CHARACTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15298, 10 May 1913, Page 4

CHARACTER.

Sir,ln these days of jingoism, political criscs, and. rumours of war»,, character is-— or appears to be—lost eight : of._ . What is character? Is it religiosity? Is it made up of . social status, comfortable - surroundings, and wealth? In my judgment, character is the working of chiselling ,out. - Every person comes within the bounds of divine • interest and love. The divine image has been ' marred,- but not wholly effaced., There are traces of that image in eve.y man . and woman,-and we are not so totally depraved that we are - beyond redemption, '. r. Those who have travelled, ; visited- shearing-sheds, associated with miners,' ■ and • done mission. .work in tho slums,; know* and realise that' there is a. way of bringing a tear ' to every eye and touching every spirit. 'We need to cultivate ourselves. Some people believe in a kind of humility { which, in the end, is sickly and sickening, .but Christ has; shown us what person alitv.' ori ohiselled-out character, is. ; At one "time the Divine Master fondled and blessed children, but at another . time He overturned the tables of the money- • changers), and still at* another' time accused the Pharisees, : Sadducees, and lawyers of hypoorisy and : deception. _ Character is not gained in a day, -but" requires' the .operation of God within. We seem 'to 'waste -much time, : talent, : and money wrangling, grumbling, and manifesting jealousy,: to the vex.... elusion iof character. The negative aspects which in some" respects ripen. one's .judgment do ! not of themselves produce v character The negative repels if it be all negative, but positive qualitiesalthough ofi«n slow "of •, development—tend to chisel out or produce what is divinely ' acceptable. ': Every Chris-. tian has the God within, but very few; appear to realise that ; fact. .r Too often : we grope in the darkneea of ignorance," and do not allow the spirit to work mightily in us. * ... > A. W. Jinks.- . ♦ V/ 1 v•• • >■ - • "H *-r":.v;