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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
Self-Direction
Book I of
Ourselves, Volume 4 of Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschool Series
Contents
Preface and Introduction to the Home Education Series
Introduction - pg. 1
Part I - The Conscience
Chapter 1 - The Court Of Appeal - pg. 5
Chapter 2 - Teaching the Conscience - pg. 9
Chapter 3 - Conscience's Rulings In The House Of The Body:
Moderation - pg. 12
Chapter 4 - The Rulings of Conscience in the House of the
Body: Purity (Part 1) - pg. 21
Chapter 5 - The Rulings Of the Conscience In the House Of
The Body: Purity (Part 2) - pg. 29
Chapter 6 - The Rulings of Conscience in the House of the
Body: Purity (part 3) - pg. 33
Chapter 7 - The Rulings of the Conscience in the House of
the Body: Fortitude - pg. 41
Chapter 8 - The Rulings of the Conscience in the House of
the Body: Prudence - pg. 49
Chapter 9 - Opinions in the Air - pg. 56
Chapter 10 - The Untaught Conscience - pg. 60
Chapter 11 - The Instructed Conscience - pg. 68
Chapter 12 - Some of Conscience's Teachers: Poetry, Novels
and Essays - pg. 71
Chapter 13 - Some of Conscience's Teachers: History and
Philosophy - pg. 74
Chapter 14 - Some of Conscience's Instructors: Theology -
pg. 79
Chapter 15 - Some Instructors of Conscience: Nature,
Science, Art - pg. 97
Chapter 16 - Some of Conscience's Teachers: Sociology,
Self-Knowledge - pg. 104
Chapter 17 - Conviction of Sin - pg. 109
Chapter 18 - Temptation - pg. 114
Chapter 19 - Duty and Law - pg. 121
Part II - The Will
Chapter 1 - The Will-less Life - pg. 126
Chapter 2 - The Will And Willfulness - pg. 129
Chapter 3 - The Will Itself Is Neither Moral Nor
Immoral - pg. 137
Chapter 4 - The Will and Its Friends - pg. 141
Chapter 5 - The Functions of the Will - pg. 143
Chapter 6 - The Scope of the Will - pg. 147
Chapter 7 - Self-Control, Self-Restraint, Self-Command,
Self-Denial - pg. 151
Chapter 8 - The Effort of Decision - pg. 156
Chapter 9 - Intention, Purpose, Resolution - pg. 160
Chapter 10 - A Way Of The Will - pg. 165
Chapter 11 - Freewill - pg. 170
Part III - The Soul
Chapter 1 - What The Soul is Capable Of - pg. 174
Chapter 2 - The Disabilities Of The Soul - pg. 177
Chapter 3 - The Knowledge of God - pg. 182
Chapter 4 - Prayer - pg. 188
Chapter 5 - Thanksgiving - pg. 191
Chapter 6 - Praise - pg. 194
Chapter 7 - Faith in God - pg. 197
Appendix - Discussion Questions for Book II - pg. 203
Preface
to the 'Home Education' Series
The future of education both in England and overseas is vague and
depressing. We hear various urgent pleas--science should be the focus
of education, we need to reform the way we teach foreign language or
math, we should incorporate more crafts and nature study to train the
eye and hand, students need to learn how to write English and must
therefore be familiar with history and literature. And on the other
hand, we're being pressured to make education more vocational and
utilitarian. But there's no coherent principle, no real aim. There's no
philosophy of education. A stream can't rise any higher than the lake
it flows from. In the same way, no educational work can rise above the
thought and purpose behind it. Maybe this is the reason for all the
failures and disappointments of our educational system.
Those of us who have spent many years researching the gentle, elusive
vision of education have come to understand that various approaches
have a law behind them, but we haven't yet discovered what it is. We
can make out a dim outline of it, but that's it. We know that it's
all-encompassing. There's no part of a child's home life or school work
that isn't affected by that law. It's illuminating. It shows the value
(or worthlessness) of all the thousands of various educational systems
and programs. It isn't just a light, it's also a measure. It sets the
standard by which to measure all educational work, whether small or
great. That law is impartial and gracious. It will embrace
anything that's true, honest, and respected. It sets no limits or
obstacles, except where too much would be harmful. And the educational
path that the law reveals is continuous and always advancing forward.
There is no magical transition stage, progress is steady from birth to
old age, except that, whatever habits are learned in youth will
determine what choices are made even in adulthood. When we finally see
the law for what it is, we'll find that certain German thinkers--Kant,
Herbart, Lotze, Froebel--were right when they said that it's
necessary to believe in God, so the most important thing to learn is
knowledge of God. That should be the priority of education. There's one
more way that we'll be able to recognize this perfect law that gives
educational freedom when we see it. It's been said that, 'The best
thing about absolute truth is that it works under every condition we
can think of.' And that will be true of this law. No matter what
experimental test or logical investigation we give it, it will pass.
We still haven't seen an outline or summary of this law. So, until we
have something definite, we'll have to fall back on Froebel or Herbart,
or, if we adhere to a different school of thought, Locke or Spencer.
But we aren't content. We feel dissatisfied. Is it a divine discontent?
If we found a workable, effective philosophy of education, we'd welcome
it as deliverance from our perplexity. Before we find this great
deliverance, there will probably be lots of tentative attempts. They'll
all have the characters of a philosophy, more or less. Specifically,
they'll have a central idea, a basic concept with various details
working in harmony with it. This workable, effective theory of
education could be called a system of psychology. It would have to work
well with the accepted ideas of the time. It wouldn't think of
education as an isolated, shut-off compartment, but as a natural part
of
life, like birth, growing, marriage, or work. It would create a bond
between the student and the great wide world, connected at many
different points where interest was sparked. I know that some
educational experts want to create that connection in many subjects,
but their attempts are too random. They give a saying here, an idea
there, but there's no common foundation to unify and support education
as a complete unit.
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. I don't want to seem
presumptuous. I hope that there will be lots of ideas submitted towards
a working philosophy of education, and that each one will bring us one
step closer to discovering the best possible education. In that spirit,
I offer my idea. The central foundational thought of my idea will sound
rather obvious: the child is a whole, complete person with all the possibilities
and capabilities already included in his personality. Some of the
implications of this idea have been exploited by educational experts,
and fragments of this idea are already pretty commonly accepted by
common sense. For instance, take the aspect that education is the science of making
relationships. That concept seems to solve the curriculum
question. It shows that the main purpose of education is putting the
child in living touch with as much of nature and thoughts as possible.
If you add a couple of skills that help the child self-educate, then
the student will go into the world after graduation with some ability
to manage and control himself, a few hobbies to enrich his leisure
time, and an interest in lots of things. I have two reasons for even
attempting to offer my educational idea, even if my idea is tentative
and will probably be replaced by an even better idea. For the last
30-40 years, I've worked unceasingly to come up with a philosophical
educational theory that works practically. Also, each of the following
educational principles is something that came about by inductive
processes, and has been proved with long and varied experiments. I
hesitate
to share my findings because I know that, in the field of education,
there are many workers more capable and more knowledgeable than I am.
Even they aren't bold enough to offer answers because the footing is so
precarious! They are like the 'angels who fear to tread.'
But, if only to encourage their effort, I offer an amended version of a
synopsis I included in the other volumes of my 'Home Education Series.'
My approach isn't methodic. It's more incidental--here a little, there
a little. That seemed like the best way to make it practical for
parents and teachers. I should add that the various essays in this book
were originally written for the Parents National Educational Union
(PNEU) to provide the society with a unified theory.
'As soon as the soul spots truth, the soul recognizes it as her first
and oldest friend.'
'The repercussions of truth are great. Therefore we must not neglect to
correctly judge what's true, and what's not.'
--Benjamin Whichcote
Whichcote said that the end result of truth is so great that we must be
careful to make sure that what we live by is, indeed, the truth.
1. Children are born persons - they are not blank slates or embryonic
oysters who have the potential of becoming persons. They already are
persons.
2. Although children are born with a sin nature, they are neither all
bad, nor all good. Children from all walks of life and backgrounds may
make choices for good or evil.
3. The concepts of authority and obedience are true for all people
whether they accept it or not. Submission to authority is necessary for
any society or group or family to run smoothly.
4. Authority is not a license to abuse children, or to play upon their
emotions or other desires, and adults are not free to limit a child's
education or use fear, love, power of suggestion, or their own
influence over a child to make a child learn.
5. The only three means a teacher may use to educate children are the
child's natural environment, the training of good habits and exposure
to living ideas and concepts. This is what CM's motto "Education is an
atmosphere, a discipline, a life" means.
6. "Education is an atmosphere" doesn't mean that we should create an
artificial environment for children, but that we use the opportunities
in the environment he already lives in to educate him. Children learn
from real things in the real world.
7. "Education is a discipline" means that we train a child to have good
habits and self-control, both in actions and in thought.
8. "Education is a life" means that education should apply to body,
soul and spirit. The mind needs ideas of all kinds, so the child's
curriculum should be varied and generous with many subjects included.
9. The child's mind is not a bucket to be filled with facts that bunch
up into thought-groups, as Herbart said.
10. The child's mind is also not a bag for holding knowledge. It is a
living thing and needs knowledge to grow. As the stomach was designed
to digest food, the mind is designed to digest knowledge and needs no
special training or exercises to make it ready to learn.
11. This is not just splitting hairs; Herbart's philosophy that the
mind is like an empty stage waiting for bits of information to be
inserted puts too much responsibility on the teacher to prepare
detailed lessons. Students taught this way have lots of knowledge
taught at them, without getting much out of it.
12. Instead, we believe that children's minds are capable of digesting
real knowledge, so we provide a rich, generous curriculum that exposes
children to many interesting, living ideas and concepts. From this
principle, we can deduce that--
13. "Education is the science of relations," which means that children
have minds capable of making their own connections with knowledge and
experiences, so we make sure the child learns about nature, science and
art, knows how to make things, reads many living books and that they
are physically fit. Our job isn't to teach everything about everything,
but to inspire interests that will help children make connections with
the world around him.
14. Children have two guides to help them in their moral and
intellectual growth--"the way of the will," and "the way of reason."
15. Children must learn the difference between "I want" and "I will."
They must learn to distract their thoughts when tempted to do what they
may want but know is not right, and think of something else, or do
something else, interesting enough to occupy their mind. After a short
diversion, their mind will be refreshed and able to will with renewed
strength.
16. Children must learn not to lean too heavily on their own reasoning.
Reasoning is good for logically demonstrating mathematical truth, but
unreliable when judging ideas because our reasoning will justify all
kinds of erroneous ideas if we really want to believe them.
17. Knowing that reason is not to be trusted as the final authority in
forming opinions, children must learn that their greatest
responsibility is choosing which ideas to accept or reject. Good habits
of behavior and lots of knowledge will provide the discipline and
experience to help them do this.
Principles 15, 16 and 17 should save children from the sort of careless
thinking that causes people to exist at a lower level of life than they
need to.
18. We teach children that all truths are God's truths, and that
secular subjects are just as divine as religious ones. Children don't
go back and forth between two worlds when they focus on God and then
their school subjects; there is unity among both because both are of
God and, whatever children study or do, God is always with them.
These books are called the 'Home
Education Series' based on the title of the first volume, not because
they deal wholly or in principle with 'home' as opposed to 'school'
education.
Preface
'Who was it who said that the appeal to 'know thyself'
came straight from heaven? They were right, it's as true as Gospel. It
came straight from God to the person who originated the saying.' ~ Life of Sir Edward Burne-Jones
Perhaps the reason we fail to pass on moral, Christian principles to
our youth is because our own understanding is sketchy and based mostly
on
appeals to the emotions through songs and stories. Those may be
inspiring, but we can't rely only on them. Emotional response is
short-lived, and the heart is dulled and hardened with too much
repetition. On the other hand, intellectual knowledge gleaned from
clear and ordered teaching seems to be long-lasting and steady.
Children and youths are as able to take in what's presented to their
minds as adults are. And, like adults, they enjoy an intellectual
appeal to their understanding when it reveals to them the basics of
human nature, which we all share.
