投诉 阅读记录

第2章

Thethingisimpossible。

Y。M。ThereMUSTbeagenuinelyandutterlyselfsacrificingactrecordedinhumanhistorysomewhere。

O。M。Youareyoung。Youhavemanyyearsbeforeyou。

Searchoneout。

Y。M。Itdoesseemtomethatwhenamanseesafellowbeingstrugglinginthewaterandjumpsinattheriskofhislifetosavehim

O。M。Wait。DescribetheMAN。DescribetheFELLOWBEING。

StateifthereisanAUDIENCEpresent;oriftheyareALONE。

Y。M。Whathavethesethingstodowiththesplendidact?

O。M。Verymuch。Shallwesuppose,asabeginning,thatthetwoarealone,inasolitaryplace,atmidnight?

Y。M。Ifyouchoose。

O。M。Andthatthefellowbeingistheman’sdaughter?

Y。M。Well,nnomakeitsomeoneelse。

O。M。Afilthy,drunkenruffian,then?

Y。M。Isee。Circumstancesaltercases。Isupposethatiftherewasnoaudiencetoobservetheact,themanwouldn’tperformit。

O。M。ButthereishereandthereamanwhoWOULD。People,forinstance,likethemanwholosthislifetryingtosavethechildfromthefire;andthemanwhogavetheneedyoldwomanhistwentyfivecentsandwalkedhomeinthestormtherearehereandtheremenlikethatwhowoulddoit。Andwhy?Becausetheycouldn’tBEARtoseeafellowbeingstrugglinginthewaterandnotjumpinandhelp。ItwouldgiveTHEMpain。Theywouldsavethefellowbeingonthataccount。THEYWOULDN’TDOITOTHERWISE。

TheystrictlyobeythelawwhichIhavebeeninsistingupon。YoumustrememberandalwaysdistinguishthepeoplewhoCAN’TBEAR

thingsfrompeoplewhoCAN。Itwillthrowlightuponanumberofapparently"selfsacrificing"cases。

Y。M。Oh,dear,it’sallsodisgusting。

O。M。Yes。Andsotrue。

Y。M。Cometakethegoodboywhodoesthingshedoesn’twanttodo,inordertogratifyhismother。

O。M。HedoessevententhsoftheactbecauseitgratifiesHIMtogratifyhismother。Throwthebulkofadvantagetheotherwayandthegoodboywouldnotdotheact。HeMUSTobeytheironlaw。Nonecanescapeit。

Y。M。Well,takethecaseofabadboywho

O。M。Youneedn’tmentionit,itisawasteoftime。Itisnomatteraboutthebadboy’sact。Whateveritwas,hehadaspiritcontentingreasonforit。Otherwiseyouhavebeenmisinformed,andhedidn’tdoit。

Y。M。Itisveryexasperating。Awhileagoyousaidthatman’sconscienceisnotabornjudgeofmoralsandconduct,buthastobetaughtandtrained。NowIthinkaconsciencecangetdrowsyandlazy,butIdon’tthinkitcangowrong;ifyouwakeitup

ALittleStoryO。M。Iwilltellyoualittlestory:

OnceuponatimeanInfidelwasguestinthehouseofaChristianwidowwhoselittleboywasillandneartodeath。TheInfideloftenwatchedbythebedsideandentertainedtheboywithtalk,andheusedtheseopportunitiestosatisfyastronglonginginhisnaturethatdesirewhichisinusalltobetterotherpeople’sconditionbyhavingthemthinkaswethink。Hewassuccessful。Butthedyingboy,inhislastmoments,reproachedhimandsaid:

"IBELIEVED,ANDWASHAPPYINIT;YOUHAVETAKENMYBELIEF

AWAY,ANDMYCOMFORT。NOWIHAVENOTHINGLEFT,ANDIDIE

MISERABLE;FORTHETHINGSWHICHYOUHAVETOLDMEDONOTTAKETHE

PLACEOFTHATWHICHIHAVELOST。"

Andthemother,also,reproachedtheInfidel,andsaid:

