Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-07


upon the world.
But there is no place in right religion for
the spirit OF even pious selfshness. There
is no real holiness apart from helpfulness.
And as for devotion" the best kind of de-
votion that can be prescribed is to devote
ourselves to the bettering Of our brothors.
Drinking Should he Included.
Il WISH that Archbishop Corrigan in
his regulations for Lent had departed lit
tie from the conventio counsels about
eating. He might have said something about
drinking. Lent of cold water would be
much more beneficial to some people than a
dozen Lents of fish. The truth Is, that hard
eating is no longer one of the vices OF civil
lied humanity. We look back century or
two into the dining rooms of society, and we
are amazed The amount that people ate, and
the nervousness with which they ate it
I'LL US with CONSERVATION. have forgotten
how many pounds of rare roast beef Queen
Elizabeth consumed for breakfast. But
know that it would provide very respecta-
BILE meal for a small family. And cannot
at this writing, without reference to author
ities set down the number of pints OF good
hard ale that Mary, Queen of Scots, was able
to make herself mistress of in single
sitting But the quantity was appalling.
Dr.. Samuel johnson is said. by one of his
well, to have devoured his food "swtftly,
silently and with unrelenting voracity."
That, it is true, might also describe model n
abusiness mans quick lunch." But DR..
johnson, who said. "Sir, like my dinner!'
would have accounted such lunch only as
a sample from which to order q square
meal.
No: we do not generally eat too much
nowadays Some people, 1t is true. still
drink more than is good for them. But In
the twentieth century, the Protestant
Catholic Archbishop of Pittsburg will not
advise US about our behavior in our dining
rooms. He will occupy his attention and
ours with more important matters.
Food for the Mind Overlooked.
Il WISH that Archbishop Corrigan had
prescribed an intellectual bill of fare. l
wish that he had set forth list of recon-
mended books. Still, suppose they would
have been devotional books of the old kind.
And question if much inspiration is to be
had even in the best of them toward TO
Keeping of q helpful Lent. The danger of
conventional reading is that 1t tends to min
lister to selflshness.
The Pope's encyclical letter on labor
would, however, make excellent Lenten
reading for the faithful. And If some par
ticularly sensible Archbishop would head
list of books with that, and continue the list
with good reading illustrative, Of that, why
even the most bigoted PROTESTANT might
then applaud.
For more goes to helping than the gift Of
money. The grace of helpfulness is not, for
tunately, a monopoly Of millionaires. In
deed we have it on excellent authority that
one might even endow the Door with all the
dollars in the bank and yet get no credit
for it in the accounts OF heaven. All gifts
are but cyphers in that celestial arithmetic
Love is the unit which they need to give
them value. without brotherly love the
most extensive and expensive giving profits
nothing. The most helpful man who ever
lived had not where to lay his heaS. The
first essential in helpfulness is to know who
they are who are in need Of help; and the
second essential is to know what they are in
need of; and the third essential IS interest;
and the fourth essential is sympathy; and
the fifth essential is brotherly( love. And
after these five comes money.
Some Lenten Pabulum.
Now, knowledge and the other parts of
helpfulness can best be- had by personal
acquaintance with men, by looking into the
faces of real people. That, indeed, Is what
1 was advising in this Monday Homily
week ago But that is not possible to all
people. We have not all an opportunity
to get very close to the hardships Of men in
mills and of women in tenements. We have
to take good deal on the word of other
people who have better knowledge of
these matters than is possible cor us. Ac-
cordingly, after personal acquaintance, the
next best thing is reading.
! 1 wish that this Lent, the devotional read.
ing of the faithful might be directed toward
an increase of brotherly love. Let US read
ton, = in0 and NV
Here, for example, are several good
novels Novels, indeed, are not as . gen.
eral rule commendable in Lent, but these
novels are written for a purpose; and their
purpose is just that which ought to be pre-
eminent in helpful Lent. They are meant
to tell us about our brothers and sisters who
are down, and to tell us about them SO that
we will get the hard facts into our hearts.
They are better than whole libraries of con.
ventional sermons.
One of these novels is "Adam Bede."
another is "Alton Locker" still others are
"Put Yourself in His Place." and John
Halifax, Gentlemen" These are very fami-
liar titles. Most of US have read these good
books at least once. Let us read them over
again to get their spirit.
A Books Promises Fulfilled.
AND then, read SIN Darkest England"
y
was written, and it is an encouragement
and an inspiration to know that almost all
the great plans that are proposed in it are
to-day actually in successful operation, saw.
ing men and women, body and soul. Gen.
eral Booth deserved that magnificent recep-
ton that he got the other day in the streets
of London.
Then there is "How the Other Half Lives"
description of conditions in New York.
And Helen Campbells prisoners of Pow
erty." And to these would add three re-
markable volumes of sermons by Hugh
Price Hughes, Social Christianity" "Ethi.
cal Christianity" and "The Philanthrophy
of God" have already spoken in this col
umn in praise OF my friend Robert Woods
capital and most suggestive book, English
Social Movements"
If anyone desires to get closer to the heart
of things than any of these books will take
him, and to study the reasons for this vast,
pernicious and dangerous difference be-
tween the extremes of society, would ad-
wise him to ask Prof. Ely, of the Johns Hop.
kins University, Baltimore, for copy of
most useful little "Bibliography Of Sociol-
ogy," compiled by the Professor of Political
Economy at Oberlin. Prof Ely will be glad
to send it without charge.
Every Lent ought to bring Christendom
one step nearer to the millennium. II every
body who goes to church would keep the
right kind of Lent this year, there would be
a large diminishing of the number of our
brothers and sisters who have to keep Lent
all the year round.
They Had Their wits About Them.
Chicago Tines