Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-28

educated one and he can be caught
more quickly. When We provide, there
fore for universal education. 1t is with
the expectation that the heart as We'll
as the head will be developed.
And now come to the most I'M
portant part of the subtect-the develop
ment of moral character. We measure
men by moral standards: We know them
by their heart characteristics Ii moral
character is the matter of supreme in
portance, upon what foundation shall we
build it, ] know of no foundation for a
moral code except a religious founda-
ton. l am aware that in saying this
I enter field of controversy, but II has
been SO long since | said anything that
no one objected to that little opposi-
ton does not embarrass me. | know or
no moral standard whose foundations
go down deep or extend back so Tar
that n religious basis for it could not
be found. no such system will be pos
sibe in the future Unless some great
catastrophe shall destroy all that man
now knows. there will never be found in
the ages yet to come group OF men
anywhere capable Of formulating
moral code whose ideas on the subject
of morals Will not have been colored ny
the Sermon on the Mount. so ali-per-
vading is the thought of the Nazarene.
There are some who believe that ma
terialism furnishes basis for morals: |
cannot agree with them. There are
others who believe reason to be a suf-
ficient guide. but | call you to witness
that in most of us the foundations of
character are largely laid before orr ic.-
sons are mature. The law fixes the age
of twenty-one as the period when the
young mans reason can be trusted, but
who would dare to walt until his boy
was twenty-one before impressing upon
him the moral principles that guide ones
life? Look back at your own lives and
how little you have added in the
matter of moral principles since you
were grown. l confess that l cannot find
much in my own life for which I can
claim credit acknowledge my indebted
ness to Christian parents, a Christian
home a Christian church and a Christian
environment.
That you may refresh your own men,
cries | venture to refer TO things that
entered into my life at an early age My
mother SO impressed upon my youthful
mind and heart the objections to swear
ing that when ! entered school, at the
age Of ten l found myself unconSciously
Withdrawing from the crowd when boys
began to swear, and l have never over
come my aversion to an oath. Whenever
l hear a man swear now the inclination
returns to get out Of the range of his
voice l venture the assertion that those
who do not swear can in nine ses out
of ten trace the fact to the teachings Of
mother or father.
My father hated gambling-no man
more so. With him ii did not matter
what the form of gambling was. whether
the stakes were large or small. or
whether one won or lost. He believed
that gambling overthrow Gods law Of
rewards, and before 1 was fifteen years
old had become imbued with his belief
on the subject, and l have never aban-
doned it.
To my father and mother jointly 1 am
indebted for my belief in total absti-
nence. I do not know how young I was
when / first signed the pledge. Ii | were
compelled to guess l would say that it
was the day when first learned to write
my name, although / may have signed
with my mark before that All / know
on the subject is that I have never fail
ed to sign the pledge when I could in
duce others to sign 1t, and / stand ready
while 1 live to sign 1t again and again if