St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-09-01
And the World Owes Him q
Debt by Virtue of His
Being Here. 4
"Owe No Man Anything But
to Love One Another" 70.
Says st. Paul. u
Rev. S. G. Smiths Sermon ADJ
voeating a Chance for Z
Every Man.


''Owe no man anything but to love one
another"
Every man owes something to the
world upon which he lives. He has
received it with thousands of improve
ments from the generations past. He
ought to- have noble ambition to hand
it down better for his toll to those who
are to come after him. This is an am
bitiOn which is as open to the shoe
maker as to the statesman. Every man
owes something to society. A habita-
bic world depends upon the co-Opera-
ton of the inhabitants. From that CO.
operation and service nobody ought to
seek to escape.
On the other hand, the world owes
something to every man by virtue of
his being here. 1t owes him subsist-
ence. Society owes something to every
man. 1t owes him protection, and an
opportunity for development.
Anything like exact equality is i'm
practicable if not unnatural. A variety
of gifts and capacity lends beauty to
life. One Daniel Webster is we'll in
generation, but a nation of Daniel Web
sterS would be crowd of incapable,
bawling orators, each one vainly trying
to find an audience | am not going to
argue i'll favor of an equal chance for
every man; at all events that will not
happen in our day. To achieve that is
not the present work of the refOrmer.
What do argue for tonight. and on all
proper occasions, is a fair chance for
every man, woman and child. Let no
body stand in the way of this. We each
owe it to all others to seek to give them
this much. Let us pay our debts.
"Owe no man anything, but to love one
another"
There Are Difficulties
in the way of giving every man what
will seem either to him or to others
fair chance.
Flrst--Hls ancestors. Many people have
been born wrong. Their bad luck may
have commenced hundred years ago.
For this they are not responsible; but,
at the same time, this is burden that
nobody can lift from their shoulders.
Second-His incapacity. The incapac-
ity of men will put to rOut thousand
friends. 1t is idle to push man into q
position III business for which he is UNI
fitted. Many young men are ruined by
too much help before they are twenty
five years of age. The more responsible
the position that weak man occupies
through foolish fondneSS, the more con-
humiliation of himself aid his hackers.
Third-HiS indispositions. | have
spoken of the burden of ancestry.
There is such burden, no doubt, but
it is not as great as many people believe.
Even poor body can be patched up and
made to last and to prove useful. A
dull understanding can be made avaia-
bic by an infinite patience. A weak
moral sense can be strengthened and
quickened by persistent obedience. In
fact, man can patch himself up so as.
to make very decent show in the world
If he only have resolule will. If heis
born without will, | advise him to be-
come so religious that he will die young.
There is too widespread conviction
among the poorer classes, and also
among the rich, that enjoyment depends
almost wholly upon possession. Moth
ing could be further from the truth.
Enjoyment depends quite as much upon
personal development and the capacity
to appreciate as upon anything else.
Believe it or not, after the possession of
the essentials to existence, sufficient
food. clothing and shelter, mere owner
ship is a dull and common thing. [
have seen peasants standing before
pictures in the art galleries of Europe
with more manifestation of taste and
keen appreciation of the points of a
great work of art than plenty of rich
people. who find it necessary to hire a
man OF taste to select their pictures for
them. Two or three dollars invested in
books, little earnest study, good sound
brain and good, quick eye will bring
more artistic capacity to any young man
here than is enjoyed by half the people
Oh Summit avenue. An effort to equal
ize the possession of books, works of
art. music, is grotesque. An effort to
give a broad culture to all classes OF
people is an aim worthy Of any philan-
thrOpist.
Since the public schools are to open
tomorrow, | take the occasion of saving
that in order for the rising generation
to have fair chance. society owes it to
every child to see that be has
A Good. Sound Education.
1t is true that the parents are the
natural guardians of their children, but
it is also true that if parent neglect
his duties to his child, it is the duty of
society to protect the child, and if need
be to punish the parent. Parents are
not the only ones who have an interest
in their families. Their neighbors have
an interest in them, for they are to be
the companions and associates of their
neighb0rS' children. The state has an
interest in them, for they are to be its
future citizens. Every child, willing
or unwilling. whether the parents are
for or against it, must be given sound
English education. At this point I
understanding upon the part of the
working classes of st. Paul as to their
opportunity in this direction. We
have manual training school !;
we ought to have dozen.
But l am told that the pupils of TIE
manual training school come most
largely from the business and profess
sional classes of society. Our artisans
have not the discrimination to see that
the prizes of life in the material world
lie along the lines of the trades and the
manufactures. The professions are
OverStOcked- Elegant young men, fairly
we'll fitted for their work in life, are
compelled to cheat their tailors and
change their boarding houses while
they maintain the dignity of a liberal
profession. | advise every parent do
not let your boy be professional man
unless you are obliged to. IL his bent
is so pronounced that it is difficult to
stop him, then let the young fellow
have his way.
Every man ought to have a fair
chance in the distribution of the re-
wards of toll. This is state of affairs
that is sure to come. The world is so
far along that subsistence for all earth'S
millions is comparatively easy, even if
the people do not work very hard. In
spite of all the difficulties that agi-
tate us now and then. l am convinced
that we are on the edge of better and
happier times than the world has ever
known,
In the Church
every man ought to have fair chance.
1t is because this is my creed that have
always favored the administration of
the church in such a way that the rich
should not feel the pride of his wealth,
nor the poor the burden of his poverty.
Finally, | announce to you that God
will give every man fair chance. |
believe that He will do it in this world.
There is valuable deveiopme mt of moral
and spiritual character possible under
every sky and in every civilization.
Mans development does not terminate
with this world. AS some of the most
beautiful flowers take years for the