Lessons on Character and Conduct
By Jos. Clarke
Some of the greatest inventions have been made by men in humble life. Distinguished men have often sprung from a humble origin, and merit is often bred in adversity. No matter how great your talents are, unless you have fortitude to bear life's ills, and courage for its battles, you must be content with mediocrity, or something less. A spirit that can do right when it is not customary to do right, and that can pleasantly and bravely endure the scorn of the multitude, which comes in consequence of such right action, is above price. David's respect for Saul and his posterity, as the Lord's anointed, both while Saul was living and afterward, continually teaches a lesson, heavenly and divine. It shows children of imperfect parents how to honor their parents by speaking of their virtues, and maintaining perfect silence as to opposite qualities. And may there not be a lesson here for all to learn in respect to their deportment toward their superiors? He who is ignorant of any part of the Old Testament, is so far incapacitated to understand the principles of the New Testament. Thought generally runs in the grooves of habit, and these habits are of our own manufacture. Right habits of action naturally lead to right modes of thought, and wrong habits of life lead in an opposite direction. Thus we see the idolater justifies the worship of images, and the tobacco and opium eaters, with equal folly, discuss the virtues of the poisons they use. Error in action produces error in reasoning. This is what makes men idiots. Children should be absent from church trials: should never hear neighborhood rumors: nor read details of crimes. Keep their passions calm. Do not rouse their prejudice, or their anger. These will develop at best too soon. Evil is indigenous. Do not allow strangers and careless people to relate stories, and rumor of evil tendency, at your table, in the presence of your children. Indeed it would be well, to be choice in selecting proper topics of conversation at all times, in all places. But there are subjects, proper and appropriate for discussion among those of mature age which are wholly unfit for the ears of children. Humility has a wondrous effect, in helping us to bear real trials, and in dissipating imaginary clouds of darkness. The doctrines and learning derived from the Bible, are the best remedy for narrow mindedness. There is but a half-step, between jealousy and false accusation. If you would not do wrong you must not speak evil; and if you would avoid evil speaking, you must avoid the evil thought. A man's life, is only an advertisement of the state of his heart. Unless a man has a little self-conceit, he will be worthless to himself and others; but if he has too much of this article, it will often expose him to the disgust and contempt of his cotemporaries. Self-conceited people generally think too highly of their own virtues, and too little of their own frailties; but they generally measure others in an opposite scale: that is, they magnify others' faults, and depreciate their virtues: thus you see, self-conceit perverts the judgment, often making its possessor ridiculous.