Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-13

If
Under the mastery Of mood let US hold
aloof from it and view 1t as one standing
apart Let us know its action and in
nuence upon US We find ourselves perhaps
in a period of severe depression. Let us
face the darkness. Indeed. sometimes
when it 10 extremely dark that seems the
only thing can do.
But. happily for us. there is something IN
the darkness itself that will be like the
light If we look for it. The astrslogers call
the planet Saturn the great malefic But
II Is this same dark Saturn that. according
10 them. confers some of the most useful
traits OF character-diigence, perseverance,
r,tience nav. spirituality itself. And when
Saturn is crossing the midheaven some of
our finest spiritual development occurs
Have we not all realized that it is in tine
dark of the night. after the setting OF our
sun after the beautiful day and the light
all about us have died away with our cheer
and Comfort-that it is in the dark or the
night that we get glimpses of other worlds
than ours. so much larger and more go
rous than even the sun, when erstWhiie
seemed the only light, the only star Vi tiie
universe?
How often in the nights of our suffering
We glimpse the light OF the spiritual stars
We can thus lend ourselves VIII Ger
y .
mood and be il what it will, it Will teacb
us great and good lesson.
The
F,xtremeness of our moods in itself makes
mischief. The extremeness OF course varies
But the typical troubles >me moods are ex-
tremes 1t is easy to see the iil-effects of
depression We know so well it's sad re-
suits. But the opposite is also true. Too
much shine and heat is deleterious to the
plaut lust as are cold and darkness. The
best light and the best heat are moderate.
tempered with darkness, modified by the
soft chill of spring and autumn
In our seasons of high elation we become
ovcroptimistic. Everything looks rignt.
even the wrong. We take responsibilities
and duties and business too lightly. Things
are going to come out all right anyway we
think and lack the caution and discretion
of our soberer moments. We promise too
much. spend too much, perhaps talk 100
much.
Finding ourselves therefore. in the ex-
treme of a mood will court the opposite
temper and so arrive at the golden mean
In Incidence we court energy. IN nate we
court love. in depression we court JOY IN
wrath genteness-"a soft answer turneth
away wrath" And so with the opposite
moods. In excessive energy we cultivate
the steadiress which in its excessive de
grees becomes inertia. In superlatively at
fcctiOnate moods we court the same I'M
blindness which in excess develops dislike,
aversion. separateness, hate.
Love they say is blind. So are all eX-
tremes We are carried out of the normal
focal point of vision and cannot possibly
see straight There is an old story, true be-
yond peradventure il is said, of a MetEo-
dist circuit rider. who arriving home
from his clerical tours always chastised the
children. from eldest sister to baby boy.
He knew their mother had INDUCED them
during his absence, and in this way en-
deavored to maintain justice. Extremes
meet They have to meet in order to ar
rive at the golden mean
By
A persevering rejection OF feelings as our
guide. and steady adherence to our sense
of duty and the becoming we shall build
up a stable center of power within our
selves which shall be unswayed by outer
forces and evaHcsCent moods, moving like
a steamship impelled by its own inner
might along It's tranquil course, unin-
fiuenced by the rufhins tempest and the
succeeding calm. The pupils of Pythagoras