Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1869-10-07
Written for the Advertiser
SELF GOVERNMENT.

Y 6AetO Will GnblAGAN tlAchtlAl EN4A3 anu ~
tabiish good order in society. Thai
will so govern, and control men as tC
effect universal harmony and good
will to all. Human governments
have a restraining influence upon the
people, They are "terror to evil do
ers." But they have no direct refOr-
matOry power. Indirectly they may
! be power in reformation. The sue
!, cess attending human governments,
in averting eyel, may be seen by look
: ing down the ages of the past. And
a partial failure, it will beseen is writ
ten on every page of its history.
The discord which now reigns
everywhere on the earth, will contin-
ue to reign until a power in each in
dividual is developed, enabling him
to govern himself so as not to violate
any law of his fellow man. Whether
or lot, men have this power inher-
ent in their nature, and depend upon
favorable circumstances, to develop it,
is not the subject of discussion in this
paper,
To touch the question is to get in
the tangles of a. discussion which is
agreed with a great deal of dogmatic
assurance and unfair accusation. At
any rate the power must be had from
some source, both by individuals and
nation to bring the earthly into sub
/ lection to the spiritual. A well form
ed character, well ordered life, a
man self governed is a noble being.
| He stands firm in the hour of tempta-
ton, and fall not in the time of trial.
He walks safely over the billows of
hate and persecution, until at last his
feet stands firm on some lofty emil
nenee, and he exclaims in triumph
to those on the plain, below I see a
hand ye cannot see; hear a voice We
cannot hear; feel an angel touch to
which your dull sense is dead.
To attain to this position, he must
havea consciousness of the power and
capability of his own mind, and strict
lily conform to the laws and conditions
for the development of character.
And this is nothing more nor less
than education. Or the bringing out
the faculties of the mind to grasp
truths in the great ocean Of facts. A
man should ever be awake to the fact
that he is earthly and spiritual-body
nj TUb iu eo,, hoS Skp
; inconsistency and contradiction in
human nature. Sometimes the ami
NAL man rules, sometimes the spirit
, ual. This must not be in forming a
hightoned moral, and spiritual char
tacter. If the earthly nature rules the
man is lost. If thespiritual triumphs
he has eternal life, and shall never
see death. r
The will power in intelligent beings
is wonderful. We let our thoughts
run off into the universe of space, and
see dark, cold, dense masses of cleo
tricity holding in its grasp great mag
netic forces. But those masses are
"withOut form and voice" The spir-
I it of God moves upon them, worlds
are created, and take their appointed
place, speaking for their Creators
power: 1t is concentration of will
sending thought into inert matter,
form worldly, not mechanical labOrs
nor physical strength. "GOd speaks
and it is done; Commands and it
stands fast"
Man is in the image of God. God
in power, in wisdom, I'm goodness, in
| love. Therefore man must have these
attributes too. He has them in kind
not in degree. Mind or spirit especially
| the same where ever found in all or
ders rsofintelligence, from deity to man.
An angel who has long had its "spir-
ituaI bOdyn in the beautiful summer
| land, may be more like the Father in
| heaven, than the man in his earthly
body. Yet the people Of earth might
be more like the angels in heaven if
they would so govern themselves that
| the animal nature shall be in subjec-
| ton to the spiritual.
five would have this angelic ma
ture we must learn to love humanity,
love It in all its lights and shades, love
/ it as Jesus our elder BROTHER loved it;
live for it, work for it, and if needs be
| like him lay down our life
for it. Then if we see our
| brother or sister wandering in the
darkness of the "carnal mind" fallen
| in the paths of error; let US learn to
have charity, and lift them up if we
can, and not make matters worse by
condemning them and repeating their
weakness to every one we meet, thus
rOusing envy strife, murder, contempt
which are works of the flesh"
But let US rather cast out these de-
mons. And true to bring out the
spiritual nature so that they may pro-
| duee the works Of the spirit, which
are love, kindness, gentleness, charity,
lOng-suffering, against which there is
no law.
1t is unnecessary to speak Of the in
! dependence of mind, it is universally
felt. There is not an elementary prin-
ciple in mans nature to which he
elings with such tenacity as the indie
pendence, and equality Of mind.
1t is true there is acknowledged de-
/ grees in intelligence and in morals;
| but that is not the idea in speaking Of
! independence and quality Of mind.
| Each man has a Tighi to think for
himself, form conclusions for himself,
equality of mind consists in having
the same Origen. Spirit is from God,
man does not bow willingly to hu-
man authority. 4 good man viii sub
NIT to just laws. And pressing neees-
sity sometimes cOmpells him to sub
nit to tyranieal laws, and we too of
! ten see the terrible consequences of
/ this forced subjection.
/ The man who is doing the least good
and the most evil in the world, is he
who is intrucing his faith and opinion
upon the people to the conclusion of
their own, thus criPpling and dwarf
ing their minds, and preventing a
development of their own powers so
as to form pure, noble and beautiful
character, difference in faith has nyeT
done any harm in the world, de-
nOuncing and prosecuting people for
their faith is what causes the trouble.
Let each one go out into the broad
fields of moral beauty, and gather for
himself the flowers of immortal love-
/ illness and adOrn himself. Let each
one go out on the great ocean of truth,
Il