The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1911-09-08
FearlessneSs of Faith

FearleSSneSS OF Faith
On the occasion of the death of Mr.. Henley few
days ago, The News printed his remarkable poem,
can not be accepted by any Christian as embodying
sound philosophy. We may all admit that we are
occasionally covered by night that is black the
pit from pole to pole" and we like to believe and
surely this is good Christian doctrine that every
man has, or may have, ''ar unconquerable SOUL"
Christ teaches that surely "Fear not them," He said
(which kill the body, but are not able to kill the
SOUL" The soul is indeed unconquerable, though
possibly Mr.. Henley meant to imply that it is uncon-
querable even by God. But the general principle is
true. But is it true that we are sin the fell clutch
of circumstance? If tits, we are, Of course, not
responsible for our failures and falls There men
who to be under the control of some evil power
outside of themselves which they are powerless to
resist, the victims of some curse imposed for no sin
of their own. Such and there are such, are entitled
to our pity, and Mr.. Henley in this case. But,
taking human life whole, it seems reasonably
clear that men are th7ir own masters and superior
to circumstances. Even Mr.. Henley closes his poem
glOrlouSly with these verses:
am the master of my fate.
am the captain of my SOUL
If man is the master of his fate, he is not in the
tfel clutch of circumstance andl he is the captain
of his soul there is nothing else that he needs TO COM
mand. But the pagan part of the Henley poem is
this:
Under the budgeonings of chance
My head is bloody but unbowed
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafrad. Il,
very noble form of pagansm this is-but still it
is paganism. We are taught tobelieve that afiic-
tion is not 1.-THE bludgeoning Of chance but usually
blessing. Now" we read, mo Christening for
the present seemeth to be joyous but griev0us;
ertheless afterward it yedeth the peaceabe fruit of
righteousness unto them which areexercsed thereby.
We are to endure not rebel against--hardness as
soldiers. The reformatory and purifying effect of
sorrow, suffering and pain are generally recognized
by the great philosophers whether pagan or Christ
an Sometimes it is better to bow the head meekly
and submssively, rather than to keep it 'unbowed."
It is not question of chance but of providential
ordering. And real courage comes rather from this
wayof dealing with sorrow and pain than from Mr..
Henley's way. One who LOOKS at life as divinely
dered will be so 'unafraid that one will not regard
this world of Gods as altogether "place of wrath
and tears nor think of the horror of the shade"
the only thing to be faced in the next world If we
object to the word submissive, there is yet wide in
terva between that and the stern and rebelous de-
iance that breathes in Mr.. Henley's lines. Far
above the latter is the calm serenity the steadfast
trust In the good purposes of the Almighty which
have been shown by the great saints of earth. And
those who have this serenity and trust the true
masters of their fate the true captains of their SOUL
Mr. Henley m reached his conquest by another road
been trod by "the noble army of martyrs" The
fearlessness of faith is grander and consOling
than the fearlessness of defiance. The former, as
has been said banshes all thought of the horror of
the shade" which is SO terrifying to compel man
without faith, who would be "unafrad," to set his
teeth and brace himself in order to avoid being
driven into panic by it.
Il + +
1t is quite apparent that to dig tunnel from two
sides and make both ends meet is delicate problem.
Should they happen not to meet it would be an ex-
pensive wandering in the mountain to find them and
get them together But fortunately there is guide
as true and unbendable as mathematics. This is an
imaginary, straight line between two points. One
point is little observatory she'd the bank of the
Rhone, with spyglass pointing horizontally toward
Italy The other point is similar little observatory