points to that sane and reasonable conclusion.
So be it, with a belief in the future estate, it is reasonable to assume
that our acts and lives in the present estate will have influence on our
future estate.
We know positively of today, and the happiness we can get from good
deeds done today.
If we will have power in the future to look back to today's acts, well
and good, if today's acts are worth while.
The other view that eternity is everything and the present is nothing is
the antiquated view, the narrow view; the, I might say, illiterate view.
That view warps the present life; it calls for present
self-chastisement, present gloom, present sorrow and present misery.
It takes the tangible definite today, calls it nothing, and accepts the
intangible unknown eternity as everything.
It trades the definite for the indefinite. It calls life a bubble, a
vapor, a shadow. In fact, it makes gloom on today's sunshine and puts
its believers into a purgatory; a dismal unhappy punishment antechamber
where man exists and waits peeping out of his cell windows for a little
imagined view of eternity.
He waits and endures the unpleasant interval, steeled against definite
pleasures and evident life of today, and worried into an intoxicated
colored belief in the expected happiness of the undefined future.
He refuses to think of definite life of today and spoils the thought of
those who do.
He is a blockade to progress, a disagreeable part of life's picture.
He gets no happiness in the today which is in his hands, he loses this
opportunity during his definite existence, and lives on future hopes in
a future state which no man today knows what it will be.
Both theories as ultimate beliefs are wrong, yet each has some truth in
its conclusion.
By taking the words eternity and present and saying both means
everything, we avoid extremes and form a truth that is rational, and
harmonious to good reason.
The man who says present is all does so because he is an utilitarian. He
acts on the definite and refuses to believe in the abstract. Anything
that is outside the sphere of his vision and action is of little concern
to him.
The man who says eternity is all, wastes opportunity, example and warps
himself into a miserable hermit.
Life is irrevocable. Every act in our life is placed, set, and fixed.
Every act goes in the record book of yesterday and it cannot be changed.
Acts that hurt others will rebound and hurt us. Deeds that helped others
will rebound and help us. This much is certain.
There is a future, I believe that. There is a God, I believe that.
Just what the future is, and just what God is, I do not know in perfect
detail.
Reward for good and punishment for bad, is part of God's plan, and I am
conscious of this truth.
I know that justice prevails in this life, and this life is what I am
living now.
If I live and act today in what I sincerely believe is in tune with
God's purpose, I shall in my future estate benefit by those acts.
If I live and act today, disregarding all around me, selfishly catering
to personal purpose, believing that eternity is everything and present
is nothing, I am passing definite opportunity to do good now, for a hope
of personal reward in an eternity, the which is indefinite as to what it
shall be.
I shall therefore strive to do, and to be, right; to be kind, helpful,
cheery and smiling now, for the reward such acts bring now.
And I shall doubtless have as good a record and passport to the future
as the man who suffers now and lives only upon his selfish hope of the
future.
His is fear thought, mine is faith thought, in the all wise, all
powerful, all seeing, all right Ruler of the universe, who gave me my
life, my brain, my reason, which I am trying to use, as nearly as my
limitations will allow, to helping myself and helping others to smile,
to be happy, to be serene, to be confident, to be competent, to be
useful.
This is as I see it. I wouldn't do what I do, think what I think or act
as I act unless I were sincere.
Below all this is charity, which means you have the unquestioned right
to do and to be what your best thought and conscience tells you to do
and to be.
Nevertheless it is well to reason with one another on the subject of the
now and the tomorrow of our existence for it is a universal subject on
which all men must make a decision.
SINCERITY
Do Not Accept Sincerity as Proof of Truth
"I believe in him because he is so sincere."
You've heard that, haven't you? I never could understand why a sensible
person would use such logic.
Sincerity is no evidence of truth. The Hindu mother is sincere who
throws her babe to the crocodiles, but her sincerity is no proof that by
this sacrifice she is sure of her salvation.
The Christian Scientist is sincere in the belief that medicines do not
cure diseases. The doctor is equally sincere that medicines will cure
disease.
