The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-19

tainty. Jesus practically admits this fact
in His fearful contemplating of city held
The fathers bias the sons. The stoning of
prophets grew into national habit and
led logically to the CHASTITY crucifixion of
Jesus, the Son of God
Now a hundred practical conclusions
come from this great law OF the world
growth. The duty of men to surround child
hood with the most perfect atmosphere is
one Another is that every mans career
infringes on other mems secret life and eX-
ample goes to create character and charac-
ter TO tie up the future. Another is that
a man owes something 10 the unborn pos
terity When he sleeps in his grave, his
history. If crowned with duty and jeweled
with attractive overtureS, will still live and
make IL easier for his successors to walk
in the path of rectitude.
But these practical conclusions must not
drown the consciousness of our inviolab BILE
freedom. We are souls and not stones. Our
freedom may be limited in a thousan nd
ways, but thing that does not exist can
not be limited. Nothing cannot be annihi-
lated.
Il saw the prison wagon going up Merid-
ian street with a batch of people hand
cuffed and manacled and watched as fierce
brutes. They were criminals and had for
feited their right to liberty until they were
able to retrieve. Now Is the world prison
ambulance on large scale? Are human
beings riied of the right TO independent
action? Does the truth of environment de-
stroy the character of our original powers :?
Are We serfs and slaves TO nerves and dead
ages?
Let no man stand on the edge of a preci-
pice If he is liable to dizziness and to see
stars swimming around. Let us preserve a
manly balance of mind in the presence of
deep proDlemss, and while science dotes on
a vigorous reign of law and while some
tracts work the trick of environment for all
il is worth. such onesided statement dupes
only the weak and inveigles only those who
forget that science has again and again
made fool of itself. Ours is the grandeur
of choice or we have no freedom worth the
name
HIS OWN CONSCIENCE.
Every practical man can appeal to his
own consciousness to give the lie to this i'm
putation of being a slave automaton He
chooses for himself every day and every
hour. He blocks out his own plans of BUSH
ness. He legislates for himself He chooses
his wife. and his wife as freely accepts his
suit. young man closes an offer to a
higher position of his own accord He is
not coerced. He acts according to his inter-
ests.
Now. Jesus offers a gospel Of enlarge
ment. of Acknowledgement and advantage to
every man. 1t is an offer. An offer is a
mockery if the other party has no power to
refuse. But If he refuses he is responsible
according to the light he had Oh the conse-
Quences.
IF you enter a drugstore and ask for a
simple potion TO lull your throbbing head,
and the clerk gives you glass without stat
| ing the liquid contents, and you drink it
| down. you do so in ignorance You take the
man on trust. Nevertheless. you have swal-
lowed the poison and you writhe in pain no
matter how innocent you were of the deadly
| opiate. You simply unfortunate, but
| you are not criminal. If. however, you have
made up your mind to destroy yourself as
a useless incumbrance, and with clear mad
| ness procure the destroying liquid. then you
are criminal. You have acted with your
eyes open. No one forced overpowered
| you. Practically, therefore, you are ac-
| countable before law and before God. Be-
| fore fatherhood weeping over human err
ror. what? Let us leave that problem with
/ such a Godi A wise ignorance is often the
/ highest talent. But for this life, at least.
| let us duly teach that, while ages build up
/ ages, stone on stone, while environment
| plays sovereign part, yet personality is the
| other twin truth. that God gave the soul
the Magma Charta of it's own unfettered de-
/ cisions. and man. therefore, cannot turn
| down Christ without counting a doom upon
| his own growth.