The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-04-04
Harn,onies Of OurseJf

Il Who can tell the harmonies Of the spirit or
understand the Unconscious responses OF the
soul? 1t may be face a flower(
night-cry or the scream of a distant loconao-
tive that sets the tirgls OF forgotten emotions
going, or fills you, you know not why, with
acute pain, as II for an unknown sin, or with
emptiness and longing, as if for an unknown
love. &
The soul Of man is very wide and won
derful. There are Mammoth Caves in it that
have never been explored. There are black,
still-howing rivers that have never been faith
omed. There are glistening Himalayas that
have never been scaled. There are Poles
where conscious thought has never pene.
trated. and there are wild, fever tropic
Pampas.
And in all these regions that lie outside
the bounds where our ordinary sensations
cluster there are strange creatures, our hid
den selves-selves we hardly know or not
at all.
In the caves are unacknowledged fears.
thin-winged timidities that flutter in US, but
scamper like bats when we turn on the light.
In the souls cellar are eyeless doubts, dumb
and brainless prejudices, stupid Fasoldts and
Fsfners of belief In our inner Dismal
Swamps we hide our possible crimes, our
beast selves hideous selves of lust and greed,
Of hate and blood-thirst.
If you turn over an old log which has
lain long in the woods, you will discover
many white. bloodless insects, who have been
living there in the cool darkness. If you
were to take the lid from a soul, what Gu
rious things you would see!
It Is when we honestly look into ourselves
that we learn what a mistake It is to can
some men good and others bad. These are
not terms to be applied to persons but to
parts Of persons. DIR. Jekyll was good, and
Mr.. Hyde was bad, only they were the same
man. Nothing so blinds our judgment as
the habit Of assuming that each person has
Character
"Give a dog a bad name and hang him."
We send one man to the penitentiary for
life, and sentence another man for life to
the episcopaey, under the delusion that the
one Is permanently had and the other in
curably goods. So we batter down the lid
forever upon the wretched selfishness of my
lord bishop and upon the holiness and NOBLE
ness Of Convict Number Thirteen. Both con-
tinue to exist, but as white, Gravity, sup
pressed things.
Because there are so many selves in this
SELF there come many moods. Today my
chart seems full of roses and sunrise. Yes.
terday It was rue and willows.
+ What was it in you that was set a.tren1-
bling when you heard the tread.tresd and
looking out Of the window saw the soldiers
marching? What forgotten tragedy stirred
in its tomb? Or was it the heartbreak Of
some ancestor that echoed in your blood?
Mother seems sad today. There is a reason.
All is well with the household. The sun is
shining. Spring is in the air. Why does
she withdraw to her room and sit pensive?
Let her alone. There is little grave in
her heart, and today the lilies are opening
upon 1t.
II we knew how vast Is the soul we would
respect more one anothers moods.
II we knew the infinite chords of the hui
man hearts wild harp we would be less
startled at It's outstanding melodies
II we knew all our suppressed selves we
should never judge our neighbor.
If we knew the inside history of the other
man we should never envy him.
Charity. humility, and grandeur of spirit
come from the knowledge of ourselves.
When you say that Jesus knew what was
In man" you need not add that He was kind
and divinely forgivins.