"MYCHILDISFOREVERLOST,ANDMYHEARTISBROKEN。HOW

COULDYOUDOTHISCRUELTHING?WEHAVEDONEYOUNOHARM,BUT

ONLYKINDNESS;WEMADEOURHOUSEYOURHOME,YOUWEREWELCOMETO

ALLWEHAD,ANDTHISISOURREWARD。"

TheheartoftheInfidelwasfilledwithremorseforwhathehaddone,andhesaid:

"ITWASWRONGISEEITNOW;BUTIWASONLYTRYINGTODOHIM

GOOD。INMYVIEWHEWASINERROR;ITSEEMEDMYDUTYTOTEACHHIM

THETRUTH。"

Thenthemothersaid:

"IHADTAUGHTHIM,ALLHISLITTLELIFE,WHATIBELIEVEDTO

BETHETRUTH,ANDINHISBELIEVINGFAITHBOTHOFUSWEREHAPPY。

NOWHEISDEAD,ANDLOST;ANDIAMMISERABLE。OURFAITHCAME

DOWNTOUSTHROUGHCENTURIESOFBELIEVINGANCESTORS;WHATRIGHT

HADYOU,ORANYONE,TODISTURBIT?WHEREWASYOURHONOR,WHERE

WASYOURSHAME?"

Y。M。Hewasamiscreant,anddeserveddeath!

O。M。Hethoughtsohimself,andsaidso。

Y。M。Ahyousee,HISCONSCIENCEWASAWAKENED1!

O。M。Yes,hisSelfDisapprovalwas。ItPAINEDhimtoseethemothersuffer。HewassorryhehaddoneathingwhichbroughtHIMpain。Itdidnotoccurtohimtothinkofthemotherwhenhewasmisteachingtheboy,forhewasabsorbedinprovidingPLEASUREforhimself,then。Providingitbysatisfyingwhathebelievedtobeacallofduty。

Y。M。Callitwhatyouplease,itistomeacaseofAWAKENEDCONSCIENCE。Thatawakenedconsciencecouldnevergetitselfintothatspeciesoftroubleagain。AcurelikethatisaPERMANENTcure。

O。M。PardonIhadnotfinishedthestory。WearecreaturesofOUTSIDEINFLUENCESweoriginateNOTHINGwithin。

Wheneverwetakeanewlineofthoughtanddriftintoanewlineofbeliefandaction,theimpulseisALWAYSsuggestedfromtheOUTSIDE。RemorsesopreyedupontheInfidelthatitdissolvedhisharshnesstowardtheboy’sreligionandmadehimcometoregarditwithtolerance,nextwithkindness,fortheboy’ssakeandthemother’s。Finallyhefoundhimselfexaminingit。Fromthatmomenthisprogressinhisnewtrendwassteadyandrapid。

HebecameabelievingChristian。Andnowhisremorseforhavingrobbedthedyingboyofhisfaithandhissalvationwasbittererthanever。Itgavehimnorest,nopeace。HeMUSThaverestandpeaceitisthelawofnature。Thereseemedbutonewaytogetit;hemustdevotehimselftosavingimperiledsouls。Hebecameamissionary。Helandedinapagancountryillandhelpless。A

nativewidowtookhimintoherhumblehomeandnursedhimbacktoconvalescence。Thenheryoungboywastakenhopelesslyill,andthegratefulmissionaryhelpedhertendhim。Herewashisfirstopportunitytorepairapartofthewrongdonetotheotherboybydoingapreciousserviceforthisonebyundermininghisfoolishfaithinhisfalsegods。Hewassuccessful。Butthedyingboyinhislastmomentsreproachedhimandsaid:

"IBELIEVED,ANDWASHAPPYINIT;YOUHAVETAKENMYBELIEF

AWAY,ANDMYCOMFORT。NOWIHAVENOTHINGLEFT,ANDIDIE

MISERABLE;FORTHETHINGSWHICHYOUHAVETOLDMEDONOTTAKETHE

PLACEOFTHATWHICHIHAVELOST。"

Andthemother,also,reproachedthemissionary,andsaid:

