Imperial Valley press., 1936-10-04

to soar to mental heights. Abraham Lincoln
certainly never had any fine feathers but he
managed to free the black race in the United
States Being mentally free himself from pride
he was able to withstand the criticism of others
and save, as well unity, a nation.
Probably the finest lessons on the plain art
of living can be found in the rules of conduct
set down by Spinoza, philosopher who has in
spired the world since the 18th century. Here
the are:
~ To speak in manner comprehensive tc
the people, and to do for them all things that
do not prevent us from obtaining our ends.
80. To enjoy only such pleasures as are neces-
sary for the preservation of health,
"3. Finally to seek only enough money
as is necessary for the maintenance of our life
and health and to comply with such customs as
are not opposed to what we seek"
The great philosopher gave up everything for
philosophy and here is his reason why TN
which you see no fine feathers of pride'D
~ A FTER experience had taught me that all
u things which frequently take place in or
dinary life are vain and futile and when saw
that all the things I feared and which feared
me- had nothing good or bad in them save IN
so far as the mind was affected by them de-
termned at last to inquire whether there was
anything which might be truly good, and able
to communicate lUS SOOOneSS, dIlu ny WHICH liiC
mind might be affected to the exclusion OF all
other things determined, I say, to inquire
whether 1 might discover and attain the faculty
of enioying throughout eternity continual Su-
preme happiness could see the many adVan-
tages acquired from honor and riches, and that
1 should be debarred from acquiring these
things if wished seriously to investigate new
matter But the more one possesses or
either of them, the more pleasure is increased,
and the more one is in consequence encouraged
to increase them; whereas if at any time our
hope is frustrated, there arises in us the deep
est pain. Fame has also this great drawback,
that if we pursue it we must direct our lives
in such way as to please the fancy of men,
avoiding what they dislike and seeking what
pleases them . . . But the love towards thing
eternal and infinite alone feeds the mind with
a pleasure secure from all pain. The great
est good is the knowledge of the union which
the mind has with the whole of nature. .
The more the mind knows the better 1t under
stands it's forces and the order of nature; the
more it understands it's forces or strength, the
better it will be able to direct itself and lay
down the rules for itself; and the more it under
stands the order of nature, the more easily it
will be able to liberate itself from useless
things; this is the whole method"
Spinoza also believed that (here quote Will
DuranD:
"A system of morals that teaches man to
be weak is worthless; the foundation or virtue
is no other than the effort to maintain ones
being; and mans happiness consists in the
power of so doing
Like Nietzche, Spinoza has not much use
for humility; it is either the hypocrisy OF
schemer or the timidity of a slave; it implies
the absence of power-whereas to Spinoza all
virtues are forms Of ability and power. And
whereas Spinoza dislikes humility he admires
modesty, and objects to a pride that is not
tenoned and mortised' in deeds. Conceit makes
men a nuisance to one another: the conceited
man relates only his own great deeds, and only
the evil ones of others; he delights in the pres
ence of his interiors, who will cape at his per-
fections and exploits; and becomes at last the
victim of those who praise him most; for none
are more taken in by fattery than the proud.
Freedom is not from casual law or process,
but from partial passion or impulse; and free
dom not from passion, but from uncoordinated
and uncompeted passion. We are free only
where we know. Men who are good by
reason e., men who, under the guidance of
reason seek what is useful to them-desre
nothing for themselves which they do not also
desire for the rest of mankind To be great is
not to be placed above humanity ruling others;
but to stand above the partialities and utilities
of uniformed desire, and to rule ones self"
JEAN RENDL.EN.