https://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php?title=XIII_A_BOOK_OF_WISDOM&feed=atom&action=historyXIII A BOOK OF WISDOM - Revision history2024-03-29T10:10:02ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.39.4https://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php?title=XIII_A_BOOK_OF_WISDOM&diff=5677&oldid=prevHirgen at 07:22, 19 September 20082008-09-19T07:22:22Z<p></p>
<table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface">
<col class="diff-marker" />
<col class="diff-content" />
<col class="diff-marker" />
<col class="diff-content" />
<tr class="diff-title" lang="en">
<td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td>
<td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 01:22, 19 September 2008</td>
</tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno" id="mw-diff-left-l189">Line 189:</td>
<td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 189:</td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> pain. I have understood the victory of the Cross. O Death, where</div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> pain. I have understood the victory of the Cross. O Death, where</div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> is thy sting? <I>Nunc dimittis, Domine. . . . &quot;</I></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> is thy sting? <I>Nunc dimittis, Domine. . . . &quot;</I></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> <<del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">P ALIGN=RIGHT</del>><del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">.</del></div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> <ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">.</ins><<ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">/blockquote</ins>></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><hr></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><hr></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br/></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br/></td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><center>Return to '''[[A Student in Arms]]'''</center></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><center>Return to '''[[A Student in Arms]]'''</center></div></td></tr>
</table>Hirgenhttps://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php?title=XIII_A_BOOK_OF_WISDOM&diff=5676&oldid=prevHirgen at 07:21, 19 September 20082008-09-19T07:21:42Z<p></p>
<table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface">
<col class="diff-marker" />
<col class="diff-content" />
<col class="diff-marker" />
<col class="diff-content" />
<tr class="diff-title" lang="en">
<td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td>
<td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 01:21, 19 September 2008</td>
</tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno" id="mw-diff-left-l189">Line 189:</td>
<td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 189:</td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> pain. I have understood the victory of the Cross. O Death, where</div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> pain. I have understood the victory of the Cross. O Death, where</div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> is thy sting? <I>Nunc dimittis, Domine. . . . &quot;</I></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> is thy sting? <I>Nunc dimittis, Domine. . . . &quot;</I></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> <P ALIGN=RIGHT>.<del style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"></BLOCKQUOTE></del></div></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> <P ALIGN=RIGHT>.</div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><hr></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><hr></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br/></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br/></td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><center>Return to '''[[A Student in Arms]]'''</center></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><center>Return to '''[[A Student in Arms]]'''</center></div></td></tr>
</table>Hirgenhttps://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php?title=XIII_A_BOOK_OF_WISDOM&diff=5675&oldid=prevHirgen at 07:21, 19 September 20082008-09-19T07:21:26Z<p></p>
<table style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122;" data-mw="interface">
<col class="diff-marker" />
<col class="diff-content" />
<col class="diff-marker" />
<col class="diff-content" />
<tr class="diff-title" lang="en">
<td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">← Older revision</td>
<td colspan="2" style="background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;">Revision as of 01:21, 19 September 2008</td>
</tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno" id="mw-diff-left-l190">Line 190:</td>
<td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 190:</td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> is thy sting? <I>Nunc dimittis, Domine. . . . &quot;</I></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> is thy sting? <I>Nunc dimittis, Domine. . . . &quot;</I></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> <P ALIGN=RIGHT>.</BLOCKQUOTE></div></td><td class="diff-marker"></td><td style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div> <P ALIGN=RIGHT>.</BLOCKQUOTE></div></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-side-deleted"></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><hr></ins></div></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-side-deleted"></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"></ins></div></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" class="diff-side-deleted"></td><td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td><td style="color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><ins style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><center>Return to '''[[A Student in Arms]]'''</center></ins></div></td></tr>
