Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-08-11

M with wrong notions on This subject.
Coileeit and swaggcr. and bluster are
not marks Of independence. though
many boys act a. if they thought So
The ring Is loud enough il Is true, but
IL Is the ring Of base metal and de-
ceives no educated ear. Boys are apt
10 consider il independent 70 cultivate
certain bad or questionable habits. and
that is a disastrous mistake Settle il
with yourselves that true freedom IS
never lawlessness, it Is never freedom 10
do wrong.
You remember reading about a
young fellow who thought he would
like to cut loose from his fathers con-
troll. and have his own money to spend
as he chose. Il presume some of you
may have felt just SO. though trust
You never went SO far as he did The
father decided TO let him try it. so he
went off in a very gay fashion, and
imagined he had pretty good time for
awhile. with nobody to tell him ''You
mustn't do this or that, a" throwing his
money right and left for any bauble
that caught his eye, or any pleasure
that suited his fancy. I've no doubt
he considered it being independent
But you knew there came a sad time
when the money was all gone, wasted
with riotous living" and he was very
glad to come back to the old home in
his hunger and rags. and receive the
kind fathers welcome. ! am sure you
will say you wouldn't care about such
independence as that
Another aspect of this trait is fasci-
mating to young minds | suppose most
lads approaching young manhood aspire
to be independent thinkers. To strike
out for one's-self on intellectual lines,
to discover truth, all! that is glorious!
Perhaps because religious truth is the
most important of any, it is on that line
this original ~ thinking usually goes.
Nowadays when older people hear of
an independent thinker" they smile
to themselves and wonder who has de-
molished the Bible this time! 1t is a
characteristic of youth to suppose indie
pendence must mean difference Prof.
Beecher puts these words into the mouth
of Theophilus Luke: sit never occurred
to me that two men thinking independ
emily might reach the same results.
just as well as reach opposite results. :
1t is not mark Of superior intelligence
or of freedom from bigotry to set ones
self opposed to established principles,
though many young man does that
because he thinks it is. True independ
ence can be meek and lowly.
You are ready at this point to ex-
claim: There is no freedom after all.
every way | turn l find control, and
that is true. There will never be free
dom to do wrong, never freedom to for
get what is due to others.
But there may be independence in
every right way; earn your own living
when that is what you ought to do; dig
out your Greek without help; form no
habits which will hurt weak brother;
be able to say no they are simple,
practical methods to begin with The
Bible says: His servants We are whom
We obey and if you love the right you
don't feel any bonds IN obeying the
right. any more than you feel in bond
age to your mother if you love her.
Wordsworth puts the seeming contra
diction thus: Humble dependence and
manly independence; humble depend
ence on God, and manly reliance on
Sc If IN. Y. Observer.