Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-08
Sunday Morning Talk
Toning Up or Toning Down.

There Is a wide difference between letting
up and letting down. With the fierce pres
sure of modern life upon US. we all must
have our periods of detachment from labor
and care: but why should they be sea-
sons of moral and spiritual deterioration?
Why should mothers fear the summer va
cations for their children as involving spe-
cial perils and temptations? Why should
the college student. now that he is no
longer for a time amenable to rules and
the demands of the class room. completely
relax his social and intellectual standard?
Why should good church people. who Tor
the past nine or ten months have been at
tending faithfully to their routine duties
and trying to count for something in the
line of practical righteousness. now sit on
their piazzas most of Sunday either be-
cause their own particular church ediice
is closed or because visiting preacher is
occupying the pulpit? Or why should these
same people when they establish themselves
temporarily at summer resorts, never take
any pains to hunt up the local institutions
of religion: to speak friendly word to
the minister in charge who is so hungry
for a bit of sympathy from the colony of
summer boarders? We can forgive the lit
tie girl who in closing her evening prayer
the night before the family was to start
on their vacation. said. ''Good-by, God, we
are going into the country for the sum-
mer" But why should people in maturer
life give others to infer that they are pro-
ceeding on practically the same basis.
The answer to the foregoing eonundrums
Is that human nature Is a somewhat tickle
and mobile article, that 1t easily takes on
the color of Its immediate environment and
that there is something in the langour and
ease OF vacation days that makes one lit
tie less inclined to keep up the fight for
character.
But suppose we start out on the other
pre- supposition and take 1t for granted that
the summer has It's special spiritual uses
and that we are going to find them and
avail ourselves OF them. One great boon
the season does AFFORD US all, namely, the
chance to get away by ourselves In win
ter we are to a great degree housed and
forced into constant contact with va
riety OF people, but the summer beckons US
forth, IL not to some distant wilderness
camp. to some quiet. lovely spot In the
parks or fields close at hand Just to get
away now and then from people, to take
the measure OF our own souls. to listen to
the sermons which the birds and the flow
ers are preaching, to gaze up into the blue
dome Of heaven and think OF the majesty
of God Ia, In itself. a moral tonic. 0, do
not be so busy with conventional recrea-
lions that you cannot once or twice at least
these summer months commune thus with
yourself In some spot where nature aids
meditation and aspiration
But the summer would not be interest
ing to most OF US II our paths never crossed
the paths of other human beings and we
may make this personal contact source
OF our friends and acuuaintances breaking
over some of the social barriers. perhaps,
with which even the most democratic
among US sometimes surround ourselves. 1t
may be that some quaint stage driver, or
sea captain, or chance travelling compan-
ion, or some little child. can teach us some-
thing that We need TO know. and II we
seek to pas along 70 others that which u