Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1906-05-04
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quainted with the rugged facts Of life.
But forgiveness and pardon are two
different things forgiveness is between
man and man; pardon is a matter Of
executive power. You can forgive
child and still punish him. The for
giyeness that does away with conse-
quences would make this an immoral
world. No greater wrong can be done
to a man than to protect him from the
deserts of his evil deeds. This is as un-
Just as to withhold the rewards Of the
right.
The difference between the law of an
eye for an eye and tooth for q tooth
and the law Of the Great Teacher lies
largely In the spirit Of dealing with the
offenses. The old spirit was that Of
getting even with the wrongdoer. His
act was largely regarded from the per-
sonal standpoint; crime was indi-
vidual and not social. Revenge follow
ed wrongdoing.
But Jesus says it Is better to lift
man up than to get even with him. 1t
Is better to help men to the right than
to satisfy your desire for revenge. For
giveness is more than saying, Go with
out punishment; )" rather 1t says, Come
learn a better way; live without sim"
Forgiveness takes malice from the mind
Of the offended; it substitutes for it the
motive Of friendship for the offender.
Revenge says, Il will make 1t worse
for you than you have made it for me-"
Sentimentalism says: Let the poor
victim of circumstances go send him
rosewater spray and an embroidered
text and he won't do it again" But
love, she Of the clear eye and the steady
hold, takes him by the hand In silence,
lifts him up, and leads him, perhaps
by paths of pain, to his better self.
Love puts his sins behind her back
and teaches him to face her way. Love
lets the wrong teach Its own lesson.
bear Its own fruit. And In her labor
for him she forgets her own pain and
loss caused by his offense.
The best way to forgive burglar
would not be to let him out of jail.
but to teach him the laws of prop
erty, to train him in the self-respect
that would lead to industry, to make
him a brother and fellow worker
among men instead of an outcast and
social parasite. The test of any for
giveness is its helpfulness, the manner
In which 1t wipes out the enmity of the
victim and turns the guilty into better
ways.
Many say, can forgive, but 1 can
not forget. No one asks you to forget;
but you cannot fully forgive unless you
will forego the feeling Of enmity and
the desire for revenge. You cannot
make anyone forget that which they
have once known; but you can substi-
tute helpfulness for hatred and restora-
tion for revenge. True love simply dis
counts the past as a ground for pres
ent action; it refuses to determine It's
personal bearing and deeds into-day by
the others Ill deeds Of yesterday.
So far from forgiveness being the
weakness Of the thoughtless, 1t is the
helpfulness of the strong and the wise.
To forgive a man will not mean to es-
cape from the trouble Of securing his
punishment; 1t will not mean the weak
complalsance Of indolent tolerance. 1t
will mean thought for his weakness,
taking up his burden, doing the broth
er's part for him, the endeavor to do
for him what we would like to have
the Father Of us all do for us ALL