The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1894-02-10
JONES ON MORALITY.
Talks Of the Moral, Social, Indus.
trial Condition Of the Country.
THE MORAL CONDITIONS OF MEN.
What Associations to Keep, and the Evil
Effect of Bad Company-Compan-
onships Shape Destinies-The
Outcome OF 1t AL


try.
Almost every day somewhere I an
brought face to face with moral degra
dation, with social excess, industria,
friction an political pole-cats.
One day l am a pessimist. another
day am an optimiet, another day
am a nugwump, to use d political ex
preston.
This letter will have to do with the
moral conditions of men. This is the
most important, for it Is the very basis
Of right living, in national, social, in,
dustrial and political life. Not only is
nothing settled until il is settled right;
really, nothing is begun until it is be-
gun right. If the foundations be de-
stroyed what can the righteous do?
l care not how Indifferent men may
be, nor how reckless they may grow,
it is a fact that he who runs counter to
the great principles which underlie
moral rectitaue will end an unhappy
life i'll wreck and ruin.
We arc a nation locking to profit and
loss almost exclusively. Financial
profit, with the loss of character and a
besmirched reputation. is not good
economy. This nation from its hum
blest home to it's national capitol
oaght to stop and consider hat God
has projected this world along the
lines of certain fundamental principles,
and that law, all law, within the lids
of the sacred Book, as well as all state
law that is worthy of the name, is but
the thorough-fare opened up by the
ALI Wise being over which humanity
must travel from the cradle to the
grave. ~
We must study and learn thaS it is not
wrong to do Il thing simply because
God or the Legislative authority Of the
state says it is wrong, but that all the
law-naking powers in Heaven and
Earth can have only one basis for any
prohibitory law, and that is in the
eternal principles of right and wrong.
We must know that it is not wrong to
steal because God said Thou shalt not
STEAL but that God said Thou shalt
not steal' becauie it is wrong to steal.
Nothing can be made right OF wrong
by law: but it is etcrnallv right or
wrong in itself, and law is simply a
disclosure OF that which already ex-
listed.
There is only one standard by which
character can be measured, and that is
law. SubOrdiration and insubordina-
ton to law determines the character of
the citizen. A man who is personally
corrupt cannot be politically pure, or
commercially honest, or socially de-
cent. 1t is the addition OF units hat
makes the aggregate Of national life.
Men have ceased u 5tJ1 an,f ask Is
it -ight?" Or is it "3orE?": tii.y sin
ply ask now, is there &4y money IA
it,
The character is often buried I'M
der chattles, and manhood under
money. and God under gold.
Without stopping to discuss the mo-
weight or the momentum of
hercdity, all students of men and
things will admit that environment
has much to do with shaping character
and determining destiny. AS surely as
Evil communications corrupt good
morals and as THE man is known by !
the company he keeps" SO surely does
environment have its force.
| have a water spaniel at home, the
best rat dog / know of, his association |
with my scotch terrier made him SO.
The moral uplifting or the moral
Of this country is largely |
with those who control our home life. |
God gives to the parents the infant |
child as impressionable as warm wax. |
and has fixed it so that the immortal |
child cannot walk away from it's moth
side until it is a year old. Then
lie has fixed it SO hat for the next
or three years, mother must keep
vigilent eye over it.
Anarchists are made in the home
life. \ boy fifteen years old, whom
and father cannot control. will
not obey law b~y-and-by. The want of
restraint in home life peoples our peni-
,entiaries and furnishes our gallows /
with their victims.
Eli restrained not his son and God
aid, When l make a beginning. | will
an ending" and the whole fam
y were Over-thrown. Example and
are the coal and water by
which we pull up the hills aud attain
our children the inheritance which
'Cd intended. The father who would
'lisc sober boys must not drink. If he
would not have them gamble, he must
lot set the example. SO let every
ather De and do as ne would have his
be and do: and then with wise
eStraiUt and brave adherence 20 the
Gght, let him show to the world that
zen III the midst of this crooked and
generation, he can bring ND
beautiful IN character. nm.
and unbulldozeable. with |.
and wrong clearly defined. Let
ach parent euthrone a government in I
breast Ct each child. and let that
government DC founded On the p-ip.fnIes {
4 right. Let each C1e have \ law
within himself he dare not violate.
hen We viii kno. that he who ru!etb
-imsef wisely is greater than be who =
aketh 4 city. Let u teach our chill :
rem that the achievements OF life ara ,
uilt On character ami moral uanhood.
-Sich IS a thousand tins better for
lem than the grace Il oratorv or luck 8
2 lottery o. the prize won 1t the pro- ,
eucare game - the stakes ri \
ur1e race - the brut@!.ty ~ the prize :