Sharp County record., 1891-08-13
The LIMIT OF VIRTUE.
How Good Qualities Nay Be Turned Into
Vfa.a

How Good Qualities Nay Be Turned Into
Vices.
Every one has some good trait. some
fortunate natures have many. We in
herit good tendencies. which our cir
cumstauces develop into particular vir-
lures We see the same traits handed
down from father 20 son and grandson,
until they become family virtues and
sources Of Just pride. One family is
noted for its honesty, another FOR It's
loyalty; and third FOR its -varm-heart-
edness- Such qualities are a a-prccsous
Inheritance whose possession stimulates
personal pride-pride which should be
tempered with humility and misgIvings,
lest we fail to reach he shining set by
those who went before. Noblesse 0blige
is more true Of mental and moral in
heritances than Of fortune favOrs.
After trying 70 cultivate some chosen
trait. it does not take many years be-
fore il becomes our own particular vIr-
tue. We rejoice in 10; by degrees we
glory n IL. we bring 2 forward at every
turn, and wrap up and mug ourselves
with this our pet virtue ike a favored
garment. quite forgetting that in our
enthusiasm and One-sided efforts we are
turning our virtue into a vice
Truthfulness is Of priceless value but
it is quite possible to become so imbued
with pride in our ability to speak the
truth, in season and out Of season. that
we forget entirely that though speech
be silvern, silence is golden We speak
the truth with such vigor and such IN
aptuess that we lose all sight Of that
consideration which we are bound to
show to others feelings We become
so high and mighty in our truthfuiness
that we are positively brutal.
Perhaps helpfulness to others is the
most salient point iu our character, and
we go on generously helping those who
come in our way to the best Of our abil-
itv. Often we deny ourselves pleasures
and Injuries that we may minister 20
our fellows, or freely use our time and
strength in others behalf II would
seem that nothing but good could re
suit. But soon we become so en-
crossed by our own side Of the question
that we forget that there may be an.
other. We possess ourselves with the
facts Of the lives Of those we are aiding.
and by and by we become convinced
that the help or counsel we are giving
affords rs the right to become dOmi-
neering and meddlesome. We brush
aside all individual preferences and
capacities with an assured impatienee.
and expect grateful following Of our
own ideas
But our helpfulness has gone too far;
for where we have not fostered shift.
lessness and lazines} we have produced
the bitter sense Of loss Of personal
rights and thanlllessness, and we our
selves are hurt by the loss Of that deli
cate sense Of the rights Of others which
is the natural safeguard Of even our
very virtues Also, we can be so loyal
that we deceive and lead astray those
who trust u.s. and suddenly we find we
have been harboring wronP-doer and
shielding an evil We have allowed
loyalty to crowd ont our Judgment and
TO blind our sense Of Justice We have
countenanced evil and strengthened It's
hold over some weaker mortal We
have lost our influence and warped our
mental and moral outlook
In the same way we find that pride
in any especial Eirtue will inevitably
produce an opposite result and in exact
proportion 30 our thoughtlessneqs and
vanity But how shall we keep our
good traits within the boundary line?
How shall we know that we have over
stepped? 10 is easier for some to be
truthful, for some 20 be loyal, for some
10 be helpful than for others; but
whenever we allow ourselves To present
one virtue be 10 what il may, rs rca-
son for being defcientin others equally
needed in "a noble character, we may be
sure that our efforts are bent from their
course for good. To keep our good in
tentions and acts in the line Of useful
ness and positive good, we must humbly
guard and measure them by all those
attributes Of nobility which may not
have been bestowed on us so abundant
ly-ilarper's Baza.