The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-10-02
immortality OF Fear,
IT is doubtful if fear ia ever, of any moral
use. It is doubtful il a man who refraina
By DR. FRANK oRANE

TT is doubtful If fear is ever. of any moral
use. 1t is doubtful if a man who refrains
from doing worse because of his fear of
punishment is any better than the man who
does the wrong and is not afraid
We. are only beginning the proper study Of
psychology and not until we get together a
dependable body of psychological truths can
we have reliable system Of ethics.
We are already glimpgng this, truth, that
the effect of fear upon ones morals is wholly
toxic; in plain English fear is poison in any
shape or form.
Sometimes it is necessary to use fear, but
it is legitimately used to protect the offender
or his victim from harm, and never to inn
prove the character.
For instance, we can properly play upon
a child's fears to keep him from going too
near the precipice or from handling re-
volver; but that is simply togprotect his life.
On the contrary, 1t is never right to excite
his fear to induce him to be truthful, honest,
and good-that is to say, when the effect is
character, fear is dangerous means.
In the moral realm prohity, honesty and
virtue in general are not ends in themselves;
they are praiseworthy only when they are the
natural forthputting of the mind and heart.
What one does from fear lis never good.
All the real virtues are forms Of courage.
woman who is pure because she is afraid Of
the consequences of being otherwise Is, to
use Pope's phrase, "a raky' at heart"
A man who tells the trhth for fear Of be-
ing caught If he were to lie is a liar he Is
a worse liar than the man that lies and is
not afraid for to his inner disposition to lie
is added cowardice.
The only safe character to build up in
your child is that which renders him not
afraid to be good; that is to tell the truth,
DO honest and keep clean; unafraid Of any
losses or hurts that may come to him thereby.
In other words, genuinely good character
is one that is not afraid to be good; bad
character is one that is either afraid to be
good or afraid to be bad. The one who is
afraid to be good is the open sinner, for whom
there is some hope; the one who is afraid to
be bad is the Pharisee, for whom there is
small hope
The fundamental falsehoOd of falsehoods
is that goodness and virtue are somehow weak
and timid and fearsome; or that it is safe
only in conventions shelter.
The fundamental thing to learn in ethics
is that goodness is positive, constructive,
forceful, always form Of courage; and that
badness is never brave, always a form of
moral lesion, cowardly and weak. If we could
get the world to believe this, people would
cease sneering at virtue and cease admiring
the rapseallions. @F
I find fine sentence in Sir James Mackin-
tosh, where he says of Nine. de Maintenon
that "she was as virtuous as the fear of hell
and shame could make her"
The saving thing to learn about uneleanli-
ness, lying, and dishonesty is that when one
gives way to such things "a power is gone
from him which nothing can restore" to
quote Mrs. Jameson; 1.-THE healthy, clear
vision behoIding the soul Of goodness even in
things evil fasn