"MYCHILDISFOREVERLOST,ANDMYHEARTISBROKEN。HOW

COULDYOUDOTHISCRUELTHING?WEHADDONEYOUNOHARM,BUTONLY

KINDNESS;WEMADEOURHOUSEYOURHOME,YOUWEREWELCOMETOALLWE

HAD,ANDTHISISOURREWARD。"

Theheartofthemissionarywasfilledwithremorseforwhathehaddone,andhesaid:

"ITWASWRONGISEEITNOW;BUTIWASONLYTRYINGTODOHIM

GOOD。INMYVIEWHEWASINERROR;ITSEEMEDMYDUTYTOTEACHHIM

THETRUTH。"

Thenthemothersaid:

"IHADTAUGHTHIM,ALLHISLITTLELIFE,WHATIBELIEVEDTO

BETHETRUTH,ANDINHISBELIEVINGFAITHBOTHOFUSWEREHAPPY。

NOWHEISDEADANDLOST;ANDIAMMISERABLE。OURFAITHCAME

DOWNTOUSTHROUGHCENTURIESOFBELIEVINGANCESTORS;WHATRIGHT

HADYOU,ORANYONE,TODISTURBIT?WHEREWASYOURHONOR,WHERE

WASYOURSHAME?"

Themissionary’sanguishofremorseandsenseoftreacherywereasbitterandpersecutingandunappeasable,now,astheyhadbeenintheformercase。Thestoryisfinished。Whatisyourcomment?

Y。M。Theman’sconscienceisafool!Itwasmorbid。Itdidn’tknowrightfromwrong。

O。M。Iamnotsorrytohearyousaythat。IfyougrantthatONEman’sconsciencedoesn’tknowrightfromwrong,itisanadmissionthatthereareotherslikeit。Thissingleadmissionpullsdownthewholedoctrineofinfallibilityofjudgmentinconsciences。MeantimethereisonethingwhichIaskyoutonotice。

Y。M。Whatisthat?

O。M。Thatinbothcasestheman’sACTgavehimnospiritualdiscomfort,andthathewasquitesatisfiedwithitandgotpleasureoutofit。ButafterwardwhenitresultedinPAINtoHIM,hewassorry。Sorryithadinflictedpainupontheothers,BUTFORNOREASONUNDERTHESUNEXCEPTTHATTHEIRPAINGAVEHIM

PAIN。OurconsciencestakeNOnoticeofpaininflicteduponothersuntilitreachesapointwhereitgivespaintoUS。InALLcaseswithoutexceptionweareabsolutelyindifferenttoanotherperson’spainuntilhissufferingsmakeusuncomfortable。

ManyaninfidelwouldnothavebeentroubledbythatChristianmother’sdistress。Don’tyoubelievethat?

Y。M。Yes。YoumightalmostsayitoftheAVERAGEinfidel,Ithink。

O。M。Andmanyamissionary,sternlyfortifiedbyhissenseofduty,wouldnothavebeentroubledbythepaganmother’sdistressJesuitmissionariesinCanadaintheearlyFrenchtimes,forinstance;seeepisodesquotedbyParkman。

Y。M。Well,letusadjourn。Wherehavewearrived?

O。M。Atthis。Thatwe(mankind)haveticketedourselveswithanumberofqualitiestowhichwehavegivenmisleadingnames。Love,Hate,Charity,Compassion,Avarice,Benevolence,andsoon。ImeanweattachmisleadingMEANINGStothenames。

Theyareallformsofselfcontentment,selfgratification,butthenamessodisguisethemthattheydistractourattentionfromthefact。AlsowehavesmuggledawordintothedictionarywhichoughtnottobethereatallSelfSacrifice。Itdescribesathingwhichdoesnotexist。Butworstofall,weignoreandnevermentiontheSoleImpulsewhichdictatesandcompelsaman’severyact:theimperiousnecessityofsecuringhisownapproval,ineveryemergencyandatallcosts。Toitweoweallthatweare。Itisourbreath,ourheart,ourblood。Itisouronlyspur,ourwhip,ourgoad,ouronlyimpellingpower;wehavenoother。Withoutitweshouldbemereinertimages,corpses;noonewoulddoanything,therewouldbenoprogress,theworldwouldstandstill。Weoughttostandreverentlyuncoveredwhenthenameofthatstupendouspowerisuttered。

Y。M。Iamnotconvinced。

O。M。Youwillbewhenyouthink。

III

InstancesinPointOldMan。HaveyougiventhoughttotheGospelofSelf

Approvalsincewetalked?

