Wisdom Gems from Walter L. Sheldon

⏩ September 27  ⏪

Morning. There is no condition of life that excludes a wise man from discharging his duty. —Seneca.

Evening. We cannot now prevent this moment from forming an epoch in our lives; but it depends on us to bear ourselves in a manner which shall be worthy of us.— Goethe.

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Walter L. Sheldon, Founder and Leader of the St. Louis Society, was a prolific writer and collector of wise words.  In Series Eleven of Ethical Addresses, a substantial portion of the issue (pp. 35 -108) is devoted to his collection:  "A Morning and Evening Wisdom Gem for Every Day of the Year."  Each of these Wisdom Gems are drawn from the writings of Classical and contemporary authors as well as "the Chinese sages."  True to the title, there is a morning and an evening "wisdom gem" for each day of the year.  The selection for September 27 is shown above.  

The list of authors for January is comparatively short, with quotations drawn from:

• T. H. Huxley
• Marcus Aurelius
• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Thomas a Kempis
• Goethe
• (Henri Frederic) Amiel's Journal
• Ecclesiasticus
• Plato
• Epictetus
• Shakespeare 
• The Book of Proverbs

Later months will show the same authors with a sprinkling of quotations from John Ruskin, Thomas Carlyle, Baruch Spinoza, Seneca, the Chinese Sages, and one entry from Socrates.

Much like daily Bible readings or fortune cookies, these sententiae are presented without commentary. Nor is there any attempt to reconcile the quotations to Ethical Culture.  The reader must find the meaning(s) in his own heart.  Several of the authors had already been the subject of platforms from various leaders (reflected in the content of past volumes in this serial), and, one assumes, members of the various Societies might also be familiar with the authors through their own reading.

"Wisdom Gems" is the first, but not the last, instance of the inclusion of a collection of resource materials in Ethical Addresses.