Article July 30, 1910 Issue

GETTING RID OF DIFFICULTIES

WILLIAM HART SPENCER.

Foreign matter in the working parts of a machine interferes with its smooth running, and to the extent of the impairment it is an impediment, and hinders the purpose for which the machine was intended; therefore the competent machinist is alert to such an obstruction, and searches it out in order to remove it. So, too, unwarranted things in our mentality prove a clog to aspiring sense, the instinct for betterment. They deaden the moral incentive, and interfere with the activity of conscience. An awakened conscience is of the first importance, for it is only through the quickening of this element in our humanity that we are able to see the imperfections in our lives. Until these are seen, the necessity for correction is not apparent, and the false testimony of the senses will still pose in the garb of truth.

The outrageous conditions which are made plain by an awakened conscience may leave one in a deplorable state, unless the uncovering leads to that activity which finds a way of deliverance. In itself the awakening seems to accomplish nothing, beyond giving us an exaggerated view of the undesirable. It may be possible under these conditions for one to develop a tolerable patience; nevertheless this is seldom more than an element of stoicism, which comes from the feeling that there is no way out. Beyond a certain limit such a stimulus is non-effective, and mortal-mind philosophy fails to answer the purpose. If we gain the true incentive, the very longing to break away from an unsatisfactory mental environment aids us in our endeavors to overcome in our character those things which, presumably through lack of understanding, are the cause of our bondage to old beliefs and habits, and through such efforts we come into a stronger light, where the difficulty becomes plainly evident on self-examination. Possibly it is something which has hindered for years, but, not being recognized as a hindrance, no effort has been made to eradicate it; or it may be that we have simply been indifferent and careless, and the enemy has sown tares while we slept.

When approaching an obstacle in character building, it would be ludicrous, if it were not so pathetic, to note how daintily and ephemerally it is often touched upon by the very ones who, in the attempt to overcome obstacles to material success, can deal such sledge-hammer blows. The salient obstacles at least must be brought to light and conquered, before there can be that poise which will admit of our advance as a whole. If one has the desire for spiritual growth, he cannot look for a condition of ease, since every effort, in proportion to its success, seems to precipitate an assault of the enemy. An honest attempt to throw off the shackles of mortal mind belief requires strenuous effort on our part, for while "it is God that worketh" in us, it is demanded that we work out our own salvation.

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