The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-10-17
Topic: Our Pledge and How
To Keen IL ExoO 10

OplC. ouF PICoSC dIlo ~"
To Keep 1t. Exod. 1918
Some people say they do not like
pledges. But what is a pledge but
promise, and who thinks OF getting
along without promises? Every mar
riage rests on the most solemn prom
Use. Every check or note is prom
Use. Whenever we employ any one or
accept employment we make prom
Uses. Every engagement whether So
cial or business or religious, is prom
| Use. Life would break down altogeth-
er if we tried to get along without
pledged obligations.
, And what is a principle except an
ideal to which we pledge ourselves to
be true? Honesty, loyalty, patriotism.
unselfishness, truth itself-these are
great principles which demand our
absolute fidelity. We are pledged to
! them through thick and thin and for
ever
The right way to keep any pledge
which we make is not to make 1t un-
less it is right and then having made
it, because it was right, to accept its
binding grip upon us and to recognize
! it as the grip of righteousness. 1t is
right to do right. Nothing else is
right.
Our duty is done best by being done
at once. Delay in doing hard duty
makes its doing more difficult. By
doing right always right doing be-
comes a habit and habit is easier than
the omission Of habit. Also every
duty spreads out more time. 1t comes
on us only moment by moment Each
moment of right duty doing prepares
for the next and that for the next I'M
til the whole of hard duty has been
done.
who is the honest man?
He that doth still and strongly good
! pursue
To God, his neighbor, and himself
most true:
Whom neither force more fawning
Jnpin, or wrench from giving ali their
Who rides his sure and even trot,
While the world now rides by. now
Tags behind;
All being brought into a sum,
What place or person calls for-he
doth pay
Who, when he is to treat
With sick folks, women, those whom
passions sway
Allows for that. and keeps his con-
slant way;
Whom others faults do not defeat;
But though men fail him, yet his part
/ doth play,
! Whom nothing can procure
| When the wide world runs bias from
his will.
To wreathe his limbs and share, not
mend the ill.,
This is the marksman, safe and sure,
Who still is right, and prays to be so
still"
Great ideas come to US from above
like the sunshine and the rain They
are heaven inspired as the law was
Our pledge in sense. is from above -
The farmer first prepares the soil
then sows the seed SO must the
heart be prepared to receive and obey
the pledge before the various clauses
can be kept. Look first to the con-
secration of the will. No keeping of
the outward from evils if the heart
| is cold
AS a drinking man takes a temper
ance pledge not because he is strong.
but because he is weak, so do We sign
the pledge because we are weak It
is confession of weakness associated
with divine strength and a constant
reminder of duty.
Some of us are like the man who
bubbles about the wrapping Of a par
eel in which great treasure is
brought to him. The wrapping is of
little moment; the treasure is every
thing. The wording of the pledge is
only its wrapping; the treasure is
within.
A duty, an absolute duty. governs
man from the cradle upwards, grow
ing with his growth and accompany
ing him to the tomb; duty toward
his brothers as we'll as to himself; a
duty toward his country; toward hui