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Charlotte Mason in Modern English
Charlotte Mason's ideas are too important not to be understood and implemented in the 21st century, but her Victorian style of writing sometimes prevents parents from attempting to read her books. This is an imperfect attempt to make Charlotte's words accessible to modern parents. You may read these, print them out, share them freely--but they are copyrighted to me, so please don't post or publish them without asking.
~L. N. Laurio
pg 150
Chapter 15 - Is It Possible? Review of In Darkest England by William Booth:
Parents'
Attitudes
Toward Social Questions
A
Moral Crisis
Just before the hard winter of 1891, William Booth of the Salvation
Army wrote a book, In Darkest England,
urging that unemployed people should be helped to start their own
communities with charitable donations. It's outside our purpose to
discuss the economic aspect of that scheme here. But there
are educational aspects that are relevant for us. For one thing,
children often hear their parents say 'I don't believe' that it's
possible for a leopard to change his spots, or whatever. General
Booth's idea brought this issue to our attention and made us take
notice. Whatever children hear us say at the dinner table and by the
fireplace about these kinds of charitable works will probably influence
their attitudes about all philanthropic and missionary works for the
rest of their lives. Not only parents, but teachers who also share in
the raising of children must analyze our own attitudes. Do we give to
benevolent projects and work for charities simply to ease our
conscience, or do we really believe that it's possible for morally
degraded people to be instantly and totally restored?
pg 151
These are the questions that we have to consider today. We have to know
our answer, yes or no. We have to choose sides, for or against the
possibilities that would change philanthropic effort into a burning
passion. The truth is, Booth's great scheme forced a moral crisis upon
us, and the effects of that moral crisis are continually evident.
We
Truly Do Love our Brother
The scheme may or may not have proved its suitability, timeliness and
expectations. But it did do one thing. It showed us what we're like,
and showed us in a favorable light. It revealed that we, too, love our
fellow man; that we sorrow over the wounded with the same kind of
tenderness as Jesus, even if we don't have as much as He does. The
brotherhood of man isn't some notion we made up. In fact, we've had
love for our brother all the time, whether our brother has been sick,
poor, captive or a sinner. But those among us who have been fearful,
unbelieving or lazy (in other words, most of us!) have averted our eyes
to avoid seeing the evils that seemed too overwhelming to do anything
about. But when a promising solution was offered, one that seemed
possible and workable, the solidarity of mankind sparked to life inside
us. Our fellow man who is in need is more than near and dear to us--he
seems to actually be our very
own self, and anyone who will help and restore him is hailed as our own
deliverer as well as theirs.
The
'Idol of Size'
Once the first excitement of enthusiasm has passed, we begin to ask
ourselves, In the end, aren't we all swayed by what Coleridge calls the
'Idol of Size'?
What makes Booth's scheme so different from ten thousand other ideas,
except the huge size of the experiment to be attempted? Maybe we need
to admit that this promise of deliverance is 'the same, only more so,'
as plans already
pg 152
being carried out in many other obscure corners of the great 'vineyard'
that is our world. To be honest, Booth's massive project has great
risks that quieter, less visible works escape. All the same, because
the project is so vast and inclusive, there are aspects of it that are
new.
Up till now, we've helped the wretched who are in impossible
circumstances--but we haven't helped them out of them. Our help has been a
mere drop in the bucket, only reaching hundreds or thousands of the
lost millions. Even at that, we can't keep up our resolve. We give one
day, but withhold the next. Or, even worse, the way we give does more
harm than good because it reduces the power and inclination for the
needy to help themselves. Perhaps we start a small amateur business to
help make people 'independent.' But this pet business can sometimes be
a transparent disguise for charity, and it takes away jobs and rights
of other workers.
For
Whose Benefit?
Every now and then there's a gleam of hope, or a person is snatched
back to safety. But those who work the hardest are grateful for the
busyness of their work because it drowns out the eternal question: 'For
whose benefit is all of this, anyway?' There's so much to be done, and
so little resources. But Booth's idea already has lots of provisions,
organization and regimentation planned, strong and godly government
already in place, and a moral compulsion to do good works. When we
consider these and the enormous staff of workers already prepared to
carry it out, even the most pessimistic person among us has to admit
that it just might work. But he asks one question:
pg 153
Do
We Really Believe in Conversion?
