Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-02-15
TEMPER.

LIZ
n has teen said that "uotwiths tan
ding the many complaints of the calem
tiles OF bGmat life. il is certain thai
more constant uneasiness arises from
ill-temper than from ill-fOrtune. IL
vain has Providence estowed every
external blessing il care has not beer
taken by ourselves to smooth the aspr-
ties of temper. A bad temper en.o t.
tiers every sweet, and converts n place
OF happiness into place of torment
How true the above Is, none who are
much known with their fellows car
deny. Uudisciplined tempers bring i'll
feeling, quarrels, and all kinds of evil
in their train. They do more tLar
many other sins to effect separations
between friends and disunion in fami.
lies, they cause wounds which time cal
seldom or never heal, they form
breaches which apparent reconcilia.
tions bridge over but faultIly. There
are words spoken in anger which are
! never forgotten; there are looks which
imprint themselves on the mind as al
indelible mental photograph; there
are suilen silences which chill and
wound as efectuaily as the most bitter
and scathlng speech; there are the ac.
tions-outward and visible signs of iii.
feeling-which leave a mark in hearts
which little deserve the pain they cause.
There are these things and many others
which add TO the suffering aud sorrow
of many. all caused by bad and uncon.
| trolled temper.
1t must be borne in mind that not t,
! 20, . .
of phlegmatlc Indifference, of stony
callousness which is by no means ad-
mirable. A person who is so unemo.
tional rs never to be moved to Just in.
tignatlon at wrong or oppression, who
feels nothing very acutely ore way OF
the other. who boasts of never having
his equanimity disturbed, is one in
most cases OF u selfish nature and OF
mall psychical power, and having =
narrowed outlook ON life.
We have the highest authority of al
for the fact that those who rule THEN
spirit are greater than those who rule
city, and so it may be logically in.
terred that one possessing a quick emo,
| u1nal Temperance t, keenly sensitive
and highly strung neryes-for temper
Is nenrotic, and consequently works
with the brsin-is. If governed by the
force of supernatural law, on a very
much higher plane, and Is of greater
worth as su individual, than the cold
sluggish person with whom We must
admit we have nosympathy. but greai
de al OF pity.
As there Is no hiatus in Nature, SO il
her there Is no force given that cannot
, be turned to account. And it may be
said of temper as Browning said OF the
body. The question is:
How TAI can that project thy soul on its Ion,
wayr
That it can he great power IN th>
; life is undouhted-a power for good at
we'll as ill. Which it is allowed to be
lies in the direction of the will.
A quick temper which can be rouseL
| to anger knows when to be angry ant
get not sin, and that very Indignation
which Is felt when individually wrongeC
| can, if diverted from self and 5 lf-inter
est, be tue motive for active aitruism
Restrained force, too, is always power.
| ful. Passion and love "held in a leash
often endure longer than when bott
have liberty for full play and expires.
sion So with temper. The most mag.
/ OificIent calmness OF demeauor is moi
the dull tranquility which cannot be
disturbed, but the strong feelings, the
/ intensely keen seEsitivencss, the great
"-lIve ness" ii we may coin u word
which is yet all under control Suct
ruling of the spirit is not effected
| by common neaus, noT by an effort tc
be Indifferent, but by quIckeued per.
ception as to the relation of things, by
increased knowledge of the worth Of
| peace, OF the internal growth which il
promoted by the restraint of anger.
A great means OF acquiring the habit
| of control is 10 practise it IN small
things. Continual grumbling at every,
thing is a p actice with many, and not
one tending to promote an atmosphere
of peace. The frequent expression o.
annoyance, when clothed with words
only makes the smallills which provoke
them more real 1t gives them life
aud remember that though angry feel
Ings are ever 10 be deprecated, still
when they find form In action or speect
| thy are more culpable and wrong.
Dagging temper is most detestable
We have seen people who we're sup
posed to care for each other go ON nag
ging to pitch We thought beyond en-
durance.
1t may be very hard to ''be mistress
of yourself though China fall, ," yer,
difficult to keep back words when yol
are angry, vindictlve acts when yoI
are wronged, 1t will be slow work t.
learn to do this, the failures may b,
great and many, but So much of tn,
present and future good of yourseI
aud others depends upon it, so great al
import has it upon your real life auC
the bettering of it, that if people asl
themselves if it is worth while takin,
so much trouble and SO many pains t.
rule that turbulent spirit, to struggl
ont of that sullen temper, to mastel
that irritability-there can be but on,
answer: 1t is.