Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1911-09-07
| Morality |
By Rev. Guy E Shipler
As.s~sssx Rrrssr 81 S. Pssers
S. Leuzs

- IA gAA IANAAAAaAA1n = LAA11
Of women branded as moral lepers.
the presence OF any one OF whom
would not be tolerated in our homes.
Yet our daughters are allowed to min
gle freely with the mea who prey
upon these women: 10 receive them in
our hones-and too often-to marry
them Such Is custom and conviction.
so totally an inversion Of the teaching
and practice OF Jesus Christ. who ate
with harlots and sinners. not to con
done their acts. but 70 save then frou
evil
time for the church to inquire rather
more seriously into this matter OF
conscience and morality7 Shall We
90 OF being satisfied that custom and
convention have said the last word on
these vital matters-
There are too many false judgments
Of morality in society, as n result Of
unframed conscience. The thing we
call convention is too often but a
cloak for false morality. Custom and
convention are made up OF elements
both good and bad. though most Of Us.
II thing L. conventional. adhere to
its pronouneements without stopping
TO question the right or wrong Of IT.
Convention and custom are good
when they conserve the good Of the
past: they are viciously evil when
they cloak evil. and even worse when
they 50 enslave the minds Of the peo-
pie that they stupefy all moral prog
ress-
There n a tendency in most Of Us
toward legalisu: this false use Of the
Law. and the subtlest foe with which
Christianity has had TO cope. One Of
the most remarkable things IN history
is the speed with which Christianity
morally ran OF the track and al
lowed It's freedom to become elaborat-
ed and stl-ened into dogma. and then
into lexalism-
The church. which was 20 bring God
and man together. became burdened
with ecclesiastical machinery. which
kept God and man apart What fs
the Standard Shall We frankly be-
come legalists and accept the law rs
our standard Of conduct, Or shall We
accept what are called the average
judgments OF maukind-the consensus
Of opinion-as our standards II so.
what shall We do with the prophets;
those men Of vision who sometimes
rise in our midst. to point the way TO
a clearer conception OF truth than the
average man has attained
And II we do not listen to the
prophets-for example, those men Of
vision we have IN our political life
today-how car we hope 20 progress
as a civilizatiorf Or shall We accept
as our standard that which satisfies
u.s. Or shall We accept that which
vorks-pragmatism. which has be-
come popular among certain ethical
thinkers
This matter Of conscience calls for
clearer thinking than We have be-
slowed upon IL As a church or as in
dividuals IN the past Conscience is
the souls discerrmenr Of right and
wrong for the purpose II It's own
moral choice Il has az a standard
rot any exterior Law, which means the
reduction Of religion and morals to
Jurisprudence and restraint: but It
must have an inner law. which means
freedom
Jesus Christ's most emphatic teach
ing. about which conferred all else be
said and did. was the sacrraness o,
the self We have Chrtstia.. morality
then when we set before the task
Of developing this self This self.
loyalty is the only morality We kaow.
Il Is truth for truths sake. not truth
for e-pediency-
Conscience is the voice OF God wit,
Messing to eternal right within the In
tividual soul II Is the voice Of mans
true self. and the true self Is one with
God AS our sense Of beauty leads u.
on to things beautiful. so our moral
sense should lead Us TO things moral
/ And. as In art. We turn 10 great mas
ters. whose genius has wrought In
the world OF beauty for the standards
Of valuation: so in the world Of morals
must We turn with ever-tncreasins
/ earuestness and appreciation and
longing TO the master Of men
And as our study OF the great can
vas reveals ever and anon some deep
er truth that lay in the heart Of the
artist. 50 our serious study Of Chris,
must reveal more Of the truth that lay
Ike gold IN the depths Of his heart
II Is for each one Of Us to say-for No
one else can say II for us-whethel
the light that Is in rs shall become
darkness and so spread the gloom Of
itself through the hearts Of humanity
or whether IL shall become i part Of
that light that lighteth every man tina,
>ometh into the world