The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-03-28
CHARACTER BUILDING"
Selected and Sent for Publication on
the Page by "GanO."

the Page by "GanO."
Howard Friends-From the looks of
the page this week I have come to the
conclusion that too many are like my
self, neglecting our duty to the club, as
there was but three short columns on the
page, so 7 will visit you once more. In
a recent issue of the christian at Work"
/ find the following article on Character
Building" which 1 think one of the best
productions on the subject 1 ever read,
SO L reproduce it here. thinking perhaps
it will interest others:
I'VE are very apt to confound char
acter and reputation together as being
one and the same thing. and many a
boy is satisfied with earning a good rep
utation, when he is not equally anxious
about having a good character. Reputa-
ton is truthfully defined as what a
person seems. The person may be all
that he seems and his reputation may be
the reflection Of his character, but it is
sorrowfully true that the reputation and
the character of a boy may be wholly
dissimilar. He may carefully conceal
from the eyes of his neighbors all that
is wrong, and all that is inconsistent
with his profession as a Christian and
therefore his reputation may be good.
and his standing high as a Christian a
citizen, a friend and head of family
All this may he be, and yet his chaac
be worthless structure which shall fall
as soon as the storms of temptation beat
upon it, and thus prove it's utter insta-
biIity.
Reputation is the shadow Character
is the real substance II the character
is carefully built all through a bows life
reared with ct a nv
each part Of the structure being firm and
solid there is but little danger that his
reputation will not be equally good. but
the reputation is not the thing TO be prin-
cipally desired. 1t is the character itself.
to which we should look.
IF we make a candid confession of
our real 1esires, / fear that most of us
would have TO admit that it is the repu-
tation rather than the character for
which we yearn. Not that we do not ali
wish to deserve all the good that is said
about US, but the first thought in our
hearts is that the good shall be SAID.
and the deserving it. is an after con-
sideration
"A reputation may be destroyed by
some adverse circumstances. and leave
the character intact. A mans character
is like q lighthouse which stands out
in the water steadfast and firm, no
matter what alterations of sun and
storm, of wind and calm, play upon il.
If it had been reared as it should b..
steadfastly and surely, nothing will be
able to overthrow it. and it will abide
when all things earthly will be stripped
from us.
I'VE begin in childhood to lay the
; foundations of our characters. Every
, deed that is we'll DONE every action that
Is pure and true and good. is a block
laid in this foundation upon which we
I are to build in after years the fair
+, structure which men will see and know
as our characters. If there is a wea K
place in it. that weak place will some
/ time be the ruin Of the whole. and all
that is strong and fair may topple over.
because one of the foundation stones is
imperfect and has not been securely
laid.
Character is not something that can
be built all at Once-in a month or a
year Day by day We fashion it, slow
ly and almost unconsciously, and our
building does not end until we reach
the end of life. Every act every
thought and word has an influence
upon the structure we are fashion
ing, and if We realized this as we should
I We would be more careful of the little
things we sometimes hold but lightly
forgetting that they have vital in
fiuence. Nothing is little really 1t is
these small things in everyday life
which are the most important. since
they are noiselessly building a fabric
that shall endure throughout eternity
Everyday life, with all its petty annoy
ances. ii trials, its cares and perpleXi-
ties. forms our opportunity for charac-
ter building. 1t is not the great occa-
sions of life that call for heroism, OF
other great qualities. No, these are oc-
casions that show what our character
is, and how il will stand the test OF
strain and temptation, but the charac-
ter itself has been fashioned i'm those
quiet hours when we did each little
everyday duty that came To our hands
faithfully and well, when we checked
the impatient work, restrained the irri-
table speech, and wrought as we'll as
we knew each little duty that was we
neXte thynge" in our path.
Overcoming the little daily annoyances
| that lie in our path help us to build up
true heroism better than overcoming the
great trials which come to us now and
again in LIES journey. Hf we had given
up to these smaller trials, we would not
have been able to overcome the greater
ones, but faithfulness in that which is
least, strengthens us so that when a
greater strain comes we can meet il as
we did the smaller tests and overcome
all difficulties and obstacles.
"Our character building should have
Christ as the foundation. If we build
with a single eye to His glory, with His
| love filling our hearts and the desire to
i please Him ever present with us we need
| act will be full OF love TO Him, and any
| thing that we do with His love ami
mating it is sure to be right. We can
not go astray when we take Him for
| our example, our guide
| "A consecrated life, one in which moth
] ing has been too small to consider worth
1 doing well, and as unto Him and His
| glory, lays broad. beautiful foundation
| upon which a symmetrical and strong
| character is reared that shall endure
| throughout eternity 1t will be built To
| endure Let MS take heed how we know
| that ones reputation is good, and that
| one has the love of ones fellows, but
| that should not be the first thing i'm our
| ambition. Let our desire he first Of all
that our character shall be strong and
| well-bult so that il shall Withstand the
/ storms of temptation and prove to all
| who know us that we have taken Christ
/ as the cornerstone the foundation which
| shall never be removed throughout all
/ eternity.
I would like 10 see several Of the Ole
| members come to the page Later On
| why silent so long?
On Dec. 4. SO. our brother. CITY
| Chap published his own obituary
| notice. Isn't II about time the SECOND
| one was published, as we have failed 4
hear anything from him for 10. these
many months Then 'Luella Cornellia'
| has failed 10 respond since she las
visited Dehornerville. Utah. / expect
4 ar nd Cfillf