Pueblo chieftain., 1921-04-10


wholly disproportionate Importance
Health is not the first consideration
of life; any civilization that makes 1t
so is bound to so the way of body
pampering Rome.
The Carcass ss An IDOL
One of the sheet anchors of safety of
our western worlds democracy Is that
millions of men and women are sober
ly thinking about the trend of the
times and about things in general. And
the common observation of all who
give real thought to the symptoms and
tendencies of our own day As that peo-
pie generally are placing too strong an
accent upon the body and its sensa-
tions. Materialism has the right Of
way. Pleasures of the senses are en-
crossing the world. Eating and drink
ing and seeing and feeling and the
general indulging and adorning of the
body are the present engrossment of
the race. Our days mood is frankly
and rather shamelessly carnal. The
pendulum has swung to the limit away
from the high heroism of self-secrifice
which it reached during the war.
All this is so obvious that 1t needs no
bill of particulars. A glance at the
clothes of the young people. especially
of the young women; peep into the
motion picture theaters of even the
smallest towns; a scanning of the
news columns of the daily papers; a
thought of the relative Importance of
athletics and scholarship in our COL
leges-in almost every direction one
turns, this present mood of material
ism is manifest. The body and its ap-
petites is in the saddle today A large
share of the ills of the world root back
into sheer carnal- -mindedncss; and
neglect of the Scriptual teaching that
"a mans life consistent not in the
abundance of things which he pos
scsses.''
Worse yet. The land has been seized
with vast vogue of what may be
called health religions" There are
perhaps a dozen creeds and cults to-
day which make healing and physical
well-beinS central to their teachings.
They call themselves by more or less
metaphysical names, but the basis oil
their appeal is avowedly the better
ment of the physical life. The popular
ity of these body -bettering religions
is of profound Significance. They are a
radical departure from Saint Paurs
principles: Il keep my body under"
Sharpening the Souls seyths
This idea that physical wcll-bcins is
first, which is at the basis of the de-
vastating principle OF pacifcism, must
be met boldly and faced in the spirit
and with the teachings of the New
Testament.
OF course, it goes without saying
that our bodies arc the tools with
N,
therefore should be kept in condition.
Care Of the body is as important az
the sharpening of the farmers scythc
but, after all, the scythe is only the
scythc; it is not the farmer we have
bodies runs the old saying; to which
wise man retorted. Yes. We have
bodies. but we arc souls.' Our souls
are not the servants of our bodics
but are the servants of our souls.
Some reader is saying. Docs not our
~ toll Hr, I...~l
the temples, Of the Holy Spirit?' AS
suredly: but they are only tho temples,
meant for ministry of the Divine In
hahitant: they are not the Holy Spirit.
The The eody,s place is .s secondary place.
which the Scripture makes clear, for
taking care of the body is that 1t may
fulhll its highest spiritual mission.
The three Passages assigned rs the
basis of the present lesson arc all to
be kept subordinate to % the o" so"l. A"pn,t Thas
the International Lesson committee
could hnd no stronger plea for the care
of the health is almost sufficient COM
ment upon the lesson. They seem to
say, keep the body-scythc sharp.
that II may do the souls work we'll"
Who I. At tho HeIas
Said wise Scotch shipmatc to me
the other day. as VIC talked of books
books being written these days" Then
nc went on to explain that he meant
books OF noble vision: fiction of high
idcalism works that would live. In
stead. We have dreadful torrent Of
trivial and smart and sensual
stories; and stage that is saiacious
beyond belief.
Obviously. tho reason il that our
generation has put the body at tho
helm or lifc's ship; and one wonders
IT tho spirit is always given oven cargo
room. Flesh is an unsafe stccrsman:
for the shores of time are dotted with
the wrecks he has caused.
Thcrc is n pregnant word Of Scrip
turc. which is representative OF tho
teachings Of Jesus: ITO he carnaIly
Physician. But He Himself never
spared His own body. oven In the final
tcst OF the tree. All His great disciples
tho heroes and helpers of humanity
have disdaincd tho claims OF physicnl
comfort and case In order to serve the
Master and mankind. What grillinE
Paul put his body thru
and IL was "a poor body at the best:
yet IT was the servant Of n great soul
consumed with passion for Christ
great company Of missionaries.
martyrs and saints who disdaincd the
flesh for tho spirits sake.
our day and nation will return to the
IDEALS ana practices which made thom
great only when they substitute for
this ncshy-minded hcrcsy OF body
coddiing the sturdy spirituality Of tho
fathers who forsook comfort and ease
and prosperity IN order to carve out
a nation worthicr of the souls OF fre,
mon than any the old world knew As
already said. there is not n student of
modern tendencies who does not per-
ccivc that IL is tho religion Of the spirit
that this muddlcd and troubled time
most needs. More than We need sound
bodies wc need strong souls. striving
ever to attain the stature OF tho Christ
who flung his fair young body away
for tho sake of the salvation OF tho
spirits of ma nkind.