YoungMan。Ihave。

O。M。ItwasIthatmovedyoutoit。ThatistosayanOUTSIDEINFLUENCEmovedyoutoitnotonethatoriginatedinyourhead。Willyoutrytokeepthatinmindandnotforgetit?

Y。M。Yes。Why?

O。M。Becausebyandbyinoneofourtalks,Iwishtofurtherimpressuponyouthatneitheryou,norI,noranymaneveroriginatesathoughtinhisownhead。THEUTTEREROFA

THOUGHTALWAYSUTTERSASECONDHANDONE。

Y。M。Oh,now

O。M。Wait。Reserveyourremarktillwegettothatpartofourdiscussiontomorrowornextday,say。Now,then,haveyoubeenconsideringthepropositionthatnoactiseverbornofanybutaselfcontentingimpulse(primarily)。Youhavesought。

Whathaveyoufound?

Y。M。Ihavenotbeenveryfortunate。Ihaveexaminedmanyfineandapparentlyselfsacrificingdeedsinromancesandbiographies,but

O。M。Undersearchinganalysistheostensibleselfsacrificedisappeared?Itnaturallywould。

Y。M。Buthereinthisnovelisonewhichseemstopromise。

IntheAdirondackwoodsisawageearnerandlaypreacherinthelumbercampswhoisofnoblecharacteranddeeplyreligious。AnearnestandpracticallaborerintheNewYorkslumscomesupthereonvacationheisleaderofasectionoftheUniversitySettlement。Holme,thelumberman,isfiredwithadesiretothrowawayhisexcellentworldlyprospectsandgodownandsavesoulsontheEastSide。HecountsithappinesstomakethissacrificeforthegloryofGodandforthecauseofChrist。Heresignshisplace,makesthesacrificecheerfully,andgoestotheEastSideandpreachesChristandHimcrucifiedeverydayandeverynighttolittlegroupsofhalfcivilizedforeignpauperswhoscoffathim。Butherejoicesinthescoffings,sinceheissufferingtheminthegreatcauseofChrist。YouhavesofilledmymindwithsuspicionsthatIwasconstantlyexpectingtofindahiddenquestionableimpulsebackofallthis,butIamthankfultosayIhavefailed。Thismansawhisduty,andforDUTY’SSAKE

hesacrificedselfandassumedtheburdenitimposed。

O。M。Isthatasfarasyouhaveread?

Y。M。Yes。

O。M。Letusreadfurther,presently。Meantime,insacrificinghimselfNOTforthegloryofGod,PRIMARILY,asHE

imagined,butFIRSTtocontentthatexactingandinflexiblemasterwithinhimDIDHESACRIFICEANYBODYELSE?

Y。M。Howdoyoumean?

O。M。Herelinquishedalucrativepostandgotmerefoodandlodginginplaceofit。Hadhedependents?

Y。M。Wellyes。

O。M。InwhatwayandtowhatextenddidhisselfsacrificeaffectTHEM?

Y。M。Hewasthesupportofasuperannuatedfather。Hehadayoungsisterwitharemarkablevoicehewasgivingheramusicaleducation,sothatherlongingtobeselfsupportingmightbegratified。Hewasfurnishingthemoneytoputayoungbrotherthroughapolytechnicschoolandsatisfyhisdesiretobecomeacivilengineer。

O。M。Theoldfather’scomfortswerenowcurtailed?

Y。M。Quiteseriously。Yes。

O。M。Thesister’smusiclessenshadtostop?

Y。M。Yes。

O。M。Theyoungbrother’seducationwell,anextinguishingblightfelluponthathappydream,andhehadtogotosawingwoodtosupporttheoldfather,orsomethinglikethat?

