“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Illustration
A young man in Waltham, Mass., was very feeble, but not sick. He was advised by his physician to set out upon a journey on foot, but was cautioned not to walk at any time till exhausted. He began his journey in the morning, and, with short exertion and frequent rest, he walked three miles on the first day, and was fatigued.
The next morning, to his surprise, he felt more vigor and courage to go on, and started again. He walked on that day in the same manner, and accomplished four miles before night. He thus gained strength and energy day by day, adding little to little, and finally walked to Niagara Falls, more than five hundred miles. After viewing these to his satisfaction, he returned in a much shorter time than he went. But he did not return by a direct course. He visited the interesting places in the neighborhood of his homeward route, and at the end of his sixth week reached home, having walked more than a thousand miles in forty-two days. On the last day he had walked forty miles, and was so little fatigued with the day’s journey that in the evening he felt sufficient energy to visit his young friends in the neighborhood.
The successful performance of delightful music, as many school-girls know, is only attained by diligent practice. An accomplished player on the piano-forte will take a new piece of music and play four parts, observing the marks of musical notation, and singing the words at the same time. Another will perform a difficult piece of instrumental music while listening to and perhaps engaging in a conversation. It seems impossible that eyes, fingers, feet, and voice should be brought into such perfect harmony of action, but it is only an illustration of the law of habit. Years of patient practice and diligent study are necessary to secure such results.
Habit Defined
Habit may be defined as a condition of mind or body which results from the frequent performance of an action. Man is called a creature of habit, because all his actions of mind and body are due to repetition. Animals learn to walk, swim, and fly by instinct. Man acquires the arts of walking, swimming, and talking by practice.
When a habit is once firmly established it becomes our master, and we rarely have sufficient strength of will to overcome it, although its continuance be condemned alike by reason and experience. We often do its bidding without thought or reflection, not being aware of its influence, and sometimes when we are fully conscious of its power and are desirous of escaping its control, our weakness is manifest in our failure.
The boy who was charged with whistling in school denied that he did it, and when censured for untruthfulness, again insisted that he did not, for “it whistled itself.” Possibly he was not far wrong, as he meant that he whistled unintentionally and even unconsciously, since the habit had been acquired by a continued practice, and was indulged without any thought or design.
Good and Bad Habits
Habits are said to be good or bad, as they are the result of actions that are right or wrong. When we speak of a man of good habits, we mean that he is a moral man; that is, one who has so long practiced the methods of right thinking, speaking, and acting that he behaves properly from force of habit.
A man of bad habits is called an immoral man because he has become confirmed in wrong-doing, and can scarcely act otherwise if he tries. The moral quality of any action is not changed because it has been repeated so often as to become a habit. People often justify bad habits because they find difficulty in overcoming them, but the habitual drunkard who is unable to restrain the appetite that is ruining him and distressing his family cannot say he does no wrong because his habits are bad and it is too late to reform them. Bad habits are the fruits of wrong actions, and wrong actions are always a violation of good morals; but the fact that a man is unable to break the habit is no excuse for the wrong. He began wrong and continues wrong.
Conscience Governed by Habit
We have already seen that the minds of men, as well as their physical powers, become subject to the influence of habit. The conscience also may be under the same control. Conscience is defined as the moral sense, or that faculty of the soul which, when the judgment decides on the lawfulness or unlawfulness of our own actions or affections, will suffer pleasure or pain as it is obeyed or disobeyed.
When we know the relations we sustain to God and our fellow-man, the judgment will inform us what we ought or ought not to do, as right or wrong, and the conscience will approve of the decision. This faculty urges us to do right because its performance causes satisfaction, while the doing of wrong causes remorse. Like every other power or sense of body or mind, it is strengthened by proper use and is weakened, or perhaps destroyed, by disuse or neglect. This is a law of our nature.
Anecdote
A father and son went into a field to steal corn. When they had gone to the middle of the field, the father mounted a stump and looked cautiously around to see if they were observed. The boy whispered, “Father, look up.” The tender conscience of the boy was disturbed by this violation of the law, “Thou shalt not steal.” He felt that God’s command would be broken, and he cautioned his father to look where, from the habit of stealing, he had not been accustomed to apprehend danger or discovery.
Conscience Should Be Obeyed
We should always obey the teachings of conscience. It is the highest authority to which we can appeal. If we think an action right, we are under the strongest obligation to perform it; if we feel it is wrong, nothing should induce its commission.
If we neglect to listen to the appeal of conscience once, we lose our self-respect; we feel a sense of shame and meanness. If we commit the wrong a second time, its warning voice is not so loud, and finally, after repeated failures to secure attention, it ceases to urge us to do right. The law of habit which enables the conscience to grow each day stronger and more certain in its indications of right will, if neglected and abused, cease entirely to give its friendly advice. It is a dangerous habit to neglect the kind promptings of so faithful a monitor.
Character and Reputation
The sum of a person’s good and bad habits constitutes his character. The good and the bad are mingled together; if the former are in excess, he is said to possess a good character; if the latter are predominant, his character is said to be bad.
The term character represents a man as he is. Reputation is the term which expresses the estimation in which he is held by others.