In this volume, I've assumed that everyone has the potential for all
beautiful and noble possibilities--but that each person is also subject
to attacks and obstacles in various forms. We need to be aware of what
they are so that we can 'watch and pray.' Rules about do's and don'ts
are boring to children and adults alike, but a well-planned
presentation of the possibilities that lie in human nature and their
corresponding risks are sure to be enlightening and stimulating. This
book is intended as an appeal to students to make the most of
themselves. God's law tells them to do this and they have vast
possibilities within themselves to succeed.
Book I (Self-Knowledge) was written for students under age sixteen.
Book II (Self-Direction) might appeal to students of all ages. Young
men and women especially might welcome the opportunity to work through
some of the questions that puzzle them in their own minds. This book
can be used by parents and elementary teachers to help with formation
of character [starting with children
as young as 8 or 9]. If even six students in every school using
this book got a vision of what was possible for them, and what to aim
for, we would see some improvement in character across the entire
nation in a single generation. Our moral teaching has this in common
with our intellectual education: we focus too much on utilitarian
purposes. But something deeper than earning a wage is needed if we want
to inspire students and see profound changes. My intended audience is
boarding school students in the middle to upper forms (Forms III and
up, which correspond to grades 7-12), as well as those indicated above.
The two books have been published separately so that the appropriate
volume can be put in the hands of the students who need it. But, since
parents and teachers should study this material themselves before they
teach it to their students, both books count as one single volume
(Volume 4) in the 'Home Education' series. There are questions at the
back for more serious students. The casual ordering of students by
adults might have more meaning if it were done according to the laws of
human nature as outlined in these books. The scheme of thought seems
like common sense morality, as laid out in Scripture.
I've expanded the systems of morality that expert ethics authors
formulated. I wanted to include every possible kind of goodness that
might be lying dormant in normal human beings. I've tried to define
certain limits of reason, conscience and the will. Disregarding those
elements is a common cause for bad conduct.
The existence of God, man's capacity to relate to God, and the crippled
and incomplete character that results when man fails to relate to God
are all discussed in the book. These issues are the kind of knowledge
that relates to the purpose of man. The allusions and quotes that
enhance and illuminate the text were carefully chosen from sources that
would be familiar to everyone. The object is to hold the reader's
attention and focus it on the teaching of Sir Walter Scott, or
Plutarch, rather than to use unknown sources. Most people feel more
comfortable with what they already know something about.
AMBLESIDE, May 1905
A rather arbitrary use of terms like
'demon' has been used where it would make the point clearly.
Introduction
'Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control--these are the only way
to sovereign power.' TENNYSON
A
Dual Self
The very concept of self-management and self-perception implies that we
have a duality within ourselves. There's a part of us that reverences,
and a part that is reverenced. There's a part of ourselves who knows,
and a part who is known. Part of us controls, and part is controlled.
This dual self is probably our deepest, most intimate consciousness,
yet our least-acknowledged. We're a little intimidated by metaphysics,
but even more afraid of self-consciousness, and we don't bother to
consider why we're intimidated.
It's a good thing that we're hesitant to wander into the regions of the
mind that we don't understand because we wouldn't know how to bring
back anything good from there. And it's good that we shrink from the
kind of consciousness of self that makes us aware of our individual
quirks so that we become sensitive, or embarrassed, or even proud.
We've let our fear of danger, like monsters on the right and on the
left, keep us from entering the path at all--yet this path is the way
to the haven where we want to be.
This isn't the time or place to try to give psychological explanations
of our two selves. Our task at hand is to gain a clear idea of what
we'll call our objective
self, whose behavior is controlled by our just-as-troublesome subjective self, which we're all
unpleasantly too much aware of.
The
Unlovable Self
One of the causes of misery for sensitive children and youths is a
sense of worthlessness of their poor, aspiring and all-too-prominent
self. They're painfully aware that they're irritable, awkward, rude and
hateful. How can anybody like them? If their mother does, then it must
be because she doesn't see how unlikable they really are. Vanity, which
seeks for the approval of others, is possible for anyone, even a
good-natured child. But I doubt that conceit is possible for anyone
other than unexceptional minds who are content to shape their opinions
upon what they think those around them think, even when it comes to
their own opinion of themselves.
But for the uneasy youth whose primary job in life is navigating an
unknown boat, a little bit of knowledge about what the boat can carry
and what it can do are helpful. It also helps to relieve a person from
being obsessed with the subjective self. We become aware of it on the
day we eat fruit from the tree of knowledge, and leave the bliss of
unconscious awareness as innocent children. That awakening happens to
all of us. It isn't necessarily something to feel guilty about, but it
does make many of us uneasy and causes us to doubt our worth.
The
Great Self
Any attempt to figure out where each of the selves starts and stops
baffles us. We can't tell where one starts and the other one ends. But
after convincing ourselves that we're just one person, we become aware
again of ourselves as two. Maybe we can say that one is the
unsatisfactory self, and the other is the self of great and beautiful
possibilities, which we sense is an integral part of us. That may be
the best we can do at understanding this difficult concept about our
nature. It might help to think of the human soul as a huge country
estate that we have to manage. By soul, I mean all that we are, both
inside and out: all our powers of thought, knowing, loving, making
decisions, appreciating, willing, achieving. What is a human soul
worth? There's only one authoritative estimate. When the soul is put on
a scale against the whole world, then the whole world, with all its
beauty and glory, is as if it weighed nothing in comparison. But we
miss the value of these words of Jesus because we assume He's speaking
of a relative value, not an intrinsic value. We don't realize that the
soul of a man is infinitely great, beautiful and precious. This is
partly because religion mostly teaches self-abasement and reserve, even
though that's not what Jesus taught.
Emily
Bronte
M. Maeterlinck, a wise author from Belgium, proved how great the soul
is. His proof is all the more remarkable because he doesn't approach it
from a religious perspective, but as an outside witness. He probably
hasn't added anything new to the field of psychology, but he has
reminded us of the great things about life. We need to be reminded of
this again and again, so he's done us a service. His evidence is Emily
Bronte. She was a delicate girl raised practically in isolation, in a
remote parsonage. Yet she was able to write about the depths of human
passion, feel human tragedy, and articulate fruits of human wisdom.
That shows the immeasurable range of the human soul. It's even more
surprising because she wasn't especially virtuous, nor especially
accomplished as compared to someone like Shakespeare, Isaac Newton,
Rembrandt, Dante, Darwin or Howard. When we consider them, we begin to
see how immense the soul really is, and how large God must be to be
able to measure all things, and affect all people. But we don't give
enough credit to the great men in the world because we can only measure
their greatness against our own souls. We can't even conceive of how
great they really were.
Is there any such thing as a little-minded person? Maybe not. Perhaps
all the qualities that make a person great exist in varying amounts in
all of us, but some are developed more than others. That seems to be
what Christ taught, and many poor, seemingly insignificant souls have
proven to be large enough to make room for His greatness.
But here is another example of the lesser being blessing (or cursing?)
the greater being.
Our own under-developed souls are distressfully lacking. Yet, with our
pitiful souls, we determine the eternal destiny of our greater self,
whose limits have never been discovered. It's like the relationship
between a country and its government. The country is the more important
of the two, but the country has to depend on its government, for better
or worse, to develop it.
The
Governing Powers
If the soul is like a country depending on its government to fulfill
all it can be as a person, then who's doing the governing? I can't use
any answers from psychology yet because psychology is still trying to
decide whether the spirit exists or not! Intuition tells me that our
ancient guide, philosophy, won't provide the full answer. What all
people have found to be true of human nature should help in deciding
how to conduct our inner life in the same way that what's found to be
true of the world (like, the times of the rising of the sun) helps us
plan our physical life. The way it seems is more useful for our
purposes, even if it isn't psychologically accurate.
I don't know of any book to recommend for parents to help teach their
children how to live the way I've indicated. The books I know of are
either specifically religious, or specifically about ethics. So I've
written an outline myself of the kind of teaching I have in mind. It
can be used with bright children, or youths from ages 8 or 9 and up.
How
To Use This Book
I think that, when mothers want to teach something to their children,
they should learn what they want to teach, and then talk about it, a
little at a time, perhaps as informal Sunday talks. This would help
children to have a sense that our relationship with God is something
that embraces every facet of our lives. Older students might prefer to
read the book to themselves, or with their parents. If the book is done
as a family, the more advanced teaching that's appropriate for the
older students will go over the heads of their younger siblings.
Ourselves, Volume 4 of the Charlotte Mason
Series: Book 2––Direction
pg 1
'Order
my goings.'
Introduction
In Book 1 of Ourselves, which deals with Self-knowledge, I tried to
present a panoramic view of the Kingdom of Mansoul. I'll continue using
the term 'Mansoul.' It comes from John Bunyan, and I can't think of a
better phrase that illustrates what it's like to look at a large
country estate from the outside any better than that one. In Book 1, we
pretended to look down from above, getting a bird's eye view of the
rich treasures in Mansoul and the wonderful possibilities for every
human being entering into the world as if he's born into a great
inheritance.
All of the beauty and great thoughts in the world are available to
everyone. Everyone may receive what he needs and use it to serve the
world. Everyone can climb the 'delectable mountains' within his own
nature, and from there, get
pg 2
a vision of the City of God. Yes, Mansoul has unlimited resources and
glorious possibilities. But it also has various dangers, and any one of
them risks devastation and ruin. But none of these dangers is
inevitable, because Mansoul has an established government. It might be
helpful to think of this government as divided into four Houses.
We saw how the House of the Body is kept going by the Appetites, but if
any of these appetites gains total control, it brings ruin. The five
senses are like attendants going between body and mind and serving them
both.
The House of the Mind is specially outfitted with the perfect equipment
for gathering knowledge. 'Lessons are fun, they enrich life and provide
ability,' is written above its doors. Inside is everything needed to
deal with knowledge of all kinds. Intellect is waiting to seize on all
sorts of knowledge. Imagination takes living pictures of glorious
things from the past and strange things from far away places. The
Beauty Sense loves to say, 'A thing of beauty is a joy forever,' and is
always ready to take hold of any lovely thing in pictures, poems,
flowers or heavens, and save them as something to be enjoyed forever.
Reason is eager to understand causes and consequences, and to know the
'why's' of every fact that enters the mind. And, to make sure that the
Mind, with these useful assistants, doesn't become an empty place left
vacant and decaying, there are certain Desires that drive us to feed
the Mind in the same way that our Appetites spur us to feed our bodies.
Just as our bodily Appetites carry the possibility for abuse and excess
that can ruin Mansoul, each of
pg 3
the noble qualities of the Mind also has its own demons that threaten
to paralyze the part of the Mind it affects, or distort and weaken the
Mind altogether.
The House of the Heart is ruled by two kind aides, Love and Justice.
Sympathy, goodwill, empathy, thoughtfulness, graciousness,
thankfulness, bravery, faithfulness, modesty and cheerfulness are
Love's attendants. Justice also has its attendants. They are
impartiality, genuineness, clarity, integrity, honesty and accuracy.
Moderation, sobriety and purity are also members of the Household of
Justice. They help us to show Justice to our own selves. But even these
have their own demons. Getting through life safely depends on
recognizing and also on avoiding the bad tendencies that are ready to
wreak devastation on the House of the Heart. We all know how the
temptation to be fearful, mean, rude, slanderous, envious and unkind in
lots of other ways can trip us up. The dangers are great and the risks
are many. Many a fine Mansoul gets caught in the pitfalls and perishes
without ever realizing the vast wealth at his disposal. He is like a
prince
raised as a poor peasant who is totally unaware of his birthright. But
all who begin to understand the possibilities that are available
to Mansoul, and who also know how many perils are out there, will know
that they have a duty to manage themselves. All the powers they need
for this self-direction are within them every bit as much as intellect,
imagination, hunger and thirst.
The powers within us that govern Mansoul are
pg 4
the Conscience and the Will. But the Conscience, even if it's the
Conscience of a good Christian, isn't competent to make judgments about
different things in life if it hasn't been taught. It would be like
expecting an uneducated farmhand to solve a calculus equation.
