The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-02-10
The Souls Chief Enemy.


The Souls Chief Enemy.
The lion in the way" of the perfec-
tion of character is not of outside influ-
ences, but the appetites ard passions
that have root in human deprsvity
Pride, envy, malice, and all uncharitable-
ness, are from within, and spring from
selfishness. We seek to make child
happy and good by qualification Of all its
desires, but soon find that its wants in
crease in proportion to our ability to sup
ply them. The child reared alone. with
NO need of self denial and no opportu-
nifty of exercising its heipfulness to
others, may be naturally amiable and
benevolent, aud. by judicious training.
be saved from inordinate selfishness, but
the liabilities are that this one will con-
slider that the world and what 1t contains
was made entirely for its special use.
The mutual affection and helpfulness
between children of large families.
where there is necessity of assisting each
by way of supplementing the limited
support. is proverbial.
A symmetrical, well-balanced charac-
ter can only be formed by attention to
the tendencies of growth when young.
and those who have the training of chill
dren and youth must strive to correc,
natural propensities that, allowed to de-
velop after their own inclination, will
deform them through life. hinder their
agrceableness and mar their usefulness.
Children of the samc family are often
unlike in the qualities of amiAbility and
unseifishness - one being anxious to
serve and gratify and defer to the
others, and another perfectly willing to
be waited on, given up to. receiving
ont acknowledgment and without graft
tude. The one will likely go through
life obliviols of self, and. becoming
more and more necessity to all abou,
him the other will have less and less
expected of him, and, unless some heroic
treatment arrests his tendencies, will b.
more and more tyrannical. exacting, and
absorbed in gratifying his own selfish
appetites, tastes and ambitions, no mat
ter whose interests or comfort are sacri.
feed that he may obtain his end. Sell
is q greedy monster, with inordinate ca.
pacity and ravenous hunger, preying
upon all about it. There is no such
thing as q consistent and beautiful Chris
tian character growing upon the parent
stock of a distorted and supremely self.
ish miod. That soul renewed has q
great deal to do to eradicate the habit,
if seldshness has heretofore been in
dulged without restraint.
Sometimes a short-siehted affection in
the guardians of childhood unintention.
ally, but most unwisely and fatally
contributes to the formation of selfish
habits by a foolish anticipation of moi
only its hghtest wants but also an in.
diligence of its selfish caprices, thinking
thus to win snd hold its entire affection
and confidence. No greater mistake can
be made than 10 suppose that there will
be moderation in self indulgence, and
spontaneous benevolence of heart where
there has been no restraint of the one
and no cultivation of the other.
The mother who takes all the extra
} steps and all the household sacrifices
upon herself to save her children, will
sooner or later, find to her sorrow tina,
.instesd.of shameing them into offering
assistance, she has strengthened them in
habits of self-indulgence that instead
of winning q double portion of affection
and sppreciation they have come to take
her services as matter of course, and II
they think of her st sll, it is to associate
her with tie easy qualification Of theiI
physical vents, and one WHO will beal
with their selfish exactions and on whom
they can impose without shame and
without fear of Ieproach.
Children are not equally teachable in
habits of thoughtful regard for others :
do net all appreciate, when it is taugh,
them, that there is divine harmony in
equal justice, and that beyond the moral
beauty of doing as one would be done
by there is finer .spi ritual one in self
sacrifice, the most exalted and only per.
feet example teing the life and teach.
ings of the Savior. In his infinite
benevolepce and charity toward men he
never went SO far as to compromise with
evil,-"Think not that / am come to
send peace on earth; came not to send
peace, but O sword" is his language.
The most tender and self sacrificing
of beings, he declares that "Re that
loveth son or daughter more than me is
not worthy Of me-" We must sometimes
secrifice our tenderness and induleent
inclination that we may impress upon
our children q lesson necessary to be
learned.
The whole bulk of Gospel truth il a
sword to our natural desires. and not
until its keen edge has severed the last
dead tendril of selfishness will the vine
bear the perfect fruit worthy Of the
Husbandman.