The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-24
VOICES or FREEDOM.

NO1CES OE FREEDOM.
Horatio w. Dresser, in his fVoice of
Freedom" goes to the bottom of the
question Of intellectual, social and moral
responsibility of the individual. He teach
es that there is some good in every
mode of religion or philosophical thought
and that the well-rounded thinker is he
VINO can separate the truth in each from
It's concomitant error. Life is what we
make 1t, and we cannot shift RESPONSE
pllity of failure upon fate or upon a
foreordaining God. Mr.. Dresser urges
the paramount Importance of intellectual
freedom and the danger of permitting
ones self to be enthralled by half a
truth He says:
Inc highest price of freedom is the
calm, confident, silent endeavor of the
tGan VINO understands Fear is always
ne Senlld OF Ignorance, pressure the tool
OF the short-sighted. Every desire is a
PRAYER every aspiration step toward
that TO Which one aspires Each moment
we enher waste energy or direct 1t to adj
learn the calm, confident method of con-
quot of the man who is wise, moderate
Dnseihsh; For selfishness is waste of
Iorce: aItruism its wisest concentration.
NO sectarlan religion is wholly true.
Ihe strength as well as the weakness of
each is to be found in its sectarian linn
nations. A seeker after universal truth
can IN no sense be follower of any one
creed. though he should be one in split
with all OF them. True freedom universal
truth, can be purchased only ON the IN
stalIment plan. Therefore the true cx-
ponent of the new thought is he who
encourages his fellow men to think. There
IS still much theological servitude to be
overcome The subtleties of the consnr-
vatlve and the deception IF the un5al-
anced can only be discover ed through
critically watchful thought.
In this vein Mr. Dresser inspires his
reader with the limitless possibilities,
even In his everyday goings and COM
1rgs, that can be realized by independ-
ent thinking and courageous doing:
On the subject of Christian Science,
faith healing. and the like, he takes the
ground that 'the theory that all disease
IS wrong thinking is as inadequate as the
other idea that it is all q matter of
germs. Disease is disturbed action and
only by taking account Of action in all
It's phases may we hope to eliminate dis
ease from humanity Abstract afirma-
ton of health or perfection is as ABSURD
as to assert that one is walking on the
street when he is only sitting at the win
dow wishing he were there Thought
becomes deed only when a certain amount
Oh resistance IS overcome. The kind Of
thinking that moves the world is the sort
that stirs to action, The true man is he
who makes the daring step from the
theoretical world to the world of conduct.
The ultimate test, alike of truth and
manhood, is the step from knowing to
doing"
The book is full of pithy epigrams, of
which these are a few:
He He is ht.a2ppiest who has the widest
If you are doing a work that is neces-
sary to the universe the universe will see
to it that You are clothed and fed
There is a wise, ethical, best way to
do everything.
A mans power, a mans freedom, a
mans happiness is measured by his ca
pacity for loving
All permanent reform comes from
within; the only cure comes through
self-help; the only freedom through self
knowledge and self-mastery.
We attract what we fear as well as
what we hope for
Only man is unjust; the universe knows
no preference. Love is Justice; you will
love when you put self aside
The individual is responsible only when
he is given a choice.
The volume is full of eager life and of
stimulating, open-eyed thought. Tt
breaches the gospel of action with force
and a fascination rarely excelIed.