The Washington herald., 1910-09-25
UP AND DOING.


After the New Testament, there is no
more beautiful or inspiring document ex-
tant than THE Imitation OF Christ" and
one OF the most remarkable passages in
it is that which declares, Vita sine
proposito Ianguida ct vaga est CA life
without purpose is "a languId. drifting
thing'). The utterance is, Of course, an
outsrowth of morality rather than re-
ligi1n, and In this connection we may
come 10 see what a hard. materialistic
outlook on life the old pagan moralists
must have assumed. That great master
of morals, pagan though he was, the
Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antonius. did
not need the teachings of Christ-before
whose time he uved-to understand the
Christian preeept, Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself," for in one form
or another he uttered it frequently in
his moral maxims. But it took Jesus
Christ and the religion He founded to
illuminate this moral apothegm with the
inspiration that no merely human scheme
Of morality could ever possess.
The writings Of none of the pagan
philosophers or moralists are character
lied by the sweetness and charm which
sunuses and softeus-as Christian moral
ity softens and sunuses the law of the
GospeIs-Jhe writings OF Marcus AureIus.
Take the opening thought of the fifth
book Of Marcus:
In the morning when thou risest un-
willingly, let this thought De present:
am rising 10 DO the work of a human
being. Why, then. am l dissatisfied il l
am going 10 do the things for which I
was brought into the world? Or, have /
been made for this. 10 lie I'm the bed
clothes and keep myself warm? But
this is more pleasant. Dost thou exist,
then. 10 take any pleasures, and not at
all for action or eXeriOn2'
II was Matthew Arnold who said so
justly about Marcus Aurelius. The SEN
fences of Seneca are stimulating 10 the
Intellect: the sentences Of EpIctetus are
terrifying 10 the character: the sentences
OF Marcus Aurelius find their way 10 the
soul" And it is this quality in this
pagan teacher, this accent of emotion,
that makes his morality Of the time be-
fore Christ match Christian morality.
and gives it a special character and pur-
pose in the world.
II is one of the most sacred duties laid
upon us to live in good. calm content
ment. TO be satisfied and grateful for the
goods the gods have provided: and if we
md ourselves inclined TO envy or dis
satisfaction. it viii be well to recall the
words of Marcus Aurelius:
Il have 20 thank heaven that I was sub
jected 20 a ruler and a father (AntOnius
piusl who was able TO take away all
pride in me- and 20 bring me 10 the
knowledge that il is possible for a man
10 live in "a palace without either guards
or embroidered dresses OF any show Of
this kind but that it is in the power OF
such man 10 bring himself very near
10 the fashion Of a private person. with
out being for this reason either meaner
in thought or more remisS i'm action with
respect 10 the things that must be done
for the public interest ] have 10 be
thankful that my children have not been
stupid or defOrmed in body; that 7 did
not make more proficiency I'm rhetoric
poetry, and the other studies by which I
should perhaps have been completely en-
crossed. if / had seen , was making
great progress in them that I
knew ApononiuS, Rusticus NIavimus
that ] received q clear and fire.
qUent impression about living according
20 nature and what kind Of life that is.
SO that SO far as dependent on heaven
and It's gifts. help and Inspiration moth
ing hindered me from living according To
my nature. though ] stju fan short of il
through my own fault"
There must come times into the lives
Of many Of us when the quiet. sane, and
by no means comfortable doctrine of
Marcus Aurelius must be Of great help
and inspiration. Above everything else,
he insisted that man must be honest
with himself. and long before Alexander
Pope had said it. he had told the world
that the proper study of mankind is
man."
He argued. too. that to be happy a man
must be good-good TO himself, in that
he used all his God-given talents wisely
and did not waste his sweetness on the
desert air"
There was no hint OF monasdcism about
him. and he had no patience with the
man who was content to sit with folded
hands and wait He knew that life means
that men in this workaday world must
be up and doing-busy about their
Fathers work and their own; doing good
10 others, cultivating kindness. loving
generosity and eharitableness.
Help yourself and the world will help
you! That is the doctrine. To be up and
dolng-that is the true faith. Thus shall
we gather strength and the viii 10 help
Others: thus shall we help this gray old