Can
Character be Changed?
Everything depends on the question that the pessimist wisely put first.
That's the key. With enough money, enough land, enough workers to fully
equip and manage the mass of the incapable men in need, some sort of
mechanical systematic program can be put into operation. But 'when a
person's own character and weaknesses are the reason for his failure,
then his character needs to be changed and his behavior needs to be
altered if the results are going to be permanent.' The alcoholic needs
to become sober. The criminal needs to become honest. The pornography
addict
needs to become pure. Can this be done? That's the crucial question.
The
Question of the Age
Is it possible for a person to completely emerge from his old self, and
become a totally new creature with new goals, new thoughts, and even
new habits? Christianity's answer is 'Yes!' This power of Christianity
to change lives is where we should be directing the battle of faith,
rather than on the issue of whether the scripture is inspired or not.
The answer to the age-old question, 'What do you think about Christ?'
depends on the ability of the concept of Christ to attract attention
and compel people, and on the ability of Christ's indwelling to bring a
dead soul to life and elevate a single corrupted and apathetic human
soul.
Many of us believe joyfully that the 'all power' that's been given into
the hands of Jesus includes the power to stay honorable, strong and
worthy for every 'bruised reed.' We know it's true because we've seen
the evidence, even in ourselves. But there are others, even people with
noble minds, who believe with Robert Elsmere [Ward's
novel about a man who lost his
faith], that 'miracles don't happen.'
pg 154
The
Essential Miracle
The miracles that are recorded in the Bible are like pegs on which to
hang further discussion. The most essential miracle is the immediate
and utterly complete renovation of a human being. The salvation of the
whole world hangs on this one possibility. Yet this one possibility is
the one thing that many people can't accept. It isn't that they're
stubborn and corrupt--but it goes against every natural law that they
know. Yes, there are proofs and individual cases. In fact, the whole
history of the Christian church is evidence. But church history is
inconsistent and marred with cases of corruption. As far as individual
cases, we accept the details we hear--but nobody knows the whole story.
Some previous undisclosed arrangement or a private motive might alter
the facts of the case.
The
Honest Skeptic
This is pretty much the position of the honest skeptic. If he could, he
would believe wholeheartedly in Booth's plan, and, in fact, the
possibility that the whole human race might be converted. Improving
physical conditions for people, even millions of people, is a mere
matter of a big enough plan and wise administration. That's not
difficult to conceive. But it seems impossible to change human nature
itself, and transform man's depraved nature. It seems unlikely that a
leopard might change his spots.
The
Law of Nature That's Against Us: Heredity
Those
Who Inherit a Cruel Nature
Who are these people that General Booth cheerfully works to transform
and bring to godly, righteous, noble lives? Here in his own quotes is
how he speaks about the history of many of them:
'What's been skimmed off the human cesspool.'
pg 155
'Little ones whose parents are constantly drunk . . . They learn their
ideas of fun from seeing the familiar spectacle of perversion that they
witness around them.'
'The obscene talk of many children in some of our public schools is
just about as bad as what might be heard in Sodom and Gomorrah.'
And the childhood of some of these poor children, if it can be called a
childhood, is repeated from their parents, who learned it from their
parents, who learned it from their parents. These are undoubtedly the
worst case scenarios, but these most desperate cases need to be dealt
with first. If they slip through the net of reformation, then that
means that those who are more lazy than evil are able to slip in
through the holes they leave. In the first place, then, Booth's plan
includes those who have inherited lives of immorality. His plan
proposes to mix this class of people whose only heritage is
unbelievable and boundless depraved inclinations and tendencies with
the rest. And he proposes to do this at a time when the public is
buying into the idea that heredity is everything, to the point that
many thinking parents aren't even attempting to mold their children's
characters.
Those of us who have been focused on letting nature and heredity run
its course without hindrance from any other law might be excused for
doubting a plan like Booth's that relies so heavily on regenerating the
depraved who are immoral by heredity.
