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WE BELIEVE in no Magic which transcends the scope and capacity of the human mind, nor in "miracles," whether divine or diabolical, if such imply a transgression of the laws of nature instituted from all eternity. Nevertheless, we accept the saying of the gifted author of Festus, that the human heart has not yet fully uttered itself, and that we have never attained or even understood the extent of its powers. Is it too much to believe that man should be developing new sensibilities and a closer relation with nature? The logic of evolution must teach as much, if carried to its legitimate conclusions. If, somewhere, in the line of ascent from vegetable or ascidian, to the noblest man, a soul was evolved, gifted with intellectual qualities, it cannot be unreasonable to infer and believe that a faculty of perception is also growing in man, enabling him to descry facts and truths even beyond our ordinary ken.

-H. P. Blavatsky

NEW OUTLOOK

LIGHT AND FINE

How they ever made a deacon out of Jerry Marble I never could imagine! His was the kindest heart that ever bubbled and ran over. He was elastic, tough, incessantly active, and a prodigious. worker. He seemed never to tire, but after the longest day's toil, he sprang up the moment he had done with work, as if he were a fine steel spring. A few hours' sleep sufficed him and he saw the morning stars the year round. His weazened face was leather color, but forever dimpling and changing to keep some sort of congruity between itself and his eyes, that winked and blinked and spilled over with merry good nature. He always seemed afflicted when obliged to be sober. He had been known to laugh in meeting on several occasions, although he ran his face behind his handkerchief, and coughed, as if that was the matter, yet nobody believed it. Once, in a hot summer day, he saw Deacon Trowbridge, a sober and fat man, of great sobriety, gradually ascending from the bodily state into that spiritual condition called sleep. He was blameless of the act. He had struggled against the temptation with the whole virtue of a deacon. He had eaten two or three heads of fennel in vain, and a piece of orange peel. He had stirred him

self up, and fixed his eyes on the minister with intense firmness, only to have them grow gradually narrower and milder. If he held his head up firmly, it would with a sudden lapse fall away over backward. If he leaned it a little forward, it would drop suddenly into his bosom. At each nod, recovering himself, he would nod again, with his eyes wide open, to impress upon the boys that he did it on purpose both times.

In what other painful event of life has a good man so little sympathy as when overcome with sleep in meeting time? Against the insidious seduction he arrays every conceivable resistance. He stands up awhile; he pinches himself, or pricks himself with pins. He looks up helplessly to the pulpit as if some succor might come thence. He crosses his legs uncomfortably, and attempts to recite the catechism or the multiplication table. He seizes a languid fan, which treacherously leaves him in a calm. He tries to reason, to notice the phenomena. Oh, that one could carry his pew to bed with him! What tossing wakefulness there! What fiery chase after somnolency! In his lawful bed a man cannot sleep, and in his pew he cannot keep awake! Happy man who does

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not sleep in church! Deacon Trow-
bridge was not that man. Deacon
Marble was!

Deacon Marble witnessed the
conflict we have sketched above,
and when good Mr. Trowbridge
gave his next lurch, recovering
himself with a snort, and then
drew out a red handkerchief and
blew his nose with a loud imita-
tion, as if to let the boys know
that he had not been asleep, poor
Deacon Marble was brought to a
sore strait. But I have reason to
think that he would have weather-
ed the stress if it had not been
for a sweet-faced little boy in the
front of the gallery. The lad had
been innocently watching the same
scene, and at its climax laughed
out loud, with a frank and musical
explosion, and then suddenly dis-
appeared backward into his
mother's lap. That laugh was just
too much, and Deacon Marble
could no more help laughing than
could Deacon Trowbridge help
sleeping. Nor could he conceal it.
help
Though he coughed and put up
his handkerchief and hemmed-it
was a laugh-Deacon!-and every
boy in the house knew it, and liked
you better for it-so inexperienc-
ed were they.

-Henry Ward Beecher

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In reply to a Congressman who quoted Henry Clay's famous statement, "I'd rather be right than be president," Thomas B. Reed (1839-1902) retorted: "The gentleman need not worry. He will never be either."

