New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1894-03-28

accepted moral law, and so our charac-
ter, if we have any, will See to the quick
execution of the determination arrived
at either without, or after, an inner
struggle. To be sure, the finer our con-
science, and the stronger our character,
the less will there be of hesitation before
acting upon a given impulse.
These three things, then, are necessary
in man as Il uoral being of higher value,
(1) a general knowledge of what is NOR
al. (2) a fine conscience to tell him quick
ly and reliably when and how to act up
on impulses, and (3) a character trained
to at once and unflnchingly execute the
| command of that inner tribunal.
A person so constituted cannot show
any egotism in the bad meaning of the
term; at least he will not as rule, it
being taken for granted that nobody is
absolutely perfect.
It remains now for us to INQUIRE into
the connection between morality and in-
tellect; further, how far egotism may be
justifable; and finally, what part it
plays in some Of the more important
moral systems.
Following the general course of civil
lization we notice that the moral stand
ard is always in some correlation to the
intellectual standard; a superficial Fob
server might from this fact draw the
conclusion that man, in order to be per-
fectly moral, must necessarily have a
highly developed intellect. Did not
even the great Socrates identify virtue
and wisdom? 1t seems impossible that
a person of deep learning should be a
gross egotist, not to speak of his COM
mitting positive crimes. Yet. such has
been the case. Take for instance Lord
Bacon of Verulam, who was in April
1920 accused of having sold monopolles
not only, but even judgments, and the
proofs against the learned lord-chance-
]or were so complete that he pleaded gull
ty in writing, waving all defense and
surrendering unconditionally to the
mercy of the lords. He then counts up
twenty three casesin in which he had against
oath and duty, accepted bribes of 50,-
| 100, 200, 400 and more pounds steeling
from different parties for judgments or
monopolis. Or take Giovanni ide Medici,
LEO. x, pope 1515-2D,who in some re-
sp>cts was one of the foremost men of
his time Without any revolt of his COD
science he took all the money that came
to Rome for indulgences given to credu-
lous people, and he is reported as hav-
ing once SAID to cardinal friend of his,
''fabula ista de Christie nobis permagnas
pecunias tulit,'' or words to that effect;
| which show him to have been not only
perfect unbeliever, but willing also to
make ample use of the superstition of
the masses for the sake of refined liv-
ing and prominent position.
The fact is that high standing in
knowledge, taste, or refinement does not
necessarily imply high morality; that
the standard of morality in every nation
is influenced by the standard Ct intcllec-
tual culture only in general way; that
a man in a narrow sphere of life may
rank high in morals without possessing
much of the intellectual treasures of
mankind; that, however, the morality of
person will be elevated, will be given
higher value, by knowledge and learn
ing, for he can act more consciously land
is better able to decide difficult moral
dilemmas into which he may be brought
in life. The lower the station of life a
man is in, the fewer mparatively, and
the less dangerous, are the temptations
he is exposed to.
| What we learn from all this is that
neither mental gifts, nor character, nor
even egotism or self-love are in them
selves good or bad. The former are
good only as far as they support good
morals and serve the Improvement of the
hum;.n race; the latter is Lad only as far
as it works injury to others, especially
by hindering us from working for their
happiness and welfare. Compare the
words of Alex Pope in his ssEssay on
Man," ep. II. v. $3.50:
Two principles in human nature reign:
self-love to urge, and reason to restrain.
Nro this good: nor that a bad we call.
Each works its end, to move and govern
And to their proper operation still
Ascribe all good, to their improper i'll.
Self love, the spring of motion, ::cts the