The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-11-08

which reaches out toward the throne
Of God and takes hold upon the veri-
ties of life. which the reason cannot
grasp. If any of you think that The
reason can be trusted, If any OF you
think that you can build securely upon
the reason, let me remind you that it
does not commence to operate soon
enough to be sufficient guide. Our
laws say that one cannot dispose of his
property until. he Is twenty one, and
yet before We are twenty -one the foun-
dations of our character have been
laid. In a large majority of cases a
mans life is really determined in its
tendencies and it's directions before the
reason is mature enough to enable a
man to dispose safely of a little piece
OF ground. And it Is not only very
slow development, but it is not trust
worthy after it is fully developed If
any Of You think that the reason can
be trusted, let me remind you that
while we select good men as judges, or
try to, we will not trust them to decide
their own cases. Why? Because we
know that selfish interest will cloud
the vision. We have good citizens, and
vet we will not let one act as one of a
jury of twelve to try his own case.
Why? Because selfish interest will
sWerve his judgment. We even say by
law that the passion can dethrone the
reason, and provide that man is not
guilty of so serious an offense if he
commits a crime in the heat of pas
sion as If he does it deliberately ard
with malice aforethought.
I dwell upon this that I. may empha-
size the importance Of faith in the life
and make it a. conclusive argument.
because never like to leave subject
until have put it beyond dispute.
And SO if any of you still believe that
the reason can be trusted when full
grown, let me tell you that you have
had very little experience in politics
know because have tested it until !
am satisfied. I know there are some.
thing like seven millions of Republic
cans whose reasons on public ques-
tions ore entirely unreliable. and J.
have no doubt that your distinguished
Senator will testify that there are al-
most as many Democrats whose rea-
sons are just as unreliable.
Out in our country we sometimes
have cases like this. Two farmers will
live side by side with nothing but an
imaginary line between their farms.
They have been reared in the same
community; they have attended the
same school; they go to church possi-
bly, at the same church; they do bust
ness with the same people; they meet
about each others board, and their
children intermarry, and yet for a gen.
GRAFTON these two neighbors, with In
terests identical and environments
alike, will continue to vote, one one
ticket and one the other, each one kill
ing the others vote. And when they
come to die, II you ask them what
they have done to make life worth
living. each one will declare confident
ly that his greatest achievement is
that by his vote he has prevented his
neighbor from running the country.
You must have something to guide
you that is more certain than the rea-
son and that begins to work at an
earlier age.
Faith in ons's Self.
desire to present to you some
thoughts in regard to faith. to show
how practical 1t is and how it enters
into our lives. I desire to take up the
subject and present it as applied to
several different lines of development
If man is going to accomplish
anything he must have faith in HIM
self. need not dwell upon this. There
are some who are always afraid that
others will have too much faith in
themselves, especially those who nave
not gone to college believe that the
college boy has great faith in himself;
in fact, he sometimes is being critl-
cised and condemned or accused of be-
ing egotistical. Well, that is not the
worst fault in the world. My father
defended a man once who was accused
of having ''big head" and he said
that If man had a big head you could
white it down. but If he had little
head there was no. hope for him. Ego.
tism is offensive, but there is this
advantage about it, that if you have
the big head all your friends will help
to reduce it; but If you have tho little
head, they cannot help it.
But in order to have faith in ones
self, a real faith, g. faith that leads to