The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1896-08-15

A doctor finds it comparatively pleasant
and very easy to write nauseating pre-
seription, for to the patient alone belong
the distress and disgust at swallowing 1t.
So it is simple matter to sit here in my
armchair and scrawl moral prescription
for those weak and failing ones who lind
themselves lacking in good influence over
their fellows. But the likeness to the
doctor ends here. for the writer and the
reader are both interested in the remedy.
The physician patient writes 1t down, then,
in one word, a compound 'Self-eon-
quest.
Such clearly defined remedy, almost
MS simple as bathing in the Pool Of Sloan
for blindness, or in the Jordan for leprosy.
In that compound word, however, lies an
ininitude of power, Just as within the life
less coal lies dormant the fierceness of pre-
historic sunshine, or within the sparkling
water, the energy of steam; or within the
summer zephyrs, the marvellous descriptive
force of electricity. To release the power
of each, proper environment is needed.
To set free the might that Turks within
self-conquest, the suitable environment Is
a human heart; and that heart, yours.
One is tempted to indulge in the stilted
phraseoIogy of the quack-medicine pur-
yeyor and style this remedy panacea. 1t
is a heart tonic so valuable and so lacking
in harmful reactions that it cannot be
abused by too much use; so unaffected by
latitude that its cures are equally apparent
in the snow-hut of the Laplander and under
the palm -thatched home of the Carig; so
adaptive that both sexes, the old and the
young the mighty and the humble, the
well-fed and the hungry, the wise and the
foolish, the saint and the sinner, all de-
rive benefit from free use Of this one un-
failing remedy.
With human beings, unlike the animals,
obedience to the dictates of instinct, inva-
riably leads astray, and exposes our natures
to the virus of pride, selishness, gluttony,
and sensuality. While these poisons are
creeping through our veins and DOING to
death. as it were, the warriors for good,
the white cOrpuscles of our moral blood we
have no power. We may for awhile by
our fair-appearing exterior deceive our
neighbors as to our heart condition; we may
even throw convenient dust in our own
spiritual eyes, but when some supreme
moment of life comes then shall we fail
and ANONYMOUSLY, just when failure is
most serious; the decayed mast snaps in "a
gale, the bridge yields at the moment that
human freight is trusting to it.
Reforms and churches ,-one needs must
mention both, since they are not
synonyms, are made up of individuals and
the altitude or degradation of those indi-
viduals is the measure of the power of both
the reform and the church. No wild
yielder to lust is gain to the membership
of the age of consent reform; no self-seeker
Is of advantage to the bands of the wretched
who are waiting for their rights; no church
member who with one hand grinds the
face of the poor, and with the other ap-
plies the moral vaseline of generous con-
tribution to soup-kitchens and missions, is
of value to the church that throws its SIM
pie, trusting, and statistically-anxious arms
'io''nI nm IL ~ 49,, 90 - -, Iovol
and the chain being no stronger than its
weakest link, apply here. Let us not be
ueo1l'eu - = o.o go tbat of tLa
"G'lu '''l1 ~ - LID, ,,na,,ast;on;n,,
aLaJ;anoa 80, 80 onr inst;ncts IN one human
Id wa have Tho mowers Of reason of
osn;r,t;on az devalnnp,eu Of Growth
Ri 90 ,"ro ~ we grorel in mere nhvsical
Trhotbor tboy be II acon;sitior
ofindolence or OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES seek
;no If erory L;nd-we turn onr hacks upon
,,t;na ,ha, !. .,,nJ in human n,turc
md ron,a;n nm tho level If the monkev or
,be sloth or the barnvard fowl In trutb
~, M ,,o,.,, tban tbar he..rso o,,r IN
st;nots ,ro ,,;ron ne 70 ba nl,ced under
our faat. and Fused as stenn;no-stones 70
mower instead Of SERVING "a mere run-ways
70 mire
The way to possess power without Is to
have it within. The way to be strong in
sorties upon the foes outside our walls, is
to be sure of the death of traitors within.
But it is hard to deny and deny and still
again deny oneself, says a querulous
voice. OF course it is? So is it harder
to fight than to bend supinely to the blow,
so is it harder to force our way against
torrent than to yield to its onrush and
perish, so is it more toilsome to climb a
steep ascent than to glide down it a corpse
ON the roaring crest OF an avalance. Yet
who that claims kinship to manhood would
cease struggling in these physical dlree-
Tbo feehle non tbot ;s followed Inv 30 many
eves boI,s and besitotes bere and oues.
t;ons wbotbor This NAV NOT al he too So
r;ons and ZOO sermon;c for !, rewsnaner
column The answer comes ..No for
tho nress ia coIled 10 be mower And
a. - = oaae.,,,oJ &, .o,,;no,
snund 7hat sr,;tos tha nsrob;e oar NM
mr. tbat swalIs mo on ;nfn;.e aoony Of