every man both in the treasures of human wisdom and in his own heart.
3. It is said that it is impossible not to render evil for evil, for otherwise the evil would dominate over the good. I believe just the opposite; only then will the evil dominate over the good, when the people will think that it is permitted to render evil for evil, just as is now being done among Christian nations. The evil have now dominion over the good, because it is inculcated in all that it is not only permitted, but even directly beneficial to do evil to others.
4. It is said that when we cease to threaten the evil with punishment, the present order of things will be disrupted, and everything will perish. One might as well say, when the river ice melts, everything will be ruined. Nothing of the kind. Boats will come, and the real life will commence.
5. Speaking of the Christian doctrine, learned writers generally assume that Christianity, in its true meaning, is not adapted to life, and regard this as a definitely settled question.
"Why dwell in dreams? We must attend to practical affairs. We must change the relations between capital and labor, we must organize labor and land ownership, open up markets, found colonies for the distribution of surplus population, we must define the relations between state and Church, we must form alliances and secure the safety of our dominions, etc.
"We must attend to serious matters, things which merit care and interest, and not to dreams of a world order where men turn the other cheek, when their right cheek is struck, yield a coat when robbed of a shirt, and live like the birds of the air,—all this is sheer nonsense;" thus argue many, for-
getting that the root of all these questions is in the veiy thing that they call sheer nonsense.
And the root of all these problems is for that reason in the very thing these people consider sheer nonsense, that all of these problems, from the problem of the struggle of capital and labor down to the problems of nationalities and of relations between the state and the Church, all turn on the point whether there are cases when man may and ought to do evil to his neighbor or whether there are no such cases nor indeed, can be for a rational human being.
So that, in reality, all of these supposedly essential problems are reduced to one: is it rational or irrational, therefore, necessary or unnecessary to render evil for evil ? There was a time when men did not, could not understand the meaning of this question, but the succession of terrible sufferings amid which the human race is living, has led men to realize the necessity of deciding this problem practically. Yet this problem was definitely settled by the teaching of Christ nineteen centuries ago. Therefore it is not meet that we pretend that we do not know this problem or its solution.
VII.
The True View of the Effects of the Doctrine of Non-
Resistance to Evil by Force is Beginning to
Sink into the Conscience of Humanity
1. Punishment is a theory which mankind is beginning to outgrow.
2. The spirit of Jesus which many endeavor to stifle is nevertheless ever more brightly manifested everywhere. Has not the spirit of the gospel penetrated into the conscience of nations ? Are they not beginning to see the light ? Have not the ideas of rights and obligations become clearer
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249
to all ? Do we not hear from all sides a call for more equitable laws, for institutions to protect the weak, and based on the principles of justice and equality? Is not the old enmity between those who had been separated by force gradually dying out? Do not the nations feel themselves to be brothers?
This is all labor in embryo, and ready to develop, a labor of love which will lift the sin from the earth, which will open up a new path of life to the nations, the inner law of which will not be force but the love of one man for another.
Lamenais.
VANITY
VANITY
Nothing BO mars the life of man, nothing so surely robs him of true happiness, as the habit of living not in accordance with the precepts of the wise men of our world, not in accordance with one's conscience, but in accordance with that which is accepted as good and approved Ьу the people among whom one lives.
I.
Wherein Consiete the Error of Vanity
1. One of the principal causes of the evil life of men is in doing that which we do not for our body's sake, not for out soul's sake, but for the sake of receiving the approbation of man.
2. No temptation holds men so long in its thrall, nor removes them so far from the realization of the meaning of human life and its true happiness, as the desire for fame, and popular approbation, honors and praise.
Man can free himself from this temptation only by stubborn stru^Ie with self and constant challenge of his consciousness of oneness with God, leading him to seek the approval of God alone.
3. We are not content to live our true inner life, we crave to live another, a fictitious life in the thoughts of other people, and for that purpose we force ourselves to appear other than we really are. We unceasingly strive to adom this fictitious person, but take no care of the real creature which we actually are. If we are at peace in our soul, if we believe, if we love, we hurry to tell others about it so that these virtues should be not ours alone, but should be also attributed to the fictitious person in the minds of others.
lo order to make peopU йлйь u«.\ -«^Ча-чч, Ч\л>«а,-«*
are even ready to give them up. We are ready to be cowards, if only we gain reputation for bravery. Pascal.
4. One of the most dangerous and injurious catch phrases is: "Every one says so."
5. Much evil is done by men for the gratification of their carnal passions, but still more for the sake of gaining praise for human glory.
6. When it is difficult, nay almost impossible to account for human actions, be assured that the cause of these actions is the thirst for human glory.
7. A baby is rocked not to relieve it from that which causes it to cry, but to make it stop crying. We do the same with our conscience, when we stifle its voice in order to please people. We do not calm our conscience, but attain what we seek for: we no longer hear its voice.
8. Pay no heed to the number, but to the character of your admirers. It may be disagreeable to displease good people, but failure to please evil people is always good.
Seneca,
9. Our greatest expenditures are incurred by us to make ourselves like other people. We never spend as much on the mind or on the heart. Emerson.
10. In every good deed there is a particle of a desire for human approbation. But woe if we do things exclusively to obtain human glory.
11. One man asked another why he did things which he did not like.
'Because everybody is doing so," he answered.
1 would not say everybody. I, for instance, do not happen to do so, then there are quite a few others.*'
it'
*'If not everybody, still very many, the great majority of people."
"But tell me, are there more wise people, or foolish people in this world ?"
"Certainly there are more foolish people."
"Then you do what you do to imitate fools."
12. Man grows easily accustomed to the most wicked life, if only everybody around him leads a wicked life.
II.
The Fact that Many People are of One Opinion Does Not Prove that this Opinion is Correct
1. Evil is no less an evil because many people do evil, and even, as is frequently done, boast of it.
2. The more people hold to one belief, the more cautious must be our attitude to that belief, and the more carefully must we examine it.
3. When we are told, "Do as others do," it almost means, "Do wrong." La Bruyere.
4. Learn to do what "everybody" wants, and before long yovL will commit evil deeds and believe them to be good.