biography as tame1 and ,history as     
heavy and dull4 ,it does not seem to    
occur to the mass of minds that any     
purpose beyond the amusement of the     
moment is to be thought of in reading1  
or that any plan should be laid1 or any 
principles adopted1 in the choice of    
books to be read4  ,it is undoubtedly a 
great good that nearly all our people   
are taught to read1 but it is a small   
fraction of the community that reads to 
much good purpose4 ,children1 so soon as
 they have acquired the use of the      
alphabet1 are inundated with little     
juvenile stories1 some of them good1 but

 most of them silly1 and many vulgar4   
,as they grow older1 successions of     
similar works of fiction await them1    
until they arrive at adolescence1 when  
they are fully prepared for all the     
wealth of folly1 vulgarity1 falsehood1  
and wickedness that is bound up within  
the yellow covers of most of the cheap  
novels that infest every highway of the 
nation4  ,as you are jostled through the
 streets of our populous cities1 or take
 your seat in a crowded railway-car1 you
 are1 perhaps1 impressed with the       
general air of rudeness that pervades   
the scene1--a rudeness of a kind so new 
to the world1 that1 no old word         
sufficing to describe it1 a new name has
 been coined1 and the swaggering1       
careless1 sensual looking beings1       
reeking with the fumes of tobacco1 that 
make up the masses of our moving        
population1 are adequately described    
only by the word rowdy4 ,as yet1 no     
title has been found for the female of  
this class1 --bold1 dashing1            

loud-talking and loud-laughing1         
ignorant1 vain1 and so coarse that she  
supposes fine clothes and assuming      
manners are all that is necessary to    
elevate her to the rank of a lady4      
,perhaps you wonder how so numerous a   
race of these beings has come to exist2 
but that boy at your elbow1 bending     
under the weight of his literary burden1
 is a colporteur for converting the men 
and women of this enlightened nation to 
rowdyism4 ,those books portray just such
 men and women as you see before you1   
and that is why they are welcomed so    
warmly4 ,a few cents will buy from that 
boy enough folly and impurity to gorge a
 human mind for a week1 and possibly few
 among this throng often taste more     
wholesome intellectual food4  ,it is    
probable that some of these persons are 
the children of intelligent and         
well-bred parents2 but their fathers    
were engrossed in business1 and their   
mothers in family cares1 and thought    
they had no time to form the moral and  

intellectual tastes of the immortal     
minds committed to their charge4 ,they  
fancied that if they sent their children
 to good schools1 and provided liberally
 for all their external wants1 they had 
done enough4 ,ignorant nursery maids1   
perhaps1 taught them morals and manners1
 while the father toiled to accumulate  
the means for supplying their external  
wants1 and the mother hemmed ruffles and
 scolloped trimming to make people say1 
,how sweetly those children are dressed6
 as the maid paraded them through the   
streets1 teaching them their first      
lessons in vulgar vanity4  ,a child may 
be educated at the best schools without 
acquiring any taste for good literature4
 ,the way a parent treats a child in    
relation to its books has far more      
influence in this respect than a teacher
 can possibly possess4 ,a mother1 even  
if she is not an educated woman1 can    
learn to read understandingly1 and can  
teach her child to read in the same way4
 ,she can talk to it about its books1   

and awaken a desire in its mind to      
understand what it reads4 ,children are 
always curious in regard to the         
phenomena of nature1 and whether this   
curiosity lives or dies depends very    
much on the answers it receives to its  
first questions4 ,if the mother cannot  
answer them herself1 she can help the   
child to find an answer somewhere else1 
and she should beware how she deceives  
herself with the idea that she has not  
time to attend to the moral and         
intellectual wants of her child4 ,she   
has no right to so immerse all her own  
mind in the cares of life that she      
cannot1 while attending to them1 talk   
rationally with her children4 ,the      
mothers who best fulfil their higher    
duties towards their children are quite 
as often found among those who are      
compelled to almost constant industry of
 the hands1 as among those of abundant  
leisure4 ,there is nothing in the       
handiwork of the housekeeper or the     
seamstress that need absorb all the     

