The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-01-06

Eook - the meaning and purpose 81 TIC
single frsgmessarv acss Of hfe. % e0nrse
lie = male up Of single acts. but without
some central purpose % unite and doEni-
r9se these thar are Ike CHARGE strains
ef EsuSse which foiE0w each other, bat sre
not bound together by some great theme
that makes them one harmonious whole.
So many lives impress Us IS IndIszTzmS-
nate. as catching At everyth ing which
presents itself. without asking if II has apy
particular fitness for their needs Men do
things 50 ofta5i, not for any purpose they
may have. bHt because they ser 70 great
objection to doing them. Men have enough
purposes. perhaps, land these deSnE;e
lesser Purposes are nesdful IN their wav.l
bnt they lack pnrpose. need that sense
which was always present 10 St Paul, Of
this ore thing do
On this firss Sunday of the year i may
be vel 70 ask ourselves che question,
Have ! too nanv purposes. too littls pitr-
rose21 How do We answer fhe apostles
question. What Is you- life - That qaes-
ton may seem TOO simple 10 need
Al answer or tea vide to obtain one,
bat On our answer % Il 6epenas the answer
20 that other question. "Wnether this con-
Ing year viii be worth while 70 usz" The
mere stretch OF iime mss no character OF
SIS own: the length Or shgEsness OF life can
have little TO do with It's WORTH You and
! can imagine circumstances under which
the added year of lie would not be dessra-
bic. bat the reverse.
The really important question for esch
Of rs Is nos how many years NC are to ike
here in the world but what kind al lives
We are to I've here whetheva raere butter
fT existence. slipping at this aud that
heWer. with no parpose beyond the whim
Of the moment. or whether We viii share
our liTes according 10 come plan OF what
man life ought to he. whether the whole
powers of the nature shall be pat forth. or
Only those which are easT 10 exercise.
Life. N any complete sense of the word.
must ineluie the Development and Use OF
the highest as vel ag The lowest faculty.
must BE- the response Of the whole nature OF
man 70 his whole environment.
For certain range OF faculties 81 men
answer the question What is your life ?"
IN the same way. There are eerfain needs
and powers which make themselves fe,s in
everyone who dweiis III a body-ghe need
OF food, clothing and shelter But who
among US would venture 70 call that life?
We demand some plav OF intellect and al
fiction. some expression Of peTsonaiitv be-
fore We can use that term. The ordinary.
practical objects men set before themselves
are, indeed, higher than these. but they
are not yet the answer OF the mans whole
nature. Money. fame, power are all we'll
they correspond to real needs and powers,
bat not 20 the highest needs Wealth can
surely make life pleasant and broader:
u may be means 10 more general
egliure and growth: il nav open
the way 70 broader activities and
increased usefulness. Bnt wealth is
not identical with these. Il Is ealv q sym
Dol OF them; and these realities are seldom
graspea by him who makes his lie an alb
sorbing struggle for the symbol One man
loses his money and keeps his coed renute
and his self-respeet. He can do without
the money. Another raaa loses his money
and having nothing else to lose. has lost
all. He cannot do without Il and so fills a
suicides grave.
Only when a mans life is something
more than a search for these secondary
objects can he ever really possess them.
Otherwise they possess him. Only when
the besuty Of goodness and purity can he
life is more than meat does he rise into
that region where n central purpose can
give true meaning to his life. The spirif.
consciously linking our lives to the life Of
God. is the special and peculiar thing that
makes us men; Is that through which alone
the unifying purpose can come into our
lives. Having this. man may have ail
the definite practical aims that other men
hsxf f. Il 4
not failure If he has to let them all 60.
The trueT life man has. the deeper will be
his sense Of personality, OF the fact that he
is n separate soul. Life viii mean culture
Of that. the growth into something more
God,iike. Net in any selfish way will this
sense Of individuality act. for "i:fee + the
expression OF all that IS best in ore no less
than Us inward growth To be at work. 10
do for the world. to make cur existence
positive element in this live. alert word of
ours Is part OF MI true life. The power
Of energetic activity, Of service to the
world, is the effort OF the God-given spirit
Co find adequate utserance. This year
upon which We enter should. then. be TO
US year Of spiritual growth, a time Of
new AMI deeper activity, thought ana alec
ton.
REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Rev 5. Dell Johnston, at the services OF
the Reformed Presbyterian church held in
the hall corner OF Pike and Fifth streets.
preached Yesterday from
Joshua Xiit.I. sIloa ART oil and stricken In
years. snd there regasitieth ye' very much land
20 ~ rosSs ssca"
Rev. 5ohns;on's sermon was 4 practical
New Year discourse. Next Sunday This
church wiil hold communion service. OAR
iEs this week cot7ase prayer meeting viii
be held every evening ~ Mrs. MeGIven's
residence near University
Satisfy srHExr MErfertsr curRcg.
~ the battery Street Methodist Epssro-
pal eharch Miss Annie p0wuev the evan.
gellst. preached morning and evening. Ter
morning SUBJECT vas "fnfire Consee-a-
ticu. Miss powney is an aisle. farribia
and earnest speaker. and her sermon YES
terday vas the means "a bringing several
persons into the church. She Nil. asrine
the eawing week assist Rev Lev ia : series
Of revival meetings which vail he held al
= 80 and IN g. ~. eaee bag.
sEsosp FegsRyTxnlkx CHURCH.
"PreeBee and Rest" was Rec. Reniamin
Parsons So 5ect a. the Second Pres 81 ferisr,
church ia the morning he ,ook gar his
text;
ESe2os Exxai.i4 eaf reeseuee shan 20
VITA taec &ad vili gase geee Fast
E&y. Parsons ssru4on vas a srsecgal New
Years sermon and Wa apusicalle also "a
80 leeal eaag2issss waich have recently
betalieu tee ei'g.
FtxweUyH aNeEEsAT3oyAl cfrarw.
Regular services ware he54 81 fhe p4v