Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-03-01
THE CREATIVE POWER OF FAITH.
Every Great Work Has Been Done by Faith
in Laws Of Universe.

interest. Nothing attracts us or
delights Us so much as a new and
great deed. The story Of the dis
cOverer-the piOneer--the inventor
the SOldier-the ciyiliZer, is one of
growing and eyer-deepening interest.
How eagerly we read the narrative of
adventure and discovery. We are full
of enthusiasm as we follow the onward
march Of'nen TO some great victory.
We give our highest admiration to the
cOnQucrcr. Those who clear away the
distractions to progress, and lead man
Kind on TO larger possession OF the
world, are crowned with the highest
hOnOrS.
Why is there such a fascination in
these deeds? 1t is the display of
power. 1t is the triumph of man over
difficulties. 1t is d wonderful sight to
see him face new and even greater
difficulties with strong and confident
Spirit-to watch how they develop
and bring into action some latent
power, revealing the deep resources Of
human nature.
Achievement and progress are the
signs Of an accession Of pOwer-the
gift Of a new idea or the influence of
fresh moral energy.
Progress is by the development of
power in man. No task has ever eX-
IauStCd his energies. when they have
been wasted in strenuous effort and
fierce struggle they have been renewed
again; though man has often at
tempted the apparently impossible,
and though his first efforts have some
times met with failure, he has ulti-
mately mounted to success,
Va = Z
human life, and the more you think of
il you will see how marvellous it is
What is this ineXhauStible power
and what produces it?
Let us find our way to the answer
through the realm Of physics.
What are the forces in nature and
what is their origin? How are they
made and how do they come into play?
The scientific explanation Of force
is that it arises from chemical affinity
and combination. Solar light and
heat arc produced by the impact of
material bodies: friction will bring
wood to the point e. ignition: with his
BANNER, the blacksmith can make
piece Of iron to glow: coal produces
mechanical energy when it uniteS
with atmospheric oxygen. The cleo
trio current flows when the vOltaic
circuit is complete; the strength by
which man does his work is the result
of combination Of agencies which
tranSmute his food into a life current.
The truth we get from these facts is
thiS-that the contact of bodies with
each other is necessary to the pro-
duCtiOn Of force: even if we go farther
back and say that all energy is drawn
from the sun we cannot escape from
this law or method, hence the theory
that the suns light and heat are
caused by the fall of meteOric matter
upon its surface.
Let us go step higher and consider
what intellectual power is. There is
the fact OF intellectual achievement
the rcSiStleSS influence of ideas. How
does the mind gain this remarkable
power? What gives to an idea that
mighty momentum which carries other
minds with it like the flow of Il tide?
We describe the force as personal
conviction and enthusiasm, and that
is part of the truth, when a man feels
anything to be real SO that he believes
in it intensely, then his conviction
and enthusiasm become spiritual
force: but what is conviction? Is it
not the harmony Of thought? When
4 man is convinced by a truth his
mind is no longer divided by perpleXity
or weakened by doubt. Doubt divides
and paralyZeS the mind. There is I'M
certainty as to what is true. The
man does not incline in any definite
direction. He heStateS and holds
himself apart from truth. There is
no contact with those great spiritual
realities which are the sources of life,
the ideas are mixed and in cOnfuSiOn:
he has no clear. definite conceptions,
he does not see or know anything
thoroughly enough TO be convinced of
its truth, and hence he cannot feel an
interest, he is not in that close touch
With truth so that it is real to him to
begct enthusiasm. We often find the
narrOW-mindCd man stronger in his
convictions and more in earnest than
the man whose mind is broadening,
the reason is the narrow mind sees one
thing clearly and feels intensely about
it, while the mind which is going
through 4 process Of enlightenment
has new ideas but has no firm grip of
them, they do not generate force; and
this condition of uncertainty affects
the moral life. 1t is much more
difficult TO DO right since we became
more reflective. Duty is not so simple
us when the voice Of authority told us
what to do. Now that freedom has
put upon us the responsibility of
thinking out what is right for our
selves. we do not find it so easy to
determine. Every question seems to
have two sides Scarcely ever is an
action or cause SO bad but something
good can be said for il; there are con-
til l, i
by themselves have plausible appear
ance, the education of the intellect
the development of the capacity to
look at many sides of every question
seems Il source OF weakness and in
creaSeS the difficulty of coming to d
decision. This was the cause of Ham
let's Weakness
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sleklied Ter with the pale cast of thought"
Reflection filled his mind with dis
tracing ideas and feeling making it
impossible to choose Il definite line of
conduct. The will is powerleSS during
this process, it receives no impulse to
act because the man is perpleXed about
what he ought to do. He cannot
escape the process OF reflection: he
must reason out his problems, but his
various thoughts must grow into har-
mony, they must lead him to some
distinct principle and shining ideal
which shall inspire action. He wills
to do right when the many motives
influencing him are resolved into one
that is all-pOwerful. Conviction SeizeS
him the moment he is certain what
kind OF deed is essential to the best
interests of society. The forces which
were divided and scattered by over.
retlectiOn are gathered together and