Y。M。Itisaboutwhathappened。Yes。

O。M。Whatahandsomejobofselfsacrificinghediddo!ItseemstomethathesacrificedeverybodyEXCEPThimself。Haven’tItoldyouthatnomanEVERsacrificeshimself;thatthereisnoinstanceofituponrecordanywhere;andthatwhenaman’sInteriorMonarchrequiresathingofitsslaveforeitheritsMOMENTARYoritsPERMANENTcontentment,thatthingmustandwillbefurnishedandthatcommandobeyed,nomatterwhomaystandinthewayandsufferdisasterbyit?ThatmanRUINEDHISFAMILYtopleaseandcontenthisInteriorMonarch

Y。M。AndhelpChrist’scause。

O。M。YesSECONDLY。Notfirstly。HEthoughtitwasfirstly。

Y。M。Verywell,haveitso,ifyouwill。ButitcouldbethathearguedthatifhesavedahundredsoulsinNewYork

O。M。ThesacrificeoftheFAMILYwouldbejustifiedbythatgreatprofituponthethewhatshallwecallit?

Y。M。Investment?

O。M。Hardly。HowwouldSPECULATIONdo?HowwouldGAMBLE

do?Notasolitarysoulcapturewassure。Heplayedforapossiblethirtythreehundredpercentprofit。ItwasGAMBLING

withhisfamilyfor"chips。"Howeverletusseehowthegamecameout。Maybewecangetonthetrackofthesecretoriginalimpulse,theREALimpulse,thatmovedhimtosonoblyself

sacrificehisfamilyintheSavior’scauseunderthesuperstitionthathewassacrificinghimself。Iwillreadachapterorso……Herewehaveit!Itwasboundtoexposeitselfsoonerorlater。HepreachedtotheEastSiderabbleaseason,thenwentbacktohisolddull,obscurelifeinthelumbercamps"HURTTO

THEHEART,HISPRIDEHUMBLED。"Why?WerenothiseffortsacceptabletotheSavior,forWhomalonetheyweremade?Dearme,thatdetailisLOSTSIGHTOF,isnotevenreferredto,thefactthatitstartedoutasamotiveisentirelyforgotten!Thenwhatisthetrouble?Theauthoressquiteinnocentlyandunconsciouslygivesthewholebusinessaway。Thetroublewasthis:thismanmerelyPREACHEDtothepoor;thatisnottheUniversitySettlement’sway;itdealsinlargerandbetterthingsthanthat,anditdidnotenthuseoverthatcrudeSalvationArmyeloquence。ItwascourteoustoHolmebutcool。Itdidnotpethim,didnottakehimtoitsbosom。"PERISHEDWEREALLHIS

DREAMSOFDISTINCTION,THEPRAISEANDGRATEFULAPPROVAL"Ofwhom?TheSavior?No;theSaviorisnotmentioned。Ofwhom,then?Of"HisFELLOWWORKERS。"Whydidhewantthat?BecausetheMasterinsideofhimwantedit,andwouldnotbecontentwithoutit。Thatemphasizedsentencequotedabove,revealsthesecretwehavebeenseeking,theoriginalimpulse,theREAL

impulse,whichmovedtheobscureandunappreciatedAdirondacklumbermantosacrificehisfamilyandgoonthatcrusadetotheEastSidewhichsaidoriginalimpulsewasthis,towit:withoutknowingitHEWENTTHERETOSHOWANEGLECTEDWORLDTHELARGE

TALENTTHATWASINHIM,ANDRISETODISTINCTION。AsIhavewarnedyoubefore,NOactspringsfromanybuttheonelaw,theonemotive。ButIprayyou,donotacceptthislawuponmysay

so;butdiligentlyexamineforyourself。Wheneveryoureadofaselfsacrificingactorhearofone,orofadutydoneforDUTY’S

SAKE,takeittopiecesandlookfortheREALmotive。Itisalwaysthere。

Y。M。Idoiteveryday。Icannothelpit,nowthatIhavegottenstarteduponthedegradingandexasperatingquest。Foritishatefullyinteresting!infact,fascinatingistheword。AssoonasIcomeacrossagoldendeedinabookIhavetostopandtakeitapartandexamineit,Icannothelpmyself。

O。M。Haveyoueverfoundonethatdefeatedtherule?

