Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-12-12
Move On /.

Poor Joe, one OF Dickens most tOrlOrn
and hopeless vagabOndS, described so touch
ingly in BLEAK House" was forced by the
Boobies" TO ''moye on" He had no home
no means of subsistence. and he had no
object in moving on. There was nothing
to be gained by changing his location. But
he had to move, in which he was not at all
peculiar. Everybody and everything in the
world in which we are fortunate enough 10
have footing for awhile, by way of taking
a good breath before we pass on 10 another,
which will be either better or wOrse-haye TO
move on. Men move on, continually, as do
the very atmosphere, and the waters of the
sea. Did they not move the very earth
would rot and pass away. The rocks
abide in one place, but the rocks are dead
All living things move, and must move, or
die. Nations must move On-however en-
lightened or whatever their achievements -
or fall. Schools and colleges must move on
they must be better next year than they
are this. Business men must move on. If
they stand still a month they are sure TO be
must movO on. They must invent some
thing new every season; must make i'm
provementS; must devise or purchase better
machinery-and the wOrkingman himself
the army, tor if he lags by the way he will
be hustled out OF the ranks, and be left at
the roadside TO perish.
The churches must move on-and faster
than everything else They must not forget
thu ''old paths, but they must open new
roads and make them broader. They can
not convert the world soon enough by pres
ent methods. They must branch out. Saw
enough. Everybody needs TO be saved. and
has a right TO opportunities for salvation.
The gospel is free, and everybody should
have his share of it, which is all of it.
There should be employed in no department
of effort such enterprise and such activity
as should be employed in the work of the
churches. We don't say what churches
but all churches. The worlds greatest,
hlNNl llIAllilltllA II IbN l'tu anu ldl-
ment. 1t is spiritual help and regeneration.
Men need divine up-lift-an inspiration
to enable them to be worth feeding and
clothing-to make proper return for the
lead new Ives-tO enter upon a career of
unselfshness, purity, honesty, steadfast-
ness to truth and right principle. Without
these qualities they are moving on-crab-
Iike-backwards and getting farther and
farther away from reformatory influences,
and toward death and destruction. So the
church must move on at Once-and spread
out and reach out-and grapple with all el-
ements of society-all races and grades of
men. The church has, indeed, commenced
to move. The idea which not long ago pre-
vailed, that a pastor has about so many
men, women and children to care for, and
aud that when those were saved he
could take vacation, is already obsolete
It is also unworthy. The pastor is a chris
tian citizen, and the members of his flock
share his responsibility and his grand privi-
lege and opportunity. They must move on
and move on altogether-with those of
other churches andall truly refOrmatory and
uplifting institutions.
Everybody must fight to maintain an ex-
istence, and 10 make progress. Hardly
dog gets his bone without a fight. Jay
Gould is on guard, day and night He
fights as hard to keep his millions as he did
to gain them. The man of genius and
brain must keep moving and struggling, or
he will lose both. Men must stand over
even their regulations with fixed bayonets.
They cannot live and thrive on what they
have done, but on what they are now do
ing, and can do. They must move on.
Poor Joe" was not so ''all alone" as he
thought. The world is full of Poor Joes"
and it is strange they do not jostls each
other Oftener, and trample each other
down.