River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-01-30


ed with goodness.
The only abiding thing, the only
thing that you may take with you into
the future life, is character. It is
mark of wisdom to look into and pre-
pare for the future. Herein lies the
difference between a child and a man,
the savage and the civilized, the rich
and the poor-the ability to look into
and plan for the future. The power
of the artist lies in his ability to see
see finished picture. Character is the
best thing you can leave behind you.
A good character is the best tomb
stone We are remembered by what we
have done. The absence of character
is hopeless. weakness and wickedness
What Is Character?
Intellectual culture is not necegsari-
ly character. 1t is often argued that
Intellect and moral development go to-
gether. History, however, disproves
such a statement. II that were true
the peasant, if pious, even though he
had no education, would be a Shakes
peare or Milton; then goodness must
accompany scholarship and SO every
scholar would be a moral man, which
is not the case. Intellectual culture
may be and often Is accompanied by
character. but 1t is not identical with
| it. Did intellect save Solomon from
vice, Bacon from bribery, or Byron
from immortality? Coleridge says:
'All the mere products Of the under
standing tend to death"
Wealth is not character, although 1t
is often substituted for it. People
without character, but with money,
often are admitted into respectable
society. Wealth In the hands of weak
men is fearful thing. 1t is not true
that moneymaking has the tendency
to Danish great thoughts and fine feel
ings? Why is so much immortality con-
nected with wealth?
Reputation is not character. Char
Rcter is what man is, reputation is
what men think him to be- and often
these two things are reversed by the
revelation Of the newspapers. Char
acter is what a man is before God;
reputation is what he is before men;
reputation is for time, character Is
for eternity. Character is what a
man is when nobody is looking. A
mans character can no more be
strengthened by reputation than a
fence by whitewash.
What, then, Is character? The
word signifies something scored or en-
graved. and carries with it an abiding
significance; so we may speak of char
acter as that which sets forth certain
abiding results which has been scored
or engraved in the soul of man by the
experiences of life. Character is the
stamp on our souls of the free choices
of good or evil we have been making
continually through life. 1t is that
which engraves itself upon all we do.
Character is what we are in the hid
den recesses and not merely on the
surface of our lives; it is not really
what men take us to be, but what we
are before God as our judge. Charac-
ter is true man, a true woman, at
their best and highest, living out the
dictates Of their highest, best and
tPuest natures.
The man of character is truthful.
ALs
simple truth his utmost skill" He
does not profess a thing that he does
not intend to do; he does not prom
Use a thing which he knows is not in
his power to fulfill. No considerations
can justify the sacrifice of truth which
ought to be sovereign in all the rela.
tons of life. A lie is never justifiable.
Some one has said that other vices
are virtues compared to lying, vet
how lightly esteemed is falsehood. Ly.
ing ofttimes assumes the form Of di.
plomacy. expediency, moral reserva-
ton, lodging the question twisting
words, and giving wrong Impressions.
Character is characterized by mod
esty and purity. The bloom on a peach
is OF the very first consideration to it's
life and perpetvation; and the finest
thing about a man or woman is the
fine bloom on the mind and the con-
science. This feeling is more eff
fectual for our protection than walls
OF granite or gates of brass Take
care of the delicacy Of your mind, re-
tain the power to blush, respect the
alarm and shrinking of the soul at the
faintest suspicion of evil. Let cynical
people call you green; thank God for
that color, and see that you keep it,
for it is infinitely better than the sere
and yellow leaf of wasted life. Live
SO modestly. so purely, so resolutely
for your God that your whole moral
nature shall continue,
Quick as the apple Of an eye,
The slightest touch of sin to feel" ;