The Theosophist is sincere, the Atheist, the Agnostic, the Christian,
the Pagan, the Mohammedan, the Buddhist, the Sun-worshipper, the
Republican, the Democrat, the Progressive, the Prohibitionist, the
Brewer, all these are sincere in their beliefs. And as these beliefs are
different, it is common sense to say that no one creed, sect, belief,
branch, dogma or system, is all truth.
It is true every channel or avenue we meet in life's travel has some
truth, but it is not for you or me to assume that we are the sole
possessors of wisdom and the real discoverers of all truth.
We must not take the conclusions we arrive at and expect to force the
world to accept without protest our rules for conduct, our methods for
living, our practices for morals, or our beliefs, for their guide.
Converts to new doctrines, new issues, new cults and to the old ones,
too, are made largely because the ambassadors or proselyters seem so
fervid and sincere in expounding what they claim is the definite truth.
The believers in a cult or code of ethics are auto hypnotized, their
visions are narrowed.
By focusing their thought on their special belief they bring together
sophistry, arguments, examples and so-called proof that gives them
facility in arguing the case or expounding their doctrine.
You can make no gain to try to argue with a Christian Scientist. You ask
for concrete rules, definite answers and other proofs than their flat
statements, and you are told you have not the understanding, that your
attitude is not in the right plane, and that the truth cannot be shown
you.
You are told to have faith, belief, to eliminate antagonism, and to
study "Science and Health" and you will receive the divine spirit and
see the light.
The Scientist is sincere; he shows you "Science and Health" with a lot
of testimonials in the back to prove that Christian Science cures
disease. Every patent medicine, every science, every system of healing
has testimonials by the hundreds.
Scientists say there is no disease, no material, that we are only spirit
or soul, or thought; that we are not matter but mind. That health is
truth and disease is error. They deny disease yet "Science and Health"
and the midweek experience meetings have testimonials of disease cured
by Christian Science.
There is much truth in Christian Science. People are helped by it,
people are sincere in their belief in it, but that Christian Science is
all truth, all powerful, all right, all sufficient, cannot be proven.
What about the people who have gone hence before Christian Science was
ever heard of?
The theological religion today, the practices and beliefs, differ from
the vogue of fifty years ago.
If the Protestant religion be all truth what became of our religious
ancestors who died before Martin Luther found the truth?
I have no quarrel with the Christian Scientist, the Protestant, the
Roman Catholic, the Buddhist, or the Mohammedan. I must be generous and
broad enough to say others have the right to think and be sincere. All
sciences have truth, but no science, sect, cult, dogma, or creed is ALL
truth.
Sincerity may be satisfaction and necessary for the possessors of that
sincerity, but that your sincerity in your belief must be accepted by me
as proof that I should believe as you do, is, I believe, the place where
I have the undoubted right to say, "I reserve the right to my own
conclusions and I am unjust to myself if I force myself to accept your
viewpoint without full belief myself that you are right."
So, then, because a person is sincere in a belief that is contrary to
your conscientious belief, do not be disturbed or swerved from common
sense analysis or convinced against your better judgment.
No one possesses all the truth. It is for you and me to do our plain
duty as we see it, to do the best we can each day in act and thought and
word.
We can pretty much agree on the simple essential truths which are
proven. That is, being honest, truthful, kind, lovable, sympathetic,
cheerful, doing good, helping one another and doing things worth while.
If we agree on these things and do useful work and think helpful
thoughts, we are doing our duty.
Theories, arguments and studying too deeply on bootless systems, codes,
beliefs, cults, isms, or doctrines, is a waste of time.
When we can here and now derive definite benefits from doing the simple
and helpful things and acting and thinking the simple practical cheer
thoughts, it is not necessary or good for us to waste time on
spiritualism or theoretical beliefs that cannot be proved to our own
selves satisfactorily.
We are asked to believe these strange, impractical, unnatural beliefs,
because of the sincerity of others. It's better to do, and to be the
thing we can ourselves measure, understand and sincerely believe.
