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BE THE TRUTH； AND IN HIS BELIEVING FAITH BOTH OF US WERE HAPPY。
NOW HE IS DEAD；AND LOST； AND I AM MISERABLE。 OUR FAITH CAME
DOWN TO US THROUGH CENTURIES OF BELIEVING ANCESTORS； WHAT RIGHT
HAD YOU； OR ANY ONE； TO DISTURB IT？ WHERE WAS YOUR HONOR； WHERE
WAS YOUR SHAME？〃
Y。M。 He was a miscreant； and deserved death！
O。M。 He thought so himself； and said so。
Y。M。 Ahyou see； HIS CONSCIENCE WAS AWAKENED1！
O。M。 Yes； his Self…Disapproval was。 It PAINED him to see
the mother suffer。 He was sorry he had done a thing which
brought HIM pain。 It did not occur to him to think of the mother
when he was misteaching the boy； for he was absorbed in providing
PLEASURE for himself； then。 Providing it by satisfying what he
believed to be a call of duty。
Y。M。 Call it what you please； it is to me a case of
AWAKENED CONSCIENCE。 That awakened conscience could never get
itself into that species of trouble again。 A cure like that is a
PERMANENT cure。
O。M。 PardonI had not finished the story。 We are
creatures of OUTSIDE INFLUENCESwe originate NOTHING within。
Whenever we take a new line of thought and drift into a new line
of belief and action； the impulse is ALWAYS suggested from the
OUTSIDE。 Remorse so preyed upon the Infidel that it dissolved
his harshness toward the boy's religion and made him come to
regard it with tolerance； next with kindness； for the boy's sake
and the mother's。 Finally he found himself examining it。 From
that moment his progress in his new trend was steady and rapid。
He became a believing Christian。 And now his remorse for having
robbed the dying boy of his faith and his salvation was bitterer
than ever。 It gave him no rest； no peace。 He MUST have rest and
peaceit is the law of nature。 There seemed but one way to get
it； he must devote himself to saving imperiled souls。 He became
a missionary。 He landed in a pagan country ill and helpless。 A
native widow took him into her humble home and nursed him back to
convalescence。 Then her young boy was taken hopelessly ill； and
the grateful missionary helped her tend him。 Here was his first
opportunity to repair a part of the wrong done to the other boy
by doing a precious service for this one by undermining his
foolish faith in his false gods。 He was successful。 But the
dying boy in his last moments reproached him and said：
〃I BELIEVED； AND WAS HAPPY IN IT； YOU HAVE TAKEN MY BELIEF
AWAY； AND MY COMFORT。 NOW I HAVE NOTHING LEFT； AND I DIE
MISERABLE； FOR THE THINGS WHICH YOU HAVE TOLD ME DO NOT TAKE THE
PLACE OF THAT WHICH I HAVE LOST。〃
And the mother； also； reproached the missionary； and said：
〃MY CHILD IS FOREVER LOST； AND MY HEART IS BROKEN。 HOW
COULD YOU DO THIS CRUEL THING？ WE HAD DONE YOU NO HARM； BUT ONLY
KINDNESS； WE MADE OUR HOUSE YOUR HOME； YOU WERE WELCOME TO ALL WE
HAD； AND THIS IS OUR REWARD。〃
The heart of the missionary was filled with remorse for what
he had done； and he said：
〃IT WAS WRONGI SEE IT NOW； BUT I WAS ONLY TRYING TO DO HIM
GOOD。 IN MY VIEW HE WAS IN ERROR； IT SEEMED MY DUTY TO TEACH HIM
THE TRUTH。〃
Then the mother said：
〃I HAD TAUGHT HIM； ALL HIS LITTLE LIFE； WHAT I BELIEVED TO
BE THE TRUTH； AND IN HIS BELIEVING FAITH BOTH OF US WERE HAPPY。
NOW HE IS DEADAND LOST； AND I AM MISERABLE。 OUR FAITH CAME
DOWN TO US THROUGH CENTURIES OF BELIEVING ANCESTORS； WHAT RIGHT
HAD YOU； OR ANY ONE； TO DISTURB IT？ WHERE WAS YOUR HONOR； WHERE
WAS YOUR SHAME？〃
The missionary's anguish of remorse and sense of treachery
were as bitter and persecuting and unappeasable； now； as they had
been in the former case。 The story is finished。 What is your
comment？
Y。M。 The man's conscience is a fool！ It was morbid。 It
didn't know right from wrong。
O。M。 I am not sorry to hear you say that。 If you grant
that ONE man's conscience doesn't know right from wrong； it is an
admission that there are others like it。 This single admission
pulls down the whole doctrine of infallibility of judgment in
consciences。 Meantime there is one thing which I ask you to
notice。
Y。M。 What is that？
O。M。 That in both cases the man's ACT gave him no spiritual
discomfort； and that he was quite satisfied with it and got
pleasure out of it。 But afterward when it resulted in PAIN to
HIM； he was sorry。 Sorry it had inflicted pain upon the others；
BUT FOR NO REASON UNDER THE SUN EXCEPT THAT THEIR PAIN GAVE HIM
PAIN。 Our consciences take NO notice of pain inflicted upon
others until it reaches a point where it gives pain to US。 In
ALL cases without exception we are absolutely indifferent to
another person's pain until his sufferings make us uncomfortable。
Many an infidel would not have been troubled by that Christian
mother's distress。 Don't you believe that？
Y。M。 Yes。 You might almost say it of the AVERAGE infidel；
I think。
O。M。 And many a missionary； sternly fortified by his sense
of duty； would not have been troubled by the pagan mother's
distressJesuit missionaries in Canada in the early French
times； for instance； see episodes quoted by Parkman。
Y。M。 Well； let us adjourn。 Where have we arrived？
O。M。 At this。 That we （mankind） have ticketed ourselves
with a number of qualities to which we have given misleading
names。 Love； Hate； Charity； Compassion； Avarice； Benevolence；
and so on。 I mean we attach misleading MEANINGS to the names。
They are all forms of self…contentment； self…gratification； but
the names so disguise them that they distract our attention from
the fact。 Also we have smuggled a word into the dictionary which
ought not to be there at allSelf…Sacrifice。 It describes a
thing which does not exist。 But worst of all； we ignore and
never mention the Sole Impulse which dictates and compels a man's
every act： the imperious necessity of securing his own approval；
in every emergency and at all costs。 To it we owe all that we
are。 It is our breath； our heart； our blood。 It is our only
spur； our whip； our goad； our only impelling power； we have no
other。 Without it we should be mere inert images； corpses； no
one would do anything； there would be no progress； the world
would stand still。 We ought to stand reverently uncovered when
the name of that stupendous power is uttered。
Y。M。 I am not convinced。
O。M。 You will be when you think。
III
Instances in Point
Old Man。 Have you given thought to the Gospel of Self…
Approval since we talked？
Young Man。 I have。
O。M。 It was I that moved you to it。 That is to say an
OUTSIDE INFLUENCE moved you to itnot one that originated in
your head。 Will you try to keep that in mind and not forget it？
Y。M。 Yes。 Why？
O。M。 Because by and by in one of our talks； I wish to
further impress upon you that neither you； nor I； nor any man
ever originates a thought in his own head。 THE UTTERER OF A
THOUGHT ALWAYS UTTERS A SECOND…HAND O