Y。M。Noatleast,notyet。Buttakethecaseofservant

tippinginEurope。YoupaytheHOTELforservice;youowetheservantsNOTHING,yetyoupaythembesides。Doesn’tthatdefeatit?

O。M。Inwhatway?

Y。M。YouarenotOBLIGEDtodoit,thereforeitssourceiscompassionfortheirillpaidcondition,and

O。M。Hasthatcustomevervexedyou,annoyedyou,irritatedyou?

Y。M。Well,yes。

O。M。Stillyousuccumbedtoit?

Y。M。Ofcourse。

O。M。Whyofcourse?

Y。M。Well,customislaw,inaway,andlawsmustbesubmittedtoeverybodyrecognizesitasaDUTY。

O。M。ThenyoupayfortheirritatingtaxforDUTY’Ssake?

Y。M。Isupposeitamountstothat。

O。M。ThentheimpulsewhichmovesyoutosubmittothetaxisnotALLcompassion,charity,benevolence?

Y。M。Wellperhapsnot。

O。M。IsANYofit?

Y。M。IperhapsIwastoohastyinlocatingitssource。

O。M。Perhapsso。Incaseyouignoredthecustomwouldyougetpromptandeffectiveservicefromtheservants?

Y。M。Oh,hearyourselftalk!ThoseEuropeanservants?

Why,youwouldn’tgetanyofall,tospeakof。

O。M。Couldn’tTHATworkasanimpulsetomoveyoutopaythetax?

Y。M。Iamnotdenyingit。

O。M。Apparently,then,itisacaseofforduty’ssakewithalittleselfinterestadded?

Y。M。Yes,ithasthelookofit。Buthereisapoint:

wepaythattaxknowingittobeunjustandanextortion;yetwegoawaywithapainattheheartifwethinkwehavebeenstingywiththepoorfellows;andweheartilywishwewerebackagain,sothatwecoulddotherightthing,andMOREthantherightthing,theGENEROUSthing。Ithinkitwillbedifficultforyoutofindanythoughtofselfinthatimpulse。

O。M。Iwonderwhyyoushouldthinkso。WhenyoufindservicechargedintheHOTELbilldoesitannoyyou?

Y。M。No。

O。M。Doyouevercomplainoftheamountofit?

Y。M。No,itwouldnotoccurtome。

O。M。TheEXPENSE,then,isnottheannoyingdetail。Itisafixedcharge,andyoupayitcheerfully,youpayitwithoutamurmur。Whenyoucametopaytheservants,howwouldyoulikeitifeachofthemenandmaidshadafixedcharge?

Y。M。Likeit?Ishouldrejoice!

O。M。EvenifthefixedtaxwereashadeMOREthanyouhadbeeninthehabitofpayingintheformoftips?

Y。M。Indeed,yes!

O。M。Verywell,then。AsIunderstandit,itisn’treallycompassionnoryetdutythatmovesyoutopaythetax,anditisn’ttheAMOUNTofthetaxthatannoysyou。YetSOMETHING

annoysyou。Whatisit?

Y。M。Well,thetroubleis,youneverknowWHATtopay,thetaxvariesso,alloverEurope。

O。M。Soyouhavetoguess?

Y。M。Thereisnootherway。Soyougoonthinkingandthinking,andcalculatingandguessing,andconsultingwithotherpeopleandgettingtheirviews;anditspoilsyoursleepnights,andmakesyoudistraughtinthedaytime,andwhileyouarepretendingtolookatthesightsyouareonlyguessingandguessingandguessingallthetime,andbeingworriedandmiserable。

O。M。Andallaboutadebtwhichyoudon’toweanddon’thavetopayunlessyouwantto!Strange。Whatisthepurposeoftheguessing?

Y。M。Toguessoutwhatisrighttogivethem,andnotbeunfairtoanyofthem。

O。M。Ithasquiteanoblelooktakingsomuchpainsandusingupsomuchvaluabletimeinordertobejustandfairtoapoorservanttowhomyouowenothing,butwhoneedsmoneyandisillpaid。

Y。M。Ithink,myself,thatifthereisanyungraciousmotivebackofititwillbehardtofind。

O。M。Howdoyouknowwhenyouhavenotpaidaservantfairly?

