President Harold B. Lee, Part Four - Hamilton Wright Mabie and Fundamental Truth by the Fireside

  For Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Five or Part Six, you know what to do. Click away!

 It's a cold rainy morning. Snow is descending upon us, and I'm hoping to get this blog out before we lose power. 

But never fear. If we get kicked back into the 80s during a snowstorm, we're prepared with generators and gas. Today we're delving deeper into President Harold B. Lee's talk, "A Time of Decision" and another quote about truth from someone I'm not familiar with, but whose name I absolutely love. Such a power name. The face doesn't look like someone to mess with either.

 

The Quote

"Another man of wisdom added: 

'There is no progress in fundamental truth. 

We may grow in knowledge of its meaning and in the modes of its application, 

but its great principles will forever be the same.' 

(Hamilton Wright Mabie)"

 

Hamilton Wright Mabie was a super interesting guy, and he doesn't mess around. I definitely get that vibe from his picture.

There's a bunch of books he wrote or helped edit, and I want to look up them all, particularly the Every Child Should Know series and his personal essay collection, entitled My Study Fire. Sounds so very romantic. 

As for the quote, this is a super-interesting statement to make, particularly in the age of truthiness, my truth and your truth that we're living in today.

Is there fixed truth in the world that never changes? I think so.

There's the law of gravity and all that as far as science is concerned, but then there's also spiritual truths that I live by, that help me function and have joy in this life. 

Notice I don't say 'help me be happy'. 

One fundamental truth about life is that there is suffering - but with Jesus Christ, suffering can eventually lead to joy. Joy is the happiness that comes after suffering, which is deeper and richer than 'happy'. Like Easter after Christmas. 

Like reading by the hearth on a winter day...

 

 

"The lighting of the fire in my study 

is an event of importance in the calendar of the domestic year ; 

it marks the close of one season, 

and announces the advent of another. 

There is always a touch of pathos 

in the last warm autumnal days, 

that makes the cordial acceptance of winter a kind of infidelity 

to the months that have lavished their gifts of life and beauty at our threshold."

- My Study Fire, by Hamilton Wright Mabie 

 

I feel warmer already - dang, but I love this guy!

 

There are so many other fundamental truths as well, truths that don't change.

What fundamental truths can you think of?