The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1914-04-16
MEANING IN FAILURE
Surely There Must Be a Place for
the Defeats as Well as
the Victories.


co small thing has prevented
y achievement. A man has been sue.
cessful In a moderate way IN business
for a number OF years and a moment
OF weak judgment scatters his gains
and reduces him to a condition OF
beginner or II may be that health
gives way One waits In the rain
few minutes, or gets a chill at .
station, or slips crossing the road. and
the hopes OF life are frustrated.
Sometimes. OF course. the failure Is
not small-in fact. small and great
In such a matter are largely mean
ingless terms One goes forward to
service In writing or speech with much
promise OF success. Good influences
seem to attend frst efforts. and for
a time work Is fruitful. Men and wom-
en- welcome what promises TO be q
new lead hut by and by the frst
Influences fade. the fruit Is no longer
forthcoming. The speech ceases to
be an inner weakness unconquered.
spirit unsanctifed-an the man
takes his place among those concern
ing whom the prophecies which wenI1
before them remain unfulhlled
The point Is that for those who be-
lieve In what Stevenson called AN
ultimate decency OF things" a mean
ing In failure must exist n there
II q rational scheme OF the universe.
II must have n place for the defeats
as 5ell as the victories OF the indi-
vidual
Two Points Of View.
To fall is not to be a failure. One
must distinguish. Did failure come
from within or from without, This
Is the first question for the man who
has been defeated to answer. II
means at bottom. was the defeat real
Dr. not To fail Is not to be a failure.
But TO take the case OF failure that 10
zeal. where there has been unfaithfui-
ness. disfoyaity. yielding to besetting
lin. Then Is much gained TO have
astened on the root OF the failure:
I requires honesty with oneself And
'uch a search has surprises. Just
where a man thought he had no need
O guard. he may ind the enemy has
ONE In
Sometimes the FIRST limitations OF
allure may arise within ourselves
falling short IL one thing. transgres-
ion Il another: both are defects. for
10Th are sin. There Is no such de-
eat as this. When q man has made
good fight against harsh circum-
tances and failed. there n no dis
race; he has not lost honor The
attic n his Pavia. But when We
ave been untrue TO conscience. there
; no citadel OF peace into which to
inter- The misery IL with us at bed
nd board: there IL no remedy. but
secret transaction OF the heart with
esus Christ
Is there gain out OF the loss OF fall
re- n men are driven from unsound
to true. something has been
ION. II need not have been won 1t
UGH cost There 10 no reason why
ar experience generation after gen
ration should 90 on verifying with
dull regularity the lessons OF the
asst. yet II does. But Il IL better 90
armed than not learned at all
And out OF the recovered life 90
luch may come. when thou art
inverted. strengthen thy brethren
ometimes a proud man can learn
umiiity no other way than by humii.
'tion. Sometimes very strong. ten
er help can be given to a tempted
fe by one who has once fallen him
III. being tempted" but has nov
armed TO stand John Wesley never
new what evil living was. or swear
x or any form OF vice. and God
'ed him to convert some OF the low
Il sinners. Samuel Hadley had been
! offender himself. and God used his
tier experience OF the hardness OF
10 transgressor's way. and his Joy
Is experience OF the Christian faith.
save many who had sunk lower
an he had once done. The disciple
failure will not teach us that Il II
liter TO fall 10 gain experience: that
cory belongs TO an unsound view
sin. A man who knows what ain
win be inclined TO say with Angus
ne 20 beata culpa:" but he win
ank God that, having brought him
II into a region OF bitter expert
zee. God can still use his manned
e. and turn its shadow OF death
to morning"
Striving Never In Vain.
The land OF unfulnlled desire Is not
wholly barren country: the life
arms to look beyond itself What
,ubles multitudes is not the sense OF
sloyalty. but OF utility They feel
ey have done nothing. but the striv-
IS OF such lives are not In vain. II
souls force has been largely used up
In maintaining the moral average
d atmosphere so as to make the ex-
Hence possible for another. the life
s not been In vain. Gods purpose
Its greatness comes to be more To
3 soul than personal success.
The wonder OF the gospel IA that N