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The distribution of patronage has always given headaches to Presidents, members of Congress and state and local party chieftains. Lincoln, when his term began, was so badgered by officeseekers, of whom he could reward only a few, that, informed by his doctor he had a mild case of smallpox, the president said: "Now I have something I can give everybody."

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At the wedding anniversary of a railway magnate one of the guests noticing a somewhat lonely looking and rather shabbily attired man in one corner of the parlor, walked over and sat down near him.

"I was introduced to you," said he, "but I did not catch your name."

"My name," replied the other, "is Swaddleford."

"Oh, then, you are a relative of our host?"

"Yes," rejoined the "poor relation," with a grin, "I am his cousin, five hundred thousand dollars removed."

NEW OUTLOOK

Honesty Is Strength

Arthur E. Morgan

Author, former President of Antioch College, former Chairman of T. V. A.

JEFFERSON SAID, "The whole art of government consists of the art of being honest." This is especially near the truth in a democracy. The chief reason democracy does not fully succeed is that honesty does not fully prevail. When official agencies make reports, not to convey the truth, but to promote the regime in power, and when opposing propaganda is similarly warped, how can the people judge?

If American propaganda over the world were always impartially truthful, foreign lies would fail. Honesty is power, at home and abroad.

THE EMERGENCE OF HONESTY

Honesty is a human discovery. It does not prevail in nature. The mother quail, in order to protect her young, limps away as though she were injured. The opossum feigns death when it is captured. The variety of this kind of deceit in the animal world is almost limitless.

Nature deceives man. To promote racial continuity, it gives adolescents inborn assurance that getting a mate brings lasting felicity.

In primitive society successful trickery is admired except as social controls have established moral standards. Throughout most of history the rulers of men in government and religion have freely used deceit to promote fealty.

Honesty is a fairly recent achievement of man. Though not yet fully established as a general principle of action, it is gradually becoming a chief source of human strength and value.

THE SPY SYSTEM

We admire integrity and despise one who betrays confidence; yet in both the domestic and foreign spy systems of our government we deliberately include deceit in our working philosophy. Men are trained and paid by our government to develop intimate, confidential, personal relationships, and then to betray such confidence "in the public interest." In a democracy the people are a party to this practice, become infected with it.

We say spying is a necessary evil. Yet the very essence of ethical action is adherence to standards notwithstanding interest or neces

sity.

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Espionage is an ancient art, a carry-over from the age of despotism. In India more than fifteen hundred years ago the Arthashastra of Kautilya codified the prevailing systems of government which were based on espionage, deceit, and betrayal. Russia did not invent her elaborate espionage system. She continued an ancient tradition. America in the new world started largely free from that inheritance and showed marvelous creativeness as compared with the intrigue-burdened East; but we are increasingly taking over principles which give value to hu

persists, not chiefly because it outwits exposure, but because political parties and public officials shelter it, and private individuals subsidize it. The occasional bit of foreign information that we get by spying is probably far less than the information that we could secure by persistent, honest search. Spying is a stupid practice that is inherited from the age of despotism and shares its character.

that ancient art.

There are two counts against the practice of espionage. First, it is debasing to the human spirit; it is destructive of both personal and civic self-respect. To sometimes fail to maintain the accepted standards of honesty is one thing; but for Americans intentionally to give deceit and betrayal an accept ed place in our life values and to employ public servants for the explicit purpose of practicing deceit and betrayal of confidence are quite another thing. For it incorporates those traits in our own national character.

Second, the practice of espionage is a relatively ineffective one. Its necessity and efficiency are largely a myth. The same effort and the same expense in open, thoroughgoing investigation would accomplish more. Organized crime

THE VALUE OF HONESTY

There are two chief attitudes or

man society. One is love-expressed in the desire for the other's

good. The other is honesty, which is the ultimate of economy in human relations. So far as people can trust each other they need selves against misrepresentation, give no effort to protecting themto penetrating deceit, or to cirof energy and the release of procumventing each other. The saving ductive power which follow the practice of general honesty are very great. Among nations, those become most trusted that are most trustworthy. This is true even of enemies. Increase of honesty follows from its persistent practice under adverse circumstances.

sistency for his life. The essence Every man craves unity and con

of human association is confidence. Practice of deceit creates inner inconsistency, tending to destroy inner peace and self-respect. As

NEW OUTLOOK

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