The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-12

In drinking. Yet these are really only
minor trouble. The real loss, and
the loss that makes the actual paupers,
and that Is worse than all other ca
lamities, is the loss of self-respect
Esau's bargain was noble beside that
of a person who sells his self-respect
for draught of pleasure.
God made men lords over all the
earth, but many have become slaves
to the earth's products.
temperate person can know true
riches. The divine record runs that
''the drunkard and the glutton shall
come to poverty'-the poverty that
means a starved soul, an empty life
All that enriches his existence on earth
slips from mans possession through
the floodgates of intemperance.
There is no more uncomfortable per-
son to live with than the one who,
while abstaining frdm the wine-cup
and all other forms of gross excess, is
yet Incorporate in his life. The un-
bridled tongue, the spirit of jealousy
and pride that have full sway, the an
ger that is never controlled, the appe-
tite for pleasure that is given first place
in the life-these are common forms
of intemperance that dwarf lives into
meanness and unloveliness. And it is
against these kinds of intemperance
that Christians must exercise all their
powers of will and grace.
Only they are masters among men.
and acceptable followers of the great
Master. who have first mastered them
selves.
Intemperance is imbruting. Unre-
strained passions dull the edge of all
the sensibilities of the soul. A fine
nature is impossible to one who in
dulges in any excuses. Ideals are low
cred by intemperance, which seats on
the throne of life the f1eshly nature,
and removes man farther from the di-
vine estate that God designs for him.
Tempered speech is not common.
Most Of us do not weigh and consider
the words that we utter. In an i'm
petuous and measured stream our
speech flows on, and the result is that
every day we say rash and unkind and
untrue things that we would give much
to call back. In our fight against the
evil of strong drink, let US not forget
the evil CT Incorporate speech.
There are many young persons of
upright and irreproachable lives to
applied in relation to their pleasures.
All their days seem to be given up to
the pursuit of "a good time" No mild
er word than intemperance can de-
scribe these habits for the place of
pleasure in human life-that is, pleas
ure when it is made a business-is
only subsidiary and unimportant one
Intemperance is altogether weak
ness. If in any department of life we
allow our inclinations or our appetite
to get beyond our control then there
is corresponding loss of strength in
our soul. We have power only when
we keep our lower selves in complete
r. - s.-s%
The self-mastered life masters the
world.
Every one who has read SCOTS
novel, 1.-THE Talisman," remembers
Saladin's marvellous exhibition of
craftsmanship at the tournament. His
delicate Damascus blade appealed to
our imagination as being wonderful.
The feats the famous fighter perform
ed, however, were due no less to his
skill than to the excellence of the
sword itself The latter was wholly
a matter of tempering. This sword
was tempered more exquisitely than
any other therefore it had more pow
er. All the beauty and keenness and
power that lie in weIl-tempered
blade are paralleled by the beauty,
keenness and power of a well-tempered
life. For the temperate life is the life
that is well-tempered; it is the one
that it fttest for its duties.
He who would be strong in his own
soul must keep his spirit in control.
There is strength in self-denial. It
is good to do hard things simply for
the sake of learning how to do hard
things. There is wisdom in the prac-
tice of some high souls who deal rig
orously with themselves, just to keep
their wills dominant over their wishes.
None of us can safely trust himself
always to follow his inclinations.