Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-03-09
10 make up ones mind

To make up ones mind
means to come to some def
mite conclusions. Some con-
victions based on all available
evidence are necessary If the
mind is to cast its weight
for or against any PROPOSE
ton. OF course, a mind made
up ought never to bolt the
door and throw the key away.
Wisdom" says Emerson,
consists in keeping the mind
liquid or in resisting the
tendency to too rapid petri-
flcation." 1t is recorded that
a high government official
once remarked that God Al
mighty could not make him
change his mind on a certain
public question. That was
probably true. That states
mans" mind, far from being
liquid, was as finished on
that particular policy as con-
crete which has been poured
into a mold and set. Mark
Rutherford describes a man
who had made up his mind
once for all. in these vivid
words: His ideas acquired
long ago had never fructi-
fed in him, but were like
hard stones which ratified in
his pocket" However, in
this stage Of the goth CEN
tury, when even the once
stable and accepted things
are freely questioned, toler-
ance and an open mind are
likely to be mentioned among
the most desirable virtues.
One has referred to the
present-day malady of neu-
tralism thus: Trying to
escape the extreme of bigoted
narrowness, we get ener-
waited into an easygoing half
heartedness. Trying to be
liberal enough to see all sides
Of the question, we may at
tach ourselves with earnest
ness to none. Trying to be
all things to all men, we may
end up by being nothing to
any man."
In a striking yet accurate
translation of a sentence in
one Of the Psalms, God is
represented as saying: II
hate men who are half-and-
half. Because We are neither
hot nor cold, I have for you
but a feeling Of unutterable
nausea" A half-and-half
mind may be so open as to be
vacant. There are matters
upon which one has to make
up his mind or the house of
life will be built on sand.
When, in one of his popu-
lar lectures. Robert Inger-
soil was ridiculing certain
current religious beliefs, and
some of his clever jibes had
convulsed the audience, he
suddenly paused as the
laughter subsidized and said
solemnly-"But, Ladies and
Gentlemen, we have to re-
member that tonight we are
not savages dancing around
some primitive camp fires be-
cause back of us there were
those who held convictions
for which they were willing
to die" He was pointing
with gratitude to men and
women who had made UP
their minds. For dogmas they
died.
There comes a time to be-
come intolerant of tolerance.
The great temptation of one
who becomes a chronic in
quiring neutral is to make
his favorite seat the fence.
When any fight is on involv-
ing vital and controversial
issues, he wants to be in the
balcony. His trouble has been
diagnosed as "Spectator-itis "
Because his one phobia is
the danger to his own hide
of q foes poisoned arrows,
he scrupulously avoids max
ing any enemies. He strives
to please all sides by not
taking any side. If this brand
Of spineless neutrality has
any convictions it hides them
as successfully as Polonius
yelled his ideas-if he had
any-from Hamlet: do you
see yonder cloud that's al
most in shane like a camel ."