Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1901-03-28

ever comes when, after careful, dis
passionate, conscientious considera-
tions, you become convinced that such
a course is the right one for you, the n
do not allow any considerations to
prevent you from following your con-
1 victions.
1t would be impossible to enumerate
any considerable number of the thou
sands of unworthy considerations that
might prompt you to allie yourself
with some religious organization, but
1 will give few: Because it is fash
ionable, because 1t will help you So
cially or financially, because your
parents belong, because someone you
esteem highly wants you to, because
you want some place to go on Sundays
to show your good clothes, or to meet
friend, because you lack the moral
courage to resist the countless un-
worthy influences that will be brought
to bear upon you, and shrink from the
many petty sights and indignities
that will be heaped upon you by those
who do belong to these organizations,
If you do not join them, and last, and
most important OF all, is allowing
yourself to be carried away by the ex-
citement Of the moment. There are
other kinds OF intoxication besides
that caused by whiskey, and some far
worse. The intoxication Of religious
excitement has caused more wrong
doing than all the whiskey ever drunk.
Be sure you are perfectly sober before
you commit yourself to anything.
The universal observance of this rule
would result in great saving of self
respect as we'll as Of other valua BILE
considerations. Look with suspicion
upon any project or interest that de-
pends for its resources and its recruits
upon taking advantage of the weak
ness OF human nature, through which
people are impelled to do, under the
influence Of excitement, what they
would not do as the result of cool, de-
liberate, dispassionate Judgment.
The highest aim ia life is character
building. The noblest ideal that any
man or woman can have is perfect
manhood or womanhood. No human
being can hope TO attain this ideal
they can only strive for it. 1t makes
no difference by what name we know
this ideal 1t will be to as whatever we
make. In it will be reflected the
highest conceptions Of our own minds
as they exist at the time.
| AS we advance intellectually and
morally our ideal will advance proper
tionately. II we retrograde our ideal
will retrOgrade also; we will always be
just about so far below our ideal no
matter how high or low 1t may be.
have said it makes no difference by
what name we call this ideal, In fact
those OF us who are not followers Of
any Of the various systems of revealed
religion do not attempt to name this
ideal, we merely think of it and speak
Of 1t as the "ideal." The Buddhists
call it Buddha the Mohamm edans
call it Mohammed; the Christians call
it Christ; and so on through the whole
list of religions.
Now l have no doubt that 1t is a
help to some people to be able to
think Of their ideal as embodied In
some real person; they seem incapable
Of conceiving OF any ideal apart from
the real. Now we ought not to OBJ
ject to their doing this IL it helps
them In the slightest degree In their
striving toward their ideal; on the
other hand they ought not to ask us
to call our ideal by their pet name,
particularly as we do not believe any
lnhabitant of this earth ever attained
absolute perfection. No two human
beings are just alike, therefore no two
human ideals can be just alike, so
even II we were to call our ideals by
the same name they would not be the
| o0mC. 1ucTO - uO OCCo5iOu IOT duy
quarrel on this score, nor is there any
chance OF ever coming any nearer to
an agreement than we new are.
What has been said about naming
our ideals will apply equally well to
all the other artificial aids to the at
tanning Of the ideal or, in other words,
to character building. Among these
artificial aids would class all creeds,
confession of faith, church organiza-
tions, etc. Some people need such
aids, or think they do; we do not.
Let US leave them In undisturbed
enjoyment OF them; they would only
hinder instead OF helping as, for we
can say with Emerson:
''For what need OF book or prisst'
Or sibyl from the mummisd eastt
when every star is Bethlehem star,
Icount as many asthsre are.
Il re. .l.s~ A. a.