The Conscience needs regularly scheduled,
incremental lessons that affect the body, heart and mind. One of the purposes of this
book is to draw attention to some of the things that the Conscience
needs to learn, and what the goals of its lessons should be. The
affairs of the heart are vitally connected to the mind and body. Much
of what we need to consider at this point is what's already
included in Book I (Self-Knowledge).
The Will is the second highest of all the powers of Mansoul, and also
needs some instruction. People tend to assume that the Will acts
automatically, but none of the powers of Mansoul acts by itself. The
Will, as Prime Minister, orders every other power in Mansoul, and a
little bit of knowledge about the way it works will help us to
understand its functions.
It's also a good idea for us to understand a little about the Soul,
which is what we're calling the part of us that knows and loves God, is
able to praise, pray and have faith, and decides whether or not to
enthrone the rightful King over Mansoul. We can be sure that God our
Creator is honored when we make an effort to understand the abilities
and dangers that go along with the human nature He has given us.
pg 5
Part I - The Conscience
SECTION I. The
Conscience In The House Of the Body
Chapter 1 - The Court Of Appeal
Conscience, the Judge, is Always in
Court
Things don't just go right in Mansoul all by themselves. We've already
seen how the various powers in the body, mind and heart are always
jostling, trying to get total control of Mansoul. Even the best
of Mansoul's government servants have their own personal demons trying
to trip them
up. But there's a safety mechanism in place to keep everything in
check, and to keep rivalry from causing problems. There's a Court of
Appeals that's always open, with the Lord Chief Justice on duty. We
call him Conscience. Let's take a minute and think about what a judge
does in a court of law. He doesn't automatically know who's right and
who's wrong in each case. He isn't expected to know. Advocates from
both
sides get up and present the facts and their best arguments to the
judge. He, as the authority who understands the law, gives the right
decision based on the information he's given.
pg 6
Everyone has a sense of duty, and Conscience is no exception. His own
duty is proclaiming what the law says, and what everyone's duty is. No
Mansoul is left alone without a sense of the right things he ought to
be doing. Everyone knows that certain things are required of him, and
that he has to answer to a Higher Authority for what he does. The
things that are due from us (duty) and what we owe others (ought) is
what Conscience tells us. We don't belong to ourselves. We belong to
God, Who made us. He has placed a Conscience within each of us to
continually remind us that we owe ourselves to Him. Conscience reminds
us that it's our duty to make sure that what we do pleases Him. He
reminds us that God is our judge, and He will deal with every offense,
surely and directly. It might not be today, but it will happen.
Conscience also lets us know that the reason for this judging is for
our good. It's to save us. It continually calls us back when we get
into wrong ways that injure and hurt us. It draws us back to right ways
of peace and happiness. Conscience asserts all these things to us,
every morning, every hour. He tells us that we're not free to do
whatever we feel like, but we need to do the things we ought.
Conscience
Can Sometimes Judge Incorrectly
But if every Mansoul has a Conscience giving judgments, then why is it
that so many people do wrong things? As we've seen already, there can
sometimes be anarchy in the government because laziness, or temper, or
pride, or envy betrays Mansoul.
I won't dwell on the fate of those who won't listen to their
Conscience. The point I want to make is that there's danger even for
those who do listen. We
sometimes hear that someone 'acted according to his lights' [i.e., he based his actions on what he
thought seemed best when he didn't have all the information].
However wrong he may have been, there are people who will excuse him
because he didn't know any better. If the person had no opportunity to
know better,
pg 7
then the excuse is valid. But we should never think that it's
acceptable to make decisions 'according to our lights' if we allow
ourselves to carry a tiny penlight when we could
light up the whole room with the flip of a switch.
Conscience
Can Be Tampered With
A judge isn't automatically familiar with the details of a case he's
going to decide. It's the same way with the judge within ourselves.
Just like a court judge, he also listens to advocates from each side.
Inclination hires Reason to plead his case in front of the judge.
Reason can be so subtle and convincing that the judge (our Conscience)
might pass the verdict in the defendant's favor. Conscience says, 'Obey
the law,' and Reason says, 'But what the defendant is doing is obeying the law.' And Conscience
allows the defendant to do it. This subtle tactic of misleading one's
own Conscience is an art that's practiced by both little children and
hardened criminals. This is one way that a person can 'act according to
his lights.' He finds a way to justify himself, his Reason finds
logical arguments to convince his Conscience that what he's doing is
right under the circumstances, and Conscience gives the okay. He
continues to cry out, 'You must do the right thing!' but he leaves his
members to define what's right for themselves.
There are lots of reasons why it's good for us to know this limitation
of our Conscience. For one thing, it helps us to understand why and how
some people and nations have done certain things throughout history.
Conscience
Needs to be Educated
We all need to know something about the make-up of Mansoul so that we
can tell who's speaking to Reason, persuading him to convince the
Conscience. It's not always apparent at first. Envy, for example, won't
come right out and say, 'I hate James because his father can afford to
buy him whatever he wants' or 'because he always does better than me,
whether in lessons
pg 8
or in sports' or 'because everybody likes him.' Instead, envy will
pretend that all he wants is what's fair for everyone. 'It's not right
that one person should always have extra money to spend while somebody
else has to scrimp and do without.' 'James just got a lucky break
because of a fluke in the scoring.' 'James will do anything to be
popular, no respectable person would do all that.' With these kinds of
arguments, Envy persuades Reason, and Reason makes a convincing case
before the Conscience, and the defendant gets off scot-free.
But once a person realizes that putting anyone else down to make
himself look better is motivated by envy rather than justice, he'll
be careful. He'll keep his tongue from evil and his thoughts from
hatred--and he'll submit to his Conscience when its unbiased judgment
reprimands him.
This kind of looking at things sincerely and directly is what Jesus
calls a 'pure' or 'single eye.' [Matt 6:22] Some people
automatically have it, so they're not easily deceived into calling
what's wrong right. But evil is tricky and always ready. It's wise for
all of us to try hard to recognize when misrepresentations are brought
before our Conscience. A Conscience that's been well-educated rarely
makes mistakes.
pg 9
Chapter
2 - Teaching the Conscience
Learning
From Books
An educated conscience knows that Moderation, Purity, Constancy and
Carefulness must have control in this House of the Body. But how do you
educate a conscience? Life itself brings us many opportunities to
learn. For instance, when we see other people do something right, our
conscience approves and learns a lesson. But when we see people doing
something wrong, our conscience condemns it. But we need a wider
variety of examples than our personal sphere of life can give us.
That's why books make the best teachers.
Every noble, beautiful thing that can be done is described in living
detail in the vast treasury of literature. History and biography do a
good job of teaching decency, but the best moral teaching comes from
literature--poetry, essays, plays and novels. Writing about real people
doesn't allow the author to truly express his insight.
Autobiographies are another way to lift the veil to another person's
thoughts, because the writer is free to say whatever he wants. The
Bible tells about the lives of people and the history of a nation
without the reserve that a lot of authors use when they write about the
bad things that heroes did, or the faults of evil people.
pg 10
Plutarch might be the only biographer who writes with as much
impartiality, although not always with the same justice.
Poets
and Essayists are our Teachers
Children get moral concepts from the fairy tales they love, in the same
way that grown ups get it from novels and poems. Matthew Arnold, who is
an excellent critic, says that poetry is an examination of life. And so
it
is, both a examination and an inspiration. Most of us carry around
little snippets of verse inside our minds that influence what we do
more than we're aware of, such lines as:
'We're often closer to wisdom when we stoop
down
Than when we soar.'
(from
Wordsworth)
'The friends who have proven themselves true,
You should attach them to your soul with steel
hooks.'
(from
Shakespeare's Hamlet)
So many wonderful thoughts that kindle flames of reflection come to us
in the form of poetry, in wings of verse. Just imagine how empty our
lives would be if we woke up and discovered that the entire book of
Psalms had vanished from the earth and even disappeared from our
memories! Proverbs, which are sayings of wise kings and wise words from
common people, come to us as if they were divine utterances. Essays
deal with how we act. They give us a lot of delicate lessons that reach
us more effectively because their style is so charming.
Novelists
and Playwrights Teach Us, Too
Novelists and playwrights have possibly done the most for us when it
come to learning. But not all novels and plays are good 'as examples of
life and teaching proper behavior.' [2
Tim 3:16] It's safest for us to stick with works that have been
around long enough to become classics. There are two reasons for this.
That fact that
pg 11
they don't die proves that the author had something timeless to say,
and in such a
way, that the world needs. Also, older stories and plays deal with
conduct, and learning what to do and how to act is the most important
thing in our lives. Modern [1900-ish]
literature deals more with emotions, and that's not the healthiest
subject for reflection. Once we find a book that has a message for us,
let's not make the mistake of saying we've already read it once. That's
like saying we've already had breakfast and don't ever need to eat
again. A book that helps us deserves to be read again and again,
because assimilation [so that the
book becomes a part of us] comes little by little.
Literature is full of valuable lessons about how to control our
physical nature, in the form of both rules and examples. I'll
give illustrations here and there to show what I mean, but I have no
doubt you'll be able to think of better lessons from my examples. And
that's fine, that's just the way teaching from literature should come
to us--a little here, a little there, casually as we read on because
we're interested in the story, or because the poem is so beautiful, or
the writing has such marvelous style.
pg 12
Chapter
3 - Conscience's Rulings In The House Of The Body: Moderation
Moderation
in Eating
Who can forget how 'the fortunes of Nigel' [by Sir Walter Scott] changed
because of
the dish that Laurie Linklater cooked to please the King? The story is
told humorously, but even all of the King's wisdom can't help us to get
over the cock-a-leekie [chicken and
leek] soup! This is how Sir Walter Scott prepares us: 'None of
these brave English cooks can satisfy the King's noble tastes with our
own Scottish recipes. So I used my skill to cook up a whole bunch of
friar's chicken for the soup, and a delicious haggis [sausage] that won everyone's
applause. Instead of being disgraced, I became a favorite.' He
approached King James with these same bold Scottish meals and
Linklater's unbelievable character becomes the person who resolves the
plot. Richie Moniplies 'reached the palace safely and demanded to see
Laurie Linklater, the under-clerk in the royal kitchen. But the cook
wouldn't be disturbed to speak to him. He was too busy cooking some
cock-a-leekie soup for the King. Moniplies said, 'Tell him that a dear
pg 13
countryman needs to talk to him about something very important; I must
speak to the king.' 'The king?' responded Linklater, being cautious. 'I
want nothing to do with this matter. But look, I've just made some
cock-a-leekie soup to be served to His majesty in his room. I won't
prevent you from leaving your letter on the table when you bring him
his soup. The king will see it when he picks up the bowl to drink the
broth.'
And the book ends with the king's last word: 'Now, my lords and nobles,
let's go to dinner, for the cock-a-leekie soup is cooling.'
What's so bad about that? Just that King James's moral integrity and
intelligence are clouded, and his dignity is sacrificed because of his
shameful failure to control himself in this and other matters. The
patriarch Isaac also let his love for savory meat open him to the
deception that divided his family. It's fine and even healthy to enjoy
our food, but to love and crave any particular dish is the nature of
immoderation. Plutarch tells us the same thing in his preface, talking
about his childhood:
'One day our schoolmaster saw that we had indulged ourselves too
luxuriously at lunch. During his afternoon lesson, he ordered his
servant to whip his own son in our presence. He said the boy was being
punished because he couldn't eat his food without condiments. All the
time, the philosopher
pg 14
was watching us, and we knew who this example was intended for.'
In
Drinking
We expect Le Balafré [Quentin
Durward, by Sir Walter Scott] to act like a drunk because of his
base nature, but it distresses us to see the generous, noble Lord
Crawford losing his dignity and control of himself over drinking wine.
