--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Jordan, William George collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 13 number: 1 published: 1909-11 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'William George Jordan, "The Crown of Individuality—I. Introduction," *Improvement Era* 13, no. 1 (November 1909): 19–24.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1301unse 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: improvementera1301unse start_page: 19 end_page: 24 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1909-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1301unse publication_year: 1909 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 1909, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Crown of Individuality—I. Introduction The Crown of Individuality. BY WILLIAM GEORGE JORDAN. I — Introduction. The supreme courage of life is the courage of the soul. It is liv- ing day by day, sincerely, steadfastly, serenely, — despite all opinions, all obstacles, all opposition. It means the wine of inspiration for ourselves and others that comes from the crushed grapes of our sorrows. This courage makes the simplest life, great; it makes the greatest life— sublime. It means the royal dignity of fine in- dividual living. Every man reigns a king over the kingdom of— self. He wears the crown of individuality that no hands but his own can ever remove. He should not only reign, but — rule. His individu- ality is his true self, his best self, his highest self, his self victo- rious. His thoughts, his words, his acts, his feelings, his aims and his powers are his— subjects. With gentle, firm strength he must command them or, they will finally take from his feeble fin- gers the reins of government and rule in his stead. Man must first be true to himself or he will be false to all the world. Man reigns over this miniature kingdom of self — alone. He is No one as much an autocrat as is God in ruling the universe. can make him good or evil but he, himself. No one else in all the world has his work or his influence. Each of us can carry a balm of joy, and strength, and light, and love to some hearts that will respond to no other. Each can add the last bitter drop in the cup * From The Crown of Individuality. Copyright, 1909, by Fleming H. Revell Company. 20 IMPROVEMENT ERA. of life to some one dependent on us through love or friendship. No other in all the world can live our life, loyally fulfil our duties, or wear the crown of our individuality. It is a wondrous joy and inspiration to us if we see this in its true light, for never again would we ask: "What use am I in the world?" When God "created man in his own image" his first gift to him was — dominion. The greatest dominion is over — self. Our lives should be vital to those around us. Each of us can be the sun of life in the sky of some one - perhaps many. Were we sud- denly to have made luminant to us in every vivid detail our daily influence we should stand stunned by the revelation as was Moses in reverent expectancy before the burning bush. The realization of the glory of the crown of our individuality would sweep the pettiness of selfish living and the wonder of the unanswerable eternal problems alike into — nothingness. The world needs more individuality in its men and women. It needs them with the joy of individual freedom in their minds, the fresh blood of honest purpose in their hearts, and the courage of truth in their souls. It needs more people daring to think their own highest thoughts and strong vibrant voices to speak them, not human phonographs mechanically giving forth what some one else has talked into them. The world needs men and women led by the light of truth alone, and as powerless to suppress their highest convictions as Vesuvius to restrain its living fire. They have the glad inspiring consciousness that they are not mere units on the census list, not weak victims of their own im- pulses, not human bricks baked into deadly uniformity by conven- tionality, but themselves— individuals. They are not faint carbon copies of others but strong, bold-print originals, — of themselves. They are ever lights not reflections, voices not echoes. To them the real things of life are the only great ones, the only objects worth a hard struggle. In our darkest hours new strength always comes to us, if we believe, as the silent stars shine out'in the sky above us —when it is dark enough. The hardest battle for our highest self is, when hungry for love and companionship of the soul, we must fight on — alone. If we have one or two dear loyal ones watching bravely by our side, understanding us with a look, heartening uSjWith a THE CROWN OF INDIVIDUALITY. 21 smile or inspiring us with a warm hand-pressure, we should fairly tingle with courage and confidence. But if these leave us, slip away under the strain, or even be- tray us, let us fact' alone the seemingly empty life that is left us, just as heroically as we can. Let us still stand in silent strength, like a lone sentry keeping guard over a sleeping regiment, in the grim shadows of night, forgetting for a time the terror of the solitude, the darkness, the loneliness, the isolation and the phan- tom invasion of memories that will not stay buried, in the courage that comes from facing an inevitable duty with a sturdy soul. Of course, it is not easy to live on the uplands of life. It was never intended to be easy, but oh — it is worth while. Individuality is the only real life. It is breathing the ozone of mental, moral, spiritual freedom. Nature made the countless thousands of flowers, trees, birds and animals without permitting two to be precisely alike. She stamped them with — individuality. She did it in a greater way for man. Some people seem to spend most of their time — trying to soak off the stamp. They follow in the footsteps of the crowd, guided by their advice. They wear a uniform of opinion; suffer in the strait-jacket of silly convention, seek ever to keep in step with the line, and march in solid same- ness along the comfortably paved road of other people's thinking, — not their own. Individuality means stimulating all the flowers of our best nature and banishing one by one the weeds of our lower self. It means kingship over self and kingship with all humanity. It means self-knowledge, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-poise, self-con- trol, self -conquest. It is the fullest expression of our highest self, as the most perfect rose most truly represents the bush from which it blossoms. Individuality is the complete self-acting union and unity of man's whole mind, nature, heart and life. It is moved ever from within, not from without. The automobile is a type of individu- ality — it is neither pushed, pulled nor propelled by outside forces. The automobile is self -inspired, self-directed, self-moving. Eccentricity