Anecdote
The following incident will illustrate the value both of a good character and an unblemished reputation:
Just as the civil war commenced, soldiers were enlisting and going away from almost every home in the land. A young man had volunteered, and was expecting daily to be ordered to the seat of war. One day his mother gave him an unpaid bill with the money, and asked him to pay it. When he returned home at night, she said, “Did you pay that bill?”
“Yes,” he answered.
In a few days the bill was sent in a second time. “I thought,” she said to her son, “that you paid this.”
“I really do not remember, mother; you know I have had so many things on my mind.”
“But you said you did.”
“Well,” he answered, “if I said I did, I did.”
He went away, and his mother took the bill herself to the store. The young man had been known in the town all his life, and what opinion was held of him the result will show.
“I am quite sure,” she said, “that my son paid this some days ago; he has been very busy since, and has quite forgotten about it, but he told me he had that day, and says if he said then that he had, he is quite sure he did.”
“Well,” said the man, “I forget about it, but if he ever said he did, he did.”
The value of such a reputation is inestimable.
Formation of Character
It is not always the case that reputation is founded upon real worth, for some of the best men the world ever saw were neither understood nor esteemed, while some of the basest were reputed the most worthy. Still, as a rule among common men, a man’s reputation is based upon a fair estimate of his virtues.
If the young acquire the habits which distinguish ladies and gentlemen, if they become “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy,” their good influence will soon be felt and acknowledged. These virtues are the results of education; for a good education is but little more than the formation and growth of good habits.
Can Habits Be Changed?
Yes; habits may be changed, bad characters may be reformed, and good reputations may be regained, but the processes are sometimes long and difficult. It is easier to avoid bad habits when they are shown us than to correct them after they have begun to control our actions. The habits of an old man are rarely improved. Youth is the time to accustom both mind and body to right methods of life.
If wrong practices have been acquired, if bad manners have been formed, if incorrect ideas have been learned, the elasticity of the mind and the hopefulness of the youthful character make a reformation possible.
An ancient prophet, in reproving the sins of his people, who had long been transgressing, used the following striking language: “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.”
But fortunately it is not so. Evil habits may be overcome in the same manner they were acquired—that is, by practice.
How Shall Bad Habits Be Changed?
If conscience tells us that any habit is wrong, it is our duty to change it. There is nothing brave or manly in giving up the hope of reform, or in complaining, “I can’t.”
It is folly to expect to break off in a day the bad habits which have been growing and strengthening for years. Reform can only be accomplished by constant, careful attention, by firm resolution, by courageously watching and fighting against the tendency to do wrong.
Avoid the persons, the places, and the thoughts that lead to temptation; and, on the other hand, frequent the places, associate with the persons, and cultivate the thoughts that lead away from it. Keep busy: idleness strengthens bad habits.
Do not give up the struggle when you have broken your resolution once, twice, or many times; failure only shows how much need there is for increased effort. When you have failed, reflect upon the cause and guard against it in the future. Be honest with yourself, and never suppose you can safely face temptation.
Let the daily prayer be: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” and thus strive to “keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
CHAPTER QUESTIONS
1. Should you give up trying to aquire good habits?
2. What advantage to the individual may be derived from this study?
3. What does the incident of the invalid illustrate?
4. What is the second illustration?
5. Define habit.
6. Why is man called the creature of habit?
7. Is it easy to overcome habits? Why?
8. Do persons always think while performing certain actions? Give an illustration.
9. May the boy have been truthful?
10. When are habits good or bad?
11. What do we mean by a man of good habits? Of bad?
12. Is the moral quality of an action changed by its being a habit?
13. May we justify bad habits because they are habits?
14. Of what are bad habits the result?
15. Define conscience.
16. Is conscience subject to the law of habit?
17. What office does conscience perform?
18. Will conscience be strengthened by use?
19. How does disuse affect it?
20. Explain the anecdote from the lesson.
21. What was the difference between the father and the son?
22. Why should we always obey our conscience?
23. Why do we obey the moral law?
24. Is it necessary to educate the conscience? Why?
25. What is the effect of neglecting the appeal of conscience even once?
26. What is the effect of repeated neglect?
27. What is meant by character?
28. What is meant by reputation?
29. Which is preferable, a good character or a good reputation?
30. Repeat the anecdote.
31. What habits distinguish the lady and gentleman?
32. What is meant by pure? Peaceable? Gentle?
33. Is a boy who refuses to listen to advice “easy to be entreated”?
34. How are good fruits shown?
35. What is meant by partiality? By hypocrisy?
36. May these virtues be acquired? How?
37. What is meant by a good education?
38. Can habits be changed?
39. What is the proper time to form good habits?
40. Are bad habits hard to change?
41. What was the language of the prophet? What does it mean?
42. How are bad habits overcome?
43. Did you ever hear one say “I can’t”? What does it generally mean?
44. What would it be better to say and do?
45. Is it best to correct bad habits at once?
46. When should reformation commence? Why not postpone it?
47. Is it easy to correct bad habits? Why?
48. What must be done to correct bad habits? Suppose we fail once?
49. Is it well to place ourselves in temptation? Why?
50. Have you any habits that you should correct? If so, what?
51. How often should you try to correct a habit?
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