The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-02-19

aEIE-DlSCIPLINE.


To A good part OF mankind the philoso-
ply of life is covered by the homely
phrase, Root pig or die!" Another por-
ton content themselves with the Idea
that the world owes them a living. And
both of these are willing to take 1t as
the chief end Of man to have good
time. The goodness OF the time depends.
OF course upon the nature Of the animal.
II the chief use and market OF the time
Is but to eat and sleep and gather gear
Il is not easy to see how man is as dig
nifed and honorable as a beast. The
beast fulils the purposes Of his creation
and makes the very best OF life. The man
neglects or degrsdes the best parts
Of his nature, enjoys only the pleasures
OF the brute, dishonors himself and falls
below and behind the brute IN having
good time His Intelligence and higher
possibilities magnify his brutishness.
Conscious manhood and conscious dig
nifty are the first instincts Of our being,
and the first. the last. the highest bust
ness of life is to know what we are and
what is our business here. From Heaven
came the order Know myself" and
from Heaven comes the great privilege
Of recognizing In ourselves the image OF
Deity. We are divine or diabolic; we
can't be mere feeders-brutes. Among
the heather the highest thoughts were
about virtue-that is the abstract idea
or very essence Of manhood and its reali-
zation A lot OF fools called themselves
scholiasts or schoolmen. exalted the intel
lect, spent their time in weaving spider
webs out Of the material Of thought. or
in an intellectual way making lace or
carving out Chinese puzzles. wonderful
for workmanship and uselessness-clabo-
rate toys. The inhabitants Of Laputa were
Of that sort. And they have many fol-
lower now-social, political, metaphys-
CAL philosophical Their dem total was
to make life a vapor. The epicureans
were practical and sensible. They saw
man capable of great development and
great enjoyment. They studied his ma
ture with that in view. And wisely and
make the most Of them-to have a good
time. But they worked in a dignified
way. and looked for pleasure In the way
of virtue and temperance. They kept the
fig tree and ate of the fruit thereof But
1t was a mortal man, and not an immor-
tai soul, that they dealt with. Their men
and their pleasures were "a moment
white, then lost forever"
The stoics were OF another and higher
sort They recognized the divine in man
in adaptations, in cravings, in qualities,
/ in aspirations. in ideals In mysterious
instincts. but all out Of place. all dis
torted, all unsatisfied. For ideal man
hood he was born--for that, but without
1t. Then. the highest duty of the poor
exile was to endure. Yet with them there
was no higher business for life than hui
man, moral sculpture-to reproduce IN
their own nature the lost or cherished
ideal. 1t was enough to reach that at
any cost. To be true and virtuous
man and bear any fate was their best:
and to this end high self-discipline was
exercised. 1t gave an interest an occu-
patton, dignity to life. 1t was. and is.
and ever will be. high honor to be a
man-esse non videri. It was. and Is,
and ever will be, q shame to be an apollo
gy for one.
Christianity Is not epicureanism or
aestheticism or stoicism-it IL life. II
again proclaims man as lord Of creation;
in action like an angel and In apprehen-
sion like a god. 1t makes all creation.
the brave o'erhanging armament that 1t
calls Heaven, before his Heaven-directed
brow for his contemplation, his easy,
pleasant. hopeful study, and the earth
and all that Is on 1t for his comfort and
development. The whole world II makes
the beautiful nursery of the immortal.
In its teachings man Is divine. 1t adopts
the stoic's teaching: Matt sumus ad
hoe. sed absque hoe" And the whole
business of the Christian life Is to regain
the lost image and re establish the king
dom of Heaven within. 1t accepts the
stoics conditions of hard service: life as
a school. a place for discipline, God-sent
and self imposed. But II makes 1t all under
the Fathers sympathetic eye, full OF
high and loving comforts and full of the
hope Of blissful Immortality.
The problem of life is not to accumulate
a fortune or achieve place or notoriety.
but preserving whole the dignity OF man.
So to pass through things temporal is not
TO lose the things eternal. and TO leave a
name identified with good sense. with
character. with kindliness, animating and
inspiring.