The Dickinson press., 1915-07-31
intrench yourself behind fatalism, if

will be damned. I believe in law
just as strongly as the fatalists, if
not stronger. l IAN not tolerate the
thought of chance play in the making
or unmaking of human lives and yet
the inherent nature of man gives him
the power to choose. Some one tells
me that water seeks it's level. I ad-
init that. You say it can go no.
where else. I admit that. You a
some boys with evil hereditary tend |
encies for generations back are born
bad. l admit that. You say he CEN
not be otherwise, I challenge that. |
For the Grand Architect of the Uni
verse, when he breathed his own. life
into that boy gave him a touch t3f his
W Divinity that gives hirn the
power to choose. Not at ran dom in
a chance manner but true to Gods
most sacred laws. That toy NAV
shape his ideals early in life. and then
set to work to chisel away his own
imperfections and secretly without
any outward display carve on his W
inner self a greater Divinity. It is
possible through the adjoining power
OF Jesus and the earnest activity of
the Individual to overcome the most
serious shortcomine, in life. But
notice that 1 emphasize the activity
OF the individual. You may take. one
of Natures laws and overcome an
other. Muscular, steam, or electrical
force may lift a beam high in air de-
spite the law of gravity that tells it
to hug the ground. That stream
trlckling down the mountain side fol-
] lows a deep gully and it may be diff
cult to get the stream out of there. |
but if you dig through the yery hill
side and tap that stream, giving it a
lower level than the old bed, the
stream will forsake it's old bed and
follow the trench that you dug, and
may v again return. So a bow
may correct his shortcomings by
substituting good for evil and better |
for good. We can overcome bad hab- |
it's only bv substituting something bet |
ter. This is the only way to change |
the course of a stream. A mere reso-
luton avails nothing. This is the
Divine power given to us to shape |
our own lives, and we become archi-
tects of our own fate in the true
sense. Let me repeat that while we
are bound by the immutable laws of
God still w have the privilege of
choice and the gift of a will to
change u natures and the atoning
blood of Jesus Christ will give each
one of us a new character setting,
strengthened and purified. The per-
picking question is the many stand
ards of right and wrong. In this re-
spect aside from the generally &C.
cepted definitions of social crimes,
including murder, theft, lying, ETC.,
one must be the judge himself and
what your conscience approves of that
do if it interferes with no one else's
happiness and if your conscience does
not approve of it rise in the strength
of your W decision and refrain
from it. With myself I must be Sc
we're and rigid. With my fellow men
I have the injunction of Holy Writ to
be generous and judge not.
It is essential in order to be prop
erly prepared for that future life to
live the present life right. "For as a
tree falls so there it lies"
Men have been strong because they
have felt linked to eternal Omnipo-
tence. What made Cromwell so
mighty but the impression that he
was the leader of Gods hosts. What
but a sense of Divine direction pro-
lection and blessing bore up the Pill
grim on the bleak New England
shores when frosts, diseases and saw
ages seemed ready to destroy. It is
the same feeling that bears up the
missionary with dangers all around
him.
When a mans views are bounded
by material things, his senses having
led him as far as he supposes he a
go and his desires being limited by
time, his aspirations for the good and
true are smothered. Seeing no
friendly power beyond to guide and
strengthen him in the search after
unknown and distant truth he con-
tents himself with present ignorance
and recognizing no power to bring
his soul to account he can bury his
talent without interest or concern.
So the right conception of the immor-
tally of man rounds out the present
life with substantial success and true
happiness. 1t gives satisfaction, in
ternal, external and eternal. It gives
us something to work for, an aim
that inspires to true manhood and ex-
allied womanhood even though the
best may at times err. A true on
ception of the life to come inspires
the young with ideals and righteous
ambitions. 1t beckons to achievement
and serves as a beacon light to light
up the troubled pathway of early
youth. It clears away obstacles and
levels barriers that tend to discour-
age the young. It will give the mid
die aged man a right setting in life,
be that ever so humble. 1t may be
the life of a Lincoln who heard his
own name heralded around the
world as a champion of the people,;
It is more likely to be a quiet unas-
suming life felt unconsciously every
where but known only by immediate
and close acquaintance. It encom-
passes the aged pilgrim with a holy
light and hope when life's journey is
nearly ended and he stands on the