The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-23
ADDRESS BY REV.
MR.. HUNTINGDON
Delivered 10 ST. Marks Episcopal
Church, Dunmore.
WAS THE FIRST OF A SERIES
His subject Was Character. and He
Treated 1t in a Practical Manner.
The Process OF the Formation OF a
Christian Character Must BE
Thought Out IndividuaIiy-- Habit
Forms Character--The Everyday
Things Go to shape Character.

Rev. James o. S. Huntington. the
well-known head of the order of the
Holy Cross, opened q brief series of
meetings at st. Marks Episcopal
church, Dunmore, last night and spoke
to large audience. He is man of
fine personal appearance and great
magnetism. He speaks in a practical,
forceful manner that carries conviction
with its simplicity. His style is fire.
quently almost colloquial and Is most
definite in it's aim. He will address the
MONDAY service in st. Marks church
today and tomorrow, while 1t Is ex-
pected that this evening st. Marks
will be filled with a large congregation.
The subject of his talk was Char
acter" He emphasized the fact that
the consciousness of the appreciation
of character comes to all at times when
they realize that not money, not popu-
larity not fame is most to be valued,
but that the best, the highest attrib-
ute is that which we call Christian
character bearing the hall mark OF
Christ. You feel it perhaps when you
stand up before your dead and when
some of your friends say he was bril-
liant or great in his achievements.
When you know that to hear them say
he was a good man, a Christian, would
be the warmest comfort which could
be brought to your grief-strcken heart.
The speaker then described the pro-
posed conferences. He did not ask that
the people should take him as author
ity. He did not come in a dictatorial
spirit Following out this, he asked the
question, How is Christian character
formed?" People aren't born with 1t
as they are born with red hair: they
do not dream themselves into it any
more than they can drift up stream.
MUST BE THOUGHT OUT.
There are some things which can be
taken for granted without thought, but
the question regarding the process of
| the formation of character must be
thought out individually In the first
| place habit forms characteristic things
a man does when he doesn't try to do
| something else. The everyday things
| go to shape character. Company
manners are not the real test. Very
often the habitual nature comes out
from sudden accident
Habit pulls. There is a grewsome
saying, ''In the beginning you could
stop any bad habit if you would; al
|
Thoughts are actions, and they, too
| form habits. You read of a horrible
| crime-a daughter kills her father
You wonder how she could do it
| Thought did it. At first the thought
came of how much better it would be
if the nagging voice were out of hear
| ing. Thus day after day comes the
habit of wishing he We're dead. Their
| nP IL n.
to assist his departure, until finally the
deed is done.
1t isn't a matter whether we choose
or not; habit must be formed by oul
acts. If we go on in any train OF
thought, any line of action we form
the habit
| What makes the act? Behind the
| act is always the motive, the soul ot
it. We are always looking for mo.
tive. We can't tell what the act is
until we know what is the motive
Now what determines motive? There
is cheap sophism which is sometimes
heard that we are not responsible fol-
| our acts because we are carried for
ward by motives which we cannot con
troll. But the fact is that we cal
control our motives. Desires come anc
| SldlIu III Il TOW DtlOIt us, ike al llll'
of pale ghosts. We look along it ant
choose the desire and it becomes
living. breathing thing. We are re
Sponshle for the motive for we choose
the desire that forms it.
MOTIVE DETERMINED.
The end for which the thing is don,
determines the motive. There are onl.
two possible ends. We can act for self
or we can act for God. but it must b.
one or the other We attain thes
ends by love; we can love self, whel
love at last will .shrivel and die, o
we can love God and our love will
grow through all eternity. st. August
inc says that Good and bad loves
make good and bad lives"
If we do thing because it is right
we do it for God. If we do it 70
downright love-not of self-we do
for God. This is why we are give
wills to make the choice for ourselves
A great deal of our lives is not deter
mined by ourselves but by society
We are set in a groove and we tro
along in it without daring to change
Public opinion often keeps us bac
from doing good, but public opinio
may also keep us from doing wrong
The speaker then said:
You may be pretty careful abou
what you do in Dunmore. 1 can't sa
what you might do in the city of NeN
York among strangers. AS Rudyar