Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-15
Spires OF THE SPIRIT
ASchooI of Noble Souls
BY DIR. FREDERICK BROWN HARRIS
Chaplain Of the United States Senate

noble sour"-that was what
q very great man called a
famous book. The ages have
called that precious volume
1.-THE Imitation Of Christ. I"
BY common consent 1t would
be acclaimed by Christendom
as the tallest devotional spire
ever to leap to the skies. To
live In its spirit. TO drink of
its elixir. and to walk "the
Way" Of which 1t is O sure
guide would make this pres
ent Lent an endless "Pil-
grim's Progress"
With this lenten thousand
year-old formula comes a
guarantee that. II taken reg
ularly. 1t win prove a balm
for the fret and fever and
friction Of jaded lives; 1t will
bring peace Of soul to those
who, sampling the deceitful
wares Of Vanity Fair, are
forever seeking happiness and
always finding something less.
Here is q sure panacea for
the inner maladies which lay
waste the soul and from
whence come the cruelties
and the wars which are the
bitter harvest Of mans in
humanity to man.
There Is not a tension or a
contention now pulling man
kind apart but what would
find their solutions in what
is written between the covers
Of this book, written before
America was discovered. To
a disillusioned generation
surfeited with Books Of the
Month";" we beg leave to pre-
sent a Book of the Centu-
ries. Who knows how many
stubborn hearts it has sof-
tened, how many aches it
has melted, as the sun melts
the snow in spring.
II this tiny tome. printed
In over 5000 editions, and in
more than so languages,
could be on every desk and
in every living room and by
every bedside with its truth
permeating every life daily
perusing its pages, every bar
rier to world brotherhood
would be burned away. ar
maments would be an imper-
Thence and Righteousness
and peace would kiss each
other in a world Of blessed
concord. Whether or not
Thomas a Kempis actually
wrote these incandescent
chapters or edited them in
his monastery cell so long ago
matters little. He lived his
life Of introspection when.
in Europe, the situation was
strangely like that of the
present. There was tempest
and tumult with wars raging
and thrones tottering. Then
1t was that. living his patient
and devotional life, he cast
into pearl-like sentences the
thoughts that will be treas
ured as long as the race en-
dures. Little did he know
that out Of his heart he was
writing the biggest little book
Of the centuries.
Let us look at some Of the
testimonials from pupils who
have matriculated in this
school Of noble souls. Here
is a college professor in our
own time who bears this wit
ness, Il was teaching religion
on an American college CAM
pus. I found myself in a
state Of religious perplexity.
I seemed to be unhappy as I
found my religious ideas
shifting. At that time I be-
gan to read The Imitation
Of Christ each morning be-
fore I taught my classes.
That book of devotional read
ings saved me into a new
enthusiasm for daily living.
1t helped me to get along
with myself" -
Rufus Jones, the great
Quaker leader, praises the
book in the highest terms. He
declares, This book has
worked miracles in every
generation since it was writ
ten. 1t has helped thousands
to turn defeat to victory and