The
Law of Nature That's Against Us: Habit
Those
Who Are Immoral Because of Ingrained Habit
We often say that use becomes second nature. Habit is as strong as ten
natures. Habit
pg 156
starts out like a frail cobweb, but ends like a strong cable.
'You'll get used to it,' whatever it is. Do we dare to face the habits
that make up the very being of these people? It isn't just their
obscene talk and impure actions that makes people who they are--it's
the
thoughts they think. Talk and actions are only the outward results of
thought. Whatever man is in the habit of thinking is what shapes him
and becomes his character. And it seems logical that every imagination
of their heart is nothing but continual evil. We say that use becomes
second
nature. Let's consider what we mean by that phrase. What is the
philosophy behind habit according to the latest research? The
foundation of habit is the brain. It originates in the gray tissue
matter
of the cerebrum. And, briefly, habit works like this: 'The brain tissue
of humans grows to adapt to the kind of thinking that it gets used to.'
The concept that intangible thought can mold the physical brain doesn't
have to surprise or shock us. After all, we see with our own eyes how
intangible thought molds the face, what we call expressions. A person's
face can be lovely or repulsive depending on the kind of thinking it
reflects. We don't yet understand how
this kind of brain growth happens, and this book isn't the place to
discuss it. But, when we consider that physical structural change does
happen as a result of confirmed habit, we have to ask again--can a
project work when it depends primarily on regenerating corrupt people
who are not only corrupt by inherited nature, but by unbroken, deeply
ingrained habit?
The
Law of Nature That's Against Us: Unconscious Mental Processes
Thoughts
Think Themselves
People who write a lot know what it's like to sit down and
pg 157
reel off page after page of text without plan or direction--pages that
are clear, coherent, ready to publish, hardly needing any revision at
all. I heard of a lawyer who wrote in his sleep a crystal clear opinion
that shed new light on an extremely difficult case. One mathematician
worked out a computation in his sleep that had baffled him during his
waking hours. Coleridge dreamed the poem 'Kubla Khan' line by line
during a nap one afternoon, and he wrote it all down when he woke up.
What do these incidents and a thousand similar ones mean? Nothing less
than this: Although the all-important ego
must surely 'assist' when thinking an initial thought about a specific
topic, yet, after the first one or two thoughts, the physical brain and
intangible mind manage the matter themselves, without our conscious
effort, so that, in a manner of speaking, the thoughts think
themselves! They don't operate like a pendulum moving back and forth,
back and forth within the same space. They progress more like a car
driving along the same road, but always finding new developments in the
landscape. It's an extraordinary theory, but we have enough internal
evidence to know that it's true. We've all experienced times when we
couldn't get rid of thoughts within ourselves that seemed to think themselves inside our mind,
even though they made it difficult to sleep and chased away our peace
and joy. This law is helpful for easing the burden of making an
effort to work out each individual decision in our daily lives, but
it's terrible when it gets away from us and we can't control or divert
it. In the face of this law, is there any hope for those corrupt people
whose vile thoughts are forever running through a single well-worn rut
in their brain, automatically, and without their conscious will? The
view within such a person's inner self is despairing. What hope can he
have?
Corrupt
Imagination
And what about a plan that relies almost wholly on transforming people
who are
pg 158
corrupt? Not only do such people inherit a tendency to go astray, and
have strong habits that confirm that tendency, but their situation
reduces them until they're unable to pull themselves up--their
corruption seems inevitable. Even their unconscious mind is constantly
working to send out corrupt imaginings.
The
Law That's In Our Favor: Heredity Has Limits
But the latest word from Science is encouraging and full of hope, and
there promises to be more encouraging discoveries. Even if the fathers
did eat sour grapes, it doesn't mean that their children are doomed to
having their teeth set on edge. The ancient prophet said the soul who
sinned would be the one to pay the penalty, and Science seems to be
hurrying to agree.