The occasion is a banquet to welcome Quentin Durward's election. 'But
for now, Lord Crawford refused to take the seat assigned to him. He
told everyone to continue their fun, and stood watching the revelry
with an expression of enjoyment. 'Leave him alone,' whispered
Cunningham as Lindesay offered their noble Captain some wine. 'Leave
him alone, there's no need to rush him, let him drink on his own. In
fact, the old Lord just smiled at first and refused, setting the wine
glass in front of him without even tasting it. But soon, he began
absent-mindedly sipping a little. And then he remembered that it would
be bad luck not to drink a toast to the brave guy who had joined them
by winning the election. Of course, he had to be polite and join in the
toast. Sliding into the assigned seat without thinking what he was
doing, he made Quentin come to his side and asked him all kinds of
questions about the general state of Scotland, and the important
families there, which Quentin was well able to answer. Meanwhile, Lord
Crawford slowly emptied his wine glass, commenting that it was proper
for Scottish gentlemen to be sociable, but that young men like Quentin
should do it
pg 15
cautiously so that too much socializing didn't degenerate into excess.
And he said many excellent things about the subject, until his own
tongue, although praising temperance, began to slur from too much wine.'
Times have changed since then. Some men may still drink, but not
usually men who have Lord Crawford's dignity of character. People are
beginning to understand that simple living goes hand in hand with high
thinking. We're beginning to have more control in both eating and
drinking, and the day is coming when excess in either will be shunned.
Taking
it Easy
Maria Edgeworth's tale of Lazy
Lawrence has
become a classic illustration of laziness. [In volume 1 of The
Parent's Assistant;
Young Lawrence is too lazy
to work and will do anything for money except work - gambling, cock
fights, even theft. But little Jem is industrious and earns enough to
prevent the family from having to sell their beloved horse.]
Other more appealing
characters have the same fault. For example, here is Harry Warrington,
from The Virginians by
Thackeray:
'Harry's lace and linen were as nice as his aunt could wish. He bought
a beautiful shaving plate and some magnificent embroidered pajamas in
which he could laze around and sip hot chocolate in the mornings. He
had swords, fancy walking canes, French diamond-studded watches with
hand-painted backs, and snuffboxes exquisitely decorated by French
artists. He had a whole troop of grooms, jockeys, and tradesmen waiting
to see him. They were admitted in to see him and Parson Sampson one at
a time, by Gumbo, his head butler, while he enjoyed his hot chocolate.
There's no telling how many servants Mr. Gumbo had under him. Certainly
no single servant could have managed and maintained all of the fine
things that Mr. Warrington owned now, not to mention the horses and
carriage he had just bought. Harry also learned the arts that were
proper for
pg 16
young gentlemen of those days. During the season when he lived at
Tunbridge, he had a live-in fencing instructor and dance teacher, both
French. He spent a lot of time working with them until he could do both
with grace and skill. In just a few weeks, he could handle himself as
well as anyone. He took riding lessons on a great horse owned by a
riding instructor who came to Tunbridge, but decided that he'd rather
ride like a Virginian.'
Here we have a picture of busy idleness--and idleness usually is busy. Hogarth painted the kinds
of people that Thackeray describes who lived in the same kind of
excessive luxury and abandoned idleness. Charles II was another one.
Although he walked a lot, he shirked even the least hint of the work he
should have been doing as king. Unfortunately, both history and fiction
are full of men and women who never bother to seize opportunity when it
presents itself.
Day-Dreaming
There are more ways to be immoderate than eating too much, getting
drunk and sleeping in. In The House
of Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne describes another type of
idleness. Hepzibah Pyncheon, the lonely spinster, lived in The House of
Seven Gables, and spent her days dreaming up odd castles in the air.
'All the time that Hepzibah was perfecting her idea for a little shop,
she had an unrecognized notion in the back of her mind that some
unforeseen bit
pf 17
of luck would come to her rescue. Perhaps her uncle, who had sailed to
India fifty years ago and never been heard from again, might return and
invite her to share his wealth in his old age, and adorn her with
pearls, diamonds, oriental shawls, hats, and make her the sole heiress
of his uncountable fortune. Or, perhaps, a member of Parliament who was
currently head of the English side of the family which hadn't been in
contact with the American side of the family for two hundred years,
might invite Hepzibah to leave the House of Seven Gables and live with
his family at Pynchion Hall. But, for her own important reasons, she
wouldn't accept his offer.'
How do you excuse a lazy person?
How is it that of all
The lusts that could enthrall
The Bible heroes to deeply fall,
Sloth hides at first, hell-frame accursed,
Where every poisonous root of sin is nursed?
To slip you you have to first of all
Tell yourself to stand up tall
And rise up straight before you fall.
But if you're prone so work is shunned
You'll have no comfort, rest or fun
For doing nothing means nothing's done.
Know
Your Job and Do It
Carlyle, who believed in hard work, had this to say about idleness in Past and Present: 'Who are you who
brags about your
pg 18
life of ease, smugly shows off your fancy modern furniture, soft
cushions, appliances to do everything including folding your hands to
go to sleep? An idle person is like a monster. The latest proclamation
in the world is to Know your job and do it. Know what you're capable of
doing, and work at steadily, like Hercules. That's a wise plan.
'It's been written, 'There's a lot of significance in work.' A man
perfects himself by working. Hideous tangled jungles are cleared away
and replaced with beautiful productive fields of crops and magnificent
cities. And man himself changes his own self from a jungle or barren
desert and becomes--a man.'
The
Principle Behind Moderation
The fact is, Conscience isn't as concerned with how immoderation is
manifested in our lives so much as the underlying principle behind
moderation. St. Paul wrote about it when he condemned people who
'worship and serve the creature more than the Creator.' It's by this
principle that we'll be justified or condemned. In light of this, we
have good reason to suspect any style of diet or exercise that
encourages us to have too much concern for our physical body, whether
it's a diet of nuts and fruit, peacock brains, or cock-a-leekie.
England is in serious danger of giving herself over to worship of the
goddess of health. But a more
elusive goddess was never revered--the more she is pursued, the more
she runs away. Yet she's ready and willing to bestow smiling favor on
the person who never even casts a thought towards her. I say truthfully
and sincerely that the pursuit of physical and mental well-being is
becoming a cult. The
pg 19
danger of this kind of cult is that it makes us focus our attention on
our own selves instead of on Christ.
We use 'faith' in our minds to create certain attitudes that make our
minds and bodies feel better, and that makes us more comfortable. And
we forget the danger of exalting the concerns of the creature above the
worship of the Creator. The essence of Christianity is passionate love
and loyalty towards a divine Person. Faith, which is the adoring regard
of the soul, is supposed to help us be more like Jesus--'meek and lowly
of heart.' Any kind of 'faith' that raises us up to some higher level
should make us suspicious that we're trying to use Christ's power to
serve
ourselves and our comfort, more than God's glory.
Carlyle was right when he said that the state or lack of our own
well-being isn't the central concern of the universe.
Excessive attention to our physical selves is one kind of immoderation.
But even worse is neglecting our spiritual nature which enables us to
do everything else. That's the root cause for the indifference of
laziness, and the excess of greed. 'Take no thought for the life,
what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink.' 'Eat whatever is set before
you.' These are the rules God gave for us to keep our bodies in
moderation, sobriety and purity. 'Take no thought,' because all sins
against the body begin in our thoughts.
We
Live in Our Times
I may seem to have gotten off the subject of the Conscience and how it
relates to moderation. But it's necessary to stay aware of the current
trends of our times, as well as keeping guard over our own appetites.
We
live
pg 20
in our times. We need to realize that Reason can justify any strange
trend, whether it's a fruit-eating colony in the Pacific, or living on
one meal a day, or fasting and not allowing ourselves to eat or drink
anything at all. Only a well-educated Conscience will safeguard us from
being persuaded to follow such trends. When we're tempted to eat like
primates or eat only nuts, let's be like Punch, and laugh some common sense
into ourselves!
pg 21
Chapter
4 - The Rulings of Conscience in the House of the Body: Purity (Part 1)
Purity
of the Soul
In this area, too, the well-educated Conscience has a broad focus.
God's Law forbids impurity of any kind, whether it's in our
imagination, what we say or what we do. Everyone knows this. But do we
understand that it's as important to preserve Love as Faith? The
well-educated Conscience knows that any excessive affection or
extravagant devotion pollutes the purity of any self-controlled person.
Any relationship, even a friendship or fondness between a mother and
child, is suspect to a clear Conscience if it becomes too absorbed and
exclusive so that one person is constantly needed by the other, and
other rightful duties and loyalties are neglected. To be a person's
'all in all' isn't really a pure desire except when it comes to
the intimate relations of marriage. Purity of the soul is like the
picture Giotto painted of being walled in with a tower. 'Do not touch'
is the appropriate rule. Relationships that are too intimate and
exclusive should be kept out.
The
Tragedy Of Edward II
The dangers of breaking this rule of a pure life is well illustrated in
the sad
pg 22
tragedy of Edward II as
written by Christopher Marlowe. Let's look at the story. One lesson
like this taken from real life is worth a lot of advice and
resolutions. Too much affection is a fault that tends to go along with
a generous temperament, and Edward was generous,
'My father has died! Come on, Gaveston,
Share the kingdom with me, your best friend.'
What an example of friendship! Edward is eager to share his entire
fortune with his friend. And Gaveston, for his part, is ready to repay
Edward's love with his own love.
'Sweet prince, I'm on my way. Your loving invitation
Is enough to induce me to swim all the way from France.'
The nobles resent their affectionate devotion because they have their
own legitimate demands on the new king's time and affection. They call
a
meeting and protest with prayers and threats of rebellion. Here is how
the king ends the meeting:
'I'll live or die with Gaveston.'
And Gaveston adds, 'I won't be separated from my lord.'
Edward: 'What, Gaveston, you're here? Welcome! Kiss my hand.
Embrace me as I give you a friendly hug.
Why should you kneel before me? Don't you know who I am?
I'm your friend, the missing part of yourself; I'm like another
Gaveston!'
Edward piles titles, land and honors on his friend generously. He even
gives him his own seal of authority.
'Save or condemn whoever you want. In our name, command whatever your
heart desires, or whatever takes your fancy.'
The nobles have another meeting to decide how to get rid of Gaveston,
the 'ill-tempered Frenchman.' And that phrase is really rather accurate
because the king's beloved favorite friend really was ill-tempered,
quickly offended and resentful.
pg 23
'So, arm in arm the king goes with him,' said Lancaster. And Warwick
added, 'And so, leaning on the king's arm, he nods and scorns and
smiles at everyone who passes.'
Even his wife, Queen Isabella herself, complains.
'But now, my lord, the King ignores me.
He dotes on the love of Gaveston.
He throws his arms around his neck,
Smiles at him, whispers in his ear.
When I come in, he frowns as if saying,
'Go somewhere else. I don't need you, I have Gaveston.'
The barons send Gaveston away to Ireland, and the king cries,
'Don't stay away long! If you do,
I'll come to join you. My love will never fade.'
They exchange pictures of each other, and King Edward says,
'Here, take my picture, and let me wear yours.
I wish I could keep you like I keep this picture.
I was so happy, but now I'm so miserable!
Speaking kindly and exchanging goodbyes makes us even sadder.
So, with a silent embrace, let's part.
Stay, Gaveston, I can't leave you like this!'
Edward threatens and pleads with Isabella until she gives in and
asks young Baron Mortimer to work on the nobles and have Gaveston's
short exile ended. Isabella brings the good news to the king and is
rewarded with affection for the moment. Edward is elated and showers
rewards and praises on his nobles.
But, when Gaveston returns, he's as unbearable as ever, and the barons
are just as intolerant. The king only cares about his friend and
prepares for civil war to punish the nobles for 'their pride.' Once more
pg 24
the barons try to convince the king that his exclusive absorption in
his friend is ruining the kingdom. The gifts, celebrations, balls and
shows he's given to Gaveston 'have drained the treasury. There is
threatened rebellion, which could result in the king's removal from the
throne. The king's armies have been beaten out of France, wild Oneyl is
making himself ruler of Ireland, the Scots are making unresisted
attacks in north England, the Danes have control of the narrow seas.'
'What country are these foreign ambassadors from?'
'Your gentle queen, Valois's only sister, 'Complains that you've
abandoned her.'
The peers don't even attend the royal court anymore. The citizens make
up scornful songs and rhymes.
