The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-05-26

OuAAlhS VIGIL SAoo W WhAOh hO CdAAo ulo
daily bread; he has higher calling in
his nature and character. He who
simply does his routine work fails in
the great object of life. Back of his
special object is grander object-the
building up of manhood that does
not live by bread. The merchant must
learn that he does not live by his mer-
chandise, nor does the mechanic live
by his tools. If he fails to grow in
love, in gentleness, in righteousness,
in justice, in knowledge his outward
success is but the gilded covering Of
lifelong mistake. "When man Dies"
says Mohammed, linen ask what he
has left behind; the angels ask what
he has sent before"
In what we call professional life,
there is perpetual danger of getting
into ruts and running to hobbies.
There is danger of doing work in
mechanical and perfunctory manner.
There is danger that by using one
special faculty or set of faculties, and
by keeping them pressed in a certain
direction, we shall neglect other por-
tions of the mind quite as important.
This goes so far sometimes that the
whole appearance of man indicates
his profession. You know how COM
mon it is for people to say that they
| foil Yr1inictor nc fhoxT
him, and think sometimes it is just
as easy to tell lawyer, or physician,
or real estate agent. There is nothing
like keeping the mind thoroughly ven
tilated, pouring a stream of new ideas
now and then through the brain. Paul
struck the principle when he said, LET
every man look not only on his own
things, but also on the things Of
Others" LET every man think not
only about the things that concern his
owD peculiar pursuit, but also now and
then about things that concern other
men and their pursuits; about those
things that concern all men what
ever their earthly work. Most profess
sional men pass their lives in deep
ravine, where they see only that frac-
tion of the sky which is above them
and the narrow, rushing stream below.
1t is better to live upon hilltop with
all the glory Of earth at ones feet and
all the shining heaven overhead
~ There is another way in which
the true object of life may be defeated.
When 1 go about the city, notice here
and there house planned upon gen.
erous scale, but when l examine more
closely, 1 see that only two or three
rooms have been finished, while the
wind whistles among the rafters and
the snow drifts in every nook and Gran.
ny. The family have settled down in
the few rooms and may live there fol-
years. We sometimes see men, whom
nature has built upon generous plan
in whom she has placed vast posi-
bilities,-to whom she has given liberia
tendencies, marrow wing themselves ant
living in the smallest and darkest quar-
ters of their souls. A rigid and gloomy
theology may have arrested their nor
NAL development, and instead of be
coming large and beautiful and gener
Gus, they have become harsh and bittel
and almost malignant. Many fine
large nature has been dwarfed by ar
austere and narrow religion. Churches
sometimes think that they must re
duce human nature to the same stand
ard in all; that all who come in mus
deny themselves every amusement
that commends itself to rationa
mind, must perform the same works
must read the same number of chap
tiers daily and spend the same number
of hours in prayer, and above all things
must believe just alike. There is 6
difference between brick-yard and 6
garden. A church ought not to be {
backyard in which all the material il
passed through the same process, and
} put into molds that shape it after the
same pattern, passing the products out
so nearly alike that you can hardly tel
one from another. A church ought tt
, be garden in which each plant grows
{ according to the laws of its own nat
, ure, gathering what it needs from SUI
and air and earth and bringing forth it,
own blossom in season.
r In Goldsmith's pleasant poem, Retail
? iation, are four lines upon Edmund
| Burke, which illustrate the genera
thought of this paragraph:
Here lies our good Edmund whose geniul
> was such
We scarcely can praise it or blame it too much
Who, born for the universe, narrowed hi
mind,
. And to party gave up what was meant fol
mankind"
, 90 The aim of life may be defeated
even in the moral nature, by insisting
} too exclusively upon the cultivation Of
, single virtues. One man will say
"Faith is everything let US have moth
| ing but faith " Another will say
} 'Love is ALL" Another apotheosizes
courage. One will say, eve must have
nothing but reason in religion" An
, other will insist upon emotion. So il
q