The Llano colonist. [volume] (Llano, Calif.) 191?-1937, 1922-12-23
Id rather see a sermon than TO


II I'D rather enc should walk with me
II than merely show the way.
II The eyes better pupil and more
Il willing than the ear,
I Fine counsel is confusing. but ex-
/ amples always clear;
And the best Of all the preachers
are the men who live their cfeeds.
For to see good put in action is
II what everybody needs.
I The greatest difficulty that every
earnest truthseeker has to contend
with consists in throwing off the pre-
conceptions which have been indoc-
trinated into his mind from early in
fancy, and in bringing an open, hon
est, unbiased, impartial intention to
the study of any subject requiring his
attention. One of the greatest time
worn illusions that has deluded man
persistently has been the belief that i'll
certain teachings have been memorized
verbatim one thereby has gained pos
session Of knowledge. But little re-
II Election will show that this is very
| much mistaken idea. You. for instance
may have believed that certain friend
of yours had died, because such re-
port has come to your ears and you
/ believed it. A later communication,
however contradicted the previous sta
II tement and a few days later your
friend turns up sound in life and limb,
informing you that the report of his
demise was entirely too much exagger-
ated, You were simply misinformed,
and you accepted false report for
straight goods and were accordingly
misled. And you can thus be misin-
formed and be misled on any and
every subject that is beyond your ca
4 pacity and opportunity to verify in any
4 way at present known to you. Conse-
n quently the wise thing to do is to sus-
II pend acceptance Of any information
n that is of no practical utility here and
II now and cannot be verified by you
thru actual test.
II A human being learns by observa-
ton and experience and as it grows,
and develops it perfects its senses and
instruments of knowledge. Ii is always
rational and from its earliest awaken
ing Of consciousness always reasons
or infers correctly according to the
character Of the information gained
in keeping with the extent of know
u ledge previously acquired. The intel.
II ligent principle within requires only
to be put into proper relation with the
world around it, to develop its capacity
for knowledge and happiness.
Present facts serve to instruct and il
fully and thoroughly perceived in de-
tail, analysed and understood, will be.
come an eternal possession. Rational
discernment from facts, natural phe-
nomena, are not. mere airy surmises,
superficial $peculations. but solid
truth; and every expectation, fairly
founded on experience is consistent
with universal reason, according to
which all events come to pass. Hence
the propriety and imperative necessity
Of investigation, and consequent fore
seeing sagacity which real scientific
Il truthful investigation and experimental
ton always confers.
Any single truth, conscientiously
II followed up in all Of its relations, con-
Il meets with all other truths. The YER
tiles of nature being united in one
grand related system of facts, can new
er lead reason astray. Reason is so
Il constituted that it can justly weigh evi-
dence, compare the new phenomena
with the knowledge already attained,
and it will not accept incompatible
notions. Acuteness of faculty IS de-
veloped to the degree that undivided
Il continuous attention is maintained.
When dealing with material substan-
ces the consciousness in perceiving.
4 thinking and willing must coordinate
Il Tits purposes with physical modes Of
II functioning and procedure. Any kind
II Of prejudice which disqualifies a per-
II son from considering new evidence, is
II in so far, a disorder Of the intellect.
Il The will has become self-fettered and
I refuses to listen TO further testimony.
Y The faculty Or power Of discrimination
has been inhibited and made inopera-
tive.
The life in man is always engaged
about its business. the mind is always,
/ Ipereeivng, comparing, choosing, or
/ pursuing. We sleep and lose sight
Or consciousness of the material envir-