The Dolores star., 1905-05-05
Thinking and Acting.
RALEIGH II. WHITE.

Thoughts lead to action good or bad
as are the thoughts. 1t is best not to be
n pessimist nor an optimist. If you are
the former then complaints do not
mend matters. If the latter, in the
definition that call events are ordered
for the best" must be accepted in mem.
ory that man has much to do with pro-
ducing events and how they end.
Complaints are a bad tonic that never
cure anything. Event is the other
word for happening. Our existence is
the result of a progenerative law, we did
not happen to exist. This is beauti-
ful world in which opportunities are
offered TO improve for greater useful
ness. The soul and self-consciousness
are direct gifts from God, but we are
free to act. Science affirms it and
Gods revelation sustains it. Those
who teach that the creation of man is
the ultima thule in the divine purpose
betray ignorance, and deny the inevi-
table intention set forth in the gospel
that is not circun1scribed by the planet
that we shall when time ends enter into
association with God that will never
cease. If this were not so then the
gospel teaching of 'joint-heirs with
Christi is meaningless. That all men
will not obtain eternal companionship
with God does not disprove the pur-
pose in the divine mind when Adam
and Eve were created. The home in
which they were placed, picturesque i'm
hpautv xvithnnf a flaw Iuhpra Cod as-
sociated with them, proves it. Sin
robbed that home of its charm in puri-
ty-for no sinner could be happy in a
snless homeland man was driven in
to exile, not from Gods love, but from
association with Him. What then;
the grand work of redemption is pre-
sented to which God gave personal at
tention through the atonement of Jesus
Christ to win man to companionship
with himself in realms of eternal glory,
with these facts looming up into inn
movable mountains of divine truth,
what will man do with his thinking
and acting. An effort to conquer self
and bring it to school of training is to
begin good work. The dark clouds
of sin ,overshadow the pathway with
gathering blackness to hide the truth.
This is the purpose of satan. The bat
tallions of sin can only be overcome by
the "Son of Righteousness" Danish
your troubles by a thoughtful activity,
and let faith inspire hope as the rain
retreatihg storm, The astronomers
have been engaged fos years trying to
discover the effect produced on our
material world by the spots on the sun,
whether the seasons are changed by
them making summer cooler and
spring later. The laws that produce
them may remain a mystery. There
are spots on the purpose, action, tem-
per, and business that some men are
engaged in. Is this all by chance? i
have heard that Everything in which
men engage is chance" 1t is true that
chance means an event which hap
pens; but this cannot be associated
with character or learning. Character
is what a man makes of himself, and
his business has much to do with his
making. Men cannot win a respecta-
BILE character, or become famous physi-
clans, or surgeons by chance. The
want Of proper thought, action, temper,
or dignified business that may be
lawful but not respectable corrupts the
mind until it Is influenced by tenn
porary insanity to say that all things
are tne result Oh cHauce. II is WOHueT-
full how men of intelligence allow
themselves as n thread is, wound on a
spindle to be twirled about by a busi-
ness that Injuries the soul, and charge
what they are pleased to "call good
or bad luck to chance, A gentleman
who is in q business that.is ruinous to
his own soul and the souls Of his sons
recently said to me, "you can't. kill a
good man," This is the greatest folly.
A sharp knife will cut, and dull razor
will pull, is this chargeable to chance.
When Epictetus was asked if he was
happy with broken leg, he answered,
"do you think, because my soul has
one lame leg, l am to find fault with
Gods universe, what else can l do,
who am "a lame old man except sing
praises to God?n Facts are stubborn
things. Heaven and He'll do really
exist. Christ and Satan are personali-
ties. Jesus is able to Save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by
him, seeing he ever liveth to. make in
tercession for. them,", Do not wreck
your life and lose your soul on things
of chance.
Let noble minds encourage thought,
Let purest acts strength impart;
When life by chance expects success,
The hope of man will reap distress.