The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1957-05-03

tEditors Note: This i. Monssnor cenns last column He
M si. thus weekly tor our sss.:" NEW sine. s
widely scattered and greatly sppeeisfvs body rssds
Recently, in Father Laheys admirable column which
feature of the Ave MariaBits of Life upon
new version of an old saying The saying the rule from
George Washingons hooboy copybook Labor keep alive
in your breast that little spark called conscience"
And the new version substituted reverence for Conscience
And the quotation to make sure of the right
word Our tattered Benham ample and reliable ignored
the Father of His Country copybook and all So did
Oxford Dictionary of Quotations But good old Bartlett the
line Only Bartlett rasped our boyhood memory the
ing by omittng the word called and putting in dash in place
of it. Thus Bartlett Labor keep alive your that
tie spark of celestial fre,-conscence"
highly poetic speak either of reverence or of con-
science "a little spark of celestial fire. Perhaps the expression
better justified conscience
conscience is always tnee For conscience is not virtue 1T Is
the thinking mind the human The called
Silence when is engaged moral matters and makes moral
decision
To be sure labor to keep his mind active
and alert for the correct and prompt Judging of moral matters
needs to be alive to duty And conscience while in
evaby present be dued by laness evdog that
has little effect in determining mans moral conduct STILL
dead The worst of men has standard of conduct
DO man who would steal without compuncton or perre him
self in court of law might still refuse to commit murder And
many a murderer would balk at perjury
conscience may be warped may false conscience.
But is not while rational life endures completely dead
conscience Now reverence in contrast be dead indeed
completely absent which the thing Therefore
that 1t keeping
ave-for is like spark that will completely die if
sended,-han to speak of keeping conscience alive.
In our unimportan opinion Father Lahey justified in his
version the famous quotation the justification only
point meaning There justification of the reverence
version the of literary and historical
to the line Washngons young hand in his copy
book quote the line he traced it matter how
could improve it by making change For the who quotes
must have his adaptation of the printers rule which is Fol
low copy even if it flies out of the window"
We know of that the young Washington did not
throw off that bit advice his authority merely
copied it And that fact has him into the enduring books
least into Bartlett We believe, with Wash
ngton approved advice and himself And
it is right We should so believe
For it is right hold national (and othe) heroes
an deaized light do not want false pictures of the people
should admire but do want somewhat gloried pictures
Our heroes meant to be nspiraiona figures they had
faults grave faults it that we admire
them is not their faults but their fine qualities that find
inspiring.
The bographer the historian must deal with fact
there justification for Streng unpleasant things
no matter how factu But nprtationa writing
and admired of essng the fine and admirable things The
known by the accurate of mukaker And there is
surely no excuse for raking muck
The debunker when he deals in talk and not in writing
known gossip scandamonger He bears false witness,
even when he actually truths For he oms other truths
that would be hghghs the picture he draws In fact he
draws picture only in shadows And while the shadows be
there they cannot constitute complete and accurate picture
We should completely false picture of King David
consisted entirely of ugly comment on the affair of the wife
of Urias We should the penen and holy saint
ened of murder and adultery And though the
ugly facts true they far from being the whole story
They indeed only the prelude to the story the real
David Yet the dbunker and the muckraker he really
prelude lin Gat mnor) the whole story Thus
telling truths, he would tell false tale.
Well conscience are topics with
We with them recommending both to the udious
attention the writer who ncnes the cynical view of the
statesmen and leaders who have made our national history