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Page 5
Our inner life will daily grow by what it feeds upon. This is the great
secret of personality-building. What to-day we build into thought and
action to-morrow becomes character and personality. Let us cultivate our
interests, think high thoughts, and give ourselves to worthy deeds, and
these have soon become a life habit. Let our hearts go out in
helpfulness to those about us, and sympathy for human kind becomes a
compelling motive in our lives before we are aware. Let us consciously
listen to the still small voice speaking to the soul, and we will find
our souls expanding to meet the Infinite.
The secret.--He who would develop his personality into the full
measure of its strength and power must, then, set his goal at _living
constantly in the presence of the_ BEST. This will include the best in
thought and memory and anticipation. It will permit none but cheerful
moods, nor allow us to dwell with bitterness upon petty wrongs and
grievances. It will control the tongue, and check the unkind word or
needless criticism. It will cause us to seek for the strong and
beautiful qualities in our friends and associates, and not allow us to
point out their faults nor magnify their failings. It will cure us of
small jealousies and suppress all spirit of revenge. It will save us
from idle worry and fruitless rebellion against such ills as cannot be
cured. In short, it will free our lives from the crippling influence of
negative moods and critical attitudes. It will teach us to _be ruled by
our admirations rather than by our aversions_.
Above all, he who would build a personality fitted to serve as the
teacher of the child in his religion must constantly live in the
presence of _the best he can attain in God_. There is no substitute for
this. No fullness of intellectual power and grasp, no richness of
knowledge gleaned, and no degree of skill in instruction can take the
place of a vibrant, immediate, Spirit-filled consciousness of God in the
heart. For religion is _life_, and the best definition of religion we
can present to the child is the example and warmth of a life inspired
and vivified by contact with the Source of all spiritual being. The
authority of the teacher should rest on his own religious experience,
rather than on the spiritual experience of others.
A character chart.--There is no possibility, of course, of making a
list of all the qualities that enter into our personalities. Nor would
it be possible to trace all the multiform ways in which these qualities
may combine in our characters. It is worth while, however, to consider a
few of the outstanding traits which take first place in determining our
strength or weakness, and especially such as will respond most readily
to conscious training and cultivation. Such a list follows. Each quality
may serve as a goal both for our own development and for the training of
our pupils.
POSITIVE QUALITIES
NEGATIVE QUALITIES
1 Open-minded, inquiring, broad
Narrow, dogmatic, not hungry for truth
2 Accurate, thorough, discerning
Indefinite, superficial, lazy
3 Judicious, balanced, fair
Prejudiced, led by likes and dislikes
4 Original, independent, resourceful
Dependent, imitative, subservient
5 Decisive, possessing convictions
Uncertain, wavering, undecided
6 Cheerful, joyous, optimistic
Gloomy, morose, pessimistic, bitter
7 Amiable, friendly, agreeable
Repellent, unsociable, disagreeable
8 Democratic, broadly sympathetic
Snobbish, self-centered, exclusive
9 Tolerant, sense of humor, generous
Opinionated, dogmatic, intolerant
10 Kind, courteous, tactful
Cruel, rude, untactful
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