There are hundreds of strange beliefs and spiritual systems, each
claiming to be all powerful, all right. If any one is all truth then all
the others are all wrong.
The bigot who assumes he is the sole possessor of truth, the cult, sect,
ism, or science that claims to possess all truth, and the exact rules
for the world to obey, should be classed with those other misguided men
and religions which burned human beings who dared to doubt their right
to the possession of all truth.
God never gave his approval to any one man-made religious sect.
God is the universal good power; man often tries to interpret God's idea
to his own selfish narrow vision.
PILLS
The Man Who Has a Pill for Every Ill
How often we see the pill fiend. In his vest pocket he has a small
apothecary shop, a collection of round paste-board boxes and little
bottles.
Every little while he dopes himself. If his stomach is on a strike he
pops in a pill. If his head aches he takes a tablet. If he sneezes he
takes a cold cure pill.
When anyone around speaks of a pain or ache he hands the person a pill.
The pill eater is a hypochondriac and very likely his doctor knows it.
The salvation is that the doctor probably gives him harmless stuff in
pill form. The patient doesn't know this and it's like a rabbit's foot
or a piece of pork rubbed on a wart; it satisfies the mind and nature
makes the cure.
Often, however, the pills are not innocent; the pill fiend buys the
tablets and pills direct from the druggist. The headache tablet is most
likely one of the coal tar drugs like acetanilid, and that is
positively harmful when taken too often.
There are times to take pills, in cases of emergency, when you can shock
nature with a poison and bring a wholesome reaction.
These times are rare, and the doctor should be the sole judge as to when
they are necessary.
Exercise, diet, correct habits of living will prevent congestion and
illness that cause pain.
The pill habit is nothing less than a drug habit, and the drug habit
positively weakens the system.
The headache tablet does not cure the headache, it only stops the pain;
the evil is still there. The headache is merely nature's signal that
something is out of whack.
Headaches are generally caused by the stomach, eye strain, or neuralgia;
the latter in turn is caused by too much uric acid in the system.
Eat fruit, drink plenty of water, and that will flush the system and
stop stomachic headache.
See the optician if it's eyes. If you have frequent headache in the
forehead, very likely it's the eyes, even though you do not suspect it.
If it's neuralgia, get a corrective diet list from the doctor.
I know scores of men and women, too, who take pills enough to kill a
person. Their systems have been educated up to it; they are saturated
with poison.
And the worst of it is they never get well while taking the pills; it is
only a temporary deadening of the pain.
Then there are many who take pills to make them sleep. That's a crime.
It's murder in slow degrees for they are surely shortening their lives
by this poison dope pill habit.
Mark this: Nature, and Nature alone, effects cures and it's in very,
very few instances that a poison pill can be used to advantage.
You can keep well by getting good air, good water, good sunshine, good
food, good exercise, good rest, good cheer and good thought. That is
what I call my golden prescription, and it will do wonders for you, and
every doctor will tell you so.
Pills kill, if you keep up the habit. There are no two ways about it. I
say positively and knowingly, that this pill habit is absolutely life
shortening.
Don't try to argue; the evidence is unshakable on this point.
If you had seen the derelicts in the hospitals I have seen, if you had
seen the wretched bodies, destroyed nerve systems, the drugged,
shattered, hopeless patients resulting from the baneful pill habit, you
would be as positive as I am in saying pills kill if you keep up the
habit.
Life is sweet and precious to us all. Do not shorten it by taking pills
and tablets for every ache or pain. Try nature's way. Realize that
mental suggestion and will power will drive away most pains or temporary
aches.
Brace up, cheer up; chuck the pills in the garbage can.
FAKE MEDICINES
Like Whiskey, the End Is Near
Whiskey must go. It is written on the pages of the records of man's
progress. Likewise must the quack doctor and the fake medicine go.
The side-whiskered advertising doctors are nothing short of criminal
when they by powerful use of words magnify symptoms and feelings to be
grave, serious fore-runners of awful disease, and by fright, bring in
the hypochondriac to his spider-web and filch him in a manner no better
than a thief uses. The thief is really more honorable, for he steals
because he wants your money and makes no bones about it.
