Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1868-10-10
The Habit Of Hating.

Some of the most necessary elements
of life, which, when watched and proper
Iy used, are of incalculable benefit to
man, are liable, when allowed an un-
checked exercise of power to become
most dangerous A familiar illustration
is the good servant, the terrible master
Fire. -..' '.' .''.
Now, the power Of an honest indigna-
ton, one which, when the cause Of right
demands it, can thunder with power
and strike with hghtning-like effect, is
a gift not to be carelessly priced. 1t is
often among the best and most hopeful
weapons i'll the Christians arriiory, and
is needed in this sin-hardened world,
where moral perceptions are obtuse, and
met, need to be Numbered ut, and struck
hard. But there is such thing as al
lowing this strong moral force to get the
mastery over the soul that should control
it, and so fill the spirit with hot hate,
and enwrap it with morose and murky
clouds, that the usefulness Of strength
disappears, and the heart that harbofs il
is in danger OF falling a prey to it's per-
verted power. 1880.
1t is astonishing how sorfte men can
hate. There seems to be but little differ
ence among a certain class of haters as
to what was the original cause OF their
ill-feeling-a misunderstanding, a cross
ing of opinions, an injury, tancled or real,
small or gTeat-sonlethiny arouses their
Indignation, and soon they seem to lose
the control of it's fiery dartings; from
detesting the thing, they soon grow to
hating the persons who caused their first
disturbance, and from. "nursing their
wrath to keep it warm, H.they find, ere
long, that it has grownto to such heat,
as to keep them most uncomtortably
warm for long periods Of time. How
pitiahle, how miserable a condition must
such man be in Peace remains not
in his heart; sweet temper cannot stay
in such an atmosphere; humility hees
before engorged pride; love avoids the
presence of hatred, and the wretched
man strives vainly to subdue the evil
discord which one Earring element has
awakened through all bis soul. In such
a state of mind, he works constantly un-
der great disadvantages. .-5 ...L=.... b
NJ lIltIH Sdh el|W HStfiS "'@S>'> = =, :
perturhed fountain. 1t is out OF the
abundance of the heart that the mouth
speaketh; and it matters little what
ones avocation in life may be, it is i'm
possible for Christian to follow Christ
IN the spirit of " all uncharitableness. !"
And vet it is not rare, although it is
most strange in reasoning, intelligent
minds, that men really thinking them
selves, and even in their way STRIVING to
be good Christians and to do Christian
work in the world, allow hateful feel
ings against their brethren to rankle and
burn like canker in their HEARTS, eating,
day by day, into the soundness and
sweetness Of their own character, and,
ever and anon, sending forth bad and
sickening matter--sad evidence OF the
tainted sore within. None can see these
things, and not feel sorrow at the un-
happy and unhealthy condition OF sucn
| men. s -. ...-.
The lesson to be drawn from facts
like these is to keep vigilant guard over
ofr own hearts. The old Romans had
many terse, pithy sayings, which EN-,
bodied that strong good sense tnat LED
them to the heights OF earthly power.
One of them was Resist Beginnings" !"
You cannot curb the power of the river
choke its source. You cannot arrest
the fury of the confagation--put out
the spark. 1t is almost impossible to
check hatreds that have been allowed