The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1883-03-31
THE GOLDEN RULE.

/
firmation ascribed to Jesus, and the mega
tive ascribed to Confucius. Whoever the
author of the latter may be, we know that
it is much the oldest.
Many people prefer the form: EsDo not
unto another what you would should not
be done unto you," to the other: Gas ye
would that men should do to you, do We
also to them likewise" This is, however,
merely A matter of taste, as in practice
both forms amount to the same thing.
Perhaps more sermons have been writ
ten on the Golden Rule than on any other
| text of the New Testament.
! said in an article on Agnosticism that
| Agnosties would follow the Golden Rule
uutil better one was found.
Let us examine this rule and see if it is
practicable. The test Of any rule is to ap-
ply it to some simple affair Of daily life.
For the purpose Of illustration, we will
take the form ascribed to the Master, it
being both more convenient and more ia
mliar.
GAS We would that men should do to
you, do We also to them likewise" We
must take these words in their literal
sense, for, if we try to read between the
lines and give some tigurate meaning to
them, we should soon have hardly two
persons agreeing on the same rendering.
The only question is as to the meaning
Of the word tc0uld. This is simply the
Preterite of the verb to avHZ and means to
wish or desire. The rule will be as fol-
lows: "Asye wish (or desire) that men
should do to you, do We also to them like
wise " That this is the true intent Of the
rule is abundantly proved by the context
OF the chapter in Luke, where the rule is
found. What would be the result if this
rule was strictly and literally followed
Let us take familiar instance. An IN
dian Or white man steals my horse or
kills my cattle or does something else
equally as criminal, [ naturally try to
catch him, and if I can prove it against
nm, he goes TO the penitentiary. If | do
have him punished, or even wish him
punished, break the rule. Let us reverse
matters. Suppose you or | kill cattle or
steal horses, we expect to be punished by
the owner or owners if convicted, but we
certainly would neither wish nor desire
that they should punish us. If, therefore,
we did to the horse-thief as we would wish
to have done to US in similar circum
stances, we would do nothing at all, and
no one need to be told VIII state # af-
fairs there would be if the rue was II
orally lived up to,
Ii may be objected tls.Iif tfY at,en who
steals my horse, had followed the srule, he
would not have stolen him. But because
he disobeys the rule can be no reason why
should dsobey it also.
1t is very well to say that If everyone
followed the.,rule there would be a millen-
mum, but everyone does not follow it, and
probabl never will, and the only way
that we can judge Of the unsefulness Of
any ruld whatever, is to apply it to some
simple and common occurrence in every
day life, If it does not work then, we
simply beg the question by trying to apply
it to some imaginary thate of things.
The truth is that no one does or can fol-
low the Golden Rule literally, and all who
do follow any rule, follow one much like
| this: ''Dc as you expect to be dome by"
If | steal horse | expect to 60 to prison
| if convicted, and SO if man steals my
horse I send him to prison as | would ex-
pect him to do to me in similar case.
We can do nothing which in the nature of
things is impossible, and it is impossible,
on this earth, tofollow the Golden Rule.
G.. H. H.