Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-12-03
CONFIDENCE IN MEN.
There IL Too Little Generous kecognition
of tho Good In Others, Characfera.


by social and political disintegration as
surely as limbs fall from the tree when
its fibers are rotted. There Is in our day
too little generous recognition of the
real and possible good in our neighbors'
characters. Suspicion is abnormally
wakeful; and the spirit of II told You
so" is ready to pounce upon one who
has been wounded by temptation, very
much as whole school of porpoises
will turn upon and kill one Of their num-
Der that trails the slightest streamer of
blood.
AS a rule, lack of confidence in others
comes from n latent sense that we do
not deserve it ourselves; we judge hui
man nature by what we experience OF
it; "for wherein thou judgest another,
thou condemnest myself; for thou that
| judgest doest the same things" (Ro-
| mans ii, ~ The business trickster ia
disposed to believe every charge that in
| made against an honorable merchant.
| The rake assumes that there is no en-
| during virtue, and needs the sharp crack
of righteous indignation in order to
show him his mistake. "Every man has
his price," is an adage, but they who use
| it only advertise themselves for sale.
| The simple truth is there is in tens Of
| thousands about us an inviolate con-
| scientiousness, fieclsless desire for
purity, an unselfish interest in others
| welfare. The surrogate Gf one of our
| largest counties, whose Office brings
him in contact with those interested in
| requests and inheritances--reg
which we would expect to find the Bit
| terest contention--has expressed his
amazement at the general sense OF
justice and kindness displayed, and
| could tell Of many instances of self-de-
nying love among relatives where for
tunes have been gracefully declined in
view Of others needs. He says, what
ever may be the ordinary lawyers ex-
perience, his experience MS surrogate
has immensely raised his confidence in
native manhood.
One Of the finest characters in this
respect was Barnabas, who was so good
himself that he never lost confidence
| in human nature. He lived in times
when the moral stock of humanity had
fallen most below par. Such was the
superfciality and deceit everywhere
practiced in his day that Roman history
was best written in satire; and in no
place was the social rot more epidemic
than in Cyprus, where he lived. But he
was sincere Christian, n converted
Jew, and knew in his own experience
of the power of Christ in stimulating
| every moral germ in the soul, and inn
| planting new germs of spiritual noble
ness. When Saul of Tarsus was con-
yerted the Christian disciples did not
| fully credit the report OF it. 1t seemed
to them that the old bigotry and cruelty
could nothave been exercised from Saurs
heart. Though he preached strongly
| in Damascus at the risk of his life, yet
| the brethren in Jerusalem "were all
afraid of him, and believed not that he
was n disciple" But the great hearted
Barnabas took Paul and brought him
to the disciples, giving him his conf
dence until it should be abused. After
ward, when, because Of his own COM
manding qualities, Barnabas was sent
| TO found the church in Antioch, and he
realized the greatness OF the work be-
fore him, he sought out this same hnif-
suspected man as he was laboring in
| distant heather city, and, bringing him
TO Antioch, placed him in charge OF the
mission, suiting himself with sub
ordinate position.
How often we hear the remark from
older Christians regarding the CONVEX
sion of some others: He was very
wild; we must watch him." "She used
to be very vain and fashionable, will not
be very helpful" 'He was niggardly
man, the church will not get much from
his purse" etc. How this depresses
the new-sprung energies of young con-
verts! Let us learn to credit the work
of grace If we do not credit human ma
ture. Consider, too, how differently
God treats us! When He forgives, lie
forgivcs unto forgetfulness OF al the
past, except that He may bear with our
weakness and awkwardncss in the new
way. A rough man came into Water
street prayer meeting. The leader
spoke Of trusting God; but the
man got his words wrong, and thought
he said that God was trusting us. The
thought, however, was divinely sent.
L
was social waif, having seen the inside
Of Jail more than once. But the words
rang in his ears: mike, the Lords
trustin of ye." 1t gave him heart, and
he determined to try to be worthy OF
| the confidence. He said. aftermard that
the "belief that the good Lord was not
going back on him, though everybody /,
else did" started the first noble Chris
tan purpose, and he thoubht he should
be strengthened by that feeling unto
the last This man has made it the rule
20 show confidence to others, and act
ing upon this principle has drawn many
wretched lives out of the very nav OF
perdition, who were being sunk deeper
| in despair by the critical hauteur OF bet
ter people.-Christian Work.
Last Words of DIR. McCcsh.
The last words which came from the
pen of Dr. McCosh, ex-president OF
| Princeton university, speak eloquently
| A. Cbpictinn bpna of tho