The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1877-11-20


failing TO become what he might other
wise have been. He loses inflnence
and no loses power for good. he loses
opportunity to prevent evil and right
wrong. He comes far short of making
the most Of the talents he has received.
OF the students in our schools and coll
leges, the world has a right TO expect,
and it does expect much. A man or
woman who has had the opportunity
for liberal culture. whose mind has
been expanded and strengthened by
contact with the great aud grand ideas
which the great and grand men
OF all the ages, have contributed TO the
stock of human knowledge, whose
! powers Of reasoning, and OF peroeiving
the true relations between theories and
facts, principles and laws have been
enlarged and perfected by years of
study and discipline, whose moral ma
ture has been elevated and purified by
christian teaching; such man or wo-
man should be one to whom the world
need not look in vain TO become lead
er In tho great struggle TO advance the
cause Of truth and right.
The question for us To ask of our
selves now IL, Are we learning to Judge
| OF our own actions, and of the actions
Of others, with reference to the princi-
pie lying back Of them which must de-
termine whether they are good or bad?
Are we acquiring that sense of per-
soual responsibility for our own acts
or for our omissions to act, which has
contained the secret OF success for all
who have ever achieved greatness IN
any department of human effort; which
will render us independent in thought
and IN action, and which will render ii
impossible for MS ever to become weak
tools in the hands of designing per-
sons, or TO follow for an hour after the
leadership of those who are pursuing
ignoble ends. For trying and proving
the stuff that people are made of, /
have sometimes thought there is no
life like that OF the student. If, on
any occasion, you are averse to behav-
ing like a sheep, that is to say, If you
don't care 20 jump over the wall for no
better reason then that others are do
ing IL, you will stand a chance to find
out whether your principles are strong
enough To endure the onslaught OF per-
suasion Of thSeats and of ridicule.-
Persons who have determined to do a
wrong thing, will work in every way TO
induce others to join them in il. There
are some of US who would scorn with a
perfect contempt any effort to ridicnIe
or threaten US into any thing We did
not think right, though persuasions or
entreaties from friends might be hard
or TO resist, while with others. the con-
trary would be the case. But there is
the principle on which the thing you
are urged to do is founded. You look
at that principle aud you know that IL
is wrong-you know that you cannot
be trne TO yourself and TO the right
aud do that thing-that whoever is
pleased or displeased, your sense Of
personal responsibility for wrong-doing
cannot be lessened by the fact that
others do wrong too.
You decide one way or the other. and
as you decide, SO will you stand or
fall. And as you stand or fall here, SO
will you do when student life shall
have been replaced by larger interests
and wider spheres. The character
man takes on or before he graduates Is
pretty sure to be has through life One
argument that the emissaries Of the
Evil One will always use with you, Will
be that If you do not comply with
their wishes you will lose your inau-
ence. That is utterly false. On the
Siri Si gain sv gfeat Ffsitt7g aR thoEa aTifhsi yog
as one who is fearless in doing what he
believes TO be right. Did you yield,
you would indeed lose your influence
and be secretly despised by those who
made You their tool.
/ 90 back to the question with which
j began, "How far will correct no
tion of personal responsibility permit
us to use our name and influence at
the desire of somebody whom we wish
to please or fear to displease." The
answer is plain. The principle is
bad one, hence We do wrong TO give our
name or to give our influence for no
better reason than that somebody ask
ed us and We did not like to refuse
We are responsible TO higher power
for the use we make Of our influence,
and we have no right to hold it lightly.
Children should be early taught to be
very careful about putting their names
10 petitions which they are urged To
sign. / once knew OF very cruel
thing that was brought about by means
OF petition signed by school of lit
girls not more than half dozen Of
whom realized the meaning OF their
act at all. Two or three pupils became
vexed with their teacher for some act
of discipline. In revenge they drew
up the petition and obtained the sigma
lures The teacher was dismissed as
the result.
49,
Judgment of their worth or worthless
ness would very frequently be greatly
modified, did We take into considora-
ton as We ought tho responsibilities
which they sustain and the manner in
which they fulfill them. Ii is as much
our duty to recognize and respect the
personal responsibility of others as 10
regard. our own. We have no right
hastily and without due consideration
and knowledge 10 give our endorse
ment 10 n book, a man or a measure
By so doing we may work much harm
in misleading others. / have some
times heard people going into raptures
over n stranger whom they had met
for ten minutes, and who might be an
escaped convict in disguise for all they
knew to the contrary. But 1e.had
made some pleasing remarks, had flat
tered their self-love, aud they were
ready on the instant TO pronounce him
noble specimen OF humanity and TO
take him Us "a guide, philosopher and
friend. We all of us know people who
will praise us without stint when we
are not obliged to conflict with their
plans, and who will nnathematize us as
freely when the discharge of our duty
requires us TO refuse what they request.
The trouble with them is that they do
not realize their own responsibility or
comprehend ours. The series of events
occurring throughout our country last
summer must have aroused every
thoughtful person TO the fact that there
are apparently thousands Of otherwise
intelligent people in the land who do
not comprehend the absolute necessity
that every good citizen should feel that
he has personal responsibility about
fiinchingly the authority OF law. In
every city. in every community, there
IN q worthless and wicked element
which in ordinary and quiet times is
kept in check by terror OF the civil law.
Let the strong arm OF the law once be
rendered powerless, no matter how,
whether by the act of well-meaning
men who falsely imagine they are TAX
ing the proper way To correct an abuse
from which they are suffering. or by
the act Of villains who fully intend all
the harm they are perpetrating, and
this worthless aud wicked element
rushea from ita iurkinu places more