The doctor charlatan steals your money under the guise of being your
benefactor.
As I have explained in "Pep," illness, feeling out of sorts, local pains
and sickness, unless of the contagious or infectious kind, are largely
conditions of the mind and of food habits, and surely are accentuated by
fear thought.
Because people have off days, and aches and pains, the frock-coated,
white lawn tie doctors and pseudo professors work on the minds and
imaginations, magnify trifles into troubles, then when the victims lose
courage these charlatans rob them under the guise of professional advice
and treatment.
Most of the temporary ailments are caused by constipation, wrong diet or
lack of exercise. The doctor gives a laxative, nature re-asserts
herself, and the patient is cured.
Chronic ailments require long treatments, so as to make long bills and
many visits for the quack doctor.
Read "Pep" and fool the doctors. Your health and happiness are things
largely in your own control.
When you feel you must have a doctor, go to your family physician and
not to a strange doctor who advertises. His advertisement is merely a
spiderweb to catch and hold you while he robs you.
It is a hopeful sign of the brighter future to which man is progressing,
that the respectable papers will not lend their aid to swindling
doctors. The best papers will not carry these doctor or fake medicine
ads.
Before long the government will pass laws on this baneful, shameful,
quack advertising. Quack doctors, gambling houses, liquor selling, are
all swindling methods to get money, and in the getting they are killing
men, ruining homes, destroying happiness, holding back progress.
The one object of the quack doctor is to size you up and see what you
"are good for." "Good for" means how much money can he get from you and
how long can he keep you as a patient to contribute to his coffers.
Let every reader of this book enroll as an opponent to quack doctors and
quack medicines, and by word and influence help to hasten the day when
such pernicious swindlers are things of the past. You can't get health
out of a bottle.
And this is true.
THE CHURCH
It Is Hampered By Too Many Sects
No two minds can see the same picture, nor can two persons with logic,
on religion, come to the same definite conclusion.
The old Scripture said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." The
new Scripture teaches us to "turn the other cheek" and "love your
enemies."
Two hundred years ago they burned witches.
Thirty years ago the preacher who took exception to the universal belief
of a hell of fire and brimstone was thrown out of the church. Today no
preacher believes in such a hell.
Present day religion is really a Sunday religion. One and a half hours a
week the members of the church join in singing "we shall know each other
there." The remainder of the week they make it a point to keep from
knowing each other here.
The protestant church divides itself into a lot of sects, each one built
on some particular ordinance or practice and each one swallows a camel
and strains at a gnat. One sect insists that baptism shall be by
immersion because the disciples baptized that way. They believe in
following customs literally, yet in the cities they immerse the members
in a big tub under the pulpit, which practice is entirely different from
the method employed by John the Baptist.
One sect insists upon having a communion every Sunday because the Bible
says, "as often as you do this," etc. To be literal in the matter of
communion, the Lord's Supper should be served at night as the original
was, and it should be supper and not a few pieces of broken crackers.
The sect that insists on following the Scriptures in the matter of
baptism by immersion fails to follow the Scriptures in the matter of
washing the feet or anointing the head.
Many years ago the church considered it a sacrilege to use an organ.
Today they have orchestras and hire operatic singers.
So it seems that the church is broadening out. Thinking men believe that
religion should not be an auto-intoxication of self-condemnation or
worry, sobs and misery. Because so much of this sort of teaching is
prevalent the church is not making the gains it should. The church is
largely supported by nice little women, many of them maiden ladies who
have little to do, and know little of the great problems of the busy
world.
I am thoroughly convinced that the church must recognize that evolution
is taking place, that we are to be more charitable, more broad in our
views, less technical in our tenets and more practical in our work.
We will have to cut down the fences between the sects and all get
together in the great field for a common cause rather than trying to
maintain little independent vineyards.
Religion must teach smiles and joy, courage and brotherly love, instead
of frowns, dejection, fear and envy.
