The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-07-06

kinds Of d. gersrsc, one which Genes fre'
too little reliance upon hw, another vhic
comes from too much.
The nan whom ve commonly Call
Degenerate trHrrs from the former causes
He has broksn so many laws that lasas
whole ceases TO have ls,hstily over him
and be b, comes powerlcu TO resIst tmpta
iiou from any sarier. Bat there are AM
always have been dsgenerstes Of the or
posl.e TYP, men Who lsvs tept the Law
that they we're taught to obey until sael
lava bect me The only authority which con
tros them and The only STANDARD whlcl
they ncospI, and thsy are powtrless 4
feel the stimulus Of srvthing better. Their
10 q point beyond which drill csases to be
help sud becomes q hindIance; there 10
Get OF cIrcumstances whsre the person wht
has been subj, ctsd to too much control Il
n helpless ~ the one who has been Sub
Iecttd 10 too little.
Every college man, - he goes out Into
the world, 10 exposed to change OF IT.
mos phere not unlike that through which hs
passed In comir from school TO college
| II durlr x his college life he has ctme 70
Identify good es With the keeping OF
complex Get Of rules and observatces, be II
In great dsrger. IL 10 almost inevitable
that updsr the new condi.iors which hs
meets be will disobey some Of these rulei
or dI.rt gard 81 me Of these observancea. II
he has placed his trust 10 keeping the letter
Of the law, the breaking II one rnle u
apt to be followed bv the breaking Of
great many Others. This experience 10
typical ore. Every man and every race
which relies for protection on the text Of
the law rather than on its spirit 10 mensced
by this risk OF complete failure 10 emergen'
cies.
"A man ma, obey acode Of laws 80 I'M
plicitly that be refuses to recognize the
need Of any moral authority outside that
code. Poor Christian, In Bunysn's 'Pll'
grims Progress,' 10 forever stumbling into
this kind or pitfall. The very intensity Of
his de.ire to be good makes him overvalae
any step, real or apparent, In the direction
of goodness, and think that he had prac-
tlcally res sched the end when he has only
graspsd more or less imperfect means.
"The sleep Of conventionsllty is Of all
slumbers the most fatal. Life is progress
perpetual adaptation to new Conditions.
The selfsatisfaction which leadsa man to
be content with the old Is the beginning Of
death.
"A man Of bad antecedents and surround
lngs, who recognizes that they are bad,
has higher possibilities than the man who
lives under much better rules, but sees
neither need nor room for Improvement.
For him whose ideals are ahead OF his prac.
tice, even II that practice is low, there 10
always hope. For him who has sunk bis
ideals to the level Of his practise, even II
that practise Is high, there is no hope At
all.
"Are we gting to iest content with being
pharisees or are we really trying to he
ChristiaDiY Let each OF US look into bis
own heart today and nnd the answer. What
10 your ideal Of succefs in lif,s Is It to
become reputable member Of good society
and achieve substantial results 10 the way
OF fortune, family and. friends, on which
you can look with increasing complacency 7
Or is 1t to make the world better BY 3
struggle which will be full Of dangers and
mistakes and Misunderstanding, and In
which, to the very end Of life, you are like.
" to remain far from the realization OF your
highest hopesS 10 the for ner case you are
q pharisee, no matter how much you may
try to disguise the fact. In the latter case
YOU are Christian, no matter what doubts
may hold you back from venturing to call
yourself bv that name.
III you choose the part Of the pharisee,
you will probably get something Of the
succeas which your desire, but 10 the very
process Of getting It you will become con.
stantly narrower and meaner.
III you choose the part Of the Christian,
your life will be hard one. You will have
to fight those who are opposed to you and
sometimes be beaten, which 10 bad enough.
You will be misunderstood BY those who
should be on your side, which 10 worse.
You will make mistakes OF your own 10
Judging where the right really lies, which
10 worst Of oil. But through defeats and
mistakes and Misunderstanding you will
oil the time be growing into something lar
ger than you we're before.
"The greatness Of the Christian Ia just ~
unconscious 81 the smallness Of the phari.
see. There WAS . man among the Apostles
who more than all others had tested the
possibilities Of both these ways OF living,
and he It is who speaks most emphatiealiy
Of them all concerning the wrongness OF
the one and the rlghtness Of the other.
Paul OF Tarsus WAS born and bred phsri.
see, under conditions which gave him Every
aoyan,age for working out life's problems
on that bssis II the thing WAS possible. in
bis own person he combined the best that
three civilizations could Rivt-.he morals
Of the Jews, the philo,ophy OF the Greeks,
the laws OF the Romans. But In the midst
OF his career as a Iharlsee be was sudden
y brought to see the meaning OF thrists
life and doctrine. He taw that man could
not render his Gocoun. TO God by II ckoDif Z
up his good deeds asp many credits TO
himfelf. He saw that he must forget him
self and think fer others
more than apy other Apostle be preach
ed the doctrine u jista.ation BY fsitf-
the doctrine tba. . man 10 tavtd not BY the
THUGS that be has done ,,hcwt yer imporsals
these may be ~ evidences Of his purpose
ia life but by that devotion 10 things out.
uide Of him Ard beyond him which should
L. !.