Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1903-11-04
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aces a limitation upon the functions
Of that will
We are so constituted that though
one may boast o. his independence in
thought and action, nevertheless there
is a mastery TO which every one is ever
rendering an obedient service. We
must serve some master. but mo man
can serve two masters" Nevertheless.
we are confronted with the fact that
the great majority of men are endeav-
oring to do the thing which is here
pronounced impossible and proved TO
be so by all experience. Alasi how
many have fallen victims 10 this vain
endeavor; how many are still engaged
IN the hopeless task of a dual servicel
The proposition is as true in the affairs
of everyday life, in the questions af-
fecting political. civic, ethical, CONNER
cial, and social relations, and the nu-
merous situations in which we are
called upon TO assume an attitude of
service, as in the realm of religion
and morals. The tendency of the age
is to he noncommital, to straddle, TO be
on the fence, TO serve two masters,
when. as matter of fact, such an eff
fort is a delusion and snare. and in
the end subverts the best interests of
the individual and of the common
veal. Compromise is always a sign Of
weakness. Conservatism is a sort of
fetch of the day. In questions of
honor and dishonor, of good report and
evil report. of right and wrong, there
men can afford to stand. In such we
are at the parting of the ways and
we must follow one or the other.
Especially is this true in matters of
religion. Here the line of separation is
so clearly defined that it cannot hon
estly be escaped. The Great Teacher
gives a concrete example: "Ye cannot
serve God and mammon." God. as rep.
resenthlg the highest, because most
perfect, mastery, and mammon as de-
handing the lowest, because the most
degrading. service, each is an imperi-
Gus ana eXacting master. and no man
can be loyal to both. Their wills are
so different their commands so oppo-
site, and their ends so antagonistic
that the occasion must frequently arise
when one or the other will have TO be
despised and disobeyed if the other
be honored and served. Try as we
may to elude the difficulty of the stu
alton we are forced to enlist in the
service of the one or the other Be
yond doubt mammon rule-mammon
worship-is one of the distinctive lea
lures Of the day, and few realize how
deep is the impress upon life and char
acter. There is an expression about
every man" or everything having its
price, and the fact that it calls forth
a resentment that steadily grows less
pronounced indicates how Ter we br-c
gone in this direction. However. t, re
is no necessary conflict between God
and mammon, between the acquisition
of wealth and the highest duty of life,
but there is n necessary conflict be-
tween the mastership of wealth and
the mastership of God. When men
are so dominated by the love of gain
that it becomes an absorbing passion
and the higher claims Of duty are
made secondary, they should at least
be honest with themselves and know
in what service they are enlisted, and
not deluded by the thought that they
can hold to the one" and not "despise
the other" Unworthy service assumes
other forms. Society, fashion, pleasure.
may be substituted for ''mammon,"
and we have identically the same stu
alton. 1t is not question of incon-
sistency or incongruity. 1t is not we
ought" but ''ye cannot
If, therefore, every man must serve
some muster, and mo man can serve
two masters" and every man really
does serve one master. ought not each
one. then. deal honestly and fairly til
himself, and as an intelligent and re-
sponsible being demand an answer to
this pertinent question, "Who or what
is my master?"