The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-07-24

tnlS Jney seem incapable OF OOlng. In
certain regions they are charming
people; in certain moods very refresh
ing, but they are not reliable. Meet
them again and they have crossed
over gorge in their life and charac-
ter, and they are foreign. 1t is help
full to meet them in some of their
fields, but seek them again and they
are found in their thorn thickets, or
in their deserts, or in some other sec
ton undesirable. And this uncer-
tainty of mood finally creates sus-
picion and gradually such people
cease to be delight or help in any
way. There is a great "gulf" fixed
between them and others and the ge-
NAL commerce of life is suspended.
Only few days ago was told the
story of an attorney going to our
State hospital for the insane to exam
inc a patient there, or to talk with
her for the purpose of satisfying
himself and determining the legal
right of her retention there. He
talked with her for some time and
returned to the superintendent with
the opinion that she was not deranged
in any sense of that word. The sup
erintendent replied: "Please go with
me and talk with her." He went
with the physician, and the CONVEX
sation was led to subjects which were
not touched upon in the first inter
view, and on their return to the Of
fee the lawyer had not doubt of the
mental arrangement.
Those regions where the mind was
unbalanced needed filing up to the
level of those other parts of life
where the mind could touch and
hold. | do not know but in all lives
there are certain sections, some
larger, some smaller, where the
mind, the heart, the moral sense, the
fine appropriations and noble atti-
tudes are lost from the best. have
known people, who, instead of filling
up these chasms, seemed to be deep
ening them day by day, not only be-
tween different interests in their own
lives, but between themselves and
those to whom they should be near
est. A kind of brutal savagery, or it
may be, a refined cruelty is INDUCED
against continual open protests or
possibly against silent and agoniz
ing protest, till by and by an abrupt
calamity occurs that ends for the time
being all association, and the brute
awakens to realize what has been
progressing. 1t is the misfortune of
of miners sometimes that they un-
dermine in their work mountain
masses till the mountains fall upon
them. In such instances their work
has been productive of good, but in
multitudes of instances people un-
dermine the lives of others without
any good, but evil only, and then
they are buried in the very wreck
which they themselves have created.
Intellectually man may be very
intelligent in one possession and very
ignorant in another. 1t were better
if the chasm could be filled between
them, but in the moral and spiritual
economics a passionate spirit of pas
sionate goodness will fill all valleys.
all CULTS, and wide, free range
through all fields is easily possible.
A person who is thoroughly kind and
just in one department of life will
find that same spirit pervading all
interests. There is a sort of divine
contagion in spiritual excellence that
touches all things-all relations,
breathes through all activities, and
if man or woman is found who is
kind in spots only, think we may
well be suspicious even of the spots.
We want the same pure and whole
some air breathing through our en-
tire house, pervading all its rooms
wherein we are conscious of life. We
do not want the public apartments
and halls where we receive the people
to be pure and fragrant with all
sweet grace, and then, after greeting
the transient guests for the period,
turn to our real life to fnd the very
atmosphere sitting and suffocating
with its dead impurities. That is
not life. Let our whole house, which
house we ourselves are-be thrown
wide open to the pure airs of God in
this great world that ought to be
wholly rich and gracious and beauti-
full with all excellent services and
fragrant with good and wise helpful
| ness.
We hold manifold relations with
this great world and life around us,
with ourselves, with our friends, our
neighbors, our families, society, the
church, the industries, the civil com