Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-09-05
CULTURE.
1t May Make Sin Less Repuisive But IL Can
Not DO the Work of Grace.

II May Make Sin Less Repuisive But IL Can
Not DO the Work of Grace.
A new meaning of the word culture
has sprung up within few years.
Pasteur takes the germs of virulent
disease, puts them in suitable steril-
lied albuminous solution, let's them
multiply, takes the product out, and
goes through a similar process over
and over, until the germ, under such
artificial treatment and restraint,
have considerably changed their ma
ture. They will still produce disease,
but it is of less virulent nature. The
cancerous product will be less violent,
less offensive, less dangerous to life.
They are new culture germs, attenu-
ated, indeed protective against their
uncultured germ cousins
So have we seen, as Jeremy Taylor
might say, so have we seen cultures of
seltshness The natural selfishness of
the savage or the brute is the fruitful
germ of hideous moral disease. 1t
breaks out in continent cancers of muir
der, robbery and lust. 1t is shame
lessly cruel, ugly and hateful. There
is enough natural love for moral beauty
in every soul not utterly corrupt to
make such a character disgusting.
What can be done for it.
There are two theories which we may
apply to the cure of this disease of
selfishness One is the culture theory
and the other is the grace theory
One will alternate the disease, reduce
l.,, n, min las nd t1la HIT
leave less virulent poison in the
blood, while the other will seek to find
and introduce some other sort of benefi-
cent germ which shall absolutely con-
sumo and destroy the old venom. One
of these processes we call culture; the
other we call grace.
This is an age of culture; but we
must not forget that culture alone is
only refined name for selfshness
We too often hear its praises in the
pulpit. We are told that we must
develop our own powers, make the
most of our talents, secure education,
training, get sense of beauty and
propriety, follow art, secure polish;
become as wise, as strong, as cultured,
indeed, as we can. All very we'll; but
that does not take the poison out of the
soul. The poison is selfishness; and
learning, manners, art, for selfish pur-
poses, is no different in real character
from strength or cunning used in
brutal instead of cultivated way for
ones own enrichment or pleasure. The
poet who went TO prison the other day
for two years is no more better than
the murderer with whom he locks
step, apostle OF culture though he is.
There is only one way TO get the
ugly out of the soul, and that is by
the method Of grace, taught well by
Moses and best by Jesus Christ. 1t is
by killing selfishness with the princi-
pie of love. Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and thy
neighbor as myself" Put that frat
in the soul, and it will cleanse 1t and
make it fair and beautiful;. nothing
else can. The cure must be radical.
Then add all the culture you will, the
learning, the art, the grace, the polish;
but direct them to the purposes of
grace, not the purposes of selfshness
Culture is good, is beautiful; but
culture for its own sake is contempti-
BILE, because it is utterly selfish, and
therefore unworthy. Never listen to
the teacher who says make the most
of yourself" unless he adds,
''for the good you can do to 9TH
ers." 1t is the object to which
culture is applied that makes it
worthy or unworthy. The fact that a
man or woman is cultivated, can talk
French, quote Goethe, discuss Wat
sons last poems or praise the last inn
pressionist picture or realistic novel,
is no proof that he is anything more
than what our Lord was frank and
true enough to call a whited sepul-
cher.
Nevertheless, cultured selfishness is
pleasanter, more agreeable than un-
cultured selfshness. Let us try by
education to polish our brutes If we
can. But let us remember, after all,
that polished Rome was worse than
the rude Rome of the times of Tar
quin's violence; and culture without
grace only shuts its eyes against the
hell to which it is rushing.--N. Y. In
dependent