Ourselves: Improving character and conscience by Charlotte Mason, Volume 4 of the "Home School Series."
Alright, on with this installment.
Book II, chapter 2: The Instruction of Conscience
Instruction by Books-- How are we to instruct the conscience? We know that life affords many instances of good and bad for us to think on. When we see a good deed, our conscience learns from it; when a bad one, our conscience condemns it. But we want more than just life, "a wider range of knowledge," to instruct. That is where books come in handy.
Literature is replete with examples for us to learn from. History and biography are good, yes, but poetry, drama, and novels are even better because they will describe behaviors of people that we may not read in a book about a real person. Autobiographies are also good because the writer can be more free with themselves. The Bible gives many lives that are not told in a manner that cover a vice, quite like Plutarch; though he doesn't always treat each 'life' with equal justice.
The Poet and the Essayists-- Young children get moral notions from fairy tales; adults the same from tales and verse. But Matthew Arnold suggests that poetry is the best. Psalms, Proverbs, plays, essays; these are all a help to us. It would be very sad if we were to wake and find the Psalms removed from the world. How often a line from a poem or passage will come to mind.
Novelists and Dramatists-- Novelists and dramatists may have done the most work in the regard of helping us through reading, but not every work is good. It is best to look to those which have stood the test of time. It shows that what was written has worth and that it was written in a manner that the world cannot do without. In the other, these deal with conduct and not just emotions. More modern works often deal with emotions and other things not worth contemplating. Conduct is of chief concern to us. Also when we find such books, don't focus on getting it read but on assimilation; such good books deserve to be read again and again.
She will offer many references to such works but she is sure we will be able to find our own (and better still). We should learn little by little, an incident here and there, by way of the grace of the writing, beauty of the poem, or interest of the story.
Chapter 3: The Rulings of Conscience in the House of Body: Temperance
Temperance in Eating-- In this section a bit of a book is recounted (of which I am not familiar): The Fortunes of Nigel. It appears that there was a cook who was preparing the king's meal when a friend of his came around and asked to speak to him (Laurie Linklater). The cook says, "look, I'm busy making the king's soup; I don't have time." The visitor says, "I want to speak to the king." "Not happening!" says Linklater. "But I can't stop you from slipping a note between the bowl and the plate and the king will see it when he drinks the broth." It turns out (if I understand correctly) that the king didn't see the note because he was so intent on his food.
The next paragraph compares the king's behavior to Isaac, whose love of 'savoury meat' divide his family (the story of Jacob and Esau). She goes on to tell of Plutarch's recounting of his own youth. There was a time when his group had indulged themselves too much on food and so their teacher commanded one to put his own son to the whip, because he couldn't eat his victuals without sauce. Though the boy was whipped it was all of them who were intemperate.
In Drinking-- For this she recounts the book Quentin Durward (another I've not read). In it there is a celebration for someone that a Lord is attending. Wine is being passed around but he declines, as it is not for him to partake. It is fine for others, but not for him, he knows. (Actually I think he doesn't think anyone really should drink, especially the younger generation.) As time passes, he thinks he should at least take a sip, to be polite. Next thing we know, he's being questioned by someone and he just keeps talking, all the while drinking the wine he knew he shouldn't have, and telling the younger men to avoid. His speech soon became slurred and I imagine he was just talking way too much.
Times have changed, she said. Those who eat and drink in excess are not of the Lord's character. Many know that plain living equals clear thinking. If it continues, we shall see that this excess is looked up on with contempt.
In taking our Ease-- This portion is over a Harry Warrington, who had a lot of stuff; all that was expected of his station. But he was busy at idleness; nothing was of importance that he put his hand to. She then talked about Charles II being of the same kind of person. We have lots of examples in history and literature of people who idle away their opportunities.
(I have a note in the margin of my book from another years' reading: Industry & Idleness. It is apparently what the title of Hogarth's prints referenced.)
In Day-Dreaming-- There are other ways of being intemperate, not just in food, drinking, sleeping in. The reference here is Hepizbah in House of Seven Gables. She has resided in the house for a long time but rather than doing anything worthwhile spends her time building castles in the air. All is spent on creating her life when and if fortune were to smile on her, she could quit the house ... maybe. "The sum of ill-doing is -- leaving undone."
'Know thy Work and do it'-- Now we will hear from Carlyle. He says, why would you brag about all that you have that pertains to your idleness? One monster there is in the world... the idle man. "Know thy work and do it." Know what you are capable of doing and put your hand to it, like a Hercules. Dedication to work makes a man. Otherwise he is like a jungle, chaotic. Work clears this all away. "Fair seed-fields and stately cities rise" in place of a jungle or desert.
Principle underlying Temperance-- But here our concern is more in regard to the underlying principle than the intemperance itself. When there is more regard for the creature than the Creator, we have a problem. If there is a diet ("of nuts or apples, of peacock's brains, or of cock-a-leekie") or exercise program, or anything that puts so much excessive focus on the self, we need to be suspicious. In England, in her time, there was a real danger of being consumed with the pursuit of health (physical and mental) to the point of it being a religious cult. (Oh, if she could see it now!) But when we lose sight of Christ because of such self-conscious focus, it is to our detriment. This is for our own glory, rather than Christ.
"Take no thought," the Bible says, "the LORD knows you need these things." So we really need to stop focusing so on ourselves to the detriment of things that need accomplished, things than can be accomplished, and that should be accomplished.
The last portion she titled "We Live in Our Times" and rather apologized for swinging so wide of her mark. But really, everything she's said is relevant because we have to take into account what is going on here and now and how we will think and deal with it.
I do wonder: is there a modern equivalent to Punch?
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