Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-05-28
CREED OF DON'T CARE"
BY Rev. Donald SaRe Mackay, ID. d.

eYil-Xephaniah l:12
There are two distinct types Of the
don't care" spirit. radically opposed.
There is the don't care" Of unswerv-
ing conviction. and there is the don't
care" of no conviction at all.
The first type incarnates itself in the
moral reformer. IN the great leader who
creates a new epoch of progress and
gives new tongue TO the voice Of truth.
Such surely was Luther. 1t was a sub
lime defiance Of consequences that throb-
bed In the memorable words of WoFms,
when. before the assembled powers of
church and state. Luther flung down the
gauntlet Of truth aud exclaimed: Here
stand |, SO help me God; cannot other
wise"
Such was the spirit of Washington. in
the dark days of the revolutionary strug-
gle. when he was teaching the young re-
public that declaring independence was
one thing and fighting for ii quite an
other. 1t was tn, same dauntlcss disre-
gard of PERSONA interest that gripped
mems courage and rallied their fieeting
hopes.
But very different Is the other type of
the "dun't-eare' spirit. This marks the
man of no particular beliefs. II is the
note of chronic indifference toward the
larger interests of life. For such man
opinion masquerades in the garments OF
conviction, SO that, though he may awe
opinions on everything Hader heaven,
conviction he has on none. His days are
passed in the slumber0us routine Of a
stagnant conscience. Life for him is
loahng place in the suburbs OF listless re-
spectability. The busy movements of the
larger life. the call 10 reform, the appeal
for honesty in the interest of gcJd citi-
zenship, the urgency OF unsolN ID prob
lens in moral and social conditions, alike
fail to arouse the man who has pinned
his life to the sleepy creed Of don't
care"
Such is the type of character outlined
in few telling strokes by the prophet.
Our text is vivid piece of satirical por-
traiture. 1t sets forth the character or
the creed of the ''don't-care' spirit, as il
finds too frequent expression in multi
tudes of men aud women to-day. You
notice the figure under which the prophet
pictures this type of soul. those who are
settled upon their lees" The image is
taken from the wine vat during the pro-
cess of fermentation. When the juice
had been strained from the fruit, it was
usual to let it lie upon 10 pulp or lees
for brief period. the object being to
give added strength and body to the
wine. But the difficulty rs to keep the
juice from settling Oh the lees. the result
being I'll the wine became harsh and
rancid in e and smell. Bad wine was
that which mad been allowed to settle on
gaef I'D r hDTn off
fresh vessels.
SO in Hebrew thought, TO settle upon
ones lees" became proverb in deserib
ing the character Of man. who, through
laziness or Indifference. had become stag
nant in purpose and muddy in thought.
Naturally. by inheritance or endowment,
the wine of such character may be rich
and generous. but through the processes
of ignoble ease and intellectual torpor it
has become rancid and useless. 1t is in
capable Of adding to the good things Of
life.
1t is an exaggeration to say that we
touch here a type Of character peculiarly
common in modern life? To settle on
ones lees is Of necessity the peril OF a
luxurious and pleasure-seeking age. 1t
is peculiarly the danger of these days
through which we are passing. The
greatest menace to American life to-day
springs not from the fermenting corrup-
ton of socialism or anarchy. but from
the torpid Indifference of selfish respec-
liability. The great causes of God and
humanity says a modern writeGs are
not defeated by the hot assaults of the
devil, but by the slow. crushing, glacier
like mass of Indifferent nobodies.' God's
causes are never destroyed by being
blown up. but by being sat upon. 1t is
this apathetic temper that is the real eta
del which every great reform movement
| must in the last event capture to attain
permanent victory. 1t is the inert citi-
| zenship settled down upon the lees of its
selfish pleasure, that is the real problem
| Of clean government, and not the fer
menting masses of population ia the
seething tenement districts.
Here, | repeat. is the vital menace to
American life. How are you to awake
TO a practical sense Of public duty and
| Christian citizenship the sleepy mlllti-
tudes who by every selfish act of life
| subscribe to the creed of don't care. +"
| 1t is the arousing of this welhto-do, self
| satisfied, eminently respectable but Grim
| inally Indifferent body of the don't care
constituency that demands the coming
| of j new prophet of reform.
| Look nov AT the religious side Of this
| kind of man. He is not an atheist. He
is not only respectable, in sense at
| least he can claim to be religious lie
| has his spiritual as well as his social
| creed And that religious creed the
! prophet describes thus: They say in
| their hearts, The Lord will not do good.
| neither will he do evil. The god such
men worship is the idol of their own in
difference. The Deity for them is an alb
| sent landlord in his universe. Having
! created the world. he is careless OF its
! interests and Indifferent to its destiny.
| why should tine Omnipotent being trou-
! bic himself with the petty interests of Il
world that is like a mote in the sunshine
| of eternityT' So in effect. or as the pro
phet puts it. in their hearts, multi
| tudcs Of men are speaking to-day. They
imagine that they glorify God by deny
/ Ing his condcScepSiou. God Is 10 them
! the deity of indiiferentism.
| Well. what are some of the results Of
| such a creed? II God does not care for
/ the universe he has made; If he is 50
| bound by the memorable laws of natuf,
! that he cannot interfere with their move
| mept: IL his omnipotence does not eonde-
/ s,end to men of low estate; IT, in word
| he is simply an infinite force. Invested OF
| emotion, iucaahle Of lore. aud lnditfeF
ent TO the necessities OF his creatures
| then what are some of the necessary doc
| triuns which such creed involveSf
Think Of what such creed lnvaiFe;