The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1894-08-30
MAKING MEN BETTER.
Character the Embodiment of True and
Noble Manhood.

Character the Embodiment of True and
Noble Manhood
Man is many sided. 1t is his strange
ly-complex nature that makes it so
difficult to directly help him, and
obliges the majority of refOrmers
after various ineffective efforts to give
up the attempt and content themselves |
with removing distractions, leaving
the progress to be made by each in
dividual. Most of the well-meant !
effort to relieve human sutferings is
found at last to have created evils per-
haps as serious as those which it nit
igated. 1t is character which after all
is the real good That must be devel-
oped from within,> not put on as is the
growth of certain plants and trees in
concentric rings from the outside. I'm
proving outside conditions without
change of character is treated with
fine scorn by Mrs. Browning in "Auro-
ra Leigh as leaving men in british
ness, but moving them to a cleaner
stye. Undoubtedly it is good thing
for men to seek to improve their ma
terial surroundings. The seeking has,
itself, an effect on character. The
work which a man does to lift himself
up is immeasurably superior to any
that any outside influence can do for
him.
The helplessness of mere wealth to
accomplish human elevation is per
haps the most pathetic fact of modern
times. Enormous fortunes have been
created by men who had special genius
for accumulating money. Often these
men began this work with the sincere
} purpose of accomplishing good for
mankind that in their view would be
impossible without it. So they go on
! in mad rush for wealth. only to find
5 after it has been accumulated that al
: most every avenue of real helpfulness
. has been closed by the very means
e they had relied upon to accomplish
S human elevation. The wealth is q
i hindrence. If it does not put its pos
e SCISSOR out of sympathy with those he
t would assist it does worse than this; il
puts them out Of sympathy with him
There is profound philosophy in thu
: fact that the Son of Man, who mos
helped mankind. ii, stripped him
q self and became the poorest of tn
# poor, and dependent on charity for tn
J. place to lay his wearied head. 1t
IS most significant that the VOW OF pov
~ erty is imposed even to this day b.
n most churches on those who devot
,e their lives to teaching spiritual thing:
f. 1t is almost impossible to make tn
As direct giving of money beneficial to 1t
as recipient. Few people who are in III
pr gent need of money realize this. The
r. think that if they had access to tn
1s Golfers of the millionaire that hal
is piness would surely be theirs. Bu
70 the millionaire tnd8 that merely hay
r. ing the millions does not make hll
ce happy. How then, d lid it do tn
for others? He enjoyed the work an
re the excitement of accumulation, bt
ly after the longed prize is gained
he ceases to do for him what he expecte
so So he goes on and on, seeking MOI
fe and more millions, until death claim
he him and he is obliged to leave a
he This desire of the wealthy to he
men, coupled with Inability to do
tlv furnishes the most pathetic tragedl
tie of modern life. There need be 1
Ills question of Stephen Girard's desire
In. benefit his fellow men. His unselti'
les service in caring for yellow fev
he patients in Philadelphia, when no OF
Ms else could be got to do this work, {
lad tested his sympathetic feelings. Y
at the close of lis3 the wisest use
rk could make of whas4Was then the IL
Use gest fortune in the country was to gl
ain most of it as training school for bo.
its It is doubtless true that help may
ine given to the very young with lt
to chance of its doing them an lnJu
r than to those who aie older.
The chief danger from money 81
cap to men and womea lies in lesSeni
their feeling of independence and