Evening star., 1915-02-06
QUALITIES OF sAMTHooD.
Real Saints Are "the Most Charming
People of Their Times"
From the Living Church.

From The Living Church.
A very thoughtful young woman
wrote to me not long ago. in speaking
OF an ideal human character. He was
the highest type of the human, but
not saint. for that would preclude
the possibility OF our all attaining the
same degree of goodness and love for
others" The remark led my thoughts
back to an idea which I have often
pondered. In setting the saints apart
as We do from common life. do We not
often lose the incentive and help which
they might give us for ourselves? To
hitch our wagon to a star is indeed
necessary, but We cannot erectually
strive without a hope of attaining. and
the desire of the moth for the star Is
type Of some OF the models held out
TO US. ending only in a helpless fiutter-
ing. The language which St Paul ad-
dresses to some Of the saints" would
seem to indicate that many of them
were stfll far from attaining, but were
nevertheless men reckoned as having
SET ioot on the way of perfection.
Sainthood is holiness, holiness is
Wholeness, completeness, harmony. The
peing is attuned to accord with the
divine music of existence, and in that
music there are still discords. at least
70 our imperfectly trained ears. Per-
maps We are too near to hear the domi-
nant note. the final resolution. but We
can feel the truth OF the words OF "A
great soul why rushed the discords
In but that harmony should be prized?
l have been led to believe, in reading
the lives of the canonized saints, that
tney were the most charming people OF
their times. Apart from the psychic
powers which characterized them, and
the moral power and beauty which
were inherent elements. they exercised
power OF influencing men and women
Il Ind.
nearly a half century of life. is only
exercised by men and women who pos
sess that undefinable quality of
charm. Is it not perhaps involved
IN that quality of the serpent which
our Lord said We must possess In order
to serve the world as He would have
us serve it?
A very wise and loving soul once
suggested In my hearing that the salt"
of which our Lord spoke was charm
the flavor of existence, without which
even goodness Is fiat and savorless. 1t
Is the business of goodness to be win
ming.
The tender sense of humor in st.
Francis and st. Theresa must have
been one secret of their charm. One
seems to feel it in the gentle talk of
st. Francis with his brothers, and in
the names by which he called them.
and 1t appears in st. Theresa's inter-
course with her friends, and il even
seems to me that ! see a tender and
Lord. when she wrote of her being
compelled to leave her carriage and
ford stream on foot in one OF her
missionary journeys.
She was suffering some pain from
Illness, and she said: Dear Lord. why
do you treat me so?" and to her
thoughts he replied: so 1t is that
treat my friends" "Ah, Lord. that is
why you have SO few" replied the
Spanish saint, in that Latin freedom
OF speech which often shocks the Teu-
tonic sense.
st. Philip Neri must have had great
charm to enable him to entice the
boys and young men of Rome away
from the fascinations Of carnival to
join him in his musical picnics on the
hills.
Such characters, full. rich. joyful.
overdowing with the milk OF human
kindness, turning all the gifts of high
ly endowed natures to use in that
service which Is perfect freedom, are
torchbearers. and at their flaming
torches We can light our tapers.