</table>Hirgenhttps://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php?title=XIII_A_BOOK_OF_WISDOM&diff=5639&oldid=prevHirgen at 20:37, 7 September 20082008-09-07T20:37:00Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div><CENTER><b>XIII<br><br><br />
<br />
A BOOK OF WISDOM</b></CENTER><br />
<br />
<br><br>IT is said that a certain eminent Doctor of Divinity once summed<br />
up a debate on some knotty theological problem in the following<br />
terms: &quot;Well, gentlemen, speaking for myself, I think I may<br />
venture to say that I should feel inclined to favor a tendency<br />
in a positive direction, with reservations.&quot; It is easy to<br />
sneer at such an attitude; but in reality it is rather splendid.<br />
Here was an old man, who had spent the greater part of his life<br />
in studying the fundamental problems of metaphysics and history,<br />
and at the end of it all he had the courage to confess that he<br />
was still only at the threshold of the house of Knowledge. At<br />
least he had realized the magnitude of his subject, and if we<br />
compare him with the narrow dogmatists of other ages, we shall<br />
be forced to allow that in his exceeding humility there was some<br />
greatness, nobility of mind, and dignity. At the same time it<br />
must be confessed that such an attitude does not lend itself to<br />
expression in a terse, definite form; and that, unfortunately,<br />
is what is needed by the men who are busy doing the hard work<br />
of the world. The ordinary man wants something simple and applicable<br />
to the problems with which he has to deal. He wants a right point<br />
of view, so that he can see the hard facts which crowd his life<br />
in their proper perspective. He wants power, that he may be able<br />
to master the circumstances which threaten to swamp him. For the<br />
nebulous views of modern theology he has little use.<br />
<br />
<br><br>Of course, theoretically the pastor should mediate between<br />
theology and life, having a working knowledge of both. Unfortunately,<br />
but not altogether unnaturally, the hierarchy is timid. Ordinands<br />
are discouraged from learning too much about life., lest they<br />
err in strange paths and lose their way. Equally they are discouraged<br />
from penetrating too far into modern theology, lest they get lost<br />
in the fog. They are advised to be content with the official guides<br />
to both; and the official guides are somewhat out of date, and<br />
in them accuracy and adequacy are apt to be sacrificed to simplicity.<br />
The net result is that the ordinary man does not receive much<br />
help from the Church in his attempts to get a mental grip of life<br />
and death.<br />
<br />
<br><br>Indications are not wanting that the present crisis may evolve<br />
teachers of a new kind in the ranks of the clergy and the professors.<br />
Many clergy have enlisted in non-combatant corps, and must there<br />
have gained a much deeper sense of the needs of ordinary men than<br />
they ever acquired in the University, the clergy school, and the<br />
parish. Some of the younger dons have also plunged into life,<br />
and they may be expected to produce literature of a new type when<br />
they return to their studies. Perhaps we shall see again something<br />
analogous to the old books of wisdom: shrewd commentaries on life<br />
couched in short, pithy sentences. If so, they will be refreshing<br />
reading after the turgid inconclusiveness of most modern theology.<br />
In this article will be found what may prove the first fruits<br />
of the crisis. It is, in its way, a little book of wisdom. The<br />
writer, though not yet entirely emancipated from the traditions<br />
of his type, seems nevertheless to be feeling after greater clearness<br />
of expression and more definite views. Here is a short history<br />
of how he came to write it.<br />
<br />
<br><br>He wished to be a clergyman; but he rejected the advice of<br />
his elders, and lost himself in the mists of modern theology.<br />
There he wandered contentedly for some years, until one day he<br />
discovered that his nation had gone to war in what he conceived<br />
to be a righteous cause. To the astonishment of his friends, he<br />
immediately came out of the cloud, and announced his intention<br />
of taking part in the struggle. Being of gentle birth, he was<br />
urged to apply for a commission; but, laughingly dubbing himself<br />
&quot;a mere dreamer,&quot; he preferred the humbler lot of a<br />
private soldier. What follows is taken from his notebook. In it<br />
he jotted down from time to time what he considered the chief<br />
truths which his study and his experience of life had impressed<br />
upon his mind. There is no conscious connection between the various<br />
groups; but the dates give one a due which enables one to see<br />
how each group is connected with a particular phase of his experience,<br />
and to trace the development of his mind due to the reaction of<br />
these successive phases. Thus June, 1914, sees him preoccupied<br />
with abstract problems, trying to mark his tracks as he wanders<br />
through the mists. August sees him turning from his mind to his<br />
conscience, and nerving himself to decisive action. In September<br />
he was already becoming an empirical rather than an abstract philosopher.<br />
In October and December the barrack-room had compelled him to<br />
try to define the place of religion in practical life. In February,<br />
1915, he is contrasting religion with theology, to the disadvantage<br />
of the latter. In May and June death is teaching him the supreme<br />
truths. But let his words tell their own story<br />
<br />
<BLOCKQUOTE><br />
<br><br>&quot;<B>June 20, '14.</B>---Do not think to 'get to the bottom<br />
of things': most likely they have not got one.<br />
<br><br>Agnosticism is a fact: it is the starting-point of the man<br />
who has realized that to study Infinity requires Eternity.<br />
<br><br>Only he who has failed to perceive the immensity of the universe<br />
