Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-08-27
How to be GOOD. Neighbor..

soue OI GIe LnOSC prdcblcdi uuIicS VI ilte,
| and to estimate correctly who Is ones
neighbor, and what are the resulting moral
obligations, form no unimportant inquiries.
1 In the narrowest sense, personal and phys
icali nearness may be said to constitute
lneighborhood, and by itanearly every one
is greatly affected. The circumstances and
friends of early life, the town and village,
the teachers and school, and church con-
nected with early memory, do much
] towards shaping future character. Wheth-
er brought up in the North or inthe South
under Christian, Jewish or Mohammedan
/ instructions, the future habits, life and
character of each will be greatly affected
| according to the peculiar school and sur
roundings. And yet we are equally aware
| that there is often no nearer affinity be-
tween persons brought up in the same
town than between those reared on op-
posite sides of the ocean. Educated
| and uneducated, moral and vicious, those
who dwell in the abodes of luxury, and the
children of want, may live in the same city
Tor village, separated by contiguous walls,
| but by what breadth of estrangement !
Shall we call these neighbors and not feel
that those whose circumstances in life and
4 place In society are similar. are far more
truly neighbors? = The rose and the thistle
may grow side by side, may draw their nu-
trfment from the same square foot of soil
and be watered by adjacent dew drops, and
Throughout the globe than TO the thistle
growing at its side. The poor Irish immi-
fgrant has across the sea, in the Emerald
Isle. those who are more truly neighbors to
his heart than the wealthy capitalist in the
front street, whose mansion he labors in
eerectinga I05if9 lr&l7H l. u
The closest neighborhood is that of the
heart. Those whose views and feelings on
political, social and religious questions are
alike, are more apt to be neighbors than
those who differ widely, and yet many a
Protestant and many Catholic shall fl nd
a greater sameness of heart between the m
than each shall discover in others of their
ownl religious profession. The conserve
| tive in republic and the conservative uE-
der monarchy are neighbors, and So, also,
are radicals; for if they know mans
views on one or two leading topics and
tprincipfes, and find them like their own,
they know what his views will be on all
the great questions of life and manifesto
tions of character, for in fact the character
is but the cultivated plant of which every
mans personal. and active principles are
| the root. Those who perform the noblest
/ deeds, produce nothing so great as that re-
suit of all their thoughts, wo DIS and acts
their own characters. Who, then, is
zones neighbor? Not he who is nearest
in space SO much as he who is nearest in
spirit. What, then? Shall all of the same
class and OF the same kind, of the same ed
ucation and of the same faith, clan togeth-
er to the exclusion of all who differ in these
respects? 1t is not thus that the Great Ar
chitect of Society has chosen to build uI
| neighborhoods but rather by inspiring
4 through these little differences a sense Of
deeper unities, and so by broader feelings
and views making neighbors of enemies.--
The Samaritan is thus made the neighbol
of the jew. A community composed oi
only one class of character, or one grade o.
education, would be very stagnant and in
lsipid, like garden composed all of ont
sort of flow erS. There are few character
in any society who cannot teach us much
of proper course OF life and action.
wiser than we are, they can teach us;
less wise, they still teach us how to teach
Even the scoundrel can teach you how no
to behave. In fact Providence pursues, il
the formation of society, the same cours
as in the composition of the globe. If on
gas alone filled the atmosphere, or on
element formed the soil, what plan
could live? So if each class live separate
lily and estranged, side by side in the sam
city, they can simply perpetuate tn
sameness or stagnate, but never grow.
is by, being brought face to face, and form
ing, ,companionship with dissimilars, tina
each diffuses his good qualities in society
and is cured ofwhat is bad. Whois neigh
Dor to the Hottentot? The missionary
Who is neighbor to the Cretans just now
Not the Turk, but the American, who feed
and clothes his wife and children. Who i
neighbor to the negro? The teacher. H
who thinks and feels and labors for the goo
of another all over the world most effect
ually is the nearest neighbor. No differ
ence of circumstances or religious views o
character should estrange any as to proven
our seeking their good. A word, a look
even pause, may express much; and me
are not ungratefd1. We can and ought t
be neighbors to all in word or deed; thos
who differ most can remind each other hoy
imperfect both and all are before the com
mon Master. Yet, as all plants have
common neighbor in the sun, so goodness
truth and love are sources of inspiration
strength and life to all alike who ale pre-
pared to imbibe their influence.