Character and Conduct – 30 June – Contempuousness

OUR Lord not only told men that they were the children of God, that they should strive alter their Father’s likeness, and that they might approach nearer and nearer to being perfect as He is perfect:  but, what was more than this, in every word He spake, – whether of teaching, or reproof, or expostulation, or in His passing words to those who received His mercies, – He treated them as God’s children.

Man, as man, has in His eyes a right to respect.   Anger we find with our Lord often, as also surprise at slowness of heart, indignation at hypocrisy, and at the Rabbinical evasions of the Law;  but never in our Lord’s words or looks do we find personal disdain.   Towards no human being does He show contempt.   The scribe would have trodden the rabble out of existence;  but there is no such thing as rabble in our Lord’s eyes.   The master, in the parable, asks concerning the tree, which is unproductively exhausting the soil, why cumbers it the ground;  but it is not to be rooted up, till all has been tried.   There it stands, and mere existence gives it claims, for all that exists is the Father’s.

Pastor Pastorum, HENRY LATHAM

TENNYSON was very grand on contemptuousness.   It was, he said, a sure sign of intellectual littleness.   Simply to despise, nearly always meant not to understand.   Pride and contempt were specially characteristic of barbarians.

Real civilisation taught human beings to understand each other better, and must therefore lessen contempt.   It is a little or immature or uneducated mind which readily despises.   One who has travelled and knows the world in its length and breadth, respects far more views and standpoints other than his own.

Tennyson- A Memoir, by his Son

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These quotes are from ‘Character and Conduct’ A selection of helpful thoughts from various authors arranged for daily reading.

Collected by Constance M Whishaw and first published in 1905 as a follow up to her volume of Daily Readings for members of the Being and Doing Guild who asked for an additional volume

In her preface Whishaw writes:

‘This collection of noble thoughts expressed by men and women of past and present ages who have endeavoured to leave the world a little better than they found it.’

It is my hope in publishing them here readers may be inspired to imitate the example of the authors.