Evening star., 1928-02-10
THIS AND THAT


among perfect and faultlessly wise
men," he said, but among those in
whom 1t Is we'll II there be found the
sembance of virtue, 1t ought, as
think, to be our purpose TO nave none
unbefriendcd in whom there Is trace
OF virtue"
Anger is to be eliminated in any sort
OF punishment. he declares. tHoW this
idea has followed down In English
rlawD "For he who enters on the
Office OF punishment In anger will never
preserve that mean between too much
and too little"
| Although he praises public office, he
admits that there are and have been
many men of great mind In private life,
engaged In important Investigations or
enterprises. yet attending TO no af-
| fairs but their own" This Is a truiSm
In modern life, yet when enunciated
was an argument in favor OF the man
who did not engage in public service.
"Becomingness Is word
Cicero used (as near to the Latin as
may be- to indicate supcrquality
which graces certain deeds. This be-
comingness Of which / speak belongs,
indeed. to all virtue, and so belongs
| to 1t that 1t Is not diScerned by any
abstruse process of reasoning, but Is
perfectly obvious"
In our own day and generation. for
instance, we may say that the deeds
OF Col. Iindbergh possess this added
| llster, this fine becomingncss 1T Is
the part Of justice not to injure men,"
Cicero said; "of courtesy, not to give
them offense; and 1t is In this last
that the influence OF becomingness Is
most clearly seem
1t does any one good in the hurry of
| 1928 to stop now and then and con-
slider virtue in the abstract. The
ancient writer's did this for us perhaps
better than any modern can. because
they were Just awake, as 1t were, and
were more struck by life from every
angle A modern philosopher especially
| If he had dabbcd in psychology, would
| offer book on the constitution Of the
human mind, but see how easily Cicero
| Jumped 1t off:
THE natural constitution Of the hu-
man mind is tWo-fod. One part con-
slsts in impulse, which hurries man
! hither and thither: the other is reason,
which teaches and explains what is TO
| be done and what is to be avoided"
| Now this Is very elementary and rudi-
mentary, yet 1t may be questioned
whether the bold pretenSe Of psyche
analysis tells one much more.
I'VE are not so constituted by nature
as to seem made for sport and jest,
| but rather for sobriety and certain
more weighty and important pursuits.
| He gives a tip to parents when. In
discussing another matter, he says that
| I'VE do not give boys the unlimited
liberty of play. but only that degree
OF freedom which is consistent with
good conduct" He believed that the
natural tendencies OF children need
some check, and that this advice and
wholesome restraint must come from
those who have been through the mil!
| themselves.
| Cicero did not believe In human
! Standardization. Every one ought 10
| hold fast" he says. mot his faults. but
| his peculiarities. SO as to retain more
easily the becomingness which Is the
| subject OF our inquiry. We ought, IN
| deed, to act in such way as Shaii
| be I'm no respect repugnant to our com
mon human nature: yet. holding this
sacred let us follow our individual ma
| ture. so that, If there are other pur-
suits in themselves more important and
excellent. we yet may measure our own
pursuits by the standard OF our own
| nature" &c.,.
We leave these rambling selections
from Cicero with two more. he SPEAKS
| OF a mans conscience. than Whlch
| God Himself has given man nothing
more divine" and he says. Masters are
found where learners want them.