The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-03-30

Character consists of the permanent
rrafcrences. a man s intellectual char
erfer is made uu of those mental tastes
and qualifications which his training
and opportunities have developed. A
mans moral character is the settled
state of hs Viii toward questions of
right and wrong. Character, there
fr,. is always tending to permanence.
Dr. wiIl bee harder TO change or modify
Do to.m0rfow than 10 Is to-day. We
wear or grooves Of thought and ac-
t.n. aud there we stay. We gradual.
if make the little world that Interests
us. end wc settle down there for life.
l.takcs uo prophet 20 tell with sub
...ntial accuracy at twenty one what
kind of men aud women we shall make.
at ilirty we nave given the world the
measure of ourselves in most cases.
I delightful mystery of uncertainty
irlt hangs about our childhood. IN the
twilight of which our pa rents f0ndly
revel in hope and prophecy, is soon dis
PEELED. the formative years are soon
over. our friends no longer wonder
what we shall be-. they look and see
what we are.
Character building is process Of life.
Character builds itself as the tree
d1ss-0ut of the elements IN which II
lives NOT by taking them on outward
u.s.. but by assimi.atIng them inwartly.
Character takes up into its permanent
substance the individual acts and
choices OF HE. as the body takes the
u0uri-hmemt 10 receives and trdnsmutes
itlnio blood aud brain. and gives forth
ih.slrengih which it imparts In thought
sud action. Thus the way in which
character grows is analogous TO all the
methods of nature. The growth must
he prou0rtlgnate Co the given material
for growth aud the surroundings in
which 10 is placed, and the fruit viii
CORE sp0nd
Livery moral act or choice passes into
character and makes It's contribution &c
our permanent preferences. IL one al
lows himself io read bad book. II vii
leave iis stain on bis mind. he has pre-
pared The way for the formation Of q
settled taste. IL he reads another such
Doe viii be more likely 10 read q third.
and less likely 10 read any better book
s. young man may step out OF the path
% honesty or virtue once and retrieve
himself. be- may do SO after two false
steps. but his second aiminishes the
chances jon an alarming ratio. Sin
treats as as the sibyl in the Roman le-
ei0n treated TafQun The SHY came OF
the king bringing him nine volumes
and asked hum 20 buy them 81 an eX'
uayagant price. he refused. She went
and burned three volumes. returned
and demanded lhe same price for the
remaining six. Again he refused. She
burned three more. and came again. de-
handing the same price Tor the three
as Tor Che niue at first. 50 the temper
vlli never relax the price which we
must pay if we would buy the pleas
ufes OF sins" but every time we traffic
with him. bee will have the less Of man
hood aud character TO give us back
after OFT bargain
We are simply storirg up action and
thought motives and purposes, into
character. A man steals away Oui OF
-I.ht VI hIs fellows. aud commits an
a.t of sin. be- emeIges into light
again. and says be ha. escaped. Mean
iu. bee has written the record Of that
a.. upon bis .0ul. where ID shall as GER
naly be read a. 10 the story OF SIN
were Inscribed across the heavens IN
leuers of fire. The books that Will be
opened at the last day will be the
records ol characters which we are all
secretly writing. No others will be
neeliuL There will be the story OF
our lives. a, they are, not as they seem.
llis idea Of character emphasizes the
necessity of moral self discipline. There
are some people who do not mean 10 be
very bad bui who area good deal worse
than they mean 20 be. They have loose
ideas about right and wrong, weak per
cepl0ns. feeble convictions. They need
lig D self discipline. They may hold a
Jess good principles. but they hold them
with -o little strength and appreciation
ihal ihey 60 not carry them into actual
Iic. Many who seem 20 aim at good
character miss it from indirec,ion and
lack of moral precision.-Sunday-
ocIuCl Times