Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-06-20

than socrates Qlmseu uugnt pLOuuCc "
his keenest criticisms and most sarcastic
exposures. And fancy that our de-
voices Of earthly knowledge VINO In
their pride declare that al knowledge
circuniscribed by the lines of the mate
rial universe, who deny that there is
ANYTHING beyond the physical realm OF
which man can be certain enough to
call his gertrude knowledge, would
have their eyes opened to q vaster field
of knowledge than they have ever
pazed upon il there could but enter once
into their minds only that amount OF
the knowledge Of God possessed by
MANY a christian peasant. We mus
expect them still in their dogmatic way
To limit the area Of Human knowledge
to that plane upon which they exercise
their senses until their limited expert
ence is corrected by the introduction OF
the higher and nObler experience OF the
children of God.
NOW. because believe in this more ex-
cellept way, ! cannot, in urging you 70
form A proper estimate OF what you are
follow the Socratic method. l am con.
yinced il would be q waste OF time ana
precious opportunity to expect you 70
| think meanly of yourselves, TO Try 70 IN
troduce into yoar estimate these eieHthS
10 the control of the human Will, ana Wnien
must arise in you, if ever they arise, as the
products of some lofty conviction ainrma'
tive in its nature. =,
GentIemep, the estimate l would have
Won form of yourselves is lofty one, 80
high that men shrink from ayoWaI Oh II:
vet inspiring the highest aim IN Hte, o,
which the mind OF man can conceive, au9
adapted TO sustain the most vigorous ana
10 10 raonh that high Ideal
Of which the energies of the soul are
CAPABLE, 1t is conviction that should
cafse us to shrink with horror from all
Temptation to live a sinful life. 1t is
tbonebt. that while it exalts, il humbles,
while il destroys self confidence, 1t gives
the infinitely better reliance. 1t leads 70
the truest self knowledge by introducingto
the mind of man the best that can De
known about self. Let there enter INTO
the conviction, in all the fullness of1ts
meaning, that he is a partaker OF the
divine nature; let that conviction deter
mine the choice of his highest aim, his
supreme end, and abide in his soul as his
chief incentive in action, and his chief con-
ISOLATION in trial, and his chief encourage
ment in difficulties, and his whole earthly
career must be honorable, useful, noble,
and at its end can only be pronounced an
eminent success. 1t is the realiza'
ton of this fact the possession
of this best self.knowledge, which has given
the world it's noblest heroes and compelled
US to inscribe the word success over the
grave of every martyr.
l. For consider first, We must either
rank ourselves with the animals Of the
earth or with the spirits of the heavens II
we accept the views of the materialists OF
our age we belong simply and solely to the
animal kingdom. This is not the place, nor
| is this the time for reviewing the argu-
ments of mate rialists, nor is it necessary, for
we are not materialists. 1t will be time
enough for any of us to seriously con-
template the adoption of materialistic views
when that infinite ohasm which separates
mind and brain, thought and motion, volt
| ton and muscular action has been filled or
bridged by material taken from the world
| of sense. We are concerned now chiefly
with consequences. We are asking what
estimate shall we place upon ourselves? |
| cannot better describe that estimate, If We
rank ourselves only with animals than by
quoting the language OF Prof. lie Coute: ut
| is impossible" he writes, Ito exaggerate
| the insignifcance (of mans place in nature
when viewed from the animal point OF
view( He has no Kingdom OF his own; he
belongs to the animal kingdom. In that
Kingdom he has no department of his own;
he belongs to the department OF vertebrate,
along with birds, reptiles, amphlbians,
and fishes. In that department.
he has no privileged class OF his own: he
belongs to the class mammalia along with
four.footed beasts. In that class he has no
title order of his own he belongs to the or
der of primates along with asses, balloons,
lemurs, etc. Even the privacy of family
of his own, the Hominidae, is grudgingy
accorded him by some" Not only in CLASH
fication are we insignificant, but we suffer
in comparing ourselves with our fellow an
finals. They are stronger and swifter in
proportion 10 size and weight. They are
keener in the exercise of all the senses;
they are longer lived If not capable OF
our higher joys, they are also incapable OF
our more exquisite forms OF suffering and
sorrow. If incapable OF our works OF char
ity and higher order of pursuits, they are
also incapable of our sins and what We
slanderously term our beastly vices, and
our cruel practices of torturing for fortunes
sake. Is it any wonder that men putting
no higher estimate upon themselves, drift
| inevitably into pessimistic views and ask
| gloomily, Is life worth living? 1t is moth
| ing TO say that we stand at the head OF the
animal kingdom; we are only animals still
and our exalted position is only one oil
But what is to me far
sadder thought is the fact tina. there
| are practical materialists who may even re-
| iect materialistic theories and assert in
| most positive terms their belief in the
reality and immortality of the SOUL Yet
they live animal lives. Aside from their
| professions you could never suspect them
| of entertaining the conviction that they are
partakers of divine nature. They have no
| high aim no noble mode of life, no we'll
founded hope of glorious destiny. Give
| them regularly "a cigar, q horse, q flirta-
ton, a suit of clothes, night of drinking,
| o low theatrical or dance, and just enough
of work to attain such things "and they are
contented. Or if their tastes run along a
higher plane, give them wealth, congenial
friends, place'of power and the acclama'
tons of the populace. The rich man who
tore down his barns and built greater, did
so for the ease of the soul he believed he
possessed. bu. he was practical materalist
l Dives, who clothed himself in purple and
fine linen and fared sumptuously every
day, was theoretic believer in Moses and
the prophets, but practical materialist In
the minds Of such persons there may lie a
belief that they are allied to divine spirits.
but they do not estimate themselves ac-
cording to that belief; it lies there a dead
allowing them to class themselves in prac.
tice if not theory, solely with the animal
kingdom.
What We need, gentlemen, is thorough
conviction, an everpresent Consciousness
a living, active, controlling belief that our
crown and glory, our distinguishing char
acteristic, that which eXalts us above the
animal nature of which We are partakers
ana allies to the divine nature, of which
We are also partakers, is the immortal soul
made in the image of the Great Creator, and
related to Him who made us for Himself.
If there can once be awaked in us a realiza-
ton of this wonderful possession We can
no longer, in theory or in practice, class
animal, we iIfiay sniwalS-- am not -ap
inhabits temporarily an animal body, but,
close as is the relation sustain TO the ma.
terial creation, closer and more real is my
relation to the Creator. am more even
than the highest OF animals; am set over
against all physical nature. | have the
power of Self-consciouSness, and a will that
is free. II the whole material universe
should combine to crush me, yet am
greater than that which destroys me, for it
| would be ignorant of its purpose and