Character and Conduct – 3 August – Influence

THROW a stone into the stream, and the circles that propagate themselves are the beautiful type of all influence.

EMERSON

IT requires but little knowledge of society and history to assure us of the strong permeating invisible influence upon society at large of any body of men of clear thought, strong conviction, and disciplined conduct.   At once many things respond to the magnetism:  many are put on their mettle who would not for the world own it:   many recognise their own best things more clearly in the new light shed upon them;  there is instinctive moral competition. Such influences travel fast and far…   I have always myself believed that the later thought of the Roman world – the mellow stoicism of Aurelius and Epictetus in the second century, with its strong unexplained instinct for a personal and fatherly God, with its gentle and self-denying ethics, shews the tincture of the influence diffused through the thoughts and prayers, the quiet conversations or the dropped words and overheard phrases – or the bearing and countenance of a slave here or a friend there, known or perhaps not known to belong to that strange new body of people with their foolish yet arresting faith, with their practices everywhere spoken against yet of such pure and winning charm-who bore the name of the Nazarene.

The Church’s Failures and the Work of Christ – Bishop TALBOT

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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.