The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-04-11
A Misunderstood TEXT.

We met the other day, in a paper
not counted inidel, the quotation.
Take no thought for the morrow: for
tRle morrow shall take thought for the
things of itself" followed by some
such fiippaEt remarks as that "it is
well farmers. merchants. sailors and
practical people generally. do not fol-
BOW this advice. otherwise we should
be as badly off as the savages."
This fiippant and blasphemous sneer
was afterwards quoted by one of our
religious exchanges, and some small
criticism was made upon the misap-
prehension of the meaning Of the
phrase. Take no thought" 1t was
said by this writer to mean. take
no anxious thought" or somethsng to
that effect.
We do not think the Masters word
needs any such defense. The sneer
arises as much from ignorance of the
world as from ignorance Of His
saying. That speech goes goes down
into the depth Of life and human ma
ture, and reveals the very ground upon
which civilization stands. To the shall
low ear 1t conveys what was in the
shallow mind that penned the sreer
above. To the thoughtful mind il is
the word Of Him who knows all that
IS in man. For it is just because
the savage takes thought for the NOR
row that he remains a savage. ard
just because the civilized man takes
no thought for the morrow that he
has become and remains civilized.
The savage believes only in today.
The future to him has no fixity. The
world is not governed by a God Of
law. but by evl and capricious pow
ers. His Hfe is one Of uncertainty and
violence. What M has now is his
own He can enjoy it now. He is
not sure he can enjoy It tomorrow.
He greadily grasps and devours the
good of the moment, because fla takes
thought for the next as a thing alto
gether in the power of EVIL chances.
And 50 taking thought for the NOR
row as something that he has no GER
tainty about. as for thing that may
be or may not be, as the evil powers
will. he neither builds nor plants He
makes no ventures for the future, be-
cause he is 50 anxious for the future.
His thought about it scares him so
that he dos nothing for 1T. And thus
he remains a savage. living from
nand 10 mouth
The civilized man, on the other
hand, believes that which has been
will be. He has seen into the order
ing of nature and the divine harmony
of life so far, that he has faith in
that order and harmony for the NOR
row as he has for today He is firmly .
confident in the immutability of the
overruling powers. Suns VIII rise and
set, rains will fall, and dews and seed
uime viii come. and harvest. His home
viii be his own, guarded by the sane
tions of law. His goods will be his
own to enjoy, shielded by the sword
Of justice His morrow, if he lives,
will be in all these respects as secure
as his today Therefore, he takes no
thought for it He rests, and is conf
dent In the security of a divinely |
guided and guarded world He be-
Iieves that justice and righteousness
and God are supreme and win prevail.
So he looks ahead and lays up for the
morrow. He plants orchards, Of which
his great-grandchfdren may eat He
builds houses thaa may shelter his de- ,
;cendants when he has been dead for
He works, not for him
elf. but for the race; not for today,
but for all time. He constructs not
l fiimsy wtgwam, to shelter himself