Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-29

| father, being religious in most often
Sive manner, was a dour, mOrose man,
having an amazing rigidity of prejudice
and an almost unbelievable austerity
and lack of common humanity in deal
| ing with his children, with the result
that their little lives we're rendered
unnecessarily harsh and bitter and
| loveleSS."
John Muir's father, being religious
| in a most offensive manner" probably
thought that he had particularly fine
conscience, as no doubt he did. But
this conscience only resulted in his
being a dour, morose man, who made
the lives of his children harsh, bitter
and loveless.
This is the saddest feature about the
human conscience, that 1t works both
ways, not being able to step out of
itself. In other words, often its knowl-
edge is faulty, and, being based on
knowledge, it can be no better a con-
science than the depths of its knowledge.
Thus sorrow clings to the conscience,
more in some but some in all, no doubt
as an essential part of that trouble
to which mankind is said to have been
born "as the sparks fly upward"
| 4 r X y
conscience doth make towards of
us ALL" said Shakespeare, speaking for
a particular character and occasion.
1.-THE guilty flee when no man pur-
sueth, but the righteous are bold as an
lion,' said Solomon.
Conscience Is all things to all men,
but the peculiar thing is that every one
rather prides himself on the quality Of
his own.
Thus two middle-aged men who had
not seen burleSque show for 10 years,
after attending a performance, met to
compare opinions.
what did you think of it?" asked
one, trying out the subject.
Terrible" said the other. II was
actually shocked at the jokes, and as
! for the clothes"
That's curious" said the first. IT
thought it was good show. No. I
didn't mind the jokes"
why, they were terrible!"
"I didn't mind them. AS a matter
OF fact. the burlesque stage Is just ter
ribly frank, that is ALL 1t Is all that
we have left Of the Elizabethan drama. "
y II
Now the speaker had a better con-
science than the one who was shocked,
but also his knowledge Of the world
was larger, and he had q philosophical
mind which gave him larger spirit OF
| tolerance.
A conscience should not be toe
touchy, else one will find himself in the
| Ak of poor Mr.. Muir, the elder Such
a conscience does, indeed, make cow
ards of us all, not so much in regard
| to physical deeds as in relation to
thoughts, ideas, spiritual acts and espe-
cially kindness.
It Is one thing to have mans sized
conscience, actively at work, and decid-
| edly another to make the mind land
what is commonly called the will power
| act upon the decisions OF conscience.
The average conscience is pretty true
in its judgments, but every man knows
how difficult it is to put those judy
mentS into words and deeds. We are
held back by foolish shame, or lack OF
grace, from doing our best. The herd
effects of grouping tend to make the
average person ashamed of words and
deeds In public which he would regard
as correct and fitting In private.
Conscience, although invisible, Is an
all-powerfui principle, which operates
for universal good. Yet at times one
must feel sorry for 1t, it tries so hard
and so often fails.