Editorial August 3, 1918 Issue

Heavenly Aspiration

William P. McKenzie

The words of that universal friend and "mother in Israel," Mary Baker Eddy, remain to inspire every reader of them. She says (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 198): "When wholly governed by the one perfect Mind, man has no sinful thoughts and will have no desire to sin."

It is evident that the action of the wrongdoer gives only partial evidence of the wrong which he thinks. He does not act out every evil plan he devises, but his mind is engaged, if he is a sinner, with sinful thoughts which are of the nature of evil plans. This evil scheming the prophet Micah denounces, saying, "Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand."

There is a homely saying which is illustrative, "He that drinks beer thinks beer." Some men were once declaring their ambitions and desires, and one who might have been expected to have thoughts reaching upward to great things confessed to his sole desire to sit on an ale house bench all day long in a pleasant beery stupor. Working upon such latent desires in many men the brewers plan to subjugate whole nations, and for their own profit will not only stupefy and brutalize the adult manhood of the people, but will also lay traps for the youth of the land, for the very school children, to induce a taste for drink which will provide new patrons for the saloon or taproom. Not only that, they will by way of conspiracy against righteousness in the land proceed in entire disregard of such counsel as is given in Proverbs: "Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee." It is becoming known that out of the immense profits made by selling for a price something inherently valueless large expenditures have been made through hired politicians and the venal press to pervert the views of citizens and befuddle their sense of loyalty. It is now with those who plot as it was when David complained of such wrongful dealing in his time, "They speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land."

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