Character

Character By Geo. D. Kirby

In seeking for material for this subject, I was struck by the number of writers who have given to the world valuable advice and definitions of character. It almost would appear that the last word had been said on the subject, and yet, like some others of the topics of life, it is an old, old story, but ever new in its telling. In the development of character much has to be taken into consideration. In its better sense, it includes all those higher qualities that make man a moral, loving, thinking being. The value of the man is his character; not his reputation. These two must not be confounded. Character is self endowed; reputation is that which seems, which appears to the eye of the people; character is the reality of a noble life. Reputation scarcely ever agrees with one's character, for it is either higher or lower. Like one's shadow, reputation may precede or follow, extend or diminish or entirely vanish. Character is rock; reputation, shifting sand. Reputation is the coat, character the man; and, like a coat, reputation often deceives as to the real worth of its possessor. Character is complex in its nature. It is more than a good intention, or a mere respect for the moral law. That is not the kind of morality wanted. It is not enough to be good. One must be good for something. That is the kind of character we should build in our homes, in our schools, and in our nation. When you say you are good, say also for what, and a value may then be placed upon you. Negative goodness means little in the world of worth; it is unharnessed energy; it is granite lying dead in the mountain side. Judgment and will are elements in the development of character. To determine what is right and to act accordingly, is the work required. Simply storing facts, no matter how valuable, does not necessarily affect character. It is knowledge transmitted, or transformed, into wisdom that influences or becomes part of our moral worth. Character is not the learning but the assimilation of truth. That learning which is not worked into the warp and woof of the soul's purer self, lies an undigested food and becomes an inviting culture for the microbes of sin. The chemist, making an assay for gold, grinds the bulky ore,

CHARACTER 221

places it in the furnace and heats it to an intense degree. The gold, the only thing of value in the rock, flows to the bottom, the dross is cast aside. The gold is weighed and the value of the ore computed. So in the life of man; with all his reputation, acquired experiences, and hereditary endowments, he is tested in the crucible of human experiences and weighed in the balance of eter- — nal worth. The value of the man is his character, the gold of the human soul. As the gold was gradually deposited in the rock, through long ages, so likewise character is the result of the soul's long struggle for truth, and a mastery of life's forces and passions. As there are inferior or base metals, so also there are inferior characters. We even find rock without the coveted metal, and we meet men without admirable characters. The intensity or the strength of the man of character depends upon the amount of truth acquired, and the undented application of it in the uplifting of his own self and of humanity. Character, in its better and truer sense, is the product of the moral and religious side of life rather than of the intellectual, for the intellect may increase while character may decrease; or, character may increase while scholastic attainment remains comparatively stationary. The man of character banks truth and draws usury for the soul, the prodigal, through profligacy, abandons the truth and becomes a moral bankrupt. — Character is power is influence; it makes friends; creates funds; draws patronage and support; and opens a sure way to wealth, honor and happiness, and in creating influence, it creates the only responsibility that a man can not evade in this life — — the one he thinks of least his personal influence. Man's conscious influence, when he is on dress parade, when he is posing to impress those around him, is woefully small. But his unconscious influence, the silent, subtle radiation of his personality, his character, the effect of his words and acts, the trifles — he never considers is tremendous. Every moment of his life he is changing to a degree the life of the whole world. Every man's character affects every other. So silently and unconsciously is this influence at work that man forgets that it exists. Everywhere in the world the preference is for men of character. That which is commonly called "good nature" never will pass inspection as significant of character in man. Rather is it the reverse, although it may not be unmixed evil, but it does not get anywhere in the world of initiative. Character is the one essential to success in any work. Capital, influential friends, education, ability and knowledge of the matter in hand, are aids, but without any or all of these, most