The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1954-08-26
= er I'M O n ellie
The Influence Of the Eve

words OF Jesus: The light of
the body is the eye: therefore
when thine eye is single, thy
whole body also is full of light;
but when thine eye is evil, thy
body also is full of darkness"
Light" is that which illumin-
ates. The eye is one Of the aven-
ues to the mind the main
avenue The mind influences the
heart and the heart is the seat
of our emotions and controls our
passions. The word single" in
our text means pure" mot
evil" Light" as it is used the
second time, is used figuratively
Of what is right and pleasing to
God. Darkness" is used figura-
lively of sin and all that which
is displeasing to God.
We see from our text that the
eye plays very important part
In the way we behave. So it is
very necessary that we protect
our eyes. What one looks upon,
causes one to think. If the
thought is permitted to develop,
our emotions are stirred and our
passions demand expression. If
our eye are trained on that which
is good, clean and right, we will
be impelled to do that which is
clean, good and right. If our
eyes are permitted to dwell upon
that which is impure and inn
moral, we are apt to harbor
thoughts along the same line,
and thoughts soon reveal them
selves in acts. Jesus said that
"a good man out of the good
treasure of the heart bringeth
forth good things: and an evil
man out of the evil treasure
bringeth forth evil things"
Matt 12:35).
There are many things that
we cannot help seeing. They
come before our eyes without
any effort on our part. But we
are responsible for what we do
with the thought which that
vision produced.
There are other things which
we see and can be held respon-
sible for the pictures we deli
brately look at, the books and
magazines we read.
For the past two or three years
there has been a real concern
shown by editors, law officers,
judges, youth workers as well as
Christian ministers and those
interested in the moral welfare
OF our nation over the type of
reading material that is being
sold on our newStands and
which is being devoured by
young and old alike. It is such
material that extolds adultery.
licentiousness, murder and dis
honesty.
1t may be that some magazines
and books are cleverly disguise
ed SO that the average person
will purchase and start reading
them innocently. But thereI
always has been a certain class
Of reading material that has had |
a reputation for "glorifying" theI
immoral (but the number and
production of them has greatly |
since the last great
great war. Also, more young
people are reading them than
before) Most of the materials
displayed, in words or pictures,
give fair idea of their subject
matter SO most of those who
buy know what they are getting,
and it is a well known axiom
that "a man can be judged by |
that which he likes to read
The first thought always
seems to be to persuade those
who run the newstands to stop
selling such stuff" II is true
that they have a moral respon-
5ibility and will be held account
able before God The principle
Of the words penned by Hab-
messenger of God, can
be applied to such vendors as
well as to those for whom they
were intended. Woe unto him
that giveth his neighbour drink,
that puttest thy bottle to him,
and makest him drunken also,
that thou maYeSt look on their |