mental attention2 and hers must be an   
ill-regulated mind that cannot ply the  
needle1 or perform the more active      
duties of the household1 and yet listen 
to the child as it reads its little     
books1 and converse with it about the   
moral lessons or the intellectual       
instruction they contain4 ,the mother   
has it in her power to influence the    
mode in which the child makes companions
 of its books more than any other       
person2 and the character of its        
,companionship with them through life   
will generally depend in a great degree 
on the tastes and habits acquired in    
childhood4  ,many parents who guard     
their children with jealous care from   
the contamination of rude and vicious   
society among other children1 allow them
 to associate with ideal companions of a
 very degraded kind4 ,the parent should 
check the propensity1 not only to read  
bad books1 but also to read idle or     
foolish books1 by exciting the action of
 the mind towards something better4     

,merely to deny improper books is not   
enough4 ,something must be given in     
place of them1 or the craving will      
continue1 and the child will be very apt
 to gratify its appetite in secret4     
,children are easily led to observe     
nature1 animate or inanimate1 with      
interest1 and there are many simple     
books illustrating the departments of   
natural science which mothers could make
 interesting to their children at the   
same time that they instructed          
themselves4 ,juvenile works on history  
abound1 and through them the child may  
be led1 as intelligence expands1 to seek
 more extended and thorough treatises2  
and the sympathy of the mother should be
 ready to help him on his way4 ,it is   
mere self-deception in those mothers who
 deny their mental capacity1 or their   
command of time1 to aid their children  
in their mental progress4 ,it is a moral
 want of their own1 far more than       
everything else1 that causes them to    
shrink from this most important         

responsibility4  ,those who have passed 
the period of childhood1 who have taken 
upon themselves the responsibility of   
all that concerns their own minds1 and  
who have any desire after upward        
progress1 should remember that the books
 they love best are those which reflect 
their own characteristics4 ,every one   
looks up to his favorite books1 and the 
tone of his mind is influenced by them  
in consequence4 ,in our ,companionship  
with our fellow- beings we may be       
governed to a great extent by our desire
 to stand well with the world1 and      
therefore seek the society of those whom
 the world most admires rather than     
those we most enjoy4 ,in the choice of  
our books there is much less influence  
of this kind exerted upon us4 ,in the   
retirement of our homes we may daily    
consort with the low or the wicked1 as  
they are delineated in books1 and our   
standing with the world be in no way    
affected1 while the poison we imbibe    
will work all the more surely that it   

works secretly4 ,they whose ideas of    
right and wrong are dependent on the    
judgment of the world may need even this
 poor guide1 and suffer from the want of
 it2 for in doing what the world does   
not know1 and therefore cannot condemn1 
they may encounter evil and danger from 
which even the love of the world would  
protect them1 if the same things were to
 be exposed to the public eye4 ,we have 
no more moral right to read bad books   
than to associate with bad men1 and it  
would be well for us in selecting our   
books to be governed by much the same   
principles as in the selection of our   
associates2 to feel that they are1 in   
fact1 companions and friends whose      
opinions cannot fail to exert a powerful
 influence upon us1 and that we cannot  
associate with them indiscriminately    
without great danger to our characters4 
,the ,book of books1 the ,word of ,god1 
should occupy the first place in our    
estimation2 and the test question in    
regard to the value of all other books  

is1 whether they draw us towards1 or    
away from1 the ,bible4 ,so far as they  
are written with a genuine love for     
goodness and truth1 books in every      
department of science and literature    
have a tendency1 more or less strong1 to
 increase our reverence and love for the
 ,source of all goodness and truth2 and 
no book can be subversive of our faith  
in the ,scriptures that has not its     
foundation laid in falsehood4  ,nature  
may tell us of a ,creator1 but the      
,bible alone reveals a ,father4 ,nature 
describes him as far from us1 removed   
beyond all sympathy1 before whose power 
we tremble1 and whose mercy we might    
strive to propitiate by sacrifices or   
entreaties2 but from the ,bible we learn
 that he is near at hand1 watching every
 pulsation of the heart1 listening to   
every aspiration that we breathe2 that  
we walk with him so long as we obey his 
commandments1 and that though we may    
turn from him1 he never turns from us2  
that when we approach him in prayer1 it 

