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WILLIAM P. McKENZIE, CSB 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." Anyone may see clearly enough that a man who has heavenly aspiration will keep himself free from the mental contamination of drug or dogma, beer or propaganda. He will sincerely avoid whatever will stupefy his senses or stultify his mind. He will be intuitively alert to the methods of whisperers injecting false beliefs and hatreds without cause, making the dulled victim accept these as his own thoughts. The true worker lets his thinking begin with Principle. He makes divine Mind his guide and his enlightenment. Therefore, for the sake of others, he takes firm ground against the propaganda intended to confuse citizens after they have had the preliminary stupefaction of the induced drink habit, just as he will protect his own self from the preliminary action of any sense intoxication. Mrs. Eddy says (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 288): "Whatever intoxicates a man, stultifies and causes him to degenerate physically and morally. Strong drink is unquestionably an evil, and evil cannot be used temperately: its slightest use is abuse; hence the only temperance is total abstinence. Drunkenness is sensuality let loose, in whatever form it is made manifest." Earthly desires tend downward to degradation and punishment. There are statistics to show the suffering, sin, and sorrow connected with the appetite for drink, and they have been presented to the public in convincing form to the point of weariness. The fact is that too many parasitic enterprises thrive upon men when they are degraded, and sympathizers with these make great outcry over any real attempt to cut the taproot of the sin. Christian Science works directly and beneficially with the individual, convincing him of sin, letting him see clearly how to be free from the wrong way of thinking and its consequent suffering. No matter how degraded a man may seem to be, he has not yet destroyed his capacity for hope and faith and love. Faint hope will be stirred in a man when he learns about healing in the case of another. Then perchance he meets the redeemed man or hears of additional cases of healing and is gently led on to aroused faith, which in turn is strengthened by what he comes to know of the goodness of God. Then the mesmerism of sin and evil appetite and fear breaks like bonds parted by flame, and up out of the dark cell of stupor comes a man awakened, renewed, glad of heart, actually glowing with love to God, his Redeemer, and hence compassionate to all mankind. Mrs. Eddy reminds us (Science and Health, p. 265) that "the aspiration after heavenly good comes even before we discover what belongs to wisdom and Love," and that "the pains of sense quickly inform us that the pleasures of sense are mortal and that joy is spiritual." Now seems to be the very hour for proving this. The whole world has changed. It is an uneasy time for the drug user desiring to remain untroubled in his dream and stupor by any clear view as to man's duty and destiny. The call to awake troubles the earth. The drinker finds that millions are famishing for food and in winter starve with cold, and that food for millions is destroyed to make the liquor with which he defiles and drugs himself — also that ships and trains are used to carry the evil thing from which some men are making seductive profits when food and fuel and raiment might better be carried for the needy. The profit takers will serve their god as long as they can, and they think they can control both the Government and the people's representatives in the interests of their traffic, just as Babylon trafficked in "slaves, and souls of men," but each one of them at some time will understand the message which came to that great city: "The fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all." The question now is, Why do not the men victimized by the great profit-taking machine wake up and deliver themselves from the bondage of that which first drugs and then robs them? The way of heavenward aspiration is open to all. With the very first steps one reaches a new joy. The onward way is gladness and the end is glory.
Christian Science Sentinel, June 29, 1918 |
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