Article September 2, 1950 Issue

THE VALUE OF MODESTY

CLARA ARMITAGE BROWN

MODESTY, unassuming and unpretentious, is a spiritual quality, one of the graces of Christian character. It invariably accompanies spiritual power. Unobtrusive and unboastful, modesty never thrusts a personal sense of self into the foreground. It restrains one from overrating one's own achievements or from seeking unmerited recognition and position.

Failure to be modest betrays a lack of spiritual strength. When anyone departs from the humble acknowledgment of the divine source of all good and seeks to aggrandize self, he loses his grasp on real power. Moses pointed out the need to be alert that we do not become personally puffed up over the unfoldment of good in human experience. He wrote (Deut. 8:11-14, 17, 18), "Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments ... lest ... when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; then thine heart be lifted up ... and thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day."

In the verses which follow, Moses points out that if one does not pursue the course of willing subordination to Truth, disaster is the outcome. In order to escape reversal and disappointment and to experience the grandeur and permanency of good, self-aggrandizement must give way to true self-respect, gained through diligent effort and humble devotion to duty. There is no place for ostentation, vanity, veneer, or glitter in the demonstration of spiritual truth.

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