The Washington times., 1918-11-30
We Do What We Want to Do
Let Us Try to Want That Which Is Wise
One of our readers some time ago wrote as follows

One of our readers some time ago wrote as follows:
''You praise mothers devotion to her children,
how she runs into the fire to get them out and will
give them things to eat starving herself. But isn't it
fact that mother does that because she wants to do
it? Doesn't she do because she would rather do that
than anything else, and, if that is so is there any
special reason for praising herr Isn't fact that
We all do what want to do? If it is, what is the
of blaming or praising than another'
One man gets drunk because he wants to &c drunk
teach Sunday school What right have we to praise
him or blame him. if he caunot control his wants."
There is ENOUGH deceptive TRUTH in friends
all do WHAT WE WANT TO DO" We MUST want to
do the thing In order to do it. for will CONTROLS
We can only do that which will do.
It is not however, fact that man cannot HELP
wanting thing than another. It is NOT fact
that the who gets drunk because he WANTS TO- is
MORE and LESS praiseworhy than the that denies
himself for his family of children because he WANTS TO-
Each wants to do that which he does and at the
MOMENT perhaps neither could help acting as ne does
But the who WANTS that which is RIGHT is very
much better than he who wants that which WRONG
And it is not fact that is UNABLE to control his
wants It is not fact that he must act like MACHINE
obeying bhndly inclinations beyond his control
The task that every should put before himself is
DIRECT his VACCINATIONS in the BEST possible chan
mel Every and woman, and every child out of baby
HIGHEST POSSIBLE MORAL Tendencies EVERY
ONE of make himself better if he will STUDY his
nclnatons and try to ROOT OUT those that lead to evil
It is true that the mother who RISKS HER LIFE for
her child the soldier who SACRIFICES HIS LIFE for
his country his beliefs does that which he wants to do
CONVICTIONS is only the equal of the individual
trolled by SELFISH DESIRES
If mothery love has become UNIVERSAL, it is be-
mothers for hundreds of centuries have KEPT their
THOUGHTS upon the welfare of their children, have
TRAINED THEIR MINDS to self denial, for the aid of
their children and by PERSISTENTLY turning their will
in the direction of this duty have made the mothers SELF
SACRIFICE almost matter of course
There is NO PROBLEM as important as the control of
your individual temperament Even of very moderate
ability MIGHT ACHIEVE great success he could control
mr. Svifh and
concentration of will power CONCENTRATE such force
he has on ONE SINGLE PURPOSE or set of purposes.
Mans intellect, it must be remembered is the
FACULTY that he has MOST recently acquired Long
BEFORE the intellect developed and there is still
great deal of development ahead of it. human things were
CONTROLLED by their APPETITES, their hatreds and
selishness.
Those old and long established DEMONSTRATIONS
of the WILL still STRUGGLE for control and thew do
control of Drunkard thieves the dissolut self
ndugent and the fooshy vain those whose minds
NOT STRONG enough to bend their WILL in a GOOD
direction, and to overcome settled ANIMAL HABITS
But there is NOT ONE but could FORCE himself to want
to do that which he OUGHT to do if he would keep his mind
marveousy by the many religions especially in their early
stages It is demonstrated very interesting extent BY
the CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS today
If every one of us from now on would fix his mind with
contempt upon his SHORTCOMINGS, realizing and
despsng them and concentrating his thoughts and his
will upon those things which he knows to be worth while
the Improvement of the world today would be MAR
Vicious that of the next generation still GREATER and
the MILLENNIUM of which talk and which we shall
some day see would hasten its advent greatly
Fortunately all working along these lines Of self
improvement, more or less UNC0NSCI0USLY. Is there
any that has not made and over GOOD RESoLU
TI0NS by the thousands? The idea that these resolutions
have value because they BROKEN absolutely false
No good resolution WASTED if it only lasted
minute For every such resolution made in good faith
indicates EFFORT of the will to do good.
No mans is HOPELESS, as long as he gets
up in the morning DETERMINED to conquer the WEAK.
NESS that bothers him. No man or woman is BEYOND
the chance of CORRECTION and final SUCCESS so long as
he tn
the will in another and BETTER direction.
you look back little way into History YOU will see
with amazement how much this CONSTANT STRUGGLING
of the will has done for Not long ago. ALL MEN
were brutal and long before that MAJORITY of them
were cannbalistc savages
T., classic douq xvbjch ranard NTH ..,,.-.,o.