Acquired
Modifications Aren't Transferred By Birth
The latest discoveries of the theory of evolution infer that acquired modifications aren't transferred
by birth. Hooray for this good news! Realizing this is like
waking up from a hideous nightmare. This works in our favor. A man
might continually think criminal thoughts until the very structure of
his brain is modified to adapt it to that kind of thinking. But that
modification doesn't get passed on to his children. An inevitable brain
adaptation to suit a newborn for evil thoughts doesn't exist. That
means that a child of corrupt parents can be born just as suited and
capable for good living as a child born to respectable parents. Yes,
inherent modifications are passed down, and it can be difficult to
distinguish between inherent modifications and acquired ones. But this
gives us some hope to work with. Children of depraved people can have
just as good a start in
pg 159
life, as far as inherited tendencies, as children of decent people.
Education
is Stronger than Inherited Nature
A child's future doesn't depend so much on what he inherits, as on his
upbringing. Education is stronger than inherited nature, so no human
ever needs to despair. We don't need to lose hope in the regeneration
of corrupt people because they inherited an irresistible tendency
towards evil.
The
Law That's In Our Favor: 'One Custom Can Overcome Another One'
But bad habits are so difficult to overcome! We already know that 'use
becomes second nature,' and man is just a bundle of habits. We become
hopeless when we consider the rationale
of habit and realize the strength that a habit must have in order to
cause a
physical modification in the structure of the brain tissue. Brain
tissue adapts to the kind of thoughts the person thinks, and habit is
merely the outward manifestation and expression of this growth. Once
the growth has happened, it seems final and unable to be undone. When a
person's way of thinking has created physical changes in his brain
tissue, isn't the person changed for life?
No, not really. Just because a habit has been formed and made changes
in the brain, there's no reason why another opposite habit can't be
learned and registered as change in the brain. In a physical, practical
sense, today is the day of salvation because habits are things you can
do something about now. You
can start a habit in a moment, form it in a month, confirm it in three
months, and that habit can become your character, the very essence of
who you are, in a year.
Habit:
Physical Preparation for Salvation
New brain tissue grows in accordance with the new thoughts in the
pg 160
mind, and 'one custom overcomes another.' This is the natural, physical
preparation for salvation. The quote is old, it's from Thomas a Kempis,
but the understanding that habits can have a literal physical aspect is
something we've just discovered. Only one chain of thoughts can be
active at any one time. When a person decides to think better thoughts,
the old connections between nerve cells are broken, and kind Nature
helps by busily building up and covering the old abandoned paths, even
if they were worn deep over many generations. A sign saying 'No Road'
is placed in the old path that used to be heavily trafficked with
corrupt thoughts. New tissue is formed and that old wound is healed.
The place becomes as healthy and sound as the rest of the mind, except
for maybe a scar and some slight sensitivity.
That's how one custom overcomes another one. There's no struggle, no
arguing, no coaxing. If the new idea is secured with an impressive
introduction, then it will accomplish the rest on its own. It will feed
itself, grow, increase, and multiply. It will do its thing all by
itself. It will even usher in the unconscious involuntary thought that
shapes the person's character. And, viola! It's like a new person.
We're told that we must be born again, but we challenge that concept
with our superior knowledge about the laws of Nature, asking, How can a
person be born again? Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and
be born all over again? That would require a miracle, and we've already
smugly determined that 'miracles don't happen.'
Conversion
is No Miracle
And now, finally, the miracle of conversion is made clear to our dull
mind. We suddenly realize that conversion, no matter how suddenly it
happens, isn't really a miracle if we define miracles as being outside
of natural laws. On the contrary, we discover that every
person carries within his physical self the gospel
pg 161
of perpetual (or perpetually possible) renovation. We realize that,
from the beginning, Nature was already prepared with a ready response
to Grace's demand. We ask, Is conversion possible? and the answer is,
that we have the provision for it waiting within our physical body, and
all it needs is to be called forth by the spark of a powerful idea.
It's true that God's Commandment is
exceedingly broad [Ps. 119:96].
In fact, it grows broader every day as Science discovers and reveals
more.
There
Can Be Many Conversions in the Course of a Lifetime
A person can go through this process of renovation many times in their
life. Most people do. Whenever an idea comes along that's powerful
enough to divert the thoughts from what went on before, the person
becomes a new creature. For instance, 'falling in love,' or being
captivated by art or nature, or becoming responsible for someone
or something can bring about a sudden and complete conversion:
'As soon as his father died,
The wild spirit within him
Seemed to die, too. Yes, at that very moment,
Consideration came to him like an angel
And whipped the sin nature out of him.
