Let's Not worry about the World

But these are especially terrible times, many will complain, to which Royster replies: "If ours are the worst of times, so were they all," for "wars, riots, up hea vals, and worrisome matters of all sorts are not new to the world. What's new is the constant dinning of them into our brains. . . . The question is not whether black doubt lies ahead," Royster concludes, "but how men at dif ferent times meet their different doubts, whether with courage and K Mr. '1"hornton is a businessman in Covington, entu,,~v. 42 ironic laughter or with whimper ing." Some years ago Albert Jay N ock remarked that there is "sound Christian doctrine" in the old saying: "There are two classes of things one should not worry about: the things one can help, and the things one can't help. If you can help a thing, don't worry about it; help it. If you can't help it, don't worry about it for you do no good, and only wear yourself down below par." A huge deal of nonsense is talked about "the woes of society, the sorrows of the world," said N ock, but "there is no such thing as the woes of so ciety, and the world has no sor rows. Only individuals have woes and sorrows." Some persons "speak of being overcome by the sorrows of the world" and "borro.w the ,vorld's troubles in the conviction that they are great altruists, when in fact they are only bilious and 1967 LET'S NOT WORRY ABOUT THE WORLD 43 would be benefited by some liversity may seem a virtue to those medicine and hard work in the who take certain attitudes, but it open air." is perhaps not impertinent to While not wishing to "encour-point out that it has not always age hardness of heart," continued been so considered; that indeed, Nock, "one must allow something to Catholic theology it once was, ... for a possible light touch of and for all I know still is, a sin morbidness in one's sentiment to-the sin of melancholy which has ward human sorrows, both indi-been carefully defined as a stub vidual and social. It is easy to get born refusal to be grateful for the a bit too much worked up over good gifts of God."

distresses lying in one's purview The late Dean lnge was another - distresses, I mean, which ,vith· -··who reminded us that in Christian the best will in the world one can-doctrine melancholy - "a compound not possibly alleviate, and with of dejection, sloth, and irritability, which perhaps one cannot even which makes a man feel that no sympathize intelligently, since one good is worth doing" - is a moral has never experienced the like fault. "St. Paul," writes the Dean, oneself." "warns the Corinthians against Implicit in the demand that we 'the sorrow of the world,' ,vhich worry about the woes of the world 'worketh death.' The sorrow of the is a rebuke to those who enjoy world is contrasted with godly good fortune while many do not. sorrow, or repentance for sin." Joseph Wood Krutch has ably ex-Then Inge quotes Chaucer: "This plained why he does not believe rotten sin maketh a man heavy, that "anyone who finds himself wrathful, and raw. Thence com fortunate is morally obliged to meth somnolence, that is, a sluggy refuse to enjoy his good fortune slumbering, which maketh a man because all are not equally for-heavy and dull in body and soul; tunate. It might be argued," he negligence or recklessness that says, "that to refuse to accept hap-recketh of nothing whether he do piness if everyone is not equally it well or badly; and idleness, that happy would not be a way of se-is at the gate of all harms."

curing, even ultimately, happiness lnge recommends the advice of for everybody, but merely a way the Psalmist in our attitude to of making sure that misery be-ward things which are not in o].(t comes universal, since even the power: "Fret not thyself else lucky will not permit themselves shalt thou be moved to drevil. ... to enjoy their luck. Such perver-We are not responsible' he writes, 44 THE FREEMAN January "where we have no power, and we have the divine promise that all things shall work together for good to those who love God." The Dean tells a good story about a British Ambassador to the Hague who was "tossing about through the night in anxiety about the condition of his country. An old servant, lying in the same room, addressed him: 'Sir, may I ask you a question?' 'Certainly,' replied the ambassador. 'Sir, did God govern the world well before you came into it'?' 'Undoubtedly.' 'And will He rule the world well when you have gone out of it?' 'Undoubtedly.' 'Then, Sir, can you not trust Him to rule the world well while you are in it?' The tired ambassador turned on his side and fell asleep." ~ Progress Through Freedom BUT STILL, while man in freedom makes his way, Some good develops oft from day to day; Secures advancement in the field of strife While dipping oars upon the stream of life.

While under ban we only see the dwarf, As men seem pigmies on the distant wharf. But give full scope to man's unshackled soul, To think and speak and judge without control; And great development of mind will rise, And great achievements will the world surprise. Then will the mind throughout creation soar, And wonders of the universe explore; Inventions make, to aid the human race In things substantial and aesthetic grace. Religion gains its utmost purity, When its development is wholly free. REV. EDW ARD CLEVELAND, Bible Sketches (1875) AMERICANFEDERALISM:.HISTORY GEORGE CHARLES ROCHE III A NUMBER of years ago, Richard Hofstadter made the point that the differences among key Ameri can political figures have been overemphasized, thus often dis guising a wide area of agreement. As American federalism has been demonstrated in action during the past 180 years, it has been shaped and modified by our political con flicts, but the real essence of our American political tradition has been revealed quite as much by the area of agreement about ends and means underlying those conflicts.