IDEALS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2667, 26 April 1905, Page 72

IDEALS.

By Harry. Head before the Dunedin and Invercargill Clubs.

The subject I have chosen to speak about this evening is one which should appeal to us all. We are all young, the world is beicie us— how we acquit ourselves in our onward and upward fight depends .argely on our own individuality. What should be our object in life? Now, I am not at the present moment going to deal with the sxibject in its individual and restricted limits. That will come afterwards. I am going to deal with dt as it embraces every one of us as a whole. What first, is the derivation oi Ideal ! If you will look up the etymology of the word, you will notice that it has the same derivation a* the word "idol"; both come from the Greek word "idem," to see; but whereas to "idolise"' is detrimental to our character and moral well-being, to "idealise" is almost a necessity of every thinking person. Ihe ideal, according to the terse phraseology of the dictionary, is "the highest conception of anything." But this is too vague, and presents no clear image to our minds. Let me read you as good an explanation as I have seen, and yet you will see it is brief and to the point. I quote from Victor Hugo's book, "Les Miserables." one of the most wonderful, if not the most wonderful novel of our time : — It is necessary for the sake of the forward march of the human race that there should be proud lessons of courage per-

manently on the heights

What does that mean to all of us ? It simply means that if our lives are to be of seme use at all to our fellowmen, our efforts and our struggles must be directed towards "those proud lessons of courage permanently on the heights" — towards; in short, our ideal. What should be our ideal? What should be our highest conception of our duty? I do not think I can prosent to you a, better ideal than the one which was Jean Valjean's, It would be wearisome were I to even outline the life of this man as Hugo portrays him, but judging by the ideal he adopted and lived up to. you must all admit that his character was worthy of emulation. "This man had for his ideal — within, the angel; without, the citizen." Before we finally adopt that ideal as our own, let us consider for a moment its two terms. It has only ?wo — you will see that it is plain and concise. Perhaps its very conciseness will recommend it to you. '"This man had for his ideal— within, the angel; without, the citizen."

"Within, the angel." Do I need to explain that to you? I scarcely think so. Perhaps what George Eliot gives expression to in her fine novel "Roj^ola" will present a far clearer image to your minds than anything I can say to you. If you mean to act nobly and seek to know the best things God has put within reach of men you must learn to fix your mind on that end, not on what will happen to you because of it.

"Within, the angel." Yes, for the sake of our forward march, each one of us must have for our ideal within, the angel. But that is not all. Not only must we do our duty towards our Maker, but we 'must do our duty towards our fellow men. And the one dovetails into the other, for we cannot do our duty to our Maker unless we do our duty to our fellow men. And vice versa. As the Scripture has it, "We must love otu- neighbour as ourselves," or, as Hugo expresses it, we must have for our ideal without, the citizen.

"This man had" for his ideal — within, the angel ; without, the citizen."

"Without, the citizen." Now, we are all citizens — whether of a nation, of a country, of a city, or of a club. We are not, perhaps, old enough to take seriously to heart the interests of our nation, nor yet of our city, nor even, perhaps, of our little district ; but we can at least take seriously the interests of the little state of D.L.F.-dom. We are all members, all co-workers, of that state, and a lesponsibility rests upon the shoulders of each one of us that our little state prospers. In the midst of our little state, we have our "city," in which all present to-night are citizens. A true citizen has the welfare of his city at heart, and the least we can do for our city — our club— if we' aim to be true citizens, is to keep its welfare continually nearest our hearts, and do what we can towards making it a complete success. Our city prospers — each one of us feels a thrill of pleasure, each one of us has contributes our little mite towards that success. But if our city were to decline— were to fall— what then? Ah 4

my comrades, that is the question which concerns each and every one of us individually as true citizens. Ah, in that case, not one of us can call for a basin of water and wash our hands clean of the deed. Let me quote to you, with a slight alteration, the wise words of Dr Waddell, one of the greatest of our Southern Hemisphere ministers: "That ig the truth we need all to take to heart. "We are members of society, we belong to a community, we are members of a club. If there is wrong in it, though wi did not do it, we are yet responsible for it if we do not try to hinder it from being clone." And, again : "It is weil to remember that guilt cannot distributively he borne ; that if a hundred men, for instance, commit a wrong, each man doos not take the hundredth part of that sin, he takes it all."

"This man had for his ideal — within, the ar.gel ; without, the citizen."

If you adopt that ideal and try to live and act up to it, many and various will be the obstacles in your path. AVhat will overcome these obstacles but just this — you must keep your eyes fixed on the summit of the height?, and not on the rough path you will have to ascend. "Is thy strait horizon dreary ? Is thy foolish fancy chill? Change the feet that have grown weary

For the wings that never will." '"* "This man had for his ideal — within, the angel ; without, the citizen."

Let me, then, ere I close, earnestly beseech you to remember these words, fix your mind on them, and tell me, do tliey not represent the highest ideal anyone could take to live up to ! Lot us therefore bo, each one oi us, "One who never turned his back, but marched breast forward, 1 Never doubted clouds would break, Never dreamt, though right were worsted,

wrong would triumph, Held we* fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, sleep to wake. ' This man had for his ideal — within, the angel; wihout, the citizen.