Evening star., 1924-01-01
TRAINING THE
INSTINCTS.
BY DIR. FRANK CRANE.

"Our instincts" writes a notet
scientist, ARE the root Of our ethics
and just as hereditary as the form OF
our body. We eat, drink and repro.
duce not because mankind has reach.
ed an agreement that this Is desira-
bic, but because, machine-like. we
are compelled to do so.'
Those who are everlastingly rea-
|soning about their souls and bodies
with rules of diet and rules of men,
tai exercise and rules of holy living
usually become abnormally developed
One should refrain from doing any
thing nationally which might as well
be done upon impulse.
AS a cat can see and a dog car
smell far more perfectly than we, sc
our subconsciousness can attend To
the ordinary affairs of our everyday
life much more satisfactorily than car
our intelligence.
OF course, reason is the distingui
ing mark of the human being. II
should judge, dispose and regulate
the movements of life. But it can
easily be swamped in details, over
worked in non-essentials, and from a
blessing turn to nuisance.
If the president of a great railway
pullcI lcuuIH6 SWllCucE
and driving spikes he would be a poor
president and his company would soon
go to smash.
Reason is king, dictator, president
OF the human personality. And king
business is different from servant-girl
business.
A man is strong in proportion as
his instincts are true, quick and
powerful. He is dependable il his
instincts are normal and accurate.
He is good If his instincts are good.
He is mean If his instincts are mean.
The real problem in life, therefore,
consists in training the instincts.
This is the function of reason. 1t Is
to develop this one and weaken that
one, to take those long policies and
plans that will in time bring the in
stincts about to where it wants them.
The task before any man is one
only. 1t is to get himself into a con-
dition where he likes what he ought
to like. 1t Is to break the wild
horses Of passion to the saddle. 1t
is to tame and use the impulses OF
his blood.
The completely moral man. there
fore. Is not the one who does what
he wishes not to do, but the man who
has trained himself to wish to do
what he ought to do.
eats when he is hungry, drinks when
he is thirsty. is pleasant when so
disposed, and angry when anger
rises; he walks when his legs need
unstiffening, works when desire calls,
plays when he feels that is needed
to break the monotony, prays when
the spirit moves, and altogether has
got the hereditary, dumb, unintel-
ligent forces in him to do nine
tenths of the work, and reserves his
reason to come in only occasionally
to decide some great matter.
There are no bad impulses; there
may be disorderly and unframed i'm
pulses, but every push of the blood
in us is useful. Instinct, desire.
craving is the steam in the human
engine.
A great man has great appetites.
II they are well ordered he is a
great, good man. If they are wolfish
and embittered he is a great Grim
inal.
But blood1ess man. without strong
feelings, can never be great. He may
occupy great position, be king
on a throne or money power with
bags of gold, but he himself cannot
be great
Cease, then, regretting this or that
fiery passion. Break it to harness.
Learn how to drive it, instead of
letting it run away with you, and
YOU will live to thank God for 1t.
Real culture is the intelligent de-
yelopment of the instinct forces Ma
ture has put in US.