THE LEVER THAT MOVES THE WORLD
The power of truth can scarcely be overestimated, and the mind that
earnestly seeks it becomes noble in its noble quest. If this can be said
of truth in the abstract, and in its humbler manifestations, how
omnipotent truth becomes in its grandest culmination and embodied in a
being capable of inspiring our profoundest fear and deepest love. One
may accept of religious forms and philosophies, and be little changed
thereby. One may be perfectly saturated with ecclesiasticism, and still
continue a small-natured man. But the man that accepts of Jesus Christ
as a personal and living teacher, as did the fishermen of Galilee, that
man begins to grow large and noble, brave and patient.
Egbert Haldane has been sketched as an ordinary youth. There are
thousands like him who have been warped and marred by early influences,
but more seriously injured by a personal and wilful yielding to whatever
form of evil proved attractive. The majority are not so unwary or so
unfortunate as he was; but multitudes, for whom society has
comparatively little criticism, are more vitiated at heart, more
cold-blooded and deliberate in their evil. One may form a base
character, but maintain an outward respectability; but let him not be
very complacent over the decorous and conventional veneer which masks
him from the world. If one imagines that he can corrupt his own soul and
make it the abiding-place of foul thoughts, mean impulses, and
shrivelling selfishness, and yet go forward very far in God's universe
without meeting overwhelming disaster, he will find himself thoroughly
mistaken.
The sin of another man finds him out in swift sequence upon its
committal, and such had been Haldane's experience. He had been taught
promptly the nature of the harvest which evil produces inevitably.
The terrible consequences of sin prevent and deter from it in many
instances, but they have no very great reformatory power it would seem.
Multitudes to-day are _in extremis_ from destroying vices, and
recognize the fact; but so far from reacting upward into virtue, even
after vice (save in the intent of the heart) has ceased to be possible,
there seems to be a moral inertia which nothing moves, or a reckless and
increasing impetus downward.
It would appear that, in order to save the sinful, a strong, and yet
gentle and loving, hand must be laid upon them. The stern grasp of
justice, the grip of pain, law--human and divine--with its severe
penalties, and conscience re-echoing its thunders, all lead too often to
despondency, recklessness, and despair. It would be difficult to imagine
a worse hell than vice often digs for its votaries, even in this world;
and in spite of all human philosophies, and human wishes to the
contrary, it remains a fact that the guilty soul trembles at a worse
hereafter, and yet no sufferings, no fears, no fate can so appall as to
turn the soul from its infatuation with that which is destroying it.
More potent than commands, threats, and their dire fulfilment, is love,
which wins and entreats back to virtue the man whom even Omnipotence
could not drive back.
In the flood God overwhelmed the sinful world in sudden destruction, but
the race continued sinning all the same. At last God came among men, and
shared in their lot and nature. He taught them, he sympathized with
them, he loved them, he died for them, and when the wondrous story is
told as it should be, the most reckless pause to listen, the most
callous are touched, and those who would otherwise despair in their
guilt are led to believe that there is a heart large and tender enough
to pity and save even such as the world is ready to spurn into a
dishonored grave.
The love of God as manifested in Christ of Nazareth is doing more for
humanity than all other influences combined. The best and noblest
elements of our civilization can be traced either directly or indirectly
to him, and shadows brood heavily over both the lands and hearts that
neither know nor care for him.
It would seem, then, that not the wrath of God, but his love, is most
effective in separating men from the evil which would otherwise destroy
them. God could best manifest this love by becoming a man "made like
unto his brethren"; for the love of God is ever best taught and best
understood, not as a doctrine, but when embodied in some large-hearted
and Christlike person.
Such a person most emphatically was Mrs. Arnot; and because of these
divine characteristics her gentle, womanly hand became more potent to
save young Haldane than were all the powers of evil and the downward
impetus of a bad life to destroy.
How very many, like him, might be saved, were more women of tact and
culture, large-hearted also and willing to give a part of their time to
such noble uses!
