--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Preston D. Richards collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 7 number: 8 published: 1904-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Preston D. Richards, "Self-Control," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 8 (June 1904): 586–588.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0708unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0708unse start_page: 586 end_page: 588 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0708unse publication_year: 1904 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Self-Control SELF-CONTROL. BY PRESTON D. RICHARDS, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH. The virtue of cself-control held a higher place in the ethics of the Greek than any other virtue. Self-control is that virtue which regulates behavior by reason, independent of momentary feelings. Herein lies one of the superior characteristics of man over the lower animals. Man has the power to govern his life and acts by ideals and purposes, while the action of the animal is governed by blind impulse. The Greek philosophers designated temperance and courage as the two fundamental aspects of self-control, because they cor- respond to the different forms of impulsive life. Temperance is the power to resist the gratification of desires accompanied by temporary enjoyment, when the gratification of the desire would be detrimental to some necessary good. Courage may be defined as the moral power to resist the fear of pain and danger, when pres- ervation of an essential good demands such resistance. Of these two aspects of self-control, the former is perhaps of greater importance, as we are called upon to exercise it more frequently; and, if possible, more depends upon a proper exercise of it. The opposite of temperance, or moderation, intemperance, a result of lack of temperance, is the surrendering of the body to the gratification of the base animal passions which destroy the intellect and capacity for higher things, sap the life blood, and eventually blight the sensibility, until at last even the fac- ulty for enjoyment is lost. Temperance refines and sharpens the sensibilities; and instead of making them instruments of destruction, converts them into SELF-CONTROL. 587 agents for the development of higher life; it increases the capac- ity makes the entire man healthy and vigorous. for pleasure, and Temperance is acquired by experience, and the development of the will-power. The parent can begin the development of this virtue in the child, at an early age, by teaching it to forego pleasures, and insisting upon iis foregoing them, and to sacrifice at the present for the benefit of the future. Everyone who has not the moral possession to resist the grati- fication of his desires, regards even himself as a weakling. We should constantly exercise will-power to resist desires. "The gods are without needs," says one modern philosopher, "and therefore without fear and desire; the fewer our needs, the nearer we are to the gods." Our great object should be to train ourselves to efficient action. Aristotle taught that all successful exercise of natural powers and skill, in labor and play, is accompanied by pleasure, and this pleasure is superior to passive enjoyment. The greater the skill a man acquired, the greater the pleasure of exercising it. The skilled artist occupies his luncheon period and supper time putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece, without thought of eating; he is so completely enwrapped with the pleasure of exercising his skill; but it is seldom you find a person engaged in his passive enjoyment who is so absorbed in his pleasure that a plate of hash or a swig of wine will not cause him to abandon it. Temperance in the exhaustion of energy, then, is necessary for the highest good. Pleasure produced by the exercise of skill in labor is intensified by repetition, while passive pleasure increases the intensity of the desire, but dulls the faculty of enjoy- ment. While temperance cannot be too highly spoken of, it should be exercised against becoming intemperately temperate. Courage, the other aspect of self-control, is the happy med- ium possible to be attained by man between the two animal ex- tremes, cowardice and foolhardiness. When attacked, an animal does one of two things: it either flies from its foe, or stands fero- ciously and defiantly and awaits the attack. The beasts of prey adopt the latter, while those upon which they feed ndopt the former means of defense. It is necessary that this should be the condition of beasts, but this means of defense is not 688 IMPROVEMENT ERA, adapted to man, in his dealings with his fellow, as is shown by the fact that it makes both classes of beasts the prey of man. The beast whose defense is flight, is caught in the hunter's net, while the other beast's means of defense brings him within range of the hunter's gun. The man who, like the former, flees at the sight of danger is a coward, and falls a prey to his fel- low. The man who stands up ferociously and viciously does things in his rage that are destructive to his own interests, and so he also is a prey to his fellows. So, man must adopt other means of de- fense in dealing successfully with his fellows. The man, who, when in peril, calmly stops and considers, and decides upon a cer- tain mode of procedure, and then exerts his every energy to carry out his means, is the courageous man. Courage is commonly applied ir\ the sense of foolhardiness. But the courageous man is not he who sticks his head into the lion's mouth, and then pinches his tail, or the man who exposes himself to unnecessary danger in order to stand his ground. There may be more courage in a retreat than in a foolhardy, bold de- fense. He is courageous who has the courage to retreat when he knows the object of his combat would be bettered thereby. Courage is also the ability to endure all kinds of hardships and exertions, in order to accomplish one's ends. The ability to survive defeats, disappointments and losses, also deserves mention as being closely related to, and, indeed, part of courage. "I like the man who faces what he must With step triumphant and a heart of cheer; Who fights the daily battle without fear; Sees his hopes fail, yet keeps unfaltering trust That God is God; that somehow, true and just. His plans work out for mortals; not a tear Is shed when fortune, which the world holds dear. Falls from his grasp; better, with love, a crust. Than living in dishonor; envies not. Nor loses faith in man; but does his best. Nor even murmurs at his humbler lot; But with a smile and words of hope, gives zest To every toiler; he alone is great, Who by a life heroic conquers fate."