should not be with fear1 but with love2 
and loving him with the knowledge that  
he first loved us1 we find that prayer1 
in its true form1 is a ,companionship1  
and that the ,father rejoices over his  
child in proportion as the child        
rejoices in approaching the throne of   
mercy4  ,pure and holy influences come  
to us immediately through our           
,companionship with those among our     
fellow-beings who have received of the  
overflowings of the ,divine ,fountain of
 goodness and truth4 ,but when we       
reverently approach that ,fountain1 we  
receive immediately1 with a power and   
fulness that can descend upon us through
 no human being4  ,what we receive      
through other mediums reaches only the  
lower and more external planes of our   
being2 but prayer brings us1 if we pray 
aright1 before the throne of the ,most  
,high1 and opens those inmost chambers  
of the soul that remain for ever closed 
and empty unless they are opened and    
filled by the immediate presence of the 

,lord4 ,these constitute that ,holy of  
,holies which is the inmost of every    
human soul4 ,the world at large may     
enter its outer courts1 chosen friends  
may minister before the altar of its    
sanctuary1 but within all this there is 
a holier place1 which none but the ,lord
 can enter2 for it is the seat of the   
vital principle of the soul1 which can  
be touched and quickened by no hand but 
his4  ,the quality of the life of the   
whole being depends upon the degree in  
which we suffer the ,lord to dwell      
within our souls4 ,his ,companionship   
fills and vivifies everything that is   
below it4 ,the more entirely we walk    
with the ,lord1 the more constant we    
shall be in the performance of all our  
duties4 ,the more entirely we open our  
hearts to his influence1 the more       
benefit we shall receive from all other 
influences4 ,the more reverently we     
listen to the truth that comes directly 
from him1 the more capable we shall be  
of finding out and appreciating the     

truth that comes indirectly4 ,the more  
we open our hearts to receive his love1 
the more perfect will be the love we    
shall bear towards our fellow-beings4   
,the more constantly we feel that we are
 in his presence1 the more perfect will 
be the hourly outgoings of our lives4   
,intimate ,companionship with the ,lord 
does not abstract us from the world     
around us1 but fills that world with new
 meanings4 ,there is nothing abstract in
 the nature of the ,deity4 ,he is       
operating perpetually upon all nature4  
,gravity1 organic life1 instinct1 human 
thought and affection1 are forms of his 
influx manifesting itself in varying    
relations4 ,wherever he comes there is  
life1 and his activity knows no end4    
,let no human being think that he holds 
,companionship with the ,lord1 because  
he loves to retire apart1 to pray1 or to
 contemplate the divine attributes1 if1 
at such times1 he looks down upon1 and  
shuns the haunts of men4 ,the bigot may 
do so2 and all his thoughts about things

 holy1 all his prayers1 only confirm him
 in his spiritual pride4 ,every thought 
of self-elevation1 every feeling that   
tends towards ,i am holier than thou1   
smothers the breath of all true prayer1 
and associates us with the spirit of    
evil2 for our prayers cannot be blessed 
to us if pride inspire them4 ,neither   
let any one suppose himself spiritual   
because material life or material duties
 oppress him4 ,god made the material    
world as a school for his children2 and 
he will not keep us here a moment after 
we are prepared for a higher state4 ,we 
are putting ourselves back when we work 
impatiently1 in the feeling that the    
duties of life are beneath us4  ,if we  
would abide with our ,heavenly ,father1 
we must cooperate with him perpetually4 
,it is doing his will1 not contemplating
 it1 that teaches us his attributes1 and
 builds us up in his image and likeness4
 ,his fields are ever white unto the    
harvest2 let us work while it is yet    
day1 ever bearing in mind that he gives 

us the power to work1 and that we can   
work rightly only so long as we live in 
the constant acknowledgment of our      
dependence upon ,him4   ,,the ,,end4