The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-10
THEPREACHERS' DAY.
Selections From Sermons Deliy-
cred Yesterday.
WEIGHED IN AN EVEN BALANCE.
smallest and Balance In Charseser"-
Sermons By Rev. Msssrs. Eliot and
HsmIlton-Churoh News

Sermons By Rev. Msssrs. Eliot and
HsmIltea-Chureh News
The Rev. w. 6. Eliot, Of the Unitarian
church, yesterday morning preached an
eloquent and powerful sermon ON "Bal-
ance and Ballast in Character" II was
m able effort, and is given at length. Mr..
Eliot said:
ysb xxxi:e: ''Let me Be weighed In an even
balance that God may know mine integrity"
Palms cxii:6: "His heart Is fixed trusting in
the Lord"
All parts of the ship, from ruddsr 70 figure
hsad; I'll that pertains to the ship have Illus.
trased elements and experiences of human life
and character. Helm and heimsman. piIot ana
sailor, compass and wheel, mast and saii. anchor
and piummet, voyage and port, shoals and
deeps. nagrows and open sea, storm aud calm.
wind and sky and stars. beacon light and hsr.
Dor bar and haven. have oil entered the poetry
Of our sace.
And this iustines the title Of the sermon this
morning. The ship must be trimmed and bal.
lasted; ana by this figure invite your attention
for few moments to q consideration OF the
thens, "Balsnce and Ballast in Character.n
sometimes think that most OF thu flls Of
society are caused not 70 much by deliberate.
Intentional sinfulness, ~ by lack Of ballast in
character and lack of balance among the de-
msnss which entsr into character. A sinful
ignorance, . criminal negligence haunt, the
background Of our lives. A cumulative care.
isssness surprises us with it, power In many of
the important issues and crises Of life; and
sven In hvss governed BY great personal devo-
ton and conservation, We note Q lack Of squilib-
rum.
This lack IL the cause of most Of our own
weakness, failures and suffering. viii II not
then serve M all to consider very thoughtfully
and in practical and concrete way what con.
sttutss balance OF character; what 10 ballast in
character, and how they are attainedf
speak TO those who desire to attain in than.
selves this greater balance and ballast Rescue.
more radical salvatton, II needed for the leak
Ing and sinking craft AL that the really rood
mentioned ask 10 counsel and help; what they
need IL education, growth In mind, morals and
motivea
What II our simplest line Of appro ach In this
confederation Shall We begin at once BY In
etaacfng individual characters In whom lack Of
Daiancs OF ballast 10 conspicuousf II you will
think OF It moment you viii zee that this II q
hopeless task. Every one Of Us Lacks these
qualities 70 some degree, and every one else,
sappooos lacks them stiIl more No; LET IN look
rather 1t those universal elements which are
the groundwork for character, and then de-
ouce, II necessary, from the general to the par.
SECULAR Psychology furnishes our genesaliza-
tioua
Psychologists of all schools, in spite of vari.
Gus shades OF distinctions made. various ex-
Sisnauons Of phenomena, various differing an
aiyses OF complex operations, and in spite OF
differences - 70 which 10 primal in the several
departments OF our Life, nevertheless agree that
there are three moods or functions involved in
the unity OF the souls life. These are, of
course, the mind, the feeling and the viii. So
conscious are We In . rough way Of this dis.
sinction and 70 simple and clear cut does Il
seem, that We do not sufficiently appreciate tho
sxquistte dimculty OF the analysis OF q single
simple oct, let alone the most complex opera
lions Nevertheless. II We bear this difficulty
In our mind, the broad division above made
viii help m, for these three functions-mind,
feeling and will-are - necessary to the formal
completeness Of the soul ~ the possession of all
the limbs and organs II to the completed form
oil the body. and 20 thefe II . symmetry and
health among the parts OF the soul, Just - there
hs symmetry and health among the parts OF
the body.
Speaking, then. In the broadcast way, il.bal-
ance Of character IL always due TO III balance
among the three primal psychologist elements.
The mind or the feeling or the viii IL weak,
and then the character II to greater or less de-
gree unbalanced. II the weakness 10 radical or
organic, then the difhculty Of education. change
or Improvements II very great-insanity il
merely high degree Of such weakness; but II
the weakness In any faculty 10 not organic, but
simply due to lack Of training or attention.
then the weakness can 30 changed 70 strength
and greater degree Of symmetry attained.
Avoiding, If possible, the ENLARGEMENT Of too
deep aud close analysis. let VI see what the W
Tious types Of character are In cases whore any
Of the three parts IL unduly subordinatsd:
Fret where the mental element 10 weak O.,
the will strong, the feeling strong, but the
judgment poor. Here ID the character who sees
much Of his time ili-spent In injudicious enter
prises. A business man, failure IL marked
upon his brow; ~ philanthropist he II heart
full but headless; a. parent he is pouring out
love or temper on spoiled children: - re-
former he 10 one-sided: - o student he IL an
apologist OK IN advocate rather than q true
scholar; - Q teacher he 10 . psdagogue rather
than an educator, q driver instead OF leader;
~ . thsologian he II bigot instead OF q mes
ssngcr OF light; - . citizen he il . partisan
more than he 10 patriot
The inner Offices OF character are often him
dered or wasted or confused BY lack Of thought
1houghtlessness sometimes leads to greater
wrong than sin. "Discretion 10 the better part
Of vsior."
Wisdom IL better than enthusiasm. Ohstinacy
u irrational nrmnesA Mercy nnds scanty
room In the soul whose mind IL set in the busi-
ness Of fault searching. Charity ID indiscrimi-
nate and harmful when divorced from Judgment
Religion without reason becomes superstition.
What II 80 Of others, 10 70 greater or less ex-
tent true OF each o. us. II we arc conscious OF
any wasted effort, II we are conscious of any OF
the failures In our work or character due to
I'll Judgment or thoughtlessness, let us strive In
every possible way, especially in minuti@, to
train the judgment, practice the mind to the
wise gsneralixing from facts, from our past sx-
perences Of both success and failure and the
experiences of others. Read in q less des ultory
way and read slowly and carefully books which
require rigid aod careful thought Let u
think more ourselves--make thinking a. much
duty a. the other daily tasks. In some such
way, I think, one who feels Unbalanced In
character through failure Of the judgment may
he helped.
Secondly, would speak q moment of the
types OF character where the feelings are I'll de-
vsloped. The iii-halance IN character which
ands sourcc In She feelings 10 due not to the
eubordination or weakness of feeling 81
function. but rather i'll balance among the yari-
Gus kinds of tseiinga
Intellect 10 something much more simple
than feeling. Reasoning II . proceeding by
oesps: In accord with certain fundamental ideas
Of the consciousness. and In the reasoning
process no step can he anything but all right O.
81 wrong any more than . step in o mathemat-
heal problem can be partly right and partly
wong, aud those very steps in any process OF
Reasoning which We call wrong reasoning are III
named. for false step ceases TO he reasoning; IL
isa lapse in the process. Therefore, reasoning
IN il simplicity can net Be right or wrong. but
10 always right - long - IL continues to b
L. -. A..