is not individuality —it is a warped, unnatural distortion, like a reflexion from a concave or convex mirror. Hy- pocrisy is not individuality a mask is never a face and no matter 22 IMPROVEMENT ERA. how close it be held to the skin it never becomes a real face. Con- ventionality is not individuality— it is the molding of all that is vital and original in us to conform to an average type. Affecta- tion is not individuality — it is only pretentious display of qualities one has not in stock. Individuality permeates every thought, word and act of ours, as a half grain of aniline will tinge a hogshead of water so that a microscope will detect the coloring matter in every drop. Individuality crowns every expression of itself, in every day of living, with the— crown of its own kingship. He who is swerved from a course he knows is right, through fear of ridicule, taunts, sneers or sarcasm of those around him, is not a man — self -directed by right. He is only a weak puppet pulled by the strings of manipulation in the hands of others. He is a figure in a moral Punch and Judy show — without its entertain- ing quality. The man who knows he is doing wrong may realize it coolly, calmly, considerately, and even confess it with a sort of bravado, while he is too cowardly and selfish to do the imperative right, is not a king over his higher self, but a weak slave of his lower self. That he knows the right and sees it without illusion merely emphasizes the depth of the abyss into which he has fallen. The woman who lets bitterness grow in her heart until it pois- ons judgment, kills the love that was dear to her, deadens all the finer emotions and lets petrified prejudice usurp the throne of her justice, while she shuts her ears to all pleas for understanding, commits one of those little tragedies in every-day life that may scar for years the soul of the one so cruelly misjudged. She may recklessly throw the golden crown of her individuality, with all its dear, sweet love and tenderness, into the weary loneliness of the years. He who, from sheer lack of purpose, drifts through life, let- ting the golden years of his highest hopes glide empty back into the prospective of his past, while he fills his ears with the lorelei song of procrastination, is working overtime in accumulating re- morse to darken his future. He is idly permitting the crown of his individuality to remain an irritating symbol of what might be rather than a joyous emblem of what is. This man is reigning, for reign he must, but he is not — ruling. — THE CROWN OF INDIVIDUALITY. 23 Individuality does not mean merely being ourself, but our highest self. It never means living for self alone. The world, in every phase must be saved by — individuals. You cannot take hu- manity in mass up in moral elevators; they must receive and ac- cept good as individuals. The united work of individuals makes up the action of society. It is easier to stimulate the individual to action than it is to galvanize society, as it is easier to lift one stone than a cathedral. As we intensify true individuality, we at the same instant begin a fine co-operation with the best work of all humanity. Individuality is the link; co-operation is the chain. You can strengthen the chain only as you strengthen the link. Christ, the great individualist, knew no shadow of selfishness. He sought to make better, stronger links in the living chain of humanity. His influence was ever an inspiration. He represented perfected indi- viduality and individual perfection. Let us reign a king over our individuality by conquering every element of weakness within us that keeps us from our best, and raising eveiy element of strength to its highest power by living in simple harmony with our ideals. We should begin it today. To- day is the only real day of life for us. Today is the tomb of yes- terday, the cradle of tomorrow. All our past ends in today. All our future begins in today. Let us seek to reign nobly on the throne of our highest self for just a single day, filling every moment of every hour with our finest, unselfish best. Then there would come to us such a vision of the golden glory of the sunlight heights, such a glad, glowing tonic of the higher levels of life, that we could never dwell again in the darkened valley of ordinary living without feeling shut in, stifled, and hungry for the freer air and the broader outlook. If at the close of day we can think of even one human being whose sky has been darkened by our selfishness, one whose bur- den has been new-weighted by our unkindness, one whose pillow will be wet with sobs for our injustice, one whose faith in human- ity has been weakened at a crucial moment by our bitterness or cru- elty, let us make quick atonement. Let us write the letter our heart impels us to write, while foolish pride would stay the hand; let us speak the confession that will glorify the lips we fear it may — 24 IMPROVEMENT ERA. humiliate; let us stretch out the hand of love in the darkness till it touches and inspires the faithful one that possibly never caused us real pain. Let us have that great pride in our individuality that would scorn to let petty pique or vanity keep us from doing what we know is right. Wear the robes of your royal pride in such kingly fashion that it would seem no sacrifice to stoop to brush off that which might stain them. Let us make this life of ours a joy to ourselves and a tower of strength to others. Then shall we have made this life a success, no matter what its results. We shall have made character - and character is real life. The truest success is not the one the world often holds highest — that which is rung up on a cash register. The truest success is a strong nature, living at a high but steady moral pressure, and radiating love, kindness, sympathy, strength, tend- erness and joy to others. Let us live with our faces turned ever courageously to the East for the faintest sunrise of new inspiration. Let us realize that the four guardians of the crown of individuality are Right, Justice, Truth, and Love. Let us make Right our highest guide, Justice our finest aim, Truth our final revelation, and Love the constant atmosphere of our living. Then truly will we reign and — rule. It is not the extent of the kingdom, but the fine quality of the kingship that really counts. (The next article in this series, "No Room for Them in the Inn," will appear in the December Era.) Don't Wabble. There is one sort of man that there is no place for in the uni- verse, and that is the wabbler, the man on the fence, who never knows where he stands, who is always slipping about, dreaming, apologizing, never daring to take a firm stand on anything. Every- body dispises him. He is a weakling. Better a thousand times have the reputation of being eccentric, peculiar and cranky even, than never to stand for anything. Success.