and the insignificance of man will dare to say 'I know': ignorance<br />
is always dogmatic.<br />
<br><br>Where knowledge is exact it is merely descriptive: it tells<br />
the how, but not the why, of a process.<br />
<br><br>Agnosticism is no excuse for idleness: because we cannot know<br />
all, it does not follow that we should remain wholly ignorant.&quot;<br />
<br><br>&quot;<B>August 5, '14.</B>---Knowledge is not a right end<br />
in itself: the aim of the philosopher must not be to know, but<br />
to be somewhat.<br />
<br><br>The philosopher who is a bad citizen has studied in vain.<br />
<br><br>The law said: 'Thou shalt not kill'; the Gospel says: 'Thou<br />
shalt not hate.' It is possible to kill without hatred.<br />
<br><br>The Gospel says: 'Love your enemies.' That means: 'Try to<br />
make them your friends.' It may be necessary to kick one's enemy<br />
in order to make friendship possible. A nation may be in the<br />
same predicament, and be forced to fight in order to make friendship<br />
possible.&quot;<br />
<br><br>&quot;<B>August 10, '14.</B>---Rank in itself is one of the<br />
false gods which it is the business of religion and philosophy<br />
to dethrone.<br />
<br><br>Outward rank deserves outward respect: genuine respect is<br />
only accorded to real usefulness.<br />
<br><br>Rank is only valued by the wise when it offers opportunity<br />
for greater usefulness.<br />
<br><br>To know one's limitations is a mark of wisdom, to rest content<br />
with them merits contempt.<br />
<br><br>There is no dishonor in a humble lot---unless one is shirking<br />
the responsibilities of one more exalted.<br />
<br><br>The wise man will take the lowest room; but only the shirker<br />
will refuse to go up higher.<br />
<br><br>To fear a change in one's manner of life is to be the slave<br />
of habit: freedom is a chief object both of religion and philosophy.<br />
<br><br>Here are two contemptible fellows: a philosopher without courage,<br />
and a Christian without faith.&quot;<br />
<br><br>&quot;<B>September 1, '14</B>.---The interest of life lies<br />
largely in its contrasts: if a man finds life dull it is probably<br />
because he has lacked the courage to widen his environment.<br />
<br><br>To have a wide experience is to inherit the earth: with a<br />
narrow horizon a man cannot be a sound thinker.<br />
<br><br>Experience is the raw material of the philosopher: the wider<br />
his experience, whether personal or borrowed, the more sure the<br />
basis of his philosophy.&quot;<br />
<br><br><I>&quot; </I><B>October 15, '14.</B>---Man is the creature<br />
of heredity and circumstance: he is only the master of his fate<br />
in so far as he can select his environment.<br />
<br><br>Sordid surroundings make man a brute: friendship makes him<br />
human: religion begins to make him divine.<br />
<br><br>Religion means being aware of God as a factor in one's environment:<br />
perfect religion is perceiving the true relative importance of<br />
God and the rest.<br />
<br><br>Some men are brutes: most are human: very few begin to be<br />
divine.&quot;<br />
<br><br>&quot;<B>December 5, '14</B>.---Almost all men are slaves:<br />
they are mastered by foolish ambitions, vile appetites, jealousies,<br />
prejudices, the conventions and opinions of other men. These<br />
things obsess them, so that they cannot see anything in its right<br />
perspective.<br />
<br><br>For most men the world is centred in self, which is misery:<br />
to have one's world centred in God is the peace that passeth<br />
understanding.<br />
<br><br>This is liberty: to know that God alone matters.&quot;<br />
<br><br>&quot;<B>February 2, '15</B>.---Optimism is the condition<br />
of successful effort: belief in God is the only rational basis<br />
of optimism.<br />
<br><br>To offer a sound basis for optimism, religion must take count<br />
of facts: the hardest fact is the existence of unmerited suffering.<br />
<br><br>Religion is feeling and aspiration: theology is the statement<br />
of its theoretical implications.<br />
<br><br>Religion is tested by experience: theology by logic and history.<br />
<br><br>Christianity survives because the Cross symbolizes the problem<br />
of pain, and because its metaphysical implications have never<br />
been finally settled.<br />
<br><br>Christianity is a way, and not an explanation of life: it<br />
implies power, and not dogma.&quot;<br />
<br><br>&quot;<B>May 25, '15</B>.---In the hour of danger a man is<br />
proven: the boaster hides, the egotist trembles; only he whose<br />
care is for honor and for others forgets to be afraid.<br />
<br><br>It is blessed to give: blessed is he of whom it is said that<br />
he so loved giving that he was glad to give his life.<br />
<br><br>Death is a great teacher: from him men learn what are the<br />
things they really value.<br />
<br><br>Men live for eating and drinking, position and wealth: they<br />
die for honor and for friendship.<br />
<br><br>True religion is betting one's life that there is a God.<br />
<br><br>In the hour of danger all good men are believers: they choose<br />
the spiritual, and reject the material.<br />
<br><br>The death of a hero convinces all of eternal life: they are<br />
unable to call it a tragedy.&quot;<br />
<br><br>&quot;<B>June 1, '15</B> .---I have seen with the eyes of<br />
God. I have seen the naked souls of men, stripped of circumstance.<br />
Rank and reputation, wealth and poverty, knowledge and ignorance,<br />
manners and uncouthness, these I saw not. I saw the naked souls<br />
of men. I saw who were slaves and who were free: who were beasts<br />
and who men: who were contemptible and who honorable. I have<br />
seen with the eyes of God. I have seen the vanity of the temporal<br />
and the glory of the eternal. I have despised comfort and honored<br />
pain. I have understood the victory of the Cross. O Death, where<br />
is thy sting? <I>Nunc dimittis, Domine. . . . &quot;</I><br />
<P ALIGN=RIGHT>.</BLOCKQUOTE></div>Hirgen