Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-01-16
We are glad to hear. that Mrs.
Coalson is some better at this writ
ing.
SHOULD WE REGRET.

| SuOOAD W = NGuASOA.
There are forces in human life
which are constantly pulling it down
There are passions, deep and power
full, which like an awful undertone,
such men beneath the surface and
choke out their lives in its black and
bitter depths. So mighty are the
passions, it is no wonder men have
shaped their perceptions of them in
doctrines of total depravity and the
universal ruin of human nature. 1t
is not surprising that they have
based their formulated systems of
theology on this fearful negation of
the primitive and hopeless badness of
humanity, and have held that apart
from the regenerating and sustaining
grace Of God, life would be hopeless.
There is a fallacy in the assumption
that life is, or can be, thing apart
from the grace of God; that God has
abandoned, or can abandon, what He
has made to a condition Of despair,
with no divine effort for its restora-
ton. But even so there is a suffi-
GENTLY somber side to the picture to
make US pause now and then when
we remember how wicked, how mean,
how weak men and women are.
But happily these are not the only
forces in human life. There are 9TH
ers, not less significant. Among
them is that wonderful quality Of
spiritual discomfort which prompts
men to seek for something better
than they have known or experienced.
There is a tendency in human life to
flow downward into the gulf of bestial
sensuality; there is another tendency
due to an equally significant law of
spiritual hydrostatices, which forces
the level of responsive life upward
toward that of it's divine fountain.
In Henley's startling little poem
there is yet a ring of fine nobility,
II thank whatever gods may be for
my unconquerable SOUL" One can
find a good deal of sympathy with
such an expression of gratitude. An
unconquerable soul is thing to be
thankful for. But soul unconquer-
able by God himself and yet vulner-
able to passion and despair, as was
that of the poet, is occasion for graf
itude Of a very qualified and subdued
sort, if any. And he who possesses
such soul need not have overmuch
pride, in his mere spiritual obstinacy;
he ought rather to be asking whether
in his satisfaction over his unconquer-
ability he has not already surrendered
to evil. 3.. .. H., I, .s. "a ~, z.,ss.. +, !
But there IS an nnconquefat1s ettg:-:
ment in the soul of man, if We will
have, it so; it is that upward aspir-
ing tendency which is none other than
the spirit of God within the human
heart upreaching after better things.
The body of man is composed of the
same elements which shine in the
stars; the soul of man is of the same
stuff which was in the beginning with
God. Science tells US of reversion
to type; there is such a thing as as
plfaClOn 10 type.
God is the normal Of the universe.
Godward grows normal life as the
plant grows sunward. This IS the
uncomfortable element of life. Evil
can be conquered and evil will be
eternally eradicated from the uni
verse Of God. The one uncomfortable
element in human life is the element
of goodness. Our regret of the past
is half hypocrisy and the other half
mostly self-deception. You would do
better if you had the past to live over
again. Did you do your best and did
it turn out badly. Thank God for
your good intention and save the re-
gret. You know better now than you
did before your failure. Thank God
for the knowledge and save the re-
gret. You have done badly and you
cannot help regretting it; no, you can
not. But just here is your danger
You are in danger of making a vir.
ture of your regret, and failing to dc
better. Try not to regret, even wher
you know that you have done wrong
Do better and let the regret alone
Regret is a hypocrite; his twin broth
er, aspiration, is often slain by hin
before the very altar sacrifice. Dc
not regret; aspire. Do not pretene
that you would do better if you hae
the past back again. Do better II
the present.
But someone may ask, Can we have
aspiration without regret. Perhaps
not. Yet we can certainly vary thu
proportion. The ratio is not constant
it is often inverse. Alas for the mai
who is so full Of regret that III
makes no effort at improvement. LIE
US admit that we have not our best
do better. This perpetual slander
ing of the past is like libel upon ou
friends. And this pretense of bet
ter use of the past is mostly sham.
! And yet none Of us can pretend t
be satisfied with the past and no on
of us who is honest and sincere ca
desire not to do better in the future
One thing is perfectly certain, w
shall not do better without effort, an
we shall not do better without tn
help of God. Let US be thankful tha
the past has been so good. And thel
not as though it had been goo
enough, or we had been worthy OF it
goodness, let US press forward. Yes
terday is past. A new day ma
dawned. Let us wake up an
greet it.
MARSHALLTOWN ITEMS.