Does this change the king's mind? No. The criticisms of his barons make
them traitors, as far as he's concerned. He says,
'Poor Gaveston! I'm the only friend he has!
I don't care what they think, we're staying right here in Tynemouth.
As long as I can enjoy his company within the palace,
I don't care if the Earls criticize us from every direction.'
Things go from bad to worse until finally, the barons are exasperated
and behead Gaveston. Will the kingdom now finally be rid of its
unbearable burden? No. Even while the death of the king's favorite is
still news, Edward says,
'In his place of honor and trust,
Spencer, sweet Spencer, I adopt you.'
Spencer had also liked Gaveston, but it's only the king who is
excessive in his affection. Exclusive, all-encompassing friendships are
succeeded with new friendships that are just as absorbing. It isn't
because of fickleness, but because a person who has been weakened and
undermined is no longer able
pg 25
able to exist without the philandering affections that he's gotten
used to.
The tragic tale continues with rebellion, insurrection, and civil war.
The only gleam of brightness is the young Prince Edward, who believes
in his father in spite of the things he hears.
'Just wait, I'll win the king soon.
He loves me more than a thousand Spencers.'
When King Edward finds out that his wife dishonors him and his people
are deserting him, he begins to think of his son.
'These things don't hurt me so much, but my little boy
Has to face what they do wrong.'
Nothing changes. Queen Isabella has Spencer arrested right in front of
the king.
'Spencer! Sweet Spencer! Now we have to part.'
Spencer replied, 'Oh, is he gone? Is noble Edward gone?
Is he no longer here, not to see us ever again?'
There seems to be no doubt that his friends returned the love and
devotion that this excessively attached king gave them.
Edward is imprisoned, and his final message is,
'Give my best to my son, and tell him to rule
Better than I did. Yet, what have I done wrong
Except to be too lenient?'
Each
of Us is a King in Our Own Realm
We won't follow Edward's sad tragedy to the end, but his question,
'What have I done wrong?' is a valuable lesson. His life was ruined,
his country was devastated, his wife was dishonored, his loyal subjects
were forced to become traitors and assassins--all of these things
happened as a direct result of the king's behavior. Yet he asks at the
end, 'What have I done wrong?' His uneducated
pg 26
Conscience didn't show him the fatal mistake of his life. He decided
for himself which duties he would obey, and it appears that his list of
life rules consisted of only one rule--Be
faithful to your friend. It never occurred to him that we're not
supposed to pick and choose between our duties, or that a duty we cling
to can become a fault. You might think, 'Yes, that's true if you're a
king. But, luckily, common people are free to do as they please.' But
we're not. Each of us is like a king choosing among a thousand
relationships, duties and interests that are appropriate for us. If we
decide to give ourselves over to someone else so that our own will is
paralyzed and we can't think or do anything unless they tell us to, and
we can't be happy or relaxed unless they're with us, then we're just
like Edward. We've sown disorder in our own realm. Our realm may be
smaller and not as great as Edward's, but it's the realm that we're
responsible for.
We Aren't Free to Give Ourselves Without Reserve
In general, men seem to have learned to have more restraint in their
friendships than they did in the Tudor days when Marlowe thought it was
necessary to offer this lesson to the world. Maybe in his day, men
admired their friends with a more passionate fondness. But this isn't
an issue of male/female. This affects relationships between school
boys, girls, men and women, and ladies. It just seems like there are
people who can't seem to live without a doting passion for some
beloved. Here's another example:
'Our boarding house was filled with mystery and romance,' said
Coquette, brightening. 'It was because of two young German ladies who
were there. They introduced the practice of--what shall I call
it?--exaltation. Do you know what I mean? When one girl makes another
the object of her devotion because
pg 27
of her goodness or her beauty, and worships her. She kisses her dress
when she passes her, and serves her in every way, but without speaking
to her. And the girl who is the object of this worship is supposed to
be proud and cold and show scorn for her worshiper, even if they had
always been friends. It was the young German ladies from the Bohemian
Forest who introduced it. They were tall and dark and very beautiful.
Many girls wanted to worship them, but they were always the first to
seek out one of the other girls to worship. No one was as humble and
obedient as they were. The whole boarding house was filled with it. It
became like a cult, an obsession. Some girls would even cry and kneel
on the floor to express their love and admiration for the object of
their adoration.' [from A Daughter of Heth by William Black]
Plutarch knew all about that. In his Life
of Agesilaus, Agesilaus had a personal and very sensible reason
to be uneasy about his attachment to Spithridates's son Megabates.
While
he was with him, he made a point of trying to resist his feelings of
devotion. One day Megabates came up to say hello to him, and Agesilaus
didn't return his greeting. From then on, Megabates was more distant
with him. Agesilaus regretted that he had rebuffed Megabates and
pretended he didn't know why Megabates was so cool with him. His
friends told him it was his fault for not returning Megabates's
greeting. They said, 'He would be glad to continue paying you the most
friendly respects, just be sure you never brush him off again.'
Agesilaus was silent for a while, thinking. Then he said, 'Don't
mention any of this to him. This second victory
pg 28
over myself is more valuable to me than Midas's gift of turning things
to gold.'
A generous heart approves of this kind of great affection. But a noble
Mind and well-educated Conscience need to look beyond that and preserve
the Soul's purity. We don't belong to ourselves. We have no right to
give ourselves completely away with abandoned passion.
pg 29
Chapter
5 - The Rulings Of the Conscience In the House Of The Body: Purity
(Part 2)
Ordered
Friendship
A
Sane and Generous Friendship
But, for every illustration of an excessive relationship, there are a
thousand examples of sensible, healthy and noble friendships. The
classic examples of friendship are so well-known that I don't need to
quote them. But here's one that's less familiar:
'You're my only friend, aren't you? So haven't you earned the right to
share my wealth? Tell me that, Alan Fairford. When I was taken from my
mother's lonely home and brought to the commotion of the Gaits' class
at the High School, when I was teased because of my English accent,
when they threw snow at me because I was from the south, when I was
thrown into the gutter for a Saxon pock-pudding--who defended me with
heavy arguments and even heavier punches? It was you, Alan Fairford.
Who beat me soundly when I brought my arrogance from being an only son,
and a spoiled brat, to the school's little republic? It was you, Alan.
You taught me not to pick on weak people, but to stand up to the
strong. You taught me not to repeat tales outside of school, to obey
the stern order of a pande mamun
['hold out your hand'],
pg 30
and to endure my punishments without wincing, and to determine to be a
better person for them. In other words, before I knew you, I didn't
know anything. It was the same at college. When I was hopelessly idle,
your example and encouragement roused me to try harder and showed me
how to enjoy learning. You made me like history and metaphysics. In
fact, you almost made me a defense lawyer just like yourself.' [Redgauntlet by Sir
Walter Scott]
Even though the relationship between Alan Fairford and Darsie Latimer
was sensible, it wasn't a loose, common-place friendship. Their
friendship didn't take precedence over duty when things were going
well. Alan worked hard preparing for his career and was an obedient and
affectionate son even though his father was demanding. But when his
friend is in danger, this clever Alan disregards his chances and risks
his life with wholehearted devotion. As a young lawyer, he has made his
first appearance with noted success in a difficult case. He is
delivering his speech and persuading the court when he sees the slip of
paper that tells him that Darsie is in trouble. 'He stopped short in
his speech, stared at the paper with a look of surprise and horror,
uttered an exclamation, threw down the notes he had in his hand, and
rushed out of court without even answering the questions that followed
him: 'What happened to him?' 'Did he suddenly get sick?' 'Should a
substitute be called?' He writes a note to his father: 'I hope you
won't be surprised or too displeased to hear that I'm on my way to
Dumfriesshire to do my own investigation and find out the current state
of my dear friend and give
pg 31
whatever help I'm able to. I hope it does some good. I can only say, in
further apology, that if, heaven forbid, anything bad happens to the
person who is dearest to me except yourself, I'll regret it for the
rest of eternity.'
A
Friendship That's Loyal Even in the Face of Disillusion
Elizabeth Gaskell, in the sincere and graceful style that distinguishes
her writing, tells us in Wives and
Daughters about the friendship between Molly Gibson and Cynthia
Fitzgerald. Molly is a charming English girl with a sensible heart and
mind. Cynthia, her step-sister, comes into her life like a beautiful,
bewitching vision. Of course, Molly fell in love with her--girls don't
just fall in love with men. Cynthia was just as attracted to Molly's
freshness and simplicity. They spent many pleasant hours in Mrs.
Gibson's parlor chatting and working. Both girls are kind and concerned
about what's best for the other, experiencing the natural give-and-take
of friendship. Cynthia tends to get involved with different men, and
Molly has a difficult time when she has to do some unpleasant things to
get Cynthia out of a serious dilemma. But she does them without
sacrificing her integrity, and Cynthia submits to letting her friend
help. Unfortunately, it's impossible to do justice in just a few
sentences to their natural friendship that even disillusion couldn't
shatter.
Friends
are Brought to Us by the Circumstances of our Lives
Young people often make the mistake of thinking that a friend has to be
perfect. So, as soon as they begin to notice little failings, they
think that they don't need to be loyal anymore. David Copperfield [Dickens] is a wonderful
pg 32
example of loyalty in life. The circumstances of David's life bring an
unusual assortment of friends, but he's ready and willing to accept the
friendship of all of them! With simple good-nature, he lets Mr.
Micawber call him 'the friend of my youth,' and he listens to Mrs.
Micawber's domestic secrets even though he's only a boy of ten years
old! The Micawbers turn up at all kinds of inconvenient times, but
David always welcomes them. Traddles is another friend, such a nice
person. He and David share a healthy, generous relationship. David has
a long list of friendships--Peggotty, Mr. Dick, Ham, Dr. Strong, Mrs.
Peggotty and the rest. He finds something to like about every one of
them. He honors, serves, and values each of them with complete loyalty.
But none of these friends tries to control him or demand that he love
them exclusively. He had one friend with whom he lost his individuality
because he was so fascinated by him. This was Steerforth. The way he
showed loyalty for him was by being sad about his shame rather than his
death.
It's not the friends we choose who have exclusive rights over us. The
friends who come into our lives here and there because of our
circumstances are entitled to our loyalty. We get the same things from
those friendships that David Copperfield did--kindness in return for
our kindness, service for service, loyalty for loyalty. And we get
these things in full measure, heaped up and overflowing. There's
probably no better guide to friendship than this charming story about a
life that was filled with generous, loyal friendships. It also shows us
how fine purity of the soul is, and it warns us of a great impurity.
pg 33
Chapter
6 - The Rulings of Conscience in the House of the Body: Purity (part 3)
The
Final Impurity
It all begins so innocently, yet the result is disaster from which
there's no treatment. People say it isn't fair that it should always be
the woman who suffers while the man gets off scot-free. But does he
really get away with it?
The die-hard reprobate is probably so far gone that he can't be any
more degraded. But the man who falls into the sin of impurity for the
first time loses his future as surely as the woman does, although it
may not
be as obvious. He may escape public disgrace, but he never recovers the
loss of power, purpose and integrity that result from a loss of purity.
He will be handicapped for the rest of his life, although he may not
even remember why. If he eventually does get married, his children
often repeat their father's sin.
It's worth our while to trace the history of one seduction. This is
from the book Ruth by
Elizabeth Gaskell. Ruth is a friendless orphan who is apprenticed to a
hat-maker. She is distinguished among her co-workers by her quiet,
lady-like manners and by her beauty. 'How can I help knowing how pretty
I am?' she answered simply, 'so many people have told me so.'
pg 34
She goes to the town dance with her employer, Mrs. Mason, and some of
the other apprentices for the purpose of being on hand to mend rips in
gown and things like that. One lady comes to Ruth with her
fiancé to
get a tear in her dress fixed. She is arrogant to Ruth, and the
fiancé, Mr. Bellingham, is not pleased with her rudeness. He
picks up a camellia and gives it to Ruth, saying, 'Here, allow me to
give you this flower from Miss Dunscombe as a thank you for your
skillful help.'
