The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-03-10
Salf-Denial.

We heard father the other day, gravely
arguing with his son, a fine little fellow of nine
years, to induce him. to go supperless to bod;
not because there was any reason why he
should abstain from food, but that it was a
good thing to be able to practice self-denial
The child was rather disposed to demur at
first, but being a cheerful, sturdy little fellow,
he yielded, and went whisiling up stairs. II
was not mere within on the part of the pa
rent, or piece Of tyranny or result of stingi-
ness; it was education gone "dait," as the
Scotch say, moral discipline run into The
! ground. He had an idea that selfdenial was
| good, and did not see how good thing could
be superfuous, or out of place. But it is a
very great mistake to suppose that selfdenial
is good in itself-that it has any value as an
end. 1t is simply means. We are all self
denying. 1t is one of the necessities of our
imperfect existence that we should renounce
some things for the sake OF securing others
In every choice among complex motives, this
is an element. There is no merit in such re-
nunciation unless it be digniaed by nobleness
ofaim. Satan exacts his followers as much
self-sacrince as Christ does. The man who
denies himself every innocent indulgence,
starves his soul of enjoyment, stints his mind
of growth. and cheats his body of food and
rest, that he may heap up sordid gains, or
raise himself to the pinnacle of human power,
exercises as much selEdenial as goes to the
making up of the nobest Christian lie, but
is his character at all ennobled or benefited
thereby? Let US keep our moral vision clear,
that we may not get confused in this mat.
ter. r...s..s.s 3 II
There is class of people who are always
looking for opportunities to deny themselves
| They are like our little friend who went to
bed fasting for the sake of bearing hunger pa
tently, only with them the folly is purely vol
untary, while ne yielded to outside pressure.
They think they are good in proper ton as
they are miserable. They starve themselves
OF beauty, and bar their souls against joy and
sunshine. They are the modern representa-
tives of that idea which in past ages sent men
to live in holes and caves, and in filth, which
makes the Hindoo devotee hang himself by
his flesh upon hook to please his deity. They
have gannt and hungry look, and their faces
are long and grim with ceaseles endurance Of
pain. They make the mistake. of substituting
the means for the end; of thinking that self
denial has any value beyond what grows out
of the thing denied. They aim at no positive
good, so all their sacrifices are wasted. If we
would be benefited by our self.denial we must
direct it to some noble end. The man who
denies his avarice for the sake of charity, his
angry resentment for the sake of forgiveness,
his coward impulse TO shelter behind a lie for
the sake Outstanding fast by the truth, his baser
appetites for the sake of purity and holiness
OF life, his whole lower nature, with all its
eager and deceitful solicitations, for the sake
OF the higher which assimiates. him to the
creator, has found the secret of worthy self
osnlai. he need not fear to live out freely
aao broadly in Gods bright sunshine, enjoy
lag every blessing, using every faculty, ruling,
not stihing' every capacity with which he is
endowed.