The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-11-12


energies and prostitutes his powers.
society brands him immoral. Second,
morality may spring from mans rela-
ton to the community. Society has
formulated rules to govern man in his
relation to the social body. II he beats
his wife, or abuses his children. or fails
to provide for his family, he Is held
amenable to law. If he defrauds his
neighbor, II he uses profane language,
If he breaks the Sabbath. II he disturbs
pubic meeting or church service. So
clety calls him in his relation to the
community an immoral man. Third.
morality may spring from mans rela-
ton to the commercial world. Com
merce has established certain laws to
govern men in the transaction of bust
ness. II 4 man practices fraud, II he
adulterates. II he represents goods to be
what they are not, II he lies, II he steals,
II he Is dishonest and does not do busI-
ness on the square he Is accounted i'm
moral by the men who stand for honor
and integrity in the commercial world.
Then still again morality may grow out
OF mans relation to the nation The state
enacts certain laws for the government
OF the Individual In his relation to the
nation. II man refuses to pay his
taxes, II he counterfeits money, II he
does business without license where
license is required. II he corrupts the
malls, II he receives brides. II he Is dis
loyal to the flag. the state considers him
immoral. So morality may be purely
physical. 1t may be social. It may be
commercial. 1t may be civil Thus
conceived 1t includes Justice, honesty.
fidelity. temperance, and n high sense OF
honor.
Morality Has Value.
For one I do not despise these virtues.
l do not discount them. Some minis
tiers say morality counts for nothing,
but do not. 1t has value. 1t Is. bet
ter than immortality. 1t Is the basis of
religion. No religion Is complete with
out 1t. But hold that morality divorced
from religion. is both Incomplete and In
sufficient. 1t Is outward. 1t Is exter-
nal 10 religion and does not In and of
Itself so far enough.
In the second place let us inquire ut
what particular point morality as we
now understand It, is insufficient for
salvation. Sometimes men say no dis
tinction can be made between morality
and Christianity. The line of separat-
ing morals from religion Is so indls-
tinct and vague that you cannot say
morality ends here. and Christianity
begins there. Can we tell where the
one ends and the other begins? Where
is the line to be found?
In answer to this question note that
1t is possible for man to conform his
life to the laws of morality and at the
same time so hold himself toward those
laws that they Will not In any way af-
feet his spiritual character.
For example. an incorrIgIble thief Is
sent to state prison for a period OF ten
years. He serves his time. At the end
of this term Of service he Is set free and
returns home. You meet him on the
street and recognize him. You know
him Of old. He tells you what Il good
life he has lived. For ten years he has
not cracked safe, nor robbed an or
chard. nor entered a house, nor passed
counterfeit dollar. nor stolen penny.
But has he enjoyed IT,, Did he have a
good time? There was not day In the
ten years when he would not have
kicked the penitentIary and It's equip
ment into perdition II he could. His
conduct was enforced. He was coerced
into orderly living. He has not chang
ed. His character remains the same.
He Is a thief still.
1t Is said that In the old world there
Is peculiar kind OF rabbit, which. II I
remember rightly, is found in Russia.
Nature seems to have protected in a
peculiar, manner this little creature
against slaughter. In winter 1t wears
coat Of spouess white. which the
hunter cannot distinguish from the
snow. In spring 1t Is said when the
snow melts and the ground Is bare the
rabbit puts on coat of brown, the
color Of the soil OF that country. In
| winter coat Of white and In summer a
| coat OF brown serves as protection
against the skill Of the marksman, but
1t Is the same rabbit
In our own country there Is an inter-
esting little creature known to those
who frequent the forests as tree
frog. The popularity Of the tree-frog
is that 1t possesses q remarkable abIl-
ity to adapt itself to It's surroundings.
If you find him on an oak tree he will
| be found to be the color Of oak bark. II
you catch him and put him on an ash
tree he. In short space Of time. be-
comes the color Of the bark OF that tree.
II you put him on n highly polished
piece OF mahogany he becomes the
color OF mahogany. You may call him
an oak. or an ash, or mahogany frog,
but he Is the same little creature. He
has not changed
Law Brings Us to Christ.
Morality, strictly speaking. is con-
forming your life to the laws OF society
which make You respectable. honest,
law-abiding citizens. 1t has Its value.
but 1t doesn't affect your spiritual char