Y。M。Why,heissilent;doesnotthankyou。Sometimeshegivesyoualookthatmakesyouashamed。Youaretooproudtorectifyyourmistakethere,withpeoplelooking,butafterwardyoukeeponwishingandwishingyouHADdoneit。My,theshameandthepainofit!Sometimesyousee,bythesigns,thatyouhaveitJUSTRIGHT,andyougoawaymightilysatisfied。

SometimesthemanissoeffusivelythankfulthatyouknowyouhavegivenhimagooddealMOREthanwasnecessary。

O。M。NECESSARY?Necessaryforwhat?

Y。M。Tocontenthim。

O。M。HowdoyoufeelTHEN?

Y。M。Repentant。

O。M。ItismybeliefthatyouhaveNOTbeenconcerningyourselfinguessingouthisjustdues,butonlyincipheringoutwhatwouldCONTENThim。AndIthinkyouhaveaselfdeludingreasonforthat。

Y。M。Whatwasit?

O。M。Ifyoufellshortofwhathewasexpectingandwanting,youwouldgetalookwhichwouldSHAMEYOUBEFOREFOLK。

ThatwouldgiveyouPAIN。YOUforyouareonlyworkingforyourself,notHIM。IfyougavehimtoomuchyouwouldbeASHAMED

OFYOURSELFforit,andthatwouldgiveYOUpainanothercaseofthinkingofYOURSELF,protectingyourself,SAVINGYOURSELFFROM

DISCOMFORT。YouneverthinkoftheservantonceexcepttoguessouthowtogetHISAPPROVAL。Ifyougetthat,yougetyourOWN

approval,andthatisthesoleandonlythingyouareafter。TheMasterinsideofyouisthensatisfied,contented,comfortable;

therewasNOOTHERthingatstake,asamatterofFIRSTinterest,anywhereinthetransaction。

FurtherInstancesY。M。Well,tothinkofit;SelfSacrificeforothers,thegrandestthinginman,ruledout!nonexistent!

O。M。Areyouaccusingmeofsayingthat?

Y。M。Why,certainly。

O。M。Ihaven’tsaidit。

Y。M。Whatdidyousay,then?

O。M。Thatnomanhaseversacrificedhimselfinthecommonmeaningofthatphrasewhichis,selfsacrificeforanotherALONE。Menmakedailysacrificesforothers,butitisfortheirownsakeFIRST。TheactmustcontenttheirownspiritFIRST。

Theotherbeneficiariescomesecond。

Y。M。Andthesamewithdutyforduty’ssake?

O。M。Yes。Nomanperformsadutyformereduty’ssake;theactmustcontenthisspiritFIRST。HemustfeelbetterforDOINGthedutythanhewouldforshirkingit。Otherwisehewillnotdoit。

Y。M。TakethecaseoftheBERKELEYCASTLE。

O。M。Itwasanobleduty,greatlyperformed。Takeittopiecesandexamineit,ifyoulike。

Y。M。ABritishtroopshipcrowdedwithsoldiersandtheirwivesandchildren。Shestruckarockandbegantosink。Therewasroomintheboatsforthewomenandchildrenonly。Thecolonellineduphisregimentonthedeckandsaid"itisourdutytodie,thattheymaybesaved。"Therewasnomurmur,noprotest。Theboatscarriedawaythewomenandchildren。Whenthedeathmomentwascome,thecolonelandhisofficerstooktheirseveralposts,themenstoodatshoulderarms,andso,asondressparade,withtheirflagflyingandthedrumsbeating,theywentdown,asacrificetodutyforduty’ssake。Canyouviewitasotherthanthat?

O。M。Itwassomethingasfineasthat,asexaltedasthat。

Couldyouhaveremainedinthoseranksandgonedowntoyourdeathinthatunflinchingway?

