The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-05-16
JOHN STUART MILL
Or.the Seach for Spiritual Sat
isfa;tion.
Rev. Geo. w. Davis Discourses Inter
estingIy and Forcefu'Iy Upon the
Life of the Gr.at Economist.

Simon Peter answered him, Lord to whom
shall we eo7 thou hast the words of eternal life,
John :68
At the Presbyterian church last Sun
dav Rev. Geo. w. Davis preached
from the above text. In part he said
Biography is a great teacher of
morality and philosophy. It has the
ADVANTAGE of pinning the attention to
a single story, the fascination of the
actual as opposed to the imaginative
n is difficult to write a frst-class
biography and there are few such, but
thew are powerful instruments for
righteousness.
The autobiography of John Stuart
Mill is one of the most remarkable
narratives in the English language
and is always read with interest. His
father, James Mill, although trained
| for the Scottish Presbyterian ministry,
came to reject the doctrines not only
of revelation but Of revealed religion.
The ground of this rejection was as
much moral as intellectual. Religion
was the greatest enemy of morality,
| because It made belief in creeds and
devotional feelings the substitutes OF
genuine virtues. Christians did not
experience the full consequences of
their position, but that was partly
due to slovenliness OF thought.
His development was abnormally in
telluctual: there was no cultivation
of the feelings whatever.
The son was solely and rigidly
trained by the father whose object was
to make him an independent thinker.
He was brought up in a state OF
absolute neutrality to all religion.
His habits of philosophical speculation
destroyed the capacity for emotion
and sympathy, and so it is not sur
prising he never once mentions hi
mother.
i By the age of 16 he had won a repu
| tation as a writer and resolved tt
work for the improvement of society
The enthusiasm lasted until his 20tl
year, when he suddenly stopped ant
asked whether, if all the changes il
, opinions and institutions which b
desired could be instantly realized b.
, would be happy. He got the onl,,
| answer to be expected, "No. Z" A
once the light went out from his lif
, and he had no motive for work
He thought the cloud would pass ava
with a nights sleep, but it only be
came blacker. :,
e One day while reading Marmontel'
] life he came upon the passage descrit
ing his fathers death; the son
: solemnly resolving to take his place i
: the family. Mr.. Mill was moved
g tears His burden grew lighter, tn
r cloud rolled away. For the first tim
:. in his life the fountain of feeling ha
y been opened. He went back to wor
t again; the improvement of societ
: was his great passion and the Gu
n tivation of the feelings formed part {
his ethical creed. He studied espec
IL ally music and poetry-in the latt'
he read and re-read Wordsworth b.
# cause he ministered to his love
# rural scenery.
III His marriage to lady of high Gu
u ture brought sunshine for while
g but only for a while, for she died
+, the end of seven years and six month
al His grief was inconsolable.
1. How sad is the moral strugg
>. of this brilliant man His abnorm
n mental training and pursuits left hi
IN spiritually stranded. He never fou
permanent soul-satisfaction. Had /
life been anchored to religious fat
had he known communion with the
vine spirit, he might have becol
not what he was--a powerful advocs
of utilitaraian benevolence-but
powerful apologist for Christianity.
s9 2. There is only one lasting spri
ea of satisfaction to the human soul, a
at q that is belief in the eternal son
y. God. Observe, l say in Jesus Chri
~ Both Mills were ready to believe
IL God, but held that they could !
10 know anything about Him, which,
p course, cut at the root of moral
no sponsibility "He that drinketh of
Dc. water that I shall give him st
"a never thirst In sorrow, in sin,
iis disappointment, in death, let US
I'll back on those fundamental reliei
certitudes which have been the 81
on and the stay of the very best of
1 So earth.