New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1867-06-16

ihOAS 6Opu pAOhlolOH iOl tlltli,
then he has discharged his conscience
toward his social circle.
Then, next, it is understood here
men are still more laX-that there iy to be
conscience toward society; that is, that a
man must be good citizen; must obey the
law; must have civic virtue: must have
public spirit, and SO on. If a man obeys the
law that is about all that is required of him
as q citizen. He is said to be moral man,
he is said to be a good citizen, and he is
called thrifty, if he has laid good founda-
ton and built substantially upon it. Aud
obeying the laws means generally speaking
committing no crime. 1t is not required
that man should enter into the interior
idea of justice and public spirit; but he
must not commit any crimes, or break any
known laws, except so far as custom does it,
This is, | believe, about the substance of
what is understood to be morality. To this
is added, generally, some degree of refine
ment of manners; some degree of occasional
benevolence. And when you look into that
it means, usually, this: A man must be
social-must be good fellow among his
fellows: he ought not to behold want or
suffering, and not have disposition to re.
lieve it; he ought to have good impulses; he
ought to be moderately good citizen; he
ought to be true and faithful in his house
hold and he ought to be temperate and in.
dustrious. And men looking at such a man,
say: There might be better men: but then
there are great many worse ones which
is perfectly true.
These questions, if they are not reason.
able, are common. | will consider them,
therefore,
l. Morality is only relatively good. 1t
does not answer at all, either to mans Capa-
bilty of right doing, or to the claims of
truth. purity, honor, and justice. | mean
by this that no man is moral in the sense
that he does in these things as well as he
can, or half as well AS he can, or quarter
as well as he can. There IS no one single
point on which men pride themselves most
which will bear examination by any high
standard. If man was to be judged by the
morality of an Indian, he might be a saint.
If you were to take that low state of moral
ity which belongs to the savage of the
woods and judge yourselves by that, it is
likely that your morality would pass; but if
you apply to morality any proper standard
one derived from the nature of the human
mind itself (and that is the only true stand
ard in anything then all thegood in morality
is itself but relative, preparatory, and tran
sitional. For example, you say, "a man
ought 10 be "A tellerf-and he ought
to. Now, as compared with the average ten.
denotes among men, you may nave
the reputation of being a speaker of
the truth: but there is not man who does
not, according to the gospel standard, falsify
habitually. ! do not believe that there is Il
man whose yea is simply yea, or whose nay
is simply and always nay, unless he has
been searched by the Spirit Of God, and
been cleansed by the divine power, and been
lifted up into the life Of faith. and had long
practice under these peculiar Christian H.
iluences. Do you suppose there is man in
the ordinary state of nature that never keeps
back that which is true; that never lets q
man axe a wrong idea on purpose; that
never says thing which is true IN words
but not in inteu2 Is there no such thing
H- S4pDreSsiO reri ? Is there no such thing
| as telling the truth so as to convey a false
| impression? This is done constantly: and a
| literal truth is sometimes the worst kind OF
lie. Anything that produces IN man 5
| mind an impression contrary TO the truth l.
| a lie, whether It is produced by telling the
| truth or falsitying. The question arises
| whether it is right to conceal the truth.
| That question leave untouched and un'
| solved at present, and coHtine myself to the
| subject under discussion. There are many
men that tell the truth in the man, but that,
| when you ask them, DO you always tell
the truth, to everybody, and under AL cir
| cumstauces have to acknowledge that
they do not. \ man says, " believe IN
doing Justly" "Well," it Is asked him,
what do you mean by doing justly ?" For
instance" he says, " If you run up a bill at
store it is just to pay that BILL That is
his idea of doing justly. There are matters
| oil DrOprletY ludl HI Lne MbIlu IcIoShiSS,
and YOU observe them, Justice, AS regarded
in commercial affairs comprises some
twenty or thirty or forty specific rules, anC
YOU conform your conduct to those rules
But when you come to Judge yourself by
that spirit OF justice which has ten Thousand
voluntary and involuntary applications
when you come to judge yourself by tina
spirit of Justice that will not allow you L
see your enemy even wronged you bave tn
power to right him; when you come TO Judg'
Yourself by that spirit OF justice that dc
mands that man should rise above mere
technical and commercial uses, lmportan
, as they are, and should seek perpetually tn
welfare of men and insist upon fair play tc
, ward enemies toward friends, TOWARD
strangers, toward neighbors-when 20
come TO Judge yourself by That how mucI
DO you find that there is of it in you d
| you not find that you are without 1t aoou
| as often as you have 1t
i Suppose a man should say: 90 am a
: honest man; did not steal ten times, Will
, | did nine times, and the majority Is IN m
I favor OF not stealing, and ! an honest =
/ what kind of reasoning would that be ! An
suppose man should say: believe
r Justice, and was just in that bill, ana
I this little arrangement p" And, on the otht
I hand, how many instances have there bee
' of Injustice in his thoughts, and feelings,
/ | his administration, in ten thousand ways
! IL the spirit OF God could only show all Il
j, occasions of injustice of negative and pc:
e tive character, and trace them TO the man
e heart, what revelation there would be
5 Take obedience to the laws OF the Ian
/. How many are really Obedient to tho
n laws? How many are there that keep theI
Y every lot and title? If you apply low al
n external standard, many men may escape
At but if YOU apply, as Christ did, ing
j. searching, spiritual standard, you Will III
/. that in every one of these questions whe
n men pride themselves upon their moralit
Y it is poor and imperfect. The very thin
i that they think to be their firm foundatlo
when examined are found to be lnsecu
and even rotten. >.
~ And vet, poor and imperfect as morali
et is, YOU are a great deal better OF with
S. than without it, And do not hesitate
s. saw, if YOU will not have anything else,
le YOU will not be Christian, if you Will u
Mt rise to the higher states OF religious II
II. at least attain to this.
of 2, Morality is not enough TO wake a
ce draw out the souls full power for good.
H. is a conformity most easy, and Tor the mt
part external; but it Is not richi II Is I
at deep; II does not atall bring out the high
er feelings. For instance, a man may
Ia. moral and never have one glowing, emil
id. siastic revelation of general benetcence.
as man may be strictly Il moral man and neN
i'll have felt one single genuine glow OF faith
MI hone. and never have had one single one
raj the higher aspirations and nobler impul
We of his moral nature. In other wor
i'd morality, as a general thing only requl
lat the development OF the basllar laclltles,
nv secular propensities, the earthward part
Nv man. The development of the larger rea
eli of faculties in which manhood principa
IDS resides is not required in an ordinary mo
lat life.
lLy 3. Morality, as IL Is usualiy neiu III