The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1886-11-20
VIRTUE OF OBEDIENCE.
The Need of Subordination in Every Con-
dition of Human Life.

VIRTUE Of OBEDiENCE.
| The Need of Subordination in Every Con-
dition of Human Life.
I must rank obedience with the vir-
5ues when it is willing and free; for then
it is an acknowledgment, reverence, a
sense of justice and right. Submission
IS not obedience; for obedience is a loyal
observance of authority, which is vir-
tue; but submission is a yielding to
force, which is servitude. '.Many are
in obedience from necessity rather than
from love-" says attempts; and he con-
tinues: These take it amiss and rep!ne
for small cause; nor will they acquire
freedom of mind unless heyyield them
selves to God with the whole heart. "
Herein plainly is set forth the difference
between the obedience which is virtuous
allegiance, and the submission which is
abasement. Obedience is the being
drawn by excellence; submission is the
being constrained by force. Now a
habit of uplooking and gladness in
the same, so that we are happy when
excellence is at hand to which we can
pay deference-this is a very virtuous
state of mind, and like other vir-
tues it has great powers. For this it
is which enables men to act in the
best way together, and to combine
themselves in orders, and in such ranks
as can march easily and quietly to an
end. For without grades, powers, su-
periority, subordnation, what can come
but disorder and defeat? | have heard
of factory full of good workmen, with
tools and all equipments, which never
thelesS could not hold its business but
failed lamentably. Now, it was q CO.
operative factory, and 1 was tod it
failed for lack of discipline, because, all
the men being on a level, each would be
captain, which speedily turned the
same as having no captain and they
wrought as little as the body would if it
were all head, with no hands nor feet to
serve. These poor men had learned
not the virture of obedience, being still
in the opinion that Difference was sub
lection.
Their failure shows that need of sub
ordination, which is the same as true
co-working, each in his place, with the
meaning of h S place granted Also it
shows what liberty is; for what is fall
ure in any thing but subsection thereto?
For if we fail in any affair it is be-
cause we master not the matter, but the
matter overpowers us; which is to say
that we become not free Hence, an
unruly, mutinous refractory spirit is
loss of liberty. Obedience is freedom;
that is, power and mastery over condi-
tons instead of bondage thereto. Free
man touches the secret of Roman great
ness when he says: ''At Rome IN the
best days of Rome every man knew both
how to command and how to obey"
These are but the two sides of our face.
He can not command who can not obey,
and whose loves to obey has gone far in
commanding, and in manner a leader
in his own place, living freel ly and
strongly. When closely considered,
there is no right or means of command
except from God, and authority is
obedience; and whose obeys another's
virtue pays his obedience to God. In
fine, to obey what deserves obedience is
Liberty and Joy; but to be compelled to
comply because we will not, is bondage
and pain. Wherefore it seems there
erty which has the ar of tyranny if it
be not closely examined Wherever
some gather to act together, even if
only two or three, each must either
command or obey. And it is a
question whether there be not al
WAYS q hidden issue of authority,
though it rise not to an open
Thou shalt" But if one command,
this is not to do as one will witho ut
reason, but to obey law, either a law
of nature or wider law of men, which
is the sanction of the command. There
fore, as | have said, commanding is
first obeying, and any writ or mandate
to others which comes not by obedi-
ence to somewhat higher, and to en-
force the higher, is tyranny, Where
fore, it is only the obed:ent nature
which can lay hold of authority to COM
mand. But the obedient nature will
enjoy obedience and find great quiet
and peace in it. Whence comes this
paradox: "Who ought to command?
The one who wishes it not. :" Nay, l
will say there ought to be even a pride
of obedience; it is virtue worthy of
honest satisfaction. And this surely it
will be, for being lofty as virtue, it
is also pleasure by humility and peace
ableness of spirit Wherefore, what
parent rears children in obedience pre-
pares for them both power and pleasure.
Says a-Kempis: ''No man safely goeth
abroad who loveth not to rest at home;
no man safely talketh but he who loveth
to hold his peace: no man safely ruleth
but he who loveth to be subject; no
man safely commander but he who
loveth to obey, ,"-St. Louis Globe