Y。M。CouldI?No,Icouldnot。

O。M。Think。Imagineyourselfthere,withthatwaterydoomcreepinghigherandhigheraroundyou。

Y。M。Icanimagineit。Ifeelallthehorrorofit。Icouldnothaveenduredit,Icouldnothaveremainedinmyplace。

Iknowit。

O。M。Why?

Y。M。Thereisnowhyaboutit:Iknowmyself,andIknowI

couldn’tDOit。

O。M。ButitwouldbeyourDUTYtodoit。

Y。M。Yes,IknowbutIcouldn’t。

O。M。Itwasmorethanthousandmen,yetnotoneofthemflinched。Someofthemmusthavebeenbornwithyourtemperament;iftheycoulddothatgreatdutyforduty’sSAKE,whynotyou?Don’tyouknowthatyoucouldgooutandgathertogetherathousandclerksandmechanicsandputthemonthatdeckandaskthemtodieforduty’ssake,andnottwodozenofthemwouldstayintherankstotheend?

Y。M。Yes,Iknowthat。

O。M。ButyourTRAINthem,andputthemthroughacampaignortwo;thentheywouldbesoldiers;soldiers,withasoldier’spride,asoldier’sselfrespect,asoldier’sideals。TheywouldhavetocontentaSOLDIER’Sspiritthen,notaclerk’s,notamechanic’s。Theycouldnotcontentthatspiritbyshirkingasoldier’sduty,couldthey?

Y。M。Isupposenot。

O。M。ThentheywoulddothedutynotfortheDUTY’Ssake,butfortheirOWNsakeprimarily。TheDUTYwasJUSTTHESAME,andjustasimperative,whentheywereclerks,mechanics,rawrecruits,buttheywouldn’tperformitforthat。Asclerksandmechanicstheyhadotherideals,anotherspirittosatisfy,andtheysatisfiedit。TheyHADto;itisthelaw。TRAININGispotent。Trainingtowardhigherandhigher,andeverhigheridealsisworthanyman’sthoughtandlaboranddiligence。

Y。M。Considerthemanwhostandsbyhisdutyandgoestothestakeratherthanberecreanttoit。

O。M。Itishismakeandhistraining。Hehastocontentthespiritthatisinhim,thoughitcosthimhislife。Anotherman,justassincerelyreligious,butofdifferenttemperament,willfailofthatduty,thoughrecognizingitasaduty,andgrievingtobeunequaltoit:buthemustcontentthespiritthatisinhimhecannothelpit。Hecouldnotperformthatdutyforduty’sSAKE,forthatwouldnotcontenthisspirit,andthecontentingofhisspiritmustbelookedtoFIRST。Ittakesprecedenceofallotherduties。

Y。M。Takethecaseofaclergymanofstainlessprivatemoralswhovotesforathiefforpublicoffice,onhisownparty’sticket,andagainstanhonestmanontheotherticket。

O。M。Hehastocontenthisspirit。Hehasnopublicmorals;hehasnoprivateones,wherehisparty’sprosperityisatstake。Hewillalwaysbetruetohismakeandtraining。

IV

TrainingYoungMan。Youkeepusingthatwordtraining。Byitdoyouparticularlymean

OldMan。Study,instruction,lectures,sermons?Thatisapartofitbutnotalargepart。ImeanALLtheoutsideinfluences。Thereareamillionofthem。Fromthecradletothegrave,duringallhiswakinghours,thehumanbeingisundertraining。IntheveryfirstrankofhistrainersstandsASSOCIATION。Itishishumanenvironmentwhichinfluenceshismindandhisfeelings,furnisheshimhisideals,andsetshimonhisroadandkeepshiminit。Ifheleavethatroadhewillfindhimselfshunnedbythepeoplewhomhemostlovesandesteems,andwhoseapprovalhemostvalues。Heisachameleon;bythelawofhisnaturehetakesthecolorofhisplaceofresort。Theinfluencesabouthimcreatehispreferences,hisaversions,hispolitics,histastes,hismorals,hisreligion。Hecreatesnoneofthesethingsforhimself。HeTHINKShedoes,butthatisbecausehehasnotexaminedintothematter。YouhaveseenPresbyterians?

Y。M。Many。

关闭