We admire Mr. Bellingham for his act of courtesy, and so does Ruth. She
treasures the camellia and her thoughts dwell on the polite gentleman.
She meets him again by accident under dramatic circumstances. She's
trying to rescue a drowning child and he rides up just in time and
saves the boy. This gives them a chance to speak again. He leaves his
wallet with Ruth to buy whatever is needed for the boy. So, of course,
she has to see him again to return his wallet and give an account of
what she spent. Then they see each other at church a few times, and
everything is still innocent, no wrong is intended. Next, we're
introduced to Mr. Bellingham in his home.
'He thought more about Ruth than she thought about him, even though his
appearance was a more momentous event in her life than his. He didn't
analyze the nature of his feelings for her, he just enjoyed them with
all the novelty that youth takes in experiencing any strong, new
emotion. He was an only child, and hadn't formed the characteristic
maturity that usually comes with adulthood. His discipline had been
sporadic as it often is
pg 35
with only children. He had been hindered because of over-anxiety, and
unwisely over-indulged because his parents' love had been so focused on
one object. That's what had influenced his education.' With these
words, the author gives us some insight into the situation and we begin
to suspect what's going to happen. David Copperfield's friend
Steerforth
was the only son of a proud, indulgent, heedless mother. In Adam Bede, Arthur Donnithorne is
the only son of a loving but domineering father. It seems like only
children need to be more careful in life. Maybe that's because it's
harder to sneak around in the midst of lots of brothers and sisters,
and it's the deviousness that's the problem, whether the family's large
or small. Young Mr. Bellingham finds himself fascinated, he doesn't
know quite why. He's even more intrigued because 'she seemed to have
some kind of a spell in her shyness that made her avoid and shun anyone
who admired her and wanted to get to know her. He determined not to
startle her with bold admiration or reckless, passionate words. He
resisted the strong temptation to walk alongside her on the way home
from church. Instead, he said just a few words about weather, bowed,
and then left. Ruth didn't think she should see any more of him.
Although she reproved herself for being so foolish, she felt like a
shadow had fallen over her life.' Then there comes a Sunday when Mr.
Bellingham walks home from church with her through the fields.
Later that evening she thought, 'How strange that the lovely afternoon
walk seems somehow, not exactly wrong, but not exactly right, either.'
Other walks follow on the next Sundays.
pg 36
She tells him about all the miseries she endures at Mrs. Mason's. Mr.
Bellingham asks to see her old home, Milham Grange, which is six miles
away. The next fine Sunday, they both go. He watched her admiringly as
she 'walked around luxuriant, overgrown shrubs in natural, graceful,
wavy lines.' Everything goes well until Mrs. Mason, who also happens to
be out enjoying the afternoon, sees her with a young man and kicks her
out. Mr. Bellingham, who had stepped away for a few minutes, comes back
to find Ruth crying. She tells him what just happened.
'Her eyes were so blinded by her tears that she didn't notice the
change in his expression as he watched her. Even if she had seen it,
she wouldn't have been able to interpret it. He was quiet for so long
that, even through her tears, she wondered why he didn't say something.
She would have liked to have heard his soothing words. Finally he said,
'It's too bad...' and then stopped. Then he began again. 'It's too bad
because, I didn't want to mention it before, but I have some business
and I need to go out of town tomorrow. To London, I mean. I don't know
when I'll be able to come back.' Before, he had probably just intended
to have a little fling with her, but that kind of fun is like playing
on the edge of a cliff. Elizabeth Gaskell writes delicately about that
moment of silence when Bellingham's lust turned to anger and disgust.
This same kind of moment in the life of Arthur Donnithorne, who meant
well, led to the ruin and tragedy of Hetty Sorrel. We don't know when
the exact moment was that Steerforth's passion turned to disgust,
pg 37
but it's good for every young man and young woman to realize that such
a moment
could very well be in their future, when they'll have to fight that
monster within each of us called Lust. Self-indulgence prepares the
way, flirtation presents a pretty flowered side path, and before you
know it, two lives are ruined. We won't stay safe by thinking that
we're too refined or superior for such base temptations. The only way
to deal with it is to have a strong, active life and to be able to say,
like Paul, 'I keep my body under and bring it into subjection.' The
flowered path of flirting can only lead to one end.
Bellingham brings Ruth to London, and then to North Wales. Jenny, the
landlady at the hotel where they stay, says, 'It's obvious they aren't
married.' Still, Ruth enjoyed the beauty of the mountains. Her
admiration and contentment irritated Bellingham. Ruth sighed at her
inability to amuse and satisfy the one she loved. The people at the
hotel commented about the couple. 'She's absolutely beautiful,' said
one man, 'but she can't be any older than sixteen. She looks very
modest and innocent in that white dress.' His wife answered, 'Well, I
think it's shameful that they let those kinds of people stay here.' And
other people thought the same thing. Ruth's solitary walks began to be
hampered by rude remarks and hostile looks. Then Mr. Bellingham gets
sick with a high fever. His mother is sent for to take care of him.
Poor Ruth has nobody else now but the meager kindness of the landlady.
She endures days and nights of terrible anxiety. When Bellingham is
better, he discusses Ruth with his mother. He
pg 38
has some regret, but mostly, he's sorry for himself. Without seeing
Ruth, without even saying goodbye, he says to his mother, 'Can't we
just leave tonight? I wouldn't be so annoyed by her presence if I were
somewhere else. I dread facing her and having a scene, yet I feel like
I owe her some kind of explanation.' This is how he treats her after
ruining her life, and this is his only thanks for her loving devotion.
Ruth was
so young and naive that she probably didn't fully realize the
implications that her mistake would have on her life. The story
continues. Bellingham and his mother leave in high style. He never
seeks to see Ruth or say goodbye. A badly deformed but kind man finds
her afterwards, crouching in a lonely place. She says sadly, 'He left
me--I can't believe it--he's gone and left me!' Before he could offer a
word to comfort him, she burst into the wildest, most dejected crying
imaginable. Hearing herself say the words and realizing the finality of
it cut her heart. Her sobbing and moaning wrung the man's soul, but he
knew she wouldn't hear anything he might say yet, even if he knew what
to say. So he stood beside her calmly while she wailed and sobbed out
her wretchedness. Finally, when she lay worn out and unable to cry any
more, she heard him say quietly to himself, 'Oh, Lord, for Jesus' sake,
have pity on her!' The good man and his sister nurse her through a
perilous illness and finally take her and her baby home with them to
Lancashire, where he's the minister of a small chapel. Ruth goes
through the bitter waters of repentance. A life spent making up for
sin and serving in humility add a Christian character to her natural
beauty. Her transformation was probably
pg 39
easier because her sin wasn't caused by lust, but by loneliness,
despair and oppression.
We know that David found forgiveness even for lust, but it seemed to
leave an indelible mark in his character. And that's what happens to
Mr. Bellingham. Years later, Ruth is doing a valuable service in a
position of humility when she met him again. 'He was changed, but she
didn't know why. The fact is, the ugly expression she had only seen
when he was at his worst had become permanent. He looked restless and
discontent. He thought that the lady was a lot like poor Ruth, but this
woman was even more beautiful. Poor Ruth! And, for the first time in
many years, he wondered what ever happened to her. Of course, there was
only one thing that could
have happened, and it was probably just as well that he didn't know
because the knowledge would most likely had made him uncomfortable.'
This is what Bellingham is like after all those years. Ruth, who was
sinned against, was able to act with Christian dignity and grace. But
we see Bellingham, who 'got off scot-free,' later as a middle-aged man.
He's a person drifting aimlessly, without conscience or heart. He's in
bondage to all-consuming lust.
We don't need to follow the story to its very end. It's a book worth
reading--even more so if, while you read, you ask what the apostles
ask, 'Lord, is it me?' Is this kind of misery or something worse, and
this kind of degraded character, possible for me? Is there anything in
me that's possible of bringing about such a shameful fall? You can be
sure that there is.
pg 40
Sometimes we hear dark rumors about white men in the wilds of Africa
who have broken free from the restraints of civilized society and
commit acts of unbelievable cruelty. When we hear things like this, we
should also ask ourselves, 'Lord, is it me?' Because it's a fact that,
once we break free from the bonds of duty towards God and mankind, lust
and hate run rampant within us and there's no sin we're not capable of.
But let's take courage. No final fall can overtake a person who keeps
his soul protected from the first fall. This is the person who
preserves his purity as if he's walling it within a tower of brass. He
doesn't let any image of uncleanness in to pollute his imagination, he
keeps his mind busy with worthwhile interests and healthy things to do,
he keeps his body under subjection by making himself work, and he
wisely exercises restraint and self-control in matters like eating,
drinking, relaxing and sleeping.
A person like this who knows the dangers and pitfalls that are all
around will pray faithfully every day, 'Our Father in heaven, don't
lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.' Having said
that kind of a prayer, he doesn't think any more about it. Instead, he
goes his way without fear, rejoicing in the life he has.
'Through faith and prayer, I'll keep
A pure heart in work and will.'
pg 41
Chapter
7 - The Rulings of the Conscience in the House of the Body: Fortitude
Fortitude:
Enduring Adversity with Courage
Boticelli's painting of Fortitude
and John Ruskin's interpretation of
the painting are two things that the Conscience should memorize by
heart. In this picture, Fortitude is not some giant figure, boldly
standing strong, bristling with energy to withstand any enemy. Although
she's tall and noble, yet she's sitting down, exhausted from some kind
of effort that she's been at for a long time. She looks pensive, too,
as
if she's thinking, 'How much longer?' But even though she's resting,
she's still wary and alert. She still hasn't loosened her grip on the
unsheathed sword that's laying across her lap. She's in the thick of a
battle and the end is nowhere in sight, but she doesn't have the
advantage of being on the offensive. There's no denying that she's
weary, yet she isn't sorry for herself or self-satisfied. She only has
one thing on her mind. She's focused on the task that needs to be done,
not on herself as the one doing the task. Or, rather, she's focused on
the task that has to be endured--because Fortitude's existence is one
of
suffering.
The Bible doesn't specify Fortitude by name as one of the Christian
virtues, but it does give the best examples of Fortitude in action.
Jesus, who endured more than any of us can even put into words, said
about Himself, 'I am meek and of lowly spirit.' Perhaps that quote
gives a key to what Fortitude means. It's not so much
pg 42
a valiant virtue as a patient grace. Fortitude is distinguished more
for what she patiently suffers than for what she does.
The apostle Paul gave us an image of the fullness of Christ by using
the different aspects of Love. In the same way, Isaiah gave us an image
of Fortitude by describing the humiliations and sufferings of Christ.
Fortitude is like a delicate plant with no particular beauty or
strength. It grows up within each of us. It endures sorrows and
punishments, suffers without saying anything, doesn't strike back or
speak deceitfully, is made sad, and yet--divides the reward with the
strong. There's only one real kind of Fortitude known to men, and
that's the Fortitude of Christ. Every time we're able to endure
something cheerfully, without feeling sorry for ourselves or proud of
our patience, it's from Christ's divine Fortitude working in us.
Moses was the meekest man who ever lived. His meekness was Fortitude.
He endured the wayward people of Israel for forty years. When he
thought that the people's offenses had surely exceeded God's patience,
he prayed, 'Now, if you will, forgive their sin, If you won't, then I
pray that you would blot me out of your Book of Life, too.'
After his own share of suffering, Paul wrote, 'often I had to travel, I
was in danger in the sea, in danger from robbers, in danger from people
from my own country, in danger from heathens, in danger in the city, in
danger in remote areas, in danger at sea, in danger from false
Christians, often tired and in pain, having to be on the alert on many
occasions, hungry and thirsty, often with absolutely nothing to eat,
cold and without enough clothing or protection from the elements.' Yet
he was so concerned for his fellow Jews that he wished he might be a
under a curse if it would help them.
Maybe Fortitude always has a tender side and always endures hardships
because of love. Even a child bravely enduring a toothache cheerfully
might be motivated out of love--he doesn't want to upset his mother.
pg 43
In the Middle Ages, the tradition of having Fortitude took on the form
of chivalry, which might be considered a school whose teachers were the
various distresses that knights had to endure. Knights showed more
Fortitude than the monks and nuns who practiced discipline and
self-mortification in their monasteries. Roland, Oliver and all of the
'Champions of Christendom' suffered as many hardships as the apostles.
