Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1904-06-23
(Wrtfea for he Beacom.l
That Temperance Conduees To
Spiritual and Material Health

All animate beings are generally
considered creatures of habit. Judg.
ing by results, the Creator has made
q difference between man and ami
NAL as to endowments of soul and
mind, and man is supposed to be
the highest order OF created beings
considered from that standpoint. In
these attributes there appear great
possibilities for development.
Animate beings are mostly gov
erned by desires and appetite.
The soul and mind OF the higher
order seem to be given to control
these. All creatures below man
crafty the appetite and desires to
safety and without effort TO control
the one or the other. In such cases
the appetite and desires control the
creature. Animals differ from man
in that the one possesses concious-
ness as to the senses of sight, hear
ing, feeling, smell aud taste, while
man having all these is endowed
with mind and soul for the better
discrimination of good from evil
that he may control desire and
appetite.
Some consider there to be q duality
in man-the good and the bad-ever
at war with each other and one of
which must finally control. They
designate these--one the spiritual
and the other the material man. The
gradual evolution or progress of
either is interesting. to observe in
man from his entrance into the world
to maturity. From the first moment
the material dominates. and month
by month, year by year, although
the appetite and desires along with
consciousness and appreciation of
environment increase, we notice the
mental and spiritual advancement,
but this latter seems almost entirely
a thing to b. taught, learned and
developed just as the material body
may be developed by gymnastics.
The spiritual development we must
regard as possibility under auspic-
Gus environment and teaching, hence
we comprehend the term discipline.
and upon discipline depends the
progress of man from his entrance
into the world until his maturity,
whenever that may be. The govern
ing of the body by the mind may be
properly called temperance, and as
each one must naturally desire that
his body should be in a healthy
state, he will admit that to be so the
mind must govern the body, and
desiring his body 10 be in healthy
state he will be temperate, that is,
he will control appetite and desire.
IL it he true-this duality-the good
and the bad. the spiritual and the
material-it being a common belief
that the one is immortal, the other
mortal-the man who desires
healthy state nf The body. and i'm
consequence being temperate, may
have the highest hope Of immortality
by the law OF the survival of the
fittest. By not controlling the ap~
petite and desires he sinks to the
level of the brutes, eating and drink.
ing TO safety and indulging the
desires to the limit of potency. The
good things of this world we may
enjoy, but with moderation and
within the bounds of the laws of
civilization. 1t is impossible to
have the body in a healthy state
without observing the laws of tenn
perance. We are not built to resist
the infractions of the laws of nature
and all who are Incorporate are sin
ming against nature and must pay
the penalty in the end. This higher
endowment of soul and mind are for
the very purpose. as it wonld seem,
OF health, longevity and the enjoy
ment of living, so that the mind and
soul controlling the body or mater
ial part of man, that body is the
more perfect for being so controlled
and more suitable as the temple of
the soul. Then does the body seem
TO reciprocate. helping to bring
about the most perfect mortal state,
the result being a union OF body
and mind in one happy state of ma
terial and spiritual health.
The opposite condition-the ma
terial-the desires and appetite
governing, the soul and mind are
dragged down TO the lev el OF matter,
he worst part Of man dominating
his entire existence. What then be-
comes OF the spiritual part of man?
We hear from the interpreters OF the
Bible that some souls are condemn
ed 70 everlasting torment but not to
annihilation. As the soul and mind
have somewhat the power to keep
the body in heal'h by temperance,
so that body has ah equal power to
drag the soul-that which lives af
ter it's temple is annihilated-down
to everlasting torment which cannot
be preferred TO anDihilation.
The principle then of self pre-
servation, both material and spirit
ual should admonish US to observe
the laws Of temperance in all things,
Il A2& q t~.