His body became like a paradise
To surround and carry heavenly spirits.'
Shakespeare, Henry V
This presents an image that's accurate, psychologically speaking.
Shakespeare is psychologically correct, there can be an immediate
absolute conversion. But conversions can be towards evil instead of
towards improvement. The kind of conversion depends on the idea that
causes it. But the main point is that man has within his physical body
the capacity to change, and, as far as we
pg 162
can tell, this capacity to change is always in working order, always
ready to be put into action.
'Conversion'
is not Contrary to Natural Law
But what about 'conversion' in the Biblical sense, in the sense that
Booth is counting on to make his plan work? It may be a miracle of
divine grace in the sense that it's a sign and a wonder, but it's not a
miracle in the sense of being outside the realm of natural law.
Conversion is perfectly normal within the divine order, even if we
choose to limit what we accept of that order to what Science reveals in
'few, faint and feeble' flashes on the mysteries of being. But there's
more. This is merely Nature's dim foyer; there's more inside the temple
of grace. We don't need to go on about how 'great is the mystery of
godliness,' or how much God loves us, or the saving and indwelling of
Jesus, or the sanctifying of the Spirit. We don't need to speak about
'spiritual wickedness in high places.' My goal in writing this short
essay is to look at the accusation that claims that what we call
conversion is against natural law. I'm not just looking at it from the
perspective of Booth's plan, but from the perspective of all
humanitarian efforts to provide help.
Hope has an increasingly stronger case in its claim that corrupt people
can be regenerated. We don't need to be intimidated by insurmountable
inherited tendencies towards evil. Even the strongest lifelong habit
can be conquered by the power of an idea. New habits of thought can be
established in an instant, and these new thoughts can be nurtured and
encouraged until the habit becomes as strong as ten natures, and then
becomes the habit of a new life, and the thoughts that seem to think
themselves are thoughts of purity and goodness.
pg 163
The
Law in Our Favor: The Power of an Idea
'Hath not a Jew eyes?
hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?'
Conditions
Bearing on the Power of an Idea
When attempting the regeneration of a person, the tool is always an idea that's so powerful that the
mind seizes upon it eagerly enough to make a physical impression on the
surface of the brain tissue. In order for an idea to be this powerful,
it has to address some desire or affection within the person. For
example, man wants knowledge, power, esteem, love, and the
company of others. He also has the capacity within himself for love,
esteem, gratitude, reverence and kindness. He has a vague, unidentified
craving for something to use all this good on.
The
Concept of Powerful Ideas is Compatible with Christianity
An idea that appeals to any of a person's strong desires and affections
will need to be responded to in some way. An idea and a specific
capacity are made for each other. They're meaningless by themselves,
like a ball and socket. But, together, they make up a joint that's useful in hundreds of
ways. But what about a person who's totally depraved? Does he have any
capacity for good, such as the capacity to be grateful? Yes, he does.
Depravity is a disease, a physical condition, but under that is a man
who is capable of being healed. This isn't really the place to think of
them, but consider the power of the ideas that make up the concept of
Christ that's presented to a poor, degraded soul: divine help and
compassion for his neglected physical body, divine love to address his
loneliness, divine forgiveness to remove the shame of his sin, divine
esteem to soothe his own contempt for himself, divine goodness and
beauty to call forth the passion for love and loyalty within him, the
pg 164
story of the Cross being lifted up that no human soul can resist if
it's presented properly. Once a person receives the divine idea, he
receives divine life, too. That life grows and is nurtured and
cherished by the Holy Spirit. The person becomes a new creation with
new goals and new thoughts and a life outside of himself. The old
things have passed away, and all things have become new. In a sense,
the physical body embodies the new spiritual life.
It seems evident that the conversion process is so well-suited to man's
physical and spiritual make-up, that it's inevitable for everyone--if
only the concepts that Christ sums up are presented properly to the
soul.
