The Washington herald., 1916-11-24
A God Playing the Fool.
BY oRIsON SWEET MARDEN.

divinity in disguise; god playing
the fool"
The saddest thing about our imper-
feet natures is that we are really
divine beings who never attain their
possibilities.
Children are not only heirs oi
everything in the universe, but also
of all the attributes of their divine
Father. They were sent into this
great world kindergarten to develop
their godlike possibilities. There is
everything here calculated to unfold
their powers, everything to tempt
them to perpetual improvement, life
enlargement, Enlightenment; and yet
the majority of us are gods playing
the fool, squandering our divine at
tributes.
Most of the failures, the misery and
the unhappiness in life come from
the triumph of the lower in our ma
turs over the higher.
Thiqk what a powerful figure the
brilliant soldier, Benedict Arnold
might have made in history but for
his treason to his country. Think of
the misery that followed his treach-
eryl How full of tragic pathos
were his last words, as he lay dying
in London: LET me die in the old
uniform in which fought my battles
for freedom. May God forgive me
for putting on any other"
Many of the greatest Americans in
possibility, men like Benedict Arnold
and Aaron Burr, who were divinely
endowed by Nature, have come to an
ignominious end, have wrecked their
careers, because they did not conquer
their baser passions.
Shakespeare pictures many phases
OF the ruin of body and soul wrought
by, ungoverned passions. His King
John, in ever-increasing lust for
power, gradually STILES every noble
impulse, every higher attribute OF
manhood, and sinks almost to the
level of a brute. Lear is shown as a
victim of uncontrolled rage. In Mac
beth and Lady Macbeth, ambition
overmasters all sense of duty and
honor, and prompts even to murder,
after which horror and remorse bring
swift and terrible retribution. Othello
is slowly consumed by the fires OF
his own jealousy; and many other
characters enforce the lesson that all
who yield to passion must expect to
be whipped by the scorpion lash OF
their master.
When H. H. Murray was a Young
man Henry Ward Beecher predicted
that he would make the greatest
preacher in the American pulpit. No
matter where this yonug clergyman
spoke there was always an overflow
ing audience. Many times l went to
hear him, but rarely got a seat; and
oftentimes there would be a large
crowd at the door that could not
even get into the church or hall For
years it looked as if Mr.. Murray would
be not alone the greatest preacher in
America, but perhaps be the most
popular clergyman in the world. His
oratorical powers. his voice, and the
magnetism o. his personality were
something marvellous. But his weak
ness was even then getting the bet
ter of his strength. One Wednesday
evening he was very late at his prayer
meeting. He had been out racing
horses. This was only the beginning.
The same thing occurred again and
again. Then he began to be unrelia-
BILE in his appointments. Sometimes
when he was advertised to preach or
to lecture at a certain church he
would not show up at all. One time
when he was engaged to preach in
Boston a large crowd. as usual, gath
cred at the church, many not even
being able to get inside. The service
was advertised to begin at 1890 a. m.
The clergyman did not appear. The
o,I;a-ca ,,,o;toI ,,,E;1 1'c1ocly and
still no Mr.. Murray. Then member
of the committee went to his home
and found that he was not even up.
AS he became more and more in
tercStcd in fast horses he also became
less choice about his companions, and
the habit of unreliability grew upon
him. Finally he waxed so liberal in
his theology and so free in his life
philosophy that he gradually lost his
following. Then he left the church,
went to Montreal, and for awhile kept
restaurant there After giving this
up he tried to get into the lecture
field, only to find that his unfortunate
reputation had preceded him and
ruined his influence and his chance
of success.
Thus did this mans career. of such
splendid promise in the beginning
absolutely peter out. His whole life
was blighted by weaknesses which a
little strength of will at the start
would have remedied
1t is not enough to have great
qualities, we should also have the
management of them. No man can
make the most of himself until every
voluntary muscle obevs his will. A
man who is the plaything of passion
or of weak will is a god in disguise
playing the fool. He is flinging away
his divine possibilities. :.