By a personal and human ministry, the method that has ever been most
effective in God's providence, Haldane was at last brought into close,
intimate relations with the Divine Teacher himself. He was led to look
away from his own fitful emotions and vague experiences to One who was
his strong and unchanging friend. He was led to take as his daily guide
and teacher the One who developed Peter the fisherman, Paul the bigot,
Luther the ignorant monk, into what they eventually became, and it was
not strange, therefore, that his crude, misshapen character should
gradually assume the outlines of moral symmetry, and that strength
should take the place of weakness. He commenced to learn by experience
the truth which many never half believe, that God is as willing to
lovingly fashion the spiritual life of some humble follower as he is to
shape the destiny of those who are to be famous in the annals of the
church and the world.
To Haldane's surprise he was not discharged from his humble position in
Mr. Ivison's employ, and the explanation, which soon afterward appeared,
gave him great encouragement. The man whom he had so severely punished
in his outburst of passion, vented his spite by giving to the _Morning
Courier_ an exaggerated and distorted account of the affair, in which
the youth was made to exchange places with himself, and appear as a
coarse, quarrelsome bully.
When Haldane's attention was called to the paragraph his face flushed
with indignation as he read it; but he threw the paper down and went to
his work without a word of comment. He had already about despaired of
anything like justice or friendly recognition from the public, and he
turned from this additional wrong with a feeling not far removed from
indifference. He was learning the value of Mrs. Arnot's suggestion, that
a consciousness of one's own integrity can do more to sustain than the
world's opinion, and her words on the previous evening had taught him
how a companionship, and eventually a character, might be won that could
compensate him for all that he had lost or might suffer.
His persecutor was, therefore, disappointed in seeing how little
annoyance his spite occasioned, nor was his equanimity increased by a
message from Mr. Ivison ordering his instant discharge.
The following morning the foreman of the room in which Haldane worked
came to him with quite a show of friendliness, and said:
"It seems ye're in luck, for the boss takes an interest in ye. Read
that; I wouldn't a' thought it."
Hope sprang up anew in the young man's breast as he read the following
words:
EDITOR COURIER.--_Dear Sir:_ You will doubtless give space for this
correction in regard to the fracas which took place in my factory a day
or two since. You, with all right-minded men, surely desire that no
injustice should be done to any one in any circumstances. Very great
injustice was done to young Haldane in your issue of to-day. I have
taken pains to inform myself accurately, and have learned that he
patiently submitted to a petty persecution for a long time, and at last
gave way to natural anger under a provocation such as no man of spirit
could endure. His tormentor, a coarse, ill-conditioned fellow, was
justly punished, and I have discharged him from my employ. I have
nothing to offer in extenuation of young Haldane's past faults, and, if
I remember correctly, the press of the city has always been fully as
severe upon him as the occasion demanded. If any further space is given
to his fortunes, justice at least, not to say a little encouraging
kindness, should be accorded to him, as well as severity. It should be
stated that for weeks he has been trying to earn an honest livelihood,
and in a situation peculiarly trying to him I have been told that he
sincerely wishes to reform and live a cleanly and decent life, and I
have obtained evidence that satisfies me of the truth of this report. It
appears to me that it is as mean a thing for newspapers to strike a man
who is down, but who is endeavoring to rise again, as it is for an
individual to do so, and I am sure that you will not consciously permit
your journal to give any such sinister blow. Respectfully yours, John
Ivison.
In editorial comment came the following brief remark:
We gladly give Mr. Ivison's communication a prominent place. It is not
our intention to "strike" any one, but merely to record each day's
events as they come to us. With the best intentions mistakes are
sometimes made. We have no possible motive for not wishing young Haldane
well--we do wish him success in achieving a better future than his past
actions have led us to expect. The city would be much better off if all
of his class were equally ready to go to work.
Here at least was some recognition. The fact that he was working, and
willing to work, had been plainly stated, and this fact is an essential
foundation-stone in the building up of a reputation which the world will
respect.
Although the discharge of the leading persecutor, and Mr. Ivison's
letter, did not add to Haldane's popularity at the mill, they led to his
being severely let alone at first, and an increasingly frank and affable
manner on the part of the young man, as he gained in patience and
serenity, gradually disarmed those who were not vindictive and blind
from prejudice.