So then, it isn't a question of whether it's possible to convert the
most depraved soul, or whether the ideas that need to be presented are
powerful enough. It's a question of how to present these ideas so that
a person can recognize and accept that the fullness of Christ is the
only answer for the emptiness that he's aware of.
Habits
of the Good Life
Healing
Treatment is Necessary
Once a person is converted, the work isn't done. Such depraved sinners
aren't just sinful, they're also diseased. Infectious conditions are
established in the brain tissue, and every one of these souls needs
individual treatment, just like any other sick person who has a
long-standing disease that takes time to heal. For a month, or three,
or six, they can't be left alone. Healing treatment is absolutely necessary
for the conversion to be successful. This is where God invites human
co-operation in the work that's primarily and ultimately His project.
There are places in the mind where corrupt thoughts have been traveling
to and fro for a long time,
pg 165
and these ravaged places need a lot of blessed time to heal from their
scars. That means that all traffic in those old thoughts needs to be
absolutely stopped at all costs.
Think of how the Army of Vigilance is always on the alert to turn their
patients' eyes away from seeing anything evil because even a mere
suggestion of alcohol or uncleanness will cause the old thoughts to run
wild, and then the healing has to be started all over again. The only
way to keep the old thoughts out is by watchfully administering the new
thoughts of the new life one by one as often as they're needed and as
often as they can be received. They need to be offered with engaging
freshness and comforting consistency until the long period of anxious
nursing is over. Then the habits of good living will be established and
the patient will be able to stand on his own two feet and work for his
own food. This isn't a project to be taken on lightly. The care
of a lot of diseased people, even when their disease is physical, is no
light thing. It needs to be planned systematically and carried our
efficiently, or else the whole thing will fall through. Who is capable
enough to do this? Maybe no one is, but it seems like it would require
at least an army of nurses who are trained to minister to diseased
minds, professionals with experience and knowledge of which methods
work, to undertake such a Herculean task.
The
Ease That Discipline Brings
We can easily understand how, in the days when kings had more
authority, some people would take refuge in a convent to simplify their
lives because it's easier to do someone else's will than your own! I
think this is why convents still attract people today, and this is the
same reason why the concept of the Salvation Army appeals
pg 166
to some of us, even though we know that's it's not right to abdicate
our individual responsibility of managing and living out our own lives.
The
Relief of Being Included in a Strong Organization
But for those sinners with a strong impulse and a weak will, who have
no power at all to do the good that they faintly and weakly desire,
it's a relief to be taken up into a strong, caring organization that
schedules their comings and goings and doings and havings for them.
This kind of organization and regimentation [applied in the military] is what
made heroes of WWI
soldiers. And all of them have the capacity within themselves to be
heroes, because, once their rebelliousness and restlessness are
subdued, they'll rejoice more than anyone else in the ease of simply
doing what they're told. Treating these lapsed and restored people like
children is a great secret to power. After all, what is the object of
family discipline, where a child's whole duty is to obey? Providing a
child with the habits that make his life good is how we make his life
easier even while his will is still weak and immature. Good habits make
it easy for him to go the right way, just like laying down train tracks
makes it easy for a train to go in the right direction. Older
'children' who have gone astray desperately need this kind of relief
from responsibility, a
break to give them time to develop. Any possible way to manage and
discipline this 'mixed multitude' of sinners seems to us like a matter
of applying existing measures to their need for order, relief from
responsibility, and discipline.
Work
and Fresh Air are Great Helpers
The saving grace of work, and the healing ability of fresh air should
be used to help restore the patients. But it's not up to us to analyze
the methods that General Booth proposes, or
pg 167
to predict his chances of success. Our concern is solely for children.
The attitude that children will have about good work might greatly
depend on how much they understand the underlying principles in any
given job. Whatever task they're given, children should recognize that
any task is God's work and needs to be accomplished with God's strength
according to God's laws. It's our responsibility to acquaint ourselves
with the laws that relate to us. If we've done everything we can do,
then we just need to wait for the inspiration of the divine life in the
same way that a farmer waits for sunshine and rain.
Paraphrased by L. N. Laurio
Please direct any comments or questions to me by emailing me at cmseries-owner at yahoogroups dot com.
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