Editorial July 1, 1916 Issue

Suppression Is Not Cure

William D. McCrackan

Reformers of various kinds, religious, social, political, or economic, frequently make the mistake of supposing that the suppression of evils is their cure. The outward evidences of evil having been driven from the field, the assumption has been in these cases that the evils themselves have disappeared. In practice this method has only made the belief of evil more subtle. Merely to send evil into hiding through the agency of fear, actually results in postponing the final, necessary destruction of it. In the mean time evil tends to assume new forms, designed to baffle pursuit. Therefore to suppress outward evidences of sin, and yet leave sin itself untouched, is to perform a doubtful service for mankind, or rather no service at all.

To cover over the evidences of disease instead of healing it, is to expose the patient to an outbreak in some other quarter. To store up in consciousness some grievance, even though this may seem justifiable according to human reasoning, is to pave the way for some latent trouble which may burst forth in malignant mental, moral, or physical conditions. Many a so-called incurable condition has arisen from this tendency of the human mind to retain in secret the evil thoughts which ought to come to the surface for extinction. Individuals should have the moral courage to face bravely all forms of false thinking and to destroy them before they have a chance to take root in consciousness and become settled habits. The attempt to force an outward peace upon a discordant organization or upon the world at large, before the seeds of fratricide latent in human consciousness have been uncovered and their destruction has been undertaken, merely results in suppressing tendencies which must eventually burst forth in some more subtle form.

The clamor for "peace, peace; when there is no peace," proceeds from a desire for ease in matter, in error; from an abhorrence, on the part of the flesh, of being disturbed. The evil thinker cries out, "Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?" The basis of all such cries for a false ease in matter is to be found in the belief that life is resident in matter. This belief is opposed to the understanding that God is the Life of man. Truth will not let error remain at peace. Truth is constantly disturbing false beliefs, and moving them off. Truth and error will never be at ease with each other; they can never proclaim a mutual peace. Not even an armistice can be concluded between them. It is a fight to the annihilation of the error.

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