Poor Mrs. Haldane seemed destined to be her son's evil genius to the
end. When people take a false view of life there seems a fatality in all
their actions. The very fact that they are not in accord with what is
right and true causes the most important steps of their lives to appear
ill-timed, injudicious, and unnatural. That they are well-meaning and
sincere does not help matters much, if both tact and sound principles
are wanting. Mrs. Haldane belonged to the class that are sure that
everything is right which seems right to them. True, it was a queer
little jumble of religious prejudices and conventional notions that
combined to produce her conclusions; but when once they were reached, no
matter how absurd or defective they appeared to others, she had no more
doubt of them than of the Copernican system.
Her motherly feelings had made her willing to take her son to some
hiding-place in Europe; but since that could not be, and perhaps was not
best, she had thoroughly settled it in her mind that he should accept of
her offer and live at her expense the undemonstrative life of an oyster
in the social and moral ooze of the obscurest mud-bank he could find. In
this way the terrible world might be led to eventually leave off talking
and thinking of the Haldane family--a consummation that appeared to her
worth any sacrifice. When the morning paper brought another vile story
(copied from the Hillaton "Courier") of her son's misdoings, her adverse
view of his plans and character was confirmed beyond the shadow of a
doubt. She felt that there was a fatality about the place and its
associations for him, and her one hope was to get him away.
She cut the article from the paper and inclosed it to him with the
accompanying note:
"We go to New York this afternoon, and sail for Europe to-morrow. You
send us in parting a characteristic souvenir, which I return to you. The
scenes and associations indicated in this disgraceful paragraph seem
more to your taste than those which your family have hitherto enjoyed as
their right for many generations. While this remains true, you, of
necessity, cut yourself off from your kindred, and we, who are most
closely connected, must remain where our names cannot be associated with
yours. I still cherish the hope, however, that you may find the way of
the transgressor so hard that you will be brought by your bitter
experience to accept of my offer and give the world a chance to forget
your folly and wickedness. When you will do this in good faith (and my
lawyer will see that it is done in good faith), you may draw on him for
the means of a comfortable support. In bitter shame and sorrow, your
mother,
"EMILY HALDANE."
This letter was a severe blow to her son, for it contained the last
words of the mother that he might not see for years. While he felt it to
be cruelly unjust to him and his present aims, he was calm enough now to
see that the distorted paragraph which led to it fitted in only too well
with the past, and so had the coloring of truth. When inclined to blame
his mother for not waiting for his versions of these miserable events
and accepting of them alone, he was compelled to remember that she was
in part awakened from her blind idolatry of him by the discovery of his
efforts to deceive her in regard to his increasing dissipation. Even
before he had entered Mr. Arnot's counting-room he had taught her to
doubt his word, and now she had evidently lost confidence in him
utterly. He foresaw that this confidence could be regained only by years
of patient well-doing, and that she might incline to believe in him more
slowly even than comparative strangers. But he was not disposed to be
very angry and resentful, for he now had but little confidence in
himself. He had been led, however, by his bitter experience and by Mrs.
Arnot's faithful ministry to adopt that lady's brief but comprehensive
creed, He was learning to trust in Christ as an all-powerful and
personal friend; he was daily seeking to grasp the principles which
Christ taught, but more clearly acted out, and which are essential to
the formation of a noble character. He had thus complied with the best
conditions of spiritual growth; and the crude elements of his character,
which had been rendered more chaotic by evil, slowly began to shape
themselves into the symmetry of a true man.
In regard to his mother's letter, all that he could do was to inclose to
her, with the request that it be forwarded, Mr. Ivison's defence of him,
which appeared in the "Courier" of the following morning.
"You perceive," he wrote, "that a stranger has taken pains to inform
himself correctly in regard to the facts of the case, and that he has
for me some charity and hope. I do not excuse the wrong of my action on
that occasion or on any other, but I do wish, and I am trying, to do
better, and I hope to prove the same to you by years of patient effort.
I may fail miserably, however, as you evidently believe. The fact that
my folly and wickedness have driven you and my sisters into exile, is a
very great sorrow to me, but compliance with your request that I should
leave Hillaton and go into hiding would bring no remedy at all. I know
that I should do worse anywhere else, and my self-respect and conscience
both require that I should fight the battle of my life out here where I
have suffered such disgraceful defeat."