, 1889-04-11
SAFEGUARDS oE The WILL.
Felix Adler Points to the Means of Df-
writing 1t from Evil Purnoses.

Felix Adler Points to the Means of Df-
vertinE 1t from Evil Purposes.
Every nook and corner of Chickering
hall was occupied when Felix Adler rose
to deliver his lecture on THE Struggle
Against Temptation" The audience
listened to Mr.. Adler with rapt attention
and at the conclusion of the address ap-
plauded loudly.
After the usual singing by the choir
Mr.. Adler said that human desire was at
the bottom of nearly oil the good and
evil in the world; the desire for knowl-
edge fostered the pursuit of science, the
desire for the beautiful had created the
arts, and virtue would be unknown II
there was not within man n cropping for
moral harmony.
There are also within u.s. he con-
tinued, certain gross appetites and
cravings, and when these occupy the
field of the mind they crowd out the bet
ter thoughts and drown the soft, sweet
voice of virtue. The voice of duty has
been called still and small, and to hear it
we must ave the faculty of sitting our
passions.
Certain natural desires are best dealt
with by satisfying them, particularly in
children, whose appetites are only sharp
ened for pleasure when it is denied them.
Many children, denied what is perfectly
legitimate in youth, particularly the
sons of clergymen, go to excesses the
moment they gain their liberty.
1T is the normal rule to weaken de
sircs by satisfying them, but there are
certain desires which we cannot and
others which we must not crafty. No
desire is justified because it is natural, II
it interferes with higher considerations;
and all desire must be suppressed when
it does interfere with these considera-
tons, The object of desire has power
over us in proportion as its mental Image
is sharply defined. Consequently, when
such desires do impress themselves upon
our mind, we must Mt once turn our
thoughts in another direction.
Human will is free, let doubters say
the contrary, Notwithstanding. This the
DRY TO the contrary is the outcome of OBJ
scure metaphysics. We must, neverthe-
less, understand the limits in which we
are free. Let no mar believe that he
can harbor evil thoughts without being
the worse for it. We arc, however, free
to throw of these thoughts when they
enter, and in making this effort lies our
redemption. This throwing of must be
complete and immediate, else it only
leads TO renewed moral degradation. We
must force our thoughts into n new
channel when evil ones assail us, but by
forbidding them we only make the de-
sire moro intense. Jesus illustrates his
when he says Get thee behind me,
Satan
by some it is argued that this system
is cowardly and that we should boldly
face evil. 1t is true that we ought to be
able to face it; but it is also true that
we are unable to do so successfully.
You hear of the great social sin, the
moral filth Of which is spread over
our city. How can men who nave
mothers and sisters forget the s~anctity of
women and profit by this sin2 1t Is de-
sire that curses them and makes their
vision narrow, and they apologize for
themselves by saying that tho desire is
natural. Weaklings all, ever ready TO
appeal to nature. Let each man have q
task for himself throughout life, and
like Ulysses he will sail past the sirens
toward the shining goal.
The two great helps toward this end
arc the society of good and true men,
n particularly that of cultivated and
elm women, and theidcal companion
ship of those loved ones who have passed
away
"ln the first we find those things which
we have been striving for taken for
granted, and in tho second we can do
nothing wrong in the radiant beauty of
those sweet faces which have gone to the
life of infinite peace" - New York
Herald.