Paul told Timothy to 'endure hardship.' As part of their training,
knights were expected to endure hardship without wincing and without
resentment. In Sir Walter Scott's book The Talisman, Sir Kenneth shows us
a kind of knightly Fortitude that's possible even for us.
Having
Fortitude in the Midst of Poverty
'May I see your sick squire, sir?' Sir Kenneth, the Scottish knight,
hesitated and turned red. But at last he answered, 'Yes, of course,
Lord of Gilsland. But don't be surprised when you see him--remember
that nobles and knights in Scotland don't eat as well or sleep in beds
as soft or nurse their patients in buildings as magnificent as what our
southern neighbors are accustomed to. The place I'm staying in is not
very fancy, Lord Gilsland,' and he added a haughty emphasis on the
word. Somewhat unwillingly, he led the way to the place he was staying
temporarily. Sir Kenneth looked around sadly, but hid his feelings and
went into the hut, motioning for the Baron of Gilsland to follow him
in. Most of he space inside the hut was taken up with two beds. One bed
was empty. It was made of leaves and covered with an antelope skin. The
armor laying beside it and a silver crucifix carefully and reverently
placed at the head of the bed clearly indicated that this was the bed
of Sir Kenneth himself.
pg 44
The sick man was in the other bed. He was older than middle-aged,
strongly built, and had harsh features. His bed was softer than his
master's. He was wearing more courtly clothing and the soft loose robe
that knights usually wear. These and other spare articles of clothing
had obviously been used by Sir Kenneth to make his servant more
comfortable.'
This is an example of Fortitude under very difficult circumstance. Even
under desperate poverty, pity and tenderness for dependents brought out
the knight's personal dignity and courage. Any man who shows this kind
of fortitude is truly heroic. Even the strange hermit-monk of Lebanon
whose body was scarred with wounds from trying to repent of his sins,
isn't as good an example of Christian fortitude as the knight.
Fortitude
Under Distressing Troubles
We appreciate noble lessons that we can apply to everyday situations.
We understand that Mrs.
Garth also showed an act of Fortitude during an undeserved and
troubling situation.
Mrs. Garth (from George Eliot's Middlemarch)
is making pies, supervising the baking and washing, and teaching her
youngest boy and girl Lindley
Murray's grammar, all at the same time. Fred Vincy shows up to
see her husband. Then Caleb himself [her
husband] comes in.
'Mr. Garth, I have something to say that I'm afraid will give you a bad
opinion of me. I need to tell you and Mrs. Garth that I can't keep my
promise. I can't find the money to pay the bill after
pg 45
all. I've had some bad luck. All I have of the hundred and sixty pounds
I owe is these fifty pounds.'
Mrs. Garth was too astonished to say a word. She looked at her husband
for an explanation. Caleb blushed. After a little pause he said,
'Oh, I forgot to tell you, Susan--I co-signed a bill for Fred. It was
for a hundred and sixty pounds. He made sure he'd be able to pay it off
himself first.'
There was an obvious change in Mrs. Garth's expression, but it was like
a change below the surface of water that remains smooth on the surface.
She looked directly at Fred and said,
'I suppose you've already asked your father for the rest of the money
and he refused you?'
'No,' said Fred, biting his lip and speaking with more difficulty. 'I
already know it'll be useless to ask him. Unless it would be of use,
I'd rather not mention Mr. Garth's name in the matter.'
'This couldn't have happened at a worse time,' said Caleb in his
hesitating way, looking down at the money and nervously fingering the
bill. 'Christmas is coming and I'm rather hard up right now. As it is,
things are so tight that I'm like a tailor who has to cut everything
out just a little too small to have enough cloth. What can we do,
Susan? I'm going to need every penny we have in the bank. It's a
hundred and ten pounds, gone just like that!'
'I'll need to give you the ninety-two pounds I had saved for Alfred's
apprenticeship,' said Mrs. Garth solemnly and decisively, although a
sensitive ear might have noticed a slight shaking in her words as she
spoke.
'And I'm sure Mary has saved twenty pounds from her salary by now.
She'll loan us that.'
Mrs. Garth hadn't looked at Fred again and was
pg 46
not calculating at all what words she could use to hurt him most
deeply. She was an unusual woman, and was busy considering what would
need to be done. She knew the solution wouldn't be accomplished any
more effectively by venting bitter remarks or cutting rebukes. But she
had made Fred feel something like remorse for the first time in his
life all the
same.
'I promise I'll pay it--somehow, eventually,' he stammered out.
'Yes, eventually,' said Mrs. Garth. She disliked fine words in
distressing situations and she couldn't resist adding, 'But boys can't
be apprenticed eventually, they should be apprenticed at fifteen.' She
had never been less inclined to make excuses for Fred. Fred turned and
left.
'I was such a fool, Susan.'
'Yes you were,' said his wife, nodding and smiling. But I wouldn't have
let the world know it, why didn't you tell me about this earlier? You
do the same thing with your buttons. You let them burst off without
telling me, and then you go around with your sleeves unbuttoned.'
In Scenes of Clerical Life by
George Eliot, the story of Mrs. Amos Barton's life and death in the
poor parsonage house is a record of gentle and dignified fortitude.
Cheerful,
Serviceable Fortitude
We think of Mark Tapley from Dickens' Martin
Chuzzlewit with a sense of relief. He found 'no credit in being
jolly' when things were going well. But no knight-errantry can exceed
the cheerful, serviceable Fortitude he showed in the jolly way that he
made the best of things in 'Eden.' The enemies he struggled against
pg 47
were unromantic things--fever, famine, discontent, and helplessness in
every member of that poor colony. And what a gritty and unpretentious
struggle that was! Mark Tapley deserves an honored place among our
closest friends, although he might not think there was any credit for
being so jolly in such a pleasant position!
We don't need to go all the way to his colony of 'Eden' to find
Fortitude. In Bleak House, a
birthday dinner cooked (!) by her loving family gave Mrs. Bagnet the
occasion for a lot of cheerful serenity.
What a contrast she is to Our Mutual
Friend's Mrs. Wilfur, who lets the whole world know she's
enduring a trial by tying a black ribbon around her face. How many of
us do the same thing in a symbolic way, wearing the black ribbon of a
sullen mood and mournful face! Instead of gradually coming down, we've
jumped from the highest examples of noble Fortitude to common, even
absurd examples. But they fit our purpose. It might not be a bad idea
to keep a notebook for recording people and incidents that give
inspiration to conscience in the area of Fortitude.
The
List of Our Heroes
We don't have enough time to talk about Nansen, Gordon, Howard,
Livingstone, Collingwood, Raleigh, Galileo, Florence Nightingale,
Calpurnia, Mackay of Uganda, or Grace Darling. The list of people whose
Fortitude distinguished them is actually our list of heroes. If we
start a book of examples of Fortitude, it will become a book of heroes,
both of great and small things. You might object that Fortitude is a
matter of the heart and mind, not the physical body. But if the body
isn't kept in
pg 48
its proper place and trained to endure without complaining, then
Fortitude doesn't stand a chance. It's within the body that we must
endure trials, and training is done through cheerfully enduring small
trials that are too minor to list.
The Song of the Lotos-Eaters
has a message for all of us:
'All things have rest. Why should we toil alone,
Only we who are first have to toil
And moan continually
Always thrown from one sorrow to another.
We never get to fold our wings
And rest from our wanderings
Or rest our eyes in the healing balm of sleep
Or listen to the inner spirit as it sings,
'The only joy is calm!'
Why should we, the supreme beings in Creation
Be the only ones who constantly toil?'
[adapted from Tennyson]
That's why we need Fortitude. Without it, no person has ever brought
life to any purpose. 'I fight, not like someone just pounding his fists
into the air, but I keep my body under control and bring it into
subjection.'
pg 49
Chapter
8 - The Rulings of the Conscience in the House of the Body: Prudence
Good
Judgment and Common Sense
Imprudence
is Selfishness
'I am wisdom. I live with prudence and discover knowledge of witty
inventions.' That saying is worth reflecting on in this age when
Prudence is no longer fashionable. Young people confuse impulsiveness
with heart, so they look down on Prudence. Yet, of all the deceitful
and harmful forms of selfishness, Imprudence is probably the most
destructive. Prudence is one of the counselors who teaches Conscience
about the dealings of the House of the Body, because Prudence is mostly
manifested in connection with physical matters, and physical matters
all affect the body either directly or indirectly.
Prudence
in Affairs
We know how a virtuous woman is described. Virtuous is another word for
prudent. A prudent woman is the one who seeks wool and flax and works
diligently with her hands. She brings food from far away. She's the one
who gets up early in the morning and feeds her family breakfast. She
checks out a plot of land and makes an offer on it. She's careful to
keep up her health and her strength. She goes
pg 50
out of her way to help the poor, but is still able to enhance her own
family and maintain a reputation of peace and respect in the community.
Joseph was prudent. He considered the future and made plans for the
benefit of Egypt, his new home, and for the success of Pharaoh, his
boss. England's King Alfred was very prudent. Every great commander
wins his battles through Prudence as much as through bravery.
Prudence
in Selecting Friends
There was one incident where Alcibiades (from Plutarch's Lives) showed Prudence.
'He
had always been surrounded with pleasures, and many would-be friends
made it a point to say only what they thought he wanted to hear. They
would never criticize or correct him. But Alcibiades had natural
insight and recognized the value of Socrates. He rejected the rich and
popular people who clamored for his attention and attached himself to
Socrates. He soon became close friends with Socrates. He discovered
that Socrates didn't want special favors from him like everyone else
did. It was more important to him to analyze and correct Alcibiades's
faulty attitudes and to cure his worthless, foolish arrogance.
'Then his face fell and his pride was humbled.
His spirits submitted in humility.'
He considered the discipline of Socrates as a gift from heaven to
preserve and benefit the youths of the culture. Knowing his own faults,
he admired his friend, respected his virtue and loved his wisdom.
Without even realizing it, he copied the love he saw in his own heart,
allowing himself to submit under the influence of the power that, as
Plato said, attracts devotion because of its own deep love.'
pg 51
This is a great example of Prudence in the selection of friends and
mentors. If only Alcibiades had been as reliable as he was prudent.
Prudence
Doesn't Tolerate Undue Influence
Alexander (Plutarch's Lives),
in his heroic days, showed admirable Prudence. He could tell the
difference between things he came across. 'He gave his mother lots of
expensive gifts, but he wouldn't let her intelligent mind meddle in
affairs of government, or have any control over the business of state.
She complained that this was a hardship for her to deal with. He
endured her annoyance patiently. Antipater once wrote him a long letter
full of serious criticisms against his mother. Alexander read the
letter and then remarked, 'Antipater doesn't understand that one tear
of a mother can blot out a thousand of these kinds of complaints.' He
wouldn't allow his mother to interfere with his duties as ruler, yet
his love for her was very great.
And Jesus, who was even greater than Alexander, said, 'Don't you know
that I must be busy with my Father's business?' It's Prudence's special
duty to make sure that no undue influence is allowed even from those
who are nearest and dearest to us. It's our duty to think for ourselves
and to consider what's best for everyone. We can't allow ourselves to
be swayed by the private interests of anybody. Any government whose
officers can be persuaded to make any decisions for the private good of
themselves or their own interests is corrupt at its core.
Prudence chooses what's simple, and never prefers luxury. It thinks
that work is more honorable than pleasure, and trains the body to
handle severe treatment. In all of these things,
pg 52
Alexander was a good example of gentle, heroic Prudence.
Prudence
Is Always Moderate in Everything
'He discovered that his officers had no limits in their extravagance.
They enjoyed luxurious dining and all kinds of other indulgences. Agnon
of Teos even used silver nails in his shoes, Leonatus had camel-loads
of dirt delivered all the way from Egypt to rub himself with before he
went into the wrestling ring, Philotas bought netting that would
enclose an area twelve miles wide when he went hunting, and
others had expensive essences to use after bathing instead of plain
oil, and special servants to prepare their baths and make their beds.