It must teach how to be and how to get good out of our today on earth.
If we are good and do good here, we certainly will help our future
prospects.
Certainly we are progressing from narrowness, bigotry, selfishness and
envy, to broadness, reason, brotherly love and contentment, and we shall
progress from the narrow confines of obstinate orthodoxy or
bulldogmatics, by breaking down the sect, cult, ism, and doxy barriers
until we all join in a universal church in which all can put their
hearts and beliefs, in which all can find full range for their spiritual
belief and expression.
That big, broad, right church will be in harmony with God's purpose.
The Creator made all men and He doesn't confine His love or His interest
to any one little man-made narrow sect, or creed.
"God is love." "Love thy neighbor." "Help the weak, cheer the grief
stricken." Those are the commands and purposes we find everywhere in the
Scriptures.
"He that believeth in me shall be saved." That's a definite promise and
it is not qualified with a lot of creed paragraphs and beliefs. That
promise doesn't have any buts or ifs. It doesn't say we shall be saved
whether we are Methodists or Catholics, or Baptists or Presbyterians.
Those names are man-made, and creeds of those churches are man-made,
too.
At the congress of religions in the World's Fair at Chicago over three
hundred religions and sects were represented by delegates from all over
the world, and every one there with hearty accord sang, "Praise God
From Whom All Blessings Flow" and "Rock of Ages." Those hymns were
universal; they fitted all creeds and sects.
Big men in the church are intensely interested in the get-together,
universal church, and each year will mark a definite progress toward
amalgamation of sects and divisions.
There should be no Methodist Church North and Methodist Church South.
There should not be churches like the Congregational and Presbyterian,
whose creeds are identical, the difference being only in the officers.
The country village of 1,000 population has five churches; it should
have only one. The country is full of half starved preachers and weak,
struggling congregations.
The get-together movement will help religion, and it's going to happen
surely.
INVENTORY
A Necessary Practice to Bring Efficiency
Every year the business man goes over his stock, tools, fixtures, and
accounts, and prepares a statement of assets and liabilities so as to
get a fairly accurate understanding of his profit and loss.
If he didn't take this inventory his net worth would be guess work.
This inventory deals with money and things which are mixed more or less
with the human element and affected more or less by conditions or trade,
crops, competition, supply and demand.
The business man takes all these conditions into consideration in
preparing for the coming year. He red flags the mistakes and green flags
the good plans.
The business man should carry the inventory further. Every month or so
he should take a careful inventory of himself, putting down his assets
of health, initiative, patience, ability to work, smiles, honesty,
sincerity, and the like. So also he must put down in the debit side the
pull backs, hindrances and other business killers in the list of
liabilities. These items are smoothness, untruth, unfairness,
grouchiness, impatience, worry, ill health, gloom, meanness, broken
word, unfulfilled promises and the like.
In making up the inventory pay particular attention to your habits:
smoking, drinking, over-eating, useless display, useless social
functions and other useless things that pull on your nerves and your
pocket book.
Then check up department A, which is your family. How have you dealt
with your family and children?
Department B is friends; how do you stand in your treatment of them?
Department C, all other persons. Did you lie to, cheat, steal from or
defraud any one? How much cash profit did you make? How much less a man
did the act make you?
Go over your self-respect account. Does it show profit or loss.
Check up your employees' account. What has your stewardship shown? Have
you drawn the employees closer, or driven them further from you?
Analyze your spiritual account. Is your religious belief a sham or
conviction? Do you sing on Sunday, "we shall know each other there," or
do you make it a point to know and love your brother here, seven days a
week.
Be fair in your inventory. Write down the facts in the two columns
"good" and "bad," then go over the list and put a red danger flag on the
bad. Keep the list until next inventory and see whether you have made a
gain or loss in your net moral standing.
Don't read this and say, "a good idea." Do the thing literally.
Take a clean sheet of paper and write your personal assets and
liabilities down in the two columns marked "good" and "bad."
If this inventory doesn't help then you may call me a false prophet.