Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-04-22
SAGE OF WILLAMETTE.
JAMES T. MATTHEWS.
TELLS LIFE SECRETS

Prof. James 7. Matthews, instructor
of mathematics at Willamette unlver-
sitv. gave one of the most interesting
as well as instructive chapel addresses
in the chapel this morning that 1T has
been the pleasure of the students to
hear this wear. He chose as his sub
iect. "Human Nature" and proceeded
TO ennumerate some of the peculiaritles
that go to make up the ordinary IN
dividual.
The speech, in part, follows, and a
reading of it will profit all who heed:
"Did you ever wish you could get
inside of human nature, scratch match
and look around9 If you once got that
interior view you would discover com
pex machinery that would make the en-
gine of an automobile look as easy as
u paper of pins.
'rfn the simplest human transaction
] there are involved: Instinct, impulse,
will motive, desire, habit, prejudice
association of ideas, egoism, altruism,
intellect conscience, passion, perverslty
and sanctity.
"Some of the commonest human
traits, which govern an individual are:
|. Money makes the mare go, 2 Love
me. love my dog. 3. The things we at
tend to, that we are. 4. We never see
things as they are. 5. Necessity knows
no law. s. A preacher, a professor,
even ianitor, always leaves things to
his successor in a most shocking condi-
ton. 7. 'They say, and Everybody is
doing it,, is the universal conscience
s. Fish and visitors are disagreeable
after three days. 8. It.is easier to kiss
the rod that has smitten us, than II
learn to love the one we have deeply
wronged 10. Did any one ever talk
quite so saucily to his rival, or enemy
as he reports it afterwards? IL. The
three great civilizers are: The Bible,
the shot gun and the looking glass. u.
Love is strong as death; jealousy is as
cruel as the grave. e..
"The indiscretions and eXcesses OF
youth are drafts upon the physical con,
stitution; payable ON or before 80
years after date without grace, and
with compound interest. For the pre-"
tection and growth of good character
it is more essential that we know what
is clean and right, and where to find
| it, than to know what is base and sim
full and where it abounds. We love to
play with fire, moral and physical, and
we love to dance on the edge of precr
pices, moral and physical.
] 4 i.,
itself; it is too frail. 1t is intended to
| doyetail and harmonic and blend with
the Divine nature. That fact is stamp
ed al over the individual conduct and
the history of nations. Every human
creature needs an over.lOrd. A sense
of accountability has been built into
each Of us. God is the only sufficient
and available universal overload.
4" Humanity is confronted with three
great problems, which it must endeavor
to solve. They are: ]. Why has God
constructed MS so that every person is
such sourse of moral danger to him
selfl
"'The answer to this is that it could
be otherwise, Give Il man intellect
passion ana the power U chOlce ana
instantly he is in a grave peril.
, 90. The problem of the peculiar per
son.
"If you are normal you are not sc
peculiar as you think. A collector
could gather up a whole group of per
sons so near like you that if all were
put in sack and shook up your owl
mother could not pick you out,
"3. Why do ! sometimes have such
, wicked feelings
"Our passions win stir God has SO
constituted us, but He has also endowed
MS with will intellect and conscience
that wc may curb, divert and even deny
these passions. We must all get used
to thinking of doing many things that
we must never do, and of banishmg un
worthy thoughts and feelings by in
stantiy getting busy with somethini
else.
"Other thinps which one should be-
rcmiaded Of are; l. Conscience doe,
not tell us what is right or wrong