Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-10-15
USING A CRUTCH.
By Rev. Geo. I. Perrin

Now, behold, thou trusteth upon the
staff of this bruised reed. IL. Kings,
xviii, 21
A year or more ago a man climbed la
boriously up the stairs to my church
study on crutches He was seeking for
something to do. something that even a
lame man could do. His was pathetic
| case. After asking him a few questions,
came directly to the point, and said:
well, my friend, what can you doI' He
| named over a few things that he thought
he might be able TO do, but added, sor-
rowfully: a man compelled to spend
his days on crutches doesn't amount to
much"
have thought of his words many
times. He probably had in mind the
chances of man on crutches in the
competitions of life, and from this point
of view he doubtless spoke truly, for so
fierce and continuous are these that a
man needs all his faculties and bodily
powers at their best if he is TO keep pace
and fare well in the struggle.
AS | was standing in the door of st.
Vincent's hospital, Norfolk. Va, one
morning, with one of the hospital ply
sicians. he said. pointing to the pathway
leading to the gate: do you see that
man walking on crutches 2" Yes" |
replied. We'll" he answered. there
hasn't been a day for three months that
he could not have walked without the
crutches if he had only thought So
There are people everywhere who seem
to BE- constitutionaly inclined to lean
upon something or somebody. There are,
of course, many accidents and incidents
of life which make this temporarily en-
tirely legitimate Men need at these
times temporary external support to tide
them over an exigency, but aside from
these accidents of life, there are many
who seem to be born without any moral
or mental stamina. One sees this even
in the attitude. l know | man who can
not sit down for five minutes anywhere
In public or private without Topping over
to one side or the other and seeking some
where a reclining or half-reclining posi-
ton, as if he were always tired. proba-
bly, born tired You have doubtless
seen more than one public speaker who
exhibits the same tendency. If he could
find some desk, pulpit or table to lean up
on, he was sure to seek support. Let
me point out a few of the commonest
clutches which men are in the habit of
using.
/. The crutch of friendship. l would
be the last to deny the obligations of
friendship on the one side Or its uses on
the other side. / believe God intended
that in the exigencies and accidents of
life men should be worth something to
each other, but at the same time | think
! he meant that every man should have the
power of independent locomotion and
achievement. He did not mean that we
should ever overburden our friends; lie
| did not intend that we should use them
| for crutches for life. Yet this is what
some men are constantly doing. Instead
of calling on the friend in the hour of
| emergency, they call upon him at all
hours of the day and night, year in and
year out. Having leaned upon him for
a little while they demand the right per-
manently and without interruption; ard
| if the overburdened friend deInurs even
| mildly 10 being used as perpetual
| crutch, he is charged with being dislOyal
to the claims of friendship. 1t is only
| an illustration of substantially the same
thing.
2. Society as a crutch l occasionally
hear a man say with some degree of en-
phasis, THE world owes me a living and
l intend to have it." Those who are
ready to indulge flippantly in excIama-
tons of this kind are seldom very par
ticular as to how they get their living.
The one sure thing is that they do not
| mean 70 work for it, They are DEEPEN
dents. They are parasites. They are
incompetent by nature, by training and
desire They do not mean to live by their
h.
people. They make some vain and selfish
definition of society which excuses them
from all personal responsibility except
drawing their 1wn breaths and putting
food into their own mouths when it has
been prepared by somebody else.
OF course, | do not deny that society
was meant to be used. / do not deny
that God taught men TO come together
because they are stronger in comm ii
ties because thu strength and wisdom
of one adds to the strength and wisdom
of another. sod meant men to be helps
to each other, but he meant that it should
be mutual and not one-sided, and no
man has right to use society as a per-
petual erich to aid his own hating and
worthless existence.
3. Yet ether men will use the home
as a crutch. That is, they use it merely
as a temporary convenience. These peo-
pie miss entirely the spiritual and moral
elements of the home. IL may indeed
be a place of refuge. 1t is certainly a
place of rest, but all through their stti-
tude towards the home and their use of
it there seems to run the idea merely of
temporary personal convenience. The
real moral and spiritual home element
seems to have been left entirely out of
their Interpretation.
The moment you use the word home in
stead of the word house you lift the
whole thought infinitely above this mate
rial and utlitarian plan If it is hon
orable to be merely a housekceper, as
thin, it is. it is infinitely nobler TO be a
homekeeper. but if we are to lift this
office to this high spiritual and moral
plane, then the home should be treated
by the man as something more than II
crutch, as having something more than
a nero external and temporary ministry.
4. But the same mistake is quite as
common n mems conception of the
church. Men think of it in all sorts Of
purely utilitarian relations. One man
says, at will introduce me to interest
ing and profitable companionships.' lie
would use the church as a sort of social
crutch.
Many Il man is ready Z, ask the vulgar
ard selfish question, What am / going
to get out Of it," Here. as elsewhere.
he is looking out for number one. He is
hunting for something to lean upon, and
he does not hesitate to choose the most
sacred organization in the world as 8