Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-05-31

evil Zephaniah, l:19.
here are TWO distinct types of the
don't care spirit, radically opposed
There is the don't care" Of unswcrv-
ing conviction. and there is the don't
care of no conviction ut ali.
he first type incarnates itself in the
moral rcf0rner. in the great leader who
creates new epoch Of progress and
gives new tongue To the voice ot TRUTH
Such surely WAS Luther. 1t was sub
hIne defiance eff consequences that throb-
bed IN the memorable words Of WORMS
when before the assembled powers of
church and state. Luther flung down The
gauntlet of truth and exclaimed: Here
stand |, so help me God; l 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 it quite an
other 1t was the same daumtlcss disrc-
gard of personal interest that gripped
mems courage and rallied their tccting
hopes.
But very different is the other type of
the "don't-care" spirit This marks 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 nave
opinions ON everything under heaven
conviction he has on none. His days are
passed in the Slumberous routine IF a
stagnant conscience. Life for him is Il
loating place in the suburbs of listlcSs re
speciality. The busy movements Of the
larger life. the call TO reform. the appeal
for honesty in the interest of good citi-
zenshp, the urgency Of unsolved 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-
traitnre. 1t sets forth the character or
the creed of the "don't-care" spirit, as it
finds too frequent expression in multi
tudes Of men and 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 the pulp or lees
for brief period, the object being to
give added strength and body to the
Wine. But the difficulty was TO keep the
juice. from settling on the lees, the result
being that the wine became harsh and
rancid in taste and smell Bad wine was
that which had been allowed to settle on
its lees instead of being poured off into
fresh vessels.
So in Hebrew thought. to settle upon
ones lees became proycrb in describ-
ing the character of a 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 q 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 pleasurc-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 writer, ARE
not defeated by the hot assaults of the
devil, but by the slow. crushing. glacier
like mass of Indifferent nobodios." Gods
causes are never destroyed by being
blown up. but by being sat upon 1t is
this apathetic temper that is the real cita-
del which every great reform movement
must in the last event capture 10 attain
permanent victory. II 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
mcnting masses Of population in 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 multi
tudes who by every selfish act Of life
subscribe TO the creed Of don't care. "
II is the arousing VI this wcll-to-do. self
satisfied, eminently respectable but Grim
finally indifferent body Of the don't care"
constituency that demands the coming
of a new prophet Of reform.
Look now at the religious side of this
kind Of man. He is not an atheist He
is not only respectable, in n sense at
least he can claim to be religious. He
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 10 its destiny.
why should the Omnipotent being trou
Bile himself with the petty interests Of a
world that Is like a mote In the sunshine
Of eternityI" So in effect, or as the pro
phet puts it, 'in their hearts" multi
tudes Of men are speaking to-day. They
imagine that they glorify God by deny
ing his condescension. God is to them
the deity OF indfferentism.
Well, what are some Of the results Of
such creed? II God does not care for