Alexander rebuked these decadent practices like a true philosopher.
'He said that it seemed odd to him that, after experiencing so many
glorious battles, they forgot that sleep was more restful after honest
work and exercise than after lazy pampering. After they'd seen the way
the Persians lived, he was surprised that it wasn't obvious to them
that nothing was more shameful than the love of pleasure, and nothing
was more noble than a life of honest work. How can a man take care of
his own horse or put on his own sword and helmet if his hands are too
delicate to dress and bathe his own pampered body? The end of victory
isn't to succumb to living like those who were conquered, but to live
better than they did.' (from Plutarch's Life of Alexander.)
Prudent
Citizens Are a Society's Most Valuable Asset
The laws of Lycurgus (Plutarch's Lives)
resulted from noble and generous prudence. If Sparta was going to
succeed in its long conflict with Athens, it would have to do it through
pg 53
the fitness of each of its citizens. Lycurgus understood that each
individual possessed in himself the most valuable thing in Sparta--a
body prepared for work and endurance, and a mind that could recognize
the seriousness of a situation.
'He wanted to cure them of their quest for luxury and desire for
riches. So he introduced a third plan that was wise and brilliantly
designed. He set up community dining halls where everyone would eat the
same food, and the government would decide what was served. The people
were forbidden to eat at home at fancy tables and couches with gourmet
meals prepared by private butchers and cooks. No longer cold they stuff
themselves like pigs in private. Such gluttony corrupted their table
manners and made them fat and unhealthy. It encouraged all kinds of
sensuous habits, including sleeping in and lounging in warm baths, as
pampered as invalids. He made another law to discourage magnificence
and expensive living. He decreed that ceilings in the houses couldn't
be made with any tool except an axe, and doors couldn't be made with
anything beyond a saw. Because, as Epaminondas said later, you can't
hide treason under that kind of meal. And Lycurgus knew that a house
with an axe-hewn ceiling and sawn door is no place for fine splendor
and fancy furniture. It would be absurd to have a humble, plain house
and fill it with silver bedposts, purple quilts, golden cups and other
fine luxuries. A plain and simple house would motivate a person to buy
a suitable bed with sensible bedding and dishes to match.
There are things about a Spartan lifestyle that aren't appropriate for
a Christian life,
pg 54
but wise people feel strongly these days that it's in the best
interest of society to live simple lives, to avoid excesses even in
the athletic or intellectual realm, and to avoid having any more
possessions than are needed to live a simple, sensible life. There's
nothing wrong with allowing ourselves to live with furniture and tools
that are beautiful as well as practical, but we shouldn't let ourselves
accumulate unnecessary stuff that clutters our lives and requires our
time to maintain, especially if the things are valuable merely because
of how much they cost. These kinds of things get in the way of what's
really valuable: a body that does what we need, and a mind that's
alert. We need a fit body and mind to do our duty to our community and
meet our family responsibilities.
'When the money was brought to Athens, Phocion (Plutarch's Lives) asked those who brought it
why he should be singled out to receive such a gift. They said it was
because Alexander considered him the only honest and good man in
Athens. 'Then let me retain that character and really be that kind of
man,' said Phocion. Phocion brought the men to his home and they saw
how frugal a life he led. His wife baked bread, he drew water himself
and washed his own feet. That made them urge him even more to take the
money. They said it wasn't fit for the friend of such a fine prince as
Alexander to live in such a wretched manner. Just then, a poor old man
happened to walk by in rags. Phocion asked whether the men thought less
of him than
pg 55
they did the old man. They begged him not to make such a comparison,
but Phocion responded, 'That old man lives on less than I do, yet he is
happy. If you give me the money and I don't use it, it's wasted. But if
I use it to live a life of luxury, the people of Athens will resent
both me and Alexander, your king.' So they took the money back with
them. The incident was a good lesson for the Greeks. A man who doesn't
care to receive a gift of money is richer than the one who can afford
to offer such a gift.'
When it comes to Prudence, Jesus is our best example. The Bible says,
'My servant will deal prudently,' and we'll learn a lot by studying the
gospels to see how He dealt prudently with the only thing He owned--His
life. That's really the only thing of real value that any of us truly
has. If we think of Christ as our example, we'll live sensibly and not
lose our common sense to any kind of excesses.
pg 56
Section 2 - The Conscience in the House of
the Mind
Chapter
9 - Opinions in the Air
Everyone knows that what he does with his body and heart should be
directed by his Conscience. How we act to others, what we feel about
them, controlling our own bodies are all things that we agree should be
subject to the Conscience. But we tend to think that our thoughts are
our own, and that the domain of the Intellect is an area where every
man is his own master--as if the opinions we form, the mental tasks we
choose to undertake or leave undone are beyond the realm of duty.
Without even realizing it, we think that thought is an area where we're
free.
Casual
Opinions
Of all the mistakes that have tripped up people and entire societies,
this one is probably the most unfortunate. A person might pick up some
notion, call it his opinion, and spread it here and there until that
foolish notion becomes a threat to society, and people are in bondage
to
it. We're always hearing statements that remind us of the cry heard
among the Jews: 'Here are your gods, O Israel!' The Israelites might
not have even known which tent the shout came from, but it spread like
lightning over the whole Israelite camp until every man brought his
valuables
pg 57
to help make a golden calf. Why did that happen? Moses, their leader,
was gone. True, he was with God, but he was gone, and his people wasted
no time creating a shrine and worshiping it. This is typical of how an
opinion can very quickly carry away a country or a person--the leader
is out of sight, and boisterous opinions fill people's ears.
During summer vacation, when people don't have much to think about,
newspapers print all kinds of idle questions like, 'Is life worth
living?' or 'Is the institution of marriage a failure?' Of course, the
indirect message is that life isn't worth it, and marriage is a
failure. Sensible people don't take these articles seriously. But there
are lots of people who just wait around for any chance notion that
comes their way, and they can't wait to spread it.
When people like this hear the notion that the institution of marriage
is a failure, the idea spreads and leads to a proliferation of
immorality. The idea itself has become a kind of golden calf, and the
leader, Conscience, is either gone or else silenced. And the result is
that people think it's a wonderful thing to make sacrifices for their
exciting new idea of the moment. Or they might wonder aloud and go
around asking whether life is really worth living. Although it might
seem more innocent because it's just a question, it's just as serious.
There's no law on the books that a person can go to jail for being
sullen and ungrateful for sunshine and rain and food and clothing and
natural beauty and kind friends. Yet it's an ugly kind of sin that's as
contagious as the plague of Black Death. The person who allows his mind
to dwell on the question, 'Is life worth living?' has already been
infected.
pg 58
How
Fallacies Work
We've all heard stories about how killing isn't always murder--how men
who seem well-intentioned entertain the notion that killing is
sometimes justified and therefore not really murder. They're
persuaded by their own reason that the only way to secure the safety of
the masses is to get rid of the leader hindering their liberty. And
they become convinced that they've been specially called for the task
of delivering their people. So they kill the offender and, instead of
being hailed as a hero, they're hated by all thinking people and called
an assassin. How did this happen?
It happens like this: The conscience, which is supposed to cry out,
'You must not murder!' has been silenced. Opinion played the role of
director, Reason supported him, and then the wicked murder became
reality. Even the slightest hint of opinion is enough to waylay an open
(empty) mind. We see it in the news every day. Just the other day a
local newspaper featured an article about 'The Unreality of Sin.'
An empty mind hungers for any kind of deposit, so it's easy to see how
that kind of headline would be accepted into many people's minds and
then used as an excuse to sin.
When I was a girl, darning stockings was considered a valuable use of
time, and I was shocked to hear a respectable Welsh lady say that she
didn't believe in darning stockings! I found out later that 'darning'
could also mean running them; she thought I was ruining new stockings
by putting holes in the heels. But at first I thought she had hit on
some novel principle that would free me from the task of mending holes
in stockings. That's how it is with so many people--some casual remark
is heard and latched onto, often about a more serious issue than
stockings. There's always some stimulating new fallacy being talked
about that attracts thousands of people.
pg 59
Being caught up with every new opinion is a risk for anyone who isn't
aware of the danger and doesn't know how to protect himself. I
think that these are the most important rules for doing the right
thing: a) we shouldn't entertain just any notion that comes our way, b)
we
shouldn't rely on our Reason to be an infallible guide to opinions
since Reason sometimes argues in favor of what we feel like doing
instead of what the right thing to do is, c) we need to work hard to
find out as much as we can so that our opinions are based on knowledge,
and, d) we should strive to get good principles that can help us test
our opinions.
pg 60
Chapter
10 - The Untaught Conscience
An untaught Conscience can have all kinds of inconsistencies. By
focusing on the wrong thing, it's continually 'straining out the gnats
and swallowing a camel.' Even the most hardened criminal has a
Conscience that he justifies with misleading reasons and excuses. He
might claim that 'society is against him, and he never got a fair
chance.' Or, 'why should I go around hungry and in rags while some
other guy rides in a fancy car and has lots to eat?' Or, 'that man has
more than he needs, it's his responsibility to keep it safe if he wants
it. If someone else is clever enough to trick him out of some of it,
it's only fair.' This is the way that Reason and Inclination support
each other in people whose minds are like Ishmael, whose hand was
against everyone. In fact, the criminal reasons that, since every man's
hand is against him, he has a right to get what he can to make up for
it.
Conscience
is Persistent About Some Things
There are some things that slick Reason never compromises in matters of
conscience. He must be loyal to his buddies. Turning in a buddy who did
something wrong seems to him to be even worse than murder. Reason also
makes sure that he's fair in his dealings with his buddies and will
share as much as he said he would. People are almost always faithful
with their beloved cherished child, or a friend they
pg 61
sincerely care about. Every person's conscience makes demands in some
area. Every person, no matter how civilized or savage, has some issues
where he acts on conscience. The first thing most missionaries will do
is to find out on what issues the people always act on principled of
conscience. David Livingstone was able to live peaceably among the most
barbaric tribes in Africa because he had enough sympathy and knowledge
to find an area of trust with them. He was always able to find areas
where their conscience was inflexible, such as loyalty to a guest or
gratitude to someone who was kind to them. Livingstone made some
valuable discoveries about human nature. There are certain virtuous
qualities that are apparent even in the most barbaric tribes; imagine
how much of those same qualities there are in people who have been
raised in societies that value kindness. He discovered that even these
uneducated savages knew that they must not murder or steal. They knew
that they needed to obey their parents and be kind to each other, and
other things. In other words, they had the light of Conscience. And
we've heard from Captain Cook that the Otaheitans wept the first time
they saw a white man being flogged. Even though they were savages, they
knew that cruelty was wrong.
Moral
Stability
Yet, an uneducated conscience is at the mercy of every whim that tries
to persuade his conscience, and his Reason will supplement that with a
thousand logical excuses. This is true of savages, criminals, tough
schoolboys, rough country farmers, and ignorant undisciplined people in
every class of society--even those whose ignorance comes with a college
degree. Only educated consciences are stable and consistent.
We all know someone who's predictable, we always know how he'll act
in a
given situation and we can always depend on him. That's because he's
not likely to be swayed by the latest outside opinions.
pg 62
He knows enough to have developed a standard to judge opinions with,
and principles to test how moral those opinions are. He knows that
flashy new opinions have been tried in the past and didn't hold up, so
he won't fall for them. He examines each new idea with his principles,
which act like a light. And he discovers when a new idea is based on
faulty logic that leads to more faulty thinking and wrong actions. As a
result, he doesn't give it any place in his mind.
An
Entire Nation Can be Unstable
The rest of the people who haven't thought through their principles are
like fertile ground for every new idea. When some crazy notion grabs
the attention of a few people, it becomes a mania. Sir Walter Scott had
some legal habits of mind; maybe that was why he wrote Peveril of the Peak, an example
from history of a nation that went crazy over a new notion. One good
example of the power of a notion over a nation, and how a baseless idea
can spread like wildfire can be so