Show SELF RELIANCE RELIANCE Self reliance is said to be a cardinal bj 1 virtue Philosophers and teachers from fromy y r v. v Socrates down have made it prominent It among their precepts Most persons accept aci ac- ac ac- ac accept i the phrase as meaning something good in the same way they do the commandments commandments commandments com com- or the golden rule but many have but a faint conception of its true meaning Most men shape their li lives es after a prevailing model often unfortunately unfortunately unfortunately not because of any superior excellence ex ex- N c of such model but because it is much easier to imitate than than to to make a tl law unto themselves They are willing to tobe tob be dependent to cast all the gravest v responsibilities of lif life upon others hence tyrannies of creeds and bigotry of moral i teachers t I Sp So th thorough rough has been the cultivation of the he imitative ve faculty in man man Ian th that t c con con- con con- riI ri- ri 1 I f to o established r rules es 9 of conduct has conduct has come to be considered the the st virtue virtue- and non-conformity non th that t is self reliance an e l' l the chief est crime It will It-will will take the world centuries to w th this this' s fallacY fallacy yet all lf the while the he praises es of self reliance self asan as an n abstraction will be sounding eve even while all the vials of the wrath of ortho of-ortho- of orthodoxy ortho orthodoxy ortho- ortho doxy are pouring out upon the devoted I heads of all who dare attempt to car carryout carryout carry carry- y out the principle A A man says Emerson to to b be aman a aJ man man must be a no non He must su subject all creeds all rules of living to the the- judgment of his own soul must live from from- within instead of from without accordi according g to the light which is within If anyone anyone- thinks the rule a lax once let let him ad adhere adhere ad- ad here to it one day Self reliance goes hand hand in hand with honesty they m are e inseparable But sad to say there is no premium upon either 41 Honesty is the best policy like many other old proverbs is a hackneyed all but meaningless Sunday School phrase Even those who teach it think little of living up up- to the letter and spirit of it Truly it maybe maybe may may- maybe be said that most conventional moral laws are almost worthless because of the known laxity of their expounders The young young- man preparing himself for a commercial career is always taught the potency of honest dealing but if he is a youth o of off noble character and possessed of a high sense of honor how discouraging ng is his his disenchantment when he finds that in I actual business an ounce of concentrated 4 gall goes farther than any reputation for for- probity and honor Let it be said again there is something radically wrong with modern in in in- These precepts precept should mean mean- something should be more than sounding sound sounding sounding sound sound- ing brass and aId tinkling cymbals 1 And d the way to give them meaning to make them effective is not to formulate them into dogmas which everyone must follow or suffer the intolerant wrath of the dogmatists dogmatists dog dog- but bu to make them auxiliaries to tp ev everyone's s 's cr creed ed to to everyone's sense ense of t honor and justice ustice J |