The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-12-25

why Dy tnaG Sill lell tuc auScAo. IL
was down the terrible pole of the pro-
noun that Lucifer, son of the Morn.
ing, slid into the dark abyss. Self
hood, the power of personality, the au'
tocratic outcome of wide influence
these are to-day our dangers as they
were not in the day of small things u
dozen years ago. AS George Elliot
makes somebody say, 1.-The realm OF
thought has but just two divisions,
namely, my Idee' and 'Humbug.'"
Our very love of one another and de.
light in each others achievements and
success has also become a delusion and
y snare. Men had long and often said
that women did not much admire each
other. For one, meant to prove our
power of mutual admiration bound.
less. But higher outlook has been
given me in these last days. Comics
SION is q good thing for the soul, and |
confess, with sorrow, yet in hope, that
a sense Of self-hood, a purpose of self
recognition and the t1atterlng junction.
OF self-gratulation had grown upon me
far beyond my recognition until the
three evangelists who have been much
with US in Evanston since June, be-
came the instruments of God to teach
me what true-surrender is, and how in
newness of life we may become ''habi-
tations of God through the spirit"
Mine eyes have seen the glory OF
the coming of the Lord" Tendencies
in our work that were dimly discerned
before have stood out clearly in the
light OF His countenance. And most
of all | have beheld myself as the one
most ut fault. With my lifelong love
of praise and fondness for saying pleas
ant things, have pointed my pencil
to write personals literally by the
Thousand, IN the fifteen years past,
about my well-beloved comrades, and
really thought 1 did the right and gen
erous thing. If every sketch OF life
and work, every allusion in cores
pondence, public and private, that |
nave ever made concerning any wo
man now or at any time connected
with the w. &. r.. u, could stand out
before her at this hour, she would find,
/ very believe, that no other person
had written so much in her praise.
But it comes to me, under the Spirits
light, that this was but u subtler form
OF seltishness. For we We're Il mutual
admiration society, and it was Il game
of give and take. What other woman
have you all at one time or another
praised more than you have me? l
could 20 down Oh my face in the dust
to think that you have been so gener-
GUS and gentle with me when 1 was
really in myself and you, helping to
develop that sense of self-hood which
is opposed to the divine self-surrender
that should be the most constant desire
and purpose of US all.
Now then, I have by Gods grace
written my last laudatory paragraph
in The Union Signal or anywhere else,
and I sincerely trust that my name
will never again be seen in that paper
or any other accompanied by words of
praise. Beloved sisters, let us blot out
the whole vocabulary OF familiar adul-
atory adjectives, and 60 straightto our
work in gladness and singleness of
heart.
When children of one household
gather round their mothers chair to
listen to her tender voice, their mutual
love of her makes them think less
about each other. And in hallowed
hours of the past summer, listening to
the unwOrldly words of women more
absorbed with Christ than l have yet
earned to be, it came to me by the
Spirit, that the sweetest thing in life is
so to dwell in our redeemer that the
vision of His face shall make all other
faces dim; the music of His voice shall
cause all other voices TO grow distant,
and most of all, the fascinating voice
of human praise.
did not know how we'll I loved il
until this holier light fell OH my path,
the subtle spell of self-hood was SC
strongly on nay soul that I knew not
how to be passive in anything what
ever, and the life for which | long is as
yet dimly discerned by me who have
tried so long and so sincerely to show
that Alpine path to others. One thing
is known to me, however; 1 must
"Lsy my deadly doing down,
Down at Jesus feet,
and that He has led me to desire such
absorption of my self-centered spirit
into the spirit of God that, instead OF
standing out so plainly in the thought
of those with whom [ am rejoiced tc
work, my disappearance may be SC
complete that they shall say, "She was
not, for God took her." To such self
surrender are we called who seek not
some salvation, but the life "hid with
Christ in God" How can ye believe
that receive honor one from another
and seek not the honor that cometh
from God only.
Ambition (ingeniously but not dis,
l.,
in my vocabulary has been the inmost
impelling force of my personality
We Americans call it the purpose to
''get on in the world" the power 'to
cause things to come to pass" We
Yankees call it "grit" and "snap" and
faculty." On the worlds plane it is
a most fortunate central quality in