The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-12-13
The Kingdom Column
az DWIGHT S. eAyLEY.

about his goods. 4 few Years ago
there appeared in the saturday Eve
ming Post a series of articles en-
titled Tales af the. Road and not
one of them failed to emphasize the
fact that truthfulneSs is essential to
the success of a drummer. Moreover
our social fabric has stability only as
il is woven on the loom of truth
. When man gives his word. it Is pre-
sumcd to be the word If truth: and
on that basis men and women deter
mine their relations to each other The
occasional preparation of Il fraud is
positive witness to the general prev
arcnce Of truthfuiness; and any man
who departs from that standard is an
enemy of society.
But there Is a phase of truthfuiness
which goes even deeper. That is the
habit of being true to ones own deep
est convictions. to ones own best self
To thine own self be true says the
adagc; and 1t follows as the night
the day thou canst not then be false
to any man. II Is a powerful as
surance of any mans highest welfare
when lie makes his own deepest con-
sictions the north star by which to
shape his daily course. Martin Luther
was thus true when he defied the
pope: and it was he who laid the
foundation of religious liberty. Park
Benjamin. in his history of the Unit
ed States naval academy. tells Of
the trueness to their convictions Of the
cadets from the southern states
at the time Of the secession. Conn
mandant Rogers he says, spoke
quietly and feelingly: and finally,
When he had said of them all that
could be said, he ordered those who
SO desired to fall out of the ranks
The boys from ten states that had
thrown off their allegiance left their
PAGES. Then came The farewell, and
IL was nitiful To Sc. The arms of
those who were IL 10 to the North
and of those who Were 10 go to the
South went about each others necks
and the tears flowed The ha
which later were to be raised in bit
ter enmity linked i'm last fond
clasp II is fundamental requisite
that one be true to his own conyic-
tons, even though they be wrong 1t
IS easier TO right ones convictions
than to overcome the habit of UNI
truthfulness.
But i'll all this matter of trueness.
We must ultimately come back to God,
with the approach Of noon I'm the
great city a crowd gathers near the
building in which the government
oiilces are located. All are watching
the flagstaff on the roof. at the ton
Of which Is suspended large ball
precisely at noon this bali drops to
the foot of the Flagstaff This is the
highest authority on time. The crowds
set their watches. and hurry on their
way. But something is back of the
ume-ball, something which makes IL
absolutely correct. The seatch which
holds the ball suspended. is operated
by electricity. and is connected with
IA direct wire from Washington, where
II Is attached to the governments
hnest chroaometer. When that saws
noon. the electric flash releases the
Instant time-bali. But even the
chronometer. which varies only "A frac-
ton OF ii second I'm year is not the
ultimate authority: for at stated in
terfals II Is tested and set by the sun
Itself as the government astronomer
marks its meridian.
Thus. as our watches are regulated
ultimately by the revolving spheres
piunging through space in their God
appointed paths. SO our final test of
trueness is nothing human or earthly.
hut God himself. We must be true
10 him as he has been revealed 10 us
We must follow Jesus with utmost en-
deafor: for he is. as it were. the telc-
scope through which we observe God.
Looking at him, and by his help, we
snail be able to true ourselves by the
measurements of God. Then all our
relations and activities will become
true and right.