Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-09-05
PROGRESS AND FEAR AS A MOTIVE.

The common quotations respecting
distress of spirit have no stronger SEN
tence than that familiar n from Deut.
xviii: I'm the morning thou shalt
say, Would God it were even! and at
even thou shalt say, Would God it were
morning!!" But the common quotation
pays no attention to the context and
does not finish the text, which goes on:
''For the fear of thine heart wherewith
thou shalt fear, and for the sight OF
thine eyes which thou shalt see."
Looking into the context we read:
''Thou shalt find nc ease" The Lord
shall give thee a trembling heart, and
failing eyes, and sorrow of mind; and
thy life shall hang in doubt before
thee" The very heart of the passage
is the dominion of fear over the
mind. 1t is held forth with
varied figures and under different
forms. It is pressed close to the con
seriousness as a consequence of abandon
ing God and forsaking righteousness.
Is the lesson outworn as many suppose?
Is the human nature of Deuteronomy
defectivep Have we outlived the rela-
ton of sin to fear? Is not trembling
of heart still the striking and unfailing
accompaniment of unrighteousness? Ii
oil things in the innermost nature of
man as related to moral law continue
unchanged, if humanity in Deuteron-
omy is az good flesh and blood human
ity as that in our streets, then it fol-
lows that the ministry of to-day is
probably neglecting n of the most
Important consequences Of sin, and one
of the strong motives for forsaking it.
No one doubts that we have fallen into
q habit of undertaking fear, of assum-
ing that it is too mean and barbaric a
motive to appeal to in these cultured
days"
In ordinary experience, if we will at
tendt to it, WE shall find abundant reason
to believe that fear is not less but more
a force in our life. Awakened intelli-
gence perceives dangers unknown to the
barbarian. He is more alive to them
when he sees what the barbarian sees.
An ancient story tells us that in a storm
tossed boat a philosopher embarked
among sailors was seized with a mighty
fear, while the sailors, though at deaths
door, were calm. The philosopher JUS
titled the contrast by saying: II have
10 lose than YOU" He was con
scious of more to lose. We may gener-
alize the truth by saying that the civil
lied man values his life more, and
therefore is more susceptible to fear.
We see NOR dangers, and are more
alive to them; we have an increased
sense of risk in the waves of the world.
Heightened sensitiveness to things beau
tiful does, we know, carry with it in
creased pain at the sight Of deformity.
The sense Of fear is set in a like con
trast to increased powers of enjoyment.
The possibility of more happiness bears
as its inseparable companion the power
to suffer more tortures of flesh and
spirit. We do not grow away from this
companionship. Each Joy has its o r
responding sorrow. We know this so
well that our caution takes special
tasks in keeping us from the sight of
loathsome objects, because we know the
loathsomeness as a pain to us. And
when contagious diseases rage, men tiy
on the wings of the wind, whereas the
barbarians lie down and die unmurmur-
ing. On such occasions our fear is an
astonishment to us. 1t seizes us before
we are aware of it, and hurries us into
folly.
The old notion that quick s%uscepti-
bility to danger belongs to the red man
is exaggerated. He has simply a keen
sense for the crude and customary dan
gers of his forest life-not so much as
dangers, but more properly as part of
his vocation. But smallpox or cholera
will not move him as it moves us. The
civilized man has "more fears than
wars or women have" Beyond the
primary agonies of life, dangers rise
rank on rank to affiict us through the
imagination; and the worst of it is that
we a not laugh them away as imagin-
airy. Our reason atfirms their possibil-
ity, and that mea a very fearful real
ity. The modern preacher addresses
people who are more governed by fear
than by any other single motive. A
business man beset by sleeplessness
forecasts the possible poverty of his
daughter with a vividness which
casts him into a cold sweat. Young
and old are walking more OF
less warily because they are afraid
OF this or that consequence of
false steps. Under all the carelessness
OF manner there is a grave watchful-
ness for some dangers. if not for the
more really perilous things. Depend