The Anaconda standard., 1897-12-20
REV. MR.. BROWNS SERMON
Commonplace and the Sublime
in Human Life.
TWO GREAT DIVISIONS
The Commonplace is Human Nature in
Ordinary Binding The Power of
Mighty Conviction Can Trans
form Life to the Divine.

1
arranged to create interest in the or
.ganization of Unitarian congregation
, was held yesterday morning. at the
| Auditorium. Rev. A. w. Gould of Chi
cago, who was to have preached. was
called away to Chicago suddenly and
the Rev. Carlton F. Brown of Helena
took his place and preached two highly
| interesting sermons to large audiences.
! both in the morning and evening. For
his morning sermon Rev. Mr. Brown
| took for his subject: THE Common
place and the Sublime in Human Life"
and said:
A little book entitled THE Self and
It's Sheaths" was sent me by an ardent
theosophist Without entering upon an
exposition of it's doctrines, / think we
may admit the essential truth of the
proposition.
We do have different sheaths, each
one of u.s. in which we live contempo-
raneously. Oliver Wendall Holmes
says for every John Smith there are
three distinct and separate Johns
First the John as he is known by repe-
utlon; second, the John as he knows
himself; third, the John as he is known
to his maker.
Without trying to define the different
layers too closely / want, this morn
ing, to speak of the two great sides
into which human life may be divided.
the commonplace and the sublime, the
concave and convex sides of exist
ence.
The commonplace life of humanity
hardly requires a word of definition
like the poor, it is with us ALWAYS II
IS our daily atmosphere-work, worry,
laughter, vexation, gossip. Plain hu-
man nature, in ordinary binding minus
the ornamental binding of rhetoric or
the dainty gift of poetry. This COM
monplace of ours is so ordinary as TO
possess no striking coloring.
On the one hand. it is far from de-
serving the lurd denunciation of the
evangelist preacher, who sees in it only
the depravity and wickedness of the
unregenerate state. On the other hand,
1t is far from the noble. the heroic, the
sublime.
Its Bible (whatever chapters NAV be
read of Sunday consist in the max
inns of poor Richard for attainment of
success in life. Shrewdness and prud-
ence are its household gods. to whom
homage is most frequently and sincere
ly paid.
The song of the dancing girls in Ar
nold's Light of Asia" is its daily
chorus:
Tune us the either, neither low nor
high,
The string oerstretched breaks and the
music flies.
The string o'erslack is dumb and music
dies:
Tune us the either. neither low nor
high"
Common sense it it's standard of
Judgment. BY this moral principle re-
lfgious convictions are judged
speak of this not as the life of anv
particular class of humanity, but as
the life in which we all share. in which
we live the greater part of the time
the great plane to which the loftiest
philosopher descends three times a day
from his empyrean heights to enjoy his
beefsteak or his potatoes
Beat 1t back as much as we viii
struggle against ii, ii still surrounds US
upon all sides like the great Boyg in
Peer Gynt, and conquers us without a
blow
If it We're not for this everlasting
stomach-these close, confined physical
limitations, how easily humanity would
have climbed to the sky. As it is, we
consume ourselves with petty trifling
Our great deeds are but half performed
Our great thoughts fall half complete
We sink to the average. We even scom
increduously at the few. brave souls
who set higher standards for them
selves. We clip the wings of their as
piration by judging them impracti-
cal
by Calvary sneering and wagging their
heads.
Have | ever drawn the picture of the
commonplace world in which Won and
j live-closely confined between limits
of custom and considerations of prud-
ence2
i do not need to say that this is but
one side-the. concaye side of human
existence.
We are aware. also. of another self
discernable only at rare moments-a
self that refuses to acknowledge limi-
tations-that overrdes prudence with
impunity. That claims a kinship with
regions beyond the stars; that knows
itself to be beyond time and space.
Emerson says truly: Our faith comes
in moments: our vice is habitual vet
there is a depth in those brief moments
which constrains us to ascribe more
reality 10 them than to all other ex-
perienees.
The rules of commonplace life will
not apply. The maXims of poor Rich
ard seem idle chaff Prudence is Mig
gardiy. We give with the glad aban-
don winch comes from a new con-
sciousness of Infinite possession.
l am not speaking alone of the
transcendental experiences of a few
great poets or artists or prophets. but
of something which breaks at times
upon the most ignorant, sense besotted
soul. we are continually being sur
prised at the manifestations of this"ab-
solute self as it flashes out with sub
lime glory from dirt and rags. There
is scarcely story Of great danger or
distress related in which this sublime
side of humanity does not make its ap-
pearance-in sailor. in fireman, in hos
pital nurse, in ragamuffin, or outcast
There rises up an infinite soul, which
confounds the world.
In the midst of the squalor of the
novels of the poor. there bends above
the cradle a motherhood with all the
dignity of a Madonna. Divine love
looks out of eyes where there has
seemed to be only the hopeless indif-
ference of wretchedness.
1t is always this character which dis
tinguishes mems highest moments-the
conventional right and wrong dissolves.
We see. for the instant. through the
parted cloud. the clear shining Of the
star We know absolute right and
duty. And common sense" praised